After giving up three runs in the first four innings, Jon Garland pitched shutout ball for the next four. But for the second straight game, Chicago’s bullpen faltered.

Cliff Politte walked Morgan Ensberg with two outs in the eighth, and left-hander Neal Cotts came in and walked Mike Lamb.

Instead of bringing in Bobby Jenks to face Lane, Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen summoned Hermanson for his first appearance of the postseason in order to save Jenks for extra innings. Lane drove a 1-2 pitch over the third-base bag for a tying double that put the potential go-ahead run on third. Hermanson then got Ausmus to take a called third strike.

Houston had a chance to win it in the ninth when Chris Burke walked with one out against Orlando Hernandez, took third as El Duque threw away a pickoff attempt for an error and stole third on the next pitch. But Hernandez struck out Willy Taveras, intentionally walked Lance Berkman, then struck out Ensberg to send the game into extra innings.

Luis Vizcaino, in his first appearance since the regular-season finale on Oct. 2, came in when Hernandez appeared to get hurt while walking Palmeiro, who pinch hit leading off the 10th. After a two-out walk — Houston’s fifth in two innings, Burke hit an inning-ending comebacker. Hernandez left because of tightness in his neck.

“To come out and lose again and to lose like this is draining,” Ausmus said.

Chicago had two on with two outs in the 11th after Podsednik’s leadoff single and stolen base, but Perez grounded out, and Houston had two on with two outs in the bottom half when Jenks, who came in to start the inning, retired Palmeiro on a grounder.

Berkman hit a run-scoring single back in the first, his sixth RBI of the Series. Houston made it 3-0 in the third on RBI singles by Biggio and Ensberg, unearned runs because Uribe’s throw hit Everett for an error during a rundown.

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Lane hit a long home run to left-center in the fourth, and fireworks went off beyond the train tracks high above the field. But when the smoke cleared, the White Sox came back in the fifth on Joe Crede’s leadoff homer, RBI singles by Tadahito Iguchi and Jermaine Dye, and Pierzynski’s two-run double to center that rolled up Tal’s Hill, the 10-degree slope built as an homage to Cincinnati’s old Crosley Field.

“We have to forget this,” Berkman said.

Notes: The 43 players used by both teams also was a Series record, as was the combined 30 runners left on base. ... Chicago is trying to match the 1999 New York Yankees as the only teams to go through the postseason with just one loss since the extra round of playoffs was added in 1995. ... Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Houston’s Roger Clemens, who left Saturday’s opener after two innings because of a left hamstring injury, remains “penciled in” to start Game 5 Thursday.