2007 State of the Sox

July 29: Blue Jays 4, White Sox 1

When Hawk Harrelson is drawing comparisons between Shaun Marcum (nine career wins entering today) and Catfish Hunter (224 career wins), you know it's not your day.

Marcum dominated the White Sox, facing the minimum through seven before Jermaine Dye's solo homer in the eighth brought that run to an end.  It would've been tough to beat Marcum with the way he was throwing today, but White Sox hitters did make it easy for him.  Basically, they took strikes, swung at balls, and applied a plate approach that treated an official contest with a backyard game where opposite field is out.

Jerry Owens had the only hit before then; an infield single that Aaron Hill knocked down with a dive but couldn't control.  He was erased two batters later on a Jim Thome double play that deflected off Marcum.

Unfortunately, Dye's homer didn't have as great an impact, because it came right after the Blue Jays finally cracked Javier Vazquez.  Javy dominated through seven, posting a line almost as fine as Marcum's.  He only ran into trouble once, when John McDonald turned a single into a double thanks to a lackadaisical approach by Owens.  He advanced to third on Reed Johnson's bunt, but Vazquez pitched out of it.

But Vazquez made the mistake of pitching .244-hitting Curtis Thigpen like he was Alexis Rios or Troy Glaus, and an ill-advised walk awoke the slumbering Toronto offense.  McDonald shot a single through the right side, Reed Johnson singled softly to load the bases.  Lyle Overbay drove in the first run of a game with a sacrifice fly, and after a Rios single, it became a 2-0 game.

Vazquez should've gotten out of the inning when Glaus hit a flyball to left, but Scott Podsednik short-armed the catch attempt, and the ball glanced off his glove for a two-run error.

Record: 48-57 | Box score | Play-by-play