CHICAGO – Rob Mackowiak hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth inning, and Darin Erstad drove in three runs in the Chicago White Sox’s 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.

Paul Konerko added three of Chicago’s season-high 14 hits and scored three runs.

Jose Contreras (4-4) allowed three runs on nine hits in 6 1-3 innings, and struck out a season-high eight and walked one. Bobby Jenks pitched out of trouble in the ninth for his 14th save.

After Jenks walked Jack Cust and allowed a single to Eric Chavez, he struck out Bobby Crosby, got Marco Scutaro to pop out to shortstop and Mark Ellis to line out to right to end it.

The A’s also had a chance to score in the seventh when they had the bases loaded, but reliever Matt Thornton got Chavez to ground out with the bases loaded.

Nick Swisher went 3-for-5 and drove in all five runs for Oakland, which fell to .500 (22-22) on the season.

With the game tied at 3 in the sixth, Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski hit back-to-back leadoff singles off Joe Blanton (4-2) and advanced to second and third on Pablo Ozuna’s bunt. Mackowiak followed with a two-run single to left to make it 5-3.

Alex Cintron chased Blanton with a single to put runners on first and third, and Erstad followed with an RBI single off Jay Marshall.

Blanton allowed six runs – four earned – and eight hits, struck out four and walked two.

White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye was ejected for arguing two called strikes in the fifth inning.

Dye became upset with plate umpire Chris Guccione after taking a strike from Blanton. Then after taking a called third strike, Dye dropped his bat at the plate in disgust and continued to argue with Guccione, who tossed him after a short argument. Dye was 1-for-3 with a run scored before being replaced by Luis Terrero.

Dye led off the second with a double and advanced to third on Konerko’s single. Pierzynski followed with a weak bouncer to first baseman Dan Johnson, who wasn’t able to field it cleanly as Dye, running on contact, scored and Pierzynski reached safely on the error.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Erstad hit a two-run single to center giving the White Sox a 3-0 lead.

The A’s hit three consecutive single off Contreras in the fifth inning and Swisher cleared the bases with a double to tie it at three.

Chicago scored twice in the seventh on Pierzynski’s sacrifice fly and Cintron’s RBI single that made it 8-3.

Swisher cut Chicago’s lead in the eighth with a two-run single off Boone Logan.