CHICAGO – First, Ozzie Guillen threw a towel. Later, he slammed a water bottle.

The Chicago White Sox manager was still seething after Sunday’s 5-0 victory against the Texas Rangers.

Why?

Because Texas Rangers starter Vicente Padilla hit a batter, again. And because Jon Garland badly missed Ian Kinsler the next inning.

“This guy (Padilla) is the nastiest pitcher in the league and all of a sudden, he hits someone,” Guillen said. “I was upset also because Garland … missed it. I expect him to do a better job.”

Garland pitched 8 1-3 shutout innings, and the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided a sweep.

But the ill will between Chicago and Vicente Padilla resurfaced after the Texas starter hit Alex Cintron in the third inning. Garland responded by throwing the first two pitches of the fourth behind Kinsler.

The White Sox managed just five hits, but they moved runners. Ross Gload had two sacrifice bunts that led to runs. And Tadahito Iguchi delivered the big blow with two out in the fifth, when he followed Scott Podsednik’s second RBI grounder with his 11th homer to extend Chicago’s lead to 4-0. Podsednik led off the eighth with a homer off Joaquin Benoit.

That was enough for Garland (10-3), who won his sixth straight decision. He gave up six hits, struck out three and walked one. Garland left to a standing ovation with runners on first and second in the ninth before Matt Thornton got the final two outs.

“We’re entertainers,” Garland said. “They to see us get a win. It doesn’t always happen. It’s nice to see them come out and support us. Hopefully, nobody’s giving up on us.”

With seven losses in the previous eight games, the White Sox trailed Detroit by 6 1/2 and were just three ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central. And their lead over New York for the wildcard was just 1 1/2 entering Sunday’s game.

Padilla, 5-1 in his previous eight starts, allowed four runs (one earned), struck out eight and walked one in seven innings.

Padilla (10-6) hit A.J. Pierzynski in his first two at-bats on June 14, and Guillen was seen slamming a water bottle after reliever Sean Tracey got Hank Blalock on a grounder leading off the seventh. A day later, the White Sox obtained reliever David Riske in a trade with Boston and sent Tracey to Triple-A.

Guillen thought Padilla intentionally hit Pierzynski and promised before this series to retaliate if he “does something this time.”

Kinsler knew what to expect leading off the top of the fourth: “I knew he was trying to hit me. That’s part of the game.”

The drama aside, Garland was dominant.

“Huge. Huge,” Podsednik said of the win.