2007 State of the Sox

July 8: White Sox 6, Twins 3

Had the Sox actually been in a pennant race of sorts this year instead of trailing by double digits, this could've been called something like the "Miracle Split of 2007."  Instead, we'll just be saved some platitudes from Ozzie Guillen about the Twins.  And you know what?  That's OK, too.

Thanks to another complete game by Javier Vazquez, the Sox managed to take the final two of a four-game series against Minnesota despite being outscored 36-23.

Vazquez continues to overwrite his reputation as a five-and-diver, as he allowed eight hits and struck out eight while walking none.  He ran into a trouble only a couple times -- three straight singles led to two runs in the fourth to cut into a 5-1 lead, but aided by a slightly generous strike zone, Vazquez pitched around the rest of it.

The key moment came in the fifth inning, when back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out.  After striking out Jason Bartlett, he found himself down 3-0 to Joe Mauer.  It looked like he was going to give hm the unintentional intentional walk with the base open, but instead he battled back to 3-2, then froze him with a curveball that was just off the outside corner, which the ump deemed good enough.

Outside of a solo homer to Justin Morneau in the sixth (his eighth against the Sox this year), Vazquez cruised and made the Sox's one big inning stand up.

Carlos Silva retired the first six Sox he faced, but Rob Mackowiak canceled the postgame show with a leadoff homer, his fifth of the year.  Luis Terrero doubled, but it looked like he might be stranded on third after a Juan Uribe pop-up and Jerry Owens groundout.

Then came the string of two-out hits.  First, Tadahito Iguchi drove in Terrero with a single to left-center.  Jim Thome jumped all over the first pitch he saw for a homer, and then Paul Konerko made it back-to-back by doinking the left field foul pole.

Thome had a big day, going 3-for-4 and scoring an insurance run when he singled, advanced to second a wild pitch, to third on a groundout and scored on A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly.

Record: 39-47 | Box score | Play-by-play