CHICAGO -- The Seattle Mariners were one out away from beating the Chicago White Sox for the third straight game Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field, but literally threw it away.

A throwing error by Mariners shortstop Brad Miller with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed the game-tying run to score and forced extra innings. The White Sox then proceeded to win 6-5 in the 11th on a game-winning single by third baseman Tyler Saladino to earn a split in the four-game series.

"It's just a bad throw," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I don't know how you can analyze it any other way. It was a throw that pulled the first baseman off the bag, and if it's a good throw we win the ballgame."

Saladino, who also drove in a run with a double in the fourth, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. His single to right in the 11th came off left-hander David Rollins and scored shortstop Alexei Ramirez (3-for-5) to end the game.

Chicago right fielder Trayce Thompson went just 1-for-5, but played a key role in ninth. He singled, stole second and scored the tying run on Miller's throwing error.

"It's new life," Saladino said. "You see the ground ball hit, it's right there (and) it's rolling up the middle. At that point you're thinking, 'Hopefully it's slowing up or something and he can beat it out.' From the side, you can't really tell where it's going to end up, but then you see it get thrown away and it's like a little bit of a momentum shift, I guess."

Left fielder Melky Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored to lead the White Sox (61-68), who overcame deficits of 4-1 and 5-4.

Center fielder Austin Jackson and third baseman Kyle Seager, the Mariners' first two hitters, did the most damage for Seattle (61-70). Each finished one hit shy of hitting for the cycle and combined to go 6-for-12 with two homers, five RBIs and four runs scored.

Jackson scored three times and finished a double shy of the cycle. Seager finished a triple short of the cycle and drove in Jackson twice, with a homer in the first and a two-out single in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie.

"He had a great game," Seager said of Jackson. "(He hit an opposite field) homer, got a single in the first ... he was really locked in today. He's been looking really good."

Left-hander Edgar Olmos started for the Mariners and allowed three runs in five innings. Left-hander Jose Quintana allowed four runs in just 4 1/3 innings in his start for the White Sox, who tied a franchise record with 19 strikeouts in the game (eight by Quintana).

The Mariners jumped out to a lead in the first for the second straight game on a two-run homer by Seager. Just as he did Saturday, Seager followed the game's first hit with a long homer to right field for a 2-0 lead.

After Chicago manufactured a run in the first, Jackson extended Seattle's lead to 4-1 with his two-run homer off Quintana in the second.

The White Sox cut it 4-3 in the fourth with two runs on three hits, highlighted by Saladino's run-scoring double, but stranded the tying run on third.

Seattle, which struggled to convert scoring opportunities into runs the entire series, came up short again in the middle innings. The Mariners left the bases loaded in the third and fourth, and stranded two more in the fifth.

That left the door open for Cabrera to tie it 4-4 in the seventh with a solo homer and helped set the stage for the drama in the ninth.

"It's crazy how baseball is sometimes," said White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton (2-for-5). "As long as you have a throw left on offense or defense, you always have a shot to win or lose. It definitely came in our favor today."

NOTES: The Mariners optioned LHP Mike Montgomery to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled RHP Mayckol Guaipe. Montgomery could get up to three starts there to work on command. He went 4-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 16 starts for the Mariners this season. ... Guaipe, 24, has appeared in eight games with Seattle during three separate stints, posting an 0-3 record with a 7.50 ERA through 12 innings. ... Seattle SS Ketel Marte didn't start a day after leaving a game early with a hamstring issue. He is day-to-day. ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura said the September roster expansion won't initially affect his starting rotation. Chicago will start LHP Chris Sale on Tuesday at the Minnesota Twins, followed by LHP Carlos Rodon on Wednesday and RHP Jeff Samardzija on Thursday. ... Ventura put OF Trayce Thompson back in the lineup Sunday because Seattle started LHP Edgar Olmos.