CHICAGO — CC Sabathia pitched eight strong innings to earn his major league-best 16th win and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Monday for their fourth consecutive victory.

Sabathia allowed two runs and 10 hits, matching a season high, but managed to wiggle out of trouble all night as the White Sox struggled to score without injured slugger Paul Konerko. They put the tying run in scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh and came away with nothing each time.

Sabathia (16-5) improved to 9-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his last 10 starts, burnishing his credentials for a second AL Cy Young Award. The big left-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his last 21 outings.

Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 28th save in 32 chances and second in as many days.