(My Sportsbook) - Fresh off a series with Oakland in which it dropped two of three games, the Chicago White Sox open a new three-game set against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Thursday, Magglio Ordonez hit a two-run homer and Frank Thomas added a solo home run for the White Sox, but it was not enough, as Chicago dropped the rubber match of their three-game series with the Athletics, 8-5. It was their third straight series loss.

With the loss Chicago dropped to 6-9 on the road this season and 1-2 on its current six-game road trip.

Jon Garland (2-3) suffered the defeat as he was touched for five runs on eight hits in five innings of work.

The White Sox will pin their hopes tonight on righthander Dan Wright, who will be making his first start of the year after getting activated from the disabled list earlier in the week.

Wright, who had been sidelined with inflammation in his right elbow since March 27, made four rehab starts for Triple-A Charlotte and was 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA for the Knights.

The 25-year-old Wright, who was 14-12 a season ago for the White Sox. was 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA against the Mariners in 2002 and is 2-0 with a 3.67 ERA lifetime against Seattle. He is 0-0 with a 2.63 ERA in two career starts at Safeco Field.

Thomas, whose six homers this season have all been solo shots, needs one double for 400 in his career. Luke Apling holds the team record with 440.

The Sox have gone 4-26 on the west coast over the last two-plus seasons and haven't won a series there since August 2000. Chicago, which was swept by the Mariners last weekend, did take five of the nine overall matchups last season, but have dropped seven of its last nine in Seattle.