2007 State of the Sox

August 31: Indians 8, White Sox 5

If you're as numb to the losses as I am, the eighth inning was pretty damn funny.

First, you had Mike Myers entering the game for the sole purpose of facing Travis Hafner.  He walked Pronk on four pitches.  But wait -- Myers has had far more success against right-handed batters anyway, so let's see how he handles Victor Martinez.  Oops, Victor singled.

Then Mike MacDougal came in and got the ground ball he needed from Ryan Garko -- except it took an insane hop off the lip of the infield, kicking both high and to the right past Juan Uribe.  And that's when the meltdown truly began.

MacDougal couldn't find the strike zone -- he threw four straight balls to the slumping Jhonny Peralta, and followed that up with four more to walk Kenny Lofton and bring home the tying run.  On the 2-0 pitch to Lofton that home plate umpire John Hirschbeck thought was high, MacDougal showed his disgust with the umpire.  It's hard to blame Hirschbeck though, since the previous six pitches probably warped the idea of what the actual strike zone was.

He finally got ahead of Casey Blake 1-2, but Blake laid off the next two pitches before doubling to right.  He finished his night by walking Asdrubal Cabrera on four pitches, for a grand total of 18 balls out of the 25 pitches he threw.

Boone Logan, who Ozzie should have gone to instead of Myers, got Grady Sizemore to fly out weakly to Darin Erstad to end the inning.

At this point, losses aren't a bad thing -- if they're going to be this pathetic, they may as well get the No. 1 draft pick for their troubles.  However, it would've been nice for Mark Buehrle to get credit for his 10th win, since he deserved it. 

It was a classic Buehrle outing -- fast-paced, efficient and under control.  He only allowed four hits -- three of them came in the sixth inning, when he allowed two runs.  Even then, none of those singles were hit all that authoritatively.

Peralta owned the two hardest-hit balls of the night off Buehrle.  One ended up caught by Jerry Owens on the warning track, and a hard grounder down the third-base line was picked cleanly by Andy Gonzalez, who rose and fired in time to get Peralta by half a step.  After a three-error night Thursday, Gonzalez played a perfect game in this one.

The Sox offense actually managed to score all five runs without a home run, and they should've had more.  They loaded the bases off Fausto Carmona in the first inning, but Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski and Gonzalez each struck out swinging.

They finally broke through in the fourth, when Danny Richar singled Jerry Owens doubled just inside the left-field line.  Josh Fields drove home one run with an RBI groundout, and Dye singled through the left side.  The Sox added three more an inning later, when Erstad scored all the way from first on a hit-and-run single by Juan Uribe because Franklin Gutierrez had no idea where the ball was.  Fields hit a sac fly, and Jim Thome landed a broken-bat single in short left to give the Sox a 5-0 lead.

Record: 57-77 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 30: Rangers 5, White Sox 1

Tonight, Andy Gonzalez played the defining game of his career.

That's not a good thing, as Gonzalez committed three errors in the third inning that led to three unearned runs.  He started the inning with a throwing error that allowed Jarrod Saltalamacchia to reach base.  John Danks mishandled a sacrifice bunt for two straight errors.  After a flyout to left, Gonzalez then threw wide on Gerald Laird's bunt, considered a single and an error. 

Then when he had the chance to end the inning, he short-armed the ball on a routine grounder and the ball sailed over Paul Konerko's head.

The four-error inning made Danks' night shorter than it could've been.  He pitched well, almost using a fastball and changeup exclusively.  One fastball was sent over the center field fence by Sammy Sosa, but otherwise he looked sharper than he did his last time around.

As far as the offense is concerned, there wasn't much to speak of.  Jim Thome continued to terrorize Texas pitching with his 23rd homer, but the Sox on the whole failed to put up much of a fight.

Record: 57-76 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 29: Rangers 5, White Sox 4 (11 innings)

With a 4-3 lead, one out and a runner on second, Matt Thornton came into the game and ended up facing Sammy Sosa.  He quickly got him down 0-2 with a couple fastballs.  Then he two fastballs that missed the strike zone to even the count.

Then he threw another one, and Sosa went with it and lined it into right field for a game-tying double.

It would be the first of two times Sosa thrived on a mistake.  The second decided the game, when he hit a liner to shallow center that Jerry Owens initially misread, and then stumbled in making up the ground.  He fell, Ian Kinsler scored without a play at the plate, and the Sox lost their second straight one-run game.

However, Thornton's mistake bothered me more.  He'd made the mistake previously a couple months ago to Bobby Abreu, throwing him enough fastballs to where Abreu finally gauged one.  It wouldn't have been as bad had Mike MacDougal not made the same mistake to Sosa earlier in the year.  In Sammy's return to Chicago, MacDougal got ahead 0-2 on two fastballs, then left a third one out over the plate.  Sosa crushed it out to right.

Almost as frustrating was the Sox's inability to score the go-ahead run from third in the eighth inning with less than two outs.  After Juan Uribe bunted runners over to second and third, Danny Richar came to the plate and was completely overmatched by Joaquin Benoit.  So was Jerry Owens, and the Sox swouldn't threaten again.

You could tally that up to rookie mistakes -- except that Jermaine Dye was on the bench, and presumably able to pinch hit.  If he batted for Richar, Andy Gonzalez could've slid over to second, Josh Fields to third and Darin Erstad to left.  Batting for Owens, Erstad could've played center.

Either way, Ozzie Guillen could've sent a far superior hitter to the plate in the situation in two different opportunities, but chose not to.

He also left his best bullpen arm to rot while Boone Logan pitched out of his element.  Then again, perhaps it's not smart to tack on mileage to Bobby Jenks' arm in a lost season.

No matter how you slice it, it was a waste of a decent outing by Jon Garland, who threw a quality start after sporting an 8.65 ERA over his last 10 starts.  One of the three runs he allowed should've been unearned, as Jarrod Saltalamacchia received a gift double when Fields broke in when he should've broken back, then scored on a groundout and a single.

Jim Thome also had a nice night in defeat.  With hits in his first three at-bats (including a pair of RBI singles), he managed the amazing feat of reaching base 19 times in his first 20 appearances against the Rangers this year.

Record: 57-76 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 28: Rangers 4, White Sox 3

If the White Sox were actually in contention, this would be the kind of game that would drive me insane.  Alas, it's just another example of why this team needs some big-time changes.

The Sox had a few reasons why they should've won this game:

No. 1: Gavin Floyd gave them a quality start.  He didn't look dominating, but that's kind of a good thing, since the story up to this point is that he can't get anybody out without his Grade A stuff.  At any rate, these aren't results he's going to post often, so they should be taken advantage of.

No. 2:  They chased Kason Gabbard in the fifth inning.  The Sox entered the game having scored one run on Gabbard over two starts.  They put two on him in the first inning when Jim Thome drew a two-out walk and Paul Konerko went the opposite way for his 27th homer, and then Jim Thome added a solo shot.

No. 3:  They had the bases loaded with nobody out in the eighth inning.  John Rheinecker came in and gave up a single to Thome (who had a great game) and walked Konerko when Paulie held up on a 3-2 check swing.  Wes Littleton came in and drilled Jermaine Dye in the back pocket to load the bases.

Alas, Juan Uribe hit a weak grounder to short, which Michael Young turned into a 6-2 putout to get pinch-running Jerry Owens at home.  Then Danny Richar grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and that was all the Sox offense had to offer.

Mike MacDougal took the loss thanks to a single, a wild pitch and another single.

Record: 57-75 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 27: White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4

After the White Sox hit back-to-back-to-back homers and Danny Richar doubled to start the bottom of the seventh, it appeared that their momentum had stalled while still down a run.  Andy Gonzalez struck out, and Jerry Owens did the same, even though Richar advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Up came Josh Fields, who bailed out his two rookie colleagues by turning on a low, inside-half fastball and lining it into the bullpen in left for a 5-4 lead.  With that hit, a first-inning single and the fact that he wasn't tested defensively, Fields had a great day.

The Sox offense didn't have a great day so much as a great inning.  Outside of the seventh, they didn't get a runner past first base.  Jerry Owens was thrown out trying to steal after a single leading off the game, and Paul Konerko grounded into a double play to stifle another possibility.  That was as much as the Sox threatened.

Fortunately, Jose Contreras kept the game within reason.  His forkball looked outstanding, and it contributed to most of his eight strikeouts, including striking out the side in a 1-2-3 third inning.  He still has the propensity to see his mistakes get hammered, but he made far fewer of them.

Ground balls also helped his cause.  He induced nine groundouts to four flyouts, including one that turned into a 6-3 double play that ended the inning with B.J. Upton on third.  Juan Uribe, along with having the third of the consecutive home runs, also had a tremendous day defensively.

Mike MacDougal and Bobby Jenks tore through their innings -- MacDougal throwing a lot of low-and-away sliders to his advantage, and Bobby Jenks getting three weakly hit balls to extend his consecutive batters retired streak to nine, or 50 of 51.

Record: 57-74 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 26: Red Sox 11, White Sox 1

You know it's a terrible season when Josh Fields' first start in left field is the main reason to tune in.  And sure enough, in the ninth inning, he struggled to follow a high, medium-range David Ortiz fly ball, and fell down in an unsuccessful attempt to snare it.

Making matters worse, it came on the heels of another unfortunate play by a Sox rookie, when Danny Richar caught a liner but slipped when turning to second to double up Coco Crisp.

This is what we have to look forward to, folks.

Javier Vazquez looked great until the fifth inning, when he gave up four runs -- all of them crossing the plate with two outs.  The game was over then, since the offense could only muster three hits against Julian Tavarez and Co.  Vazquez ended up surrendering three homers on the day, effectively negating a 10-strikeout performance.

Record: 56-74 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 25: Red Sox 14, White Sox 2

Record: 56-73 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 24: Red Sox 10, White Sox 1

John Danks stunk.

Gavin Floyd stunk.

The offense stunk.

Juan Uribe was alright.

Record: 56-72 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 24: Red Sox 11, White Sox 3

Honestly, I'd take this start from Jon Garland anytime.  He didn't walk anybody, kept the ball in the yard and wasn't hit all that hard.

(Yes, I know technically he walked David Ortiz to start the eighth, the last batter he faced.  However, considering he'd thrown 102 pitches through seven and the Sox have roughly 1,727 guys in their bullpen, there was no reason for Ozzie Guillen to send him back out there.)

The problem for Garland was that more than half the hits he allowed came in one inning -- a four-run fifth that ultimately decided this game.  The one that gave the Red Sox the lead was a single that split Garland's wickets.  If he gets a glove on that like he usually does, he might've been able to start a 1-6-3 double play.  Danny Richar's first error on a nubber to second didn't help matters either.

Otherwise, Garland looked OK.  The bullpen, on the other hand, didn't.

Ozzie probably ran Garland out in the seventh because Ortiz is left-handed, and he didn't want to burn a lefty only to face two right-handers afterwards.

Of course, that approach only pays off with good relievers.  Ryan Bukvich isn't one, and surely enough, he allowed both righties he faced to reach base to load the bases.  Boone Logan allowed a sacrifice fly, which forced an intentional walk, and then Ehren Wassermann gave up a single to score another.

Wassermann actually got the job done -- he needed to get ground balls, and induced three of them.  Unfortunately, Kevin Youkilis' bounced through the left side.  Another led to a forceout at home, and the other was an inning-ending 4-3.

That's more than you can say about Mike Myers, who, after today's appearance, has allowed seven hits, two walks and six runs in his first two innings with the White Sox.

Meanwhile, the Sox offense made Josh Beckett work a little, but not nearly enough.  Their best chance came in the first inning, when Beckett loaded the bases on a double and two walks, and walked in Jermaine Dye to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.  Juan Uribe, however, struck out looking on an iffy 3-2 fastball to end the thread.  It was only the 10th time Uribe has earned a backwards K this season.

Josh Fields hit home run No. 16 to cut the lead to 5-3, but the Boston bullpen held the Sox down the rest of the way.

Record: 56-71 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 22: Royals 7, White Sox 6

Yup, Jose Conteras has reverted back to his 2004 form.

He has his velocity back, but any time a baserunner gets on, he's a different pitcher.  During his dominant stretch, he managed to ignore the runners that did get on, and as a result, he allowed fewer of them.

This time, the Royals ran him ragged.  Aggressive baserunning led to three of the Royals' four runs in the first inning.  Mark Grudzielanek went from first to third on David DeJesus' hit-and-run single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  DeJesus stole second after that and scored on Ross Gload's base hit.

A two-out walk led to two more runs for the Royals in the second.  Jerry Owens may have been able to prevent the third run from scoring, but somehow Jason LaRue, after that free pass, went from first to third on a single up the middle.  Owens had a shot, but didn't seem to give a throw the thought.  A couple of singles later, a couple more runs crossed the plate.

They didn't stop running after Contreras departed, either.  DeJesus bunted successfully on Mike Myers with two outs, but didn't have to run very hard the rest of the way, scoring on Billy Butler's two-run homer.

In the eighth, Toby Hall threw high trying to gun down Alex Gordon on second with a runner on third.  Emil Brown crossed the plate easily, and thus the Royals scored six out of their seven runs thanks to their legs.

At least the Sox offense made this interesting, thanks to Josh Fields' three-run homer in the ninth, an absolute blast.  Unfortunately, Paul Konerko struck out with a runner on first to end the game.

Konerko homered for the second straight game, but the bad outweighed the good today.  Along with the strikeout, he lost track of Gordon on second base in the eighth inning, allowing him to tag up on a routine foul out to first.  Then again, Fields lost track of the number of outs in the sixth, nearly throwing home with two outs on a grounder to third before changing his mind and getting the out at first by a step.

Record: 56-70 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 21: White Sox 5, Royals 2

A wise man once said:

"Did you enjoy tonight's seven-pitcher effort? Then you're in luck, because Mike Myers is only going to prolong the process."

But that guy didn't expect it to be this re-dad-gum-diculous.

Sure, the Sox won their second straight and took a solo hold of fourth place once again.  Yes, Jim Thome killed the ball, driving in three runs with a first-inning double and a two-run homer, the 493rd of his career.  Danny Richar continues to raise that average, homering for the second straight night.

Oh, and let's not forget an old favorite -- Scott Podsednik hurting himself again.

But the story of this game is Ozzie Guillen's frenetic bullpen usage, an effort that would've made Tony La Russa feel like he's been on autopilot for the last three decades.  It can be boiled down to one sentence:

During this game, five different relievers threw five consecutive pitches.

Yep, the Sox used seven relievers for the second straight night, but unlike yesterday, two Sox relievers actually threw complete innings.  Boone Logan threw a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, coming in after Javier Vazquez threw six laborious yet ultimately effective innings.  Bobby Jenks finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth (he's now retired 47 of his last 48!).  Don't blame Ehren Wassermann, who started the reliever sinkhole known as the eighth inning by retiring the only batter he faced, Billy Butler, on a flyout to left.

No, the OOGY a-go-go started with Myers, who came in after Wassermann got his guy.  Ozzie eschewed this year's stats, which showed that Myers struggled against lefties, and brought him in to face old favorite Ross Gload.  Gload promptly sent a single to center.  That ended Myers' night.

Enter Ryan Bukvich, to face right-handed Emil Brown.  Brown shot a single up the middle.  That ended Bukvich's night.

Matt Thornton then jogged in to face lefty Alex Gordon, and thankfully Gordon took the first pitch he saw and turned it into a 4-6-3 double play, because John Buck was on deck.  Had that grounder gotten past Richar, it's quite likely a fifth pitcher would have seen action in one inning.

This can't continue.  Considering it took an hour and 10 minutes to get through three innings, this game had already been moving at a snail's pace before the bullpen got involved.

Record: 56-69 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 20: White Sox 4, Royals 3

It's a sign of the season that a skid-snapping win still feels like a letdown.

Bobby Jenks came into the game in the ninth inning having retired 41 consecutive hitters, tying the major-league record.  Unfortunately, he had to face Joey Gathright leading off the inning.  Gathright is the worst kind of guy to face in the situation -- fastest guy in the league, on a tear (he entered the game batting .363) and left-handed.

Jenks went up 0-2 on Gathright, although he slashed the second pitch just a couple feet fair of the left-field foul line for strike two.  Then Jenks tried to put the hammer down, but left all three curves he threw up in the zone.  Gathright smacked one through the hole on the left side, denying Jenks No. 42 and foiling the Sox for a second time on the evening.

At least he shook it off, settled down and retired the next three hitters for the save, giving the Sox a share of fourth place and capping off a comeback sparked by the rookies.

Down 3-2 in the seventh inning, former Sox reliever David Riske entered the game.  Danny Richar must have been glad to see him after striking out twice against Gil Meche, because he led off the inning by turning on a fastball and drilling it into the bullpen for his second career homer.

Jerry Owens followed with a single and stole second.  Josh Fields then drove him in with an opposite-field single over the head of Mark Grudzielanek.  It was the kind of compact swing Fields should use more often, especially with two strikes.

Before the kids turned the game around, it had all the makings of a Sox loss.  Scott Podsednik gave Mark Buehrle a lead in the fifth inning when he hit a two-run homer off Meche, his second of the season, but Buehrle gave it right back.  He labored through 5 1/3 innings, and Ozzie Guillen was right to pull him when he did.

Grudzielanek led the inning off with a double, a drive which Owens nearly caught until he slid into the wall.  Billy Butler just missed hitting one out to center, but Emil Brown turned around and crushed one to left to tie the ballgame.  Alex Gordon turned on an inside-fastball for a bloop double down the right-field line, and that was Buehrle's night.

Ehren Wassermann came in and got a grounder to short, but it was too weak -- and Tony Pena Jr. too fast -- to turn two.  Matt Thornton came in to face Gathright, but he placed a grounder in nearly the same spot that ended Jenks' streak to give the Royals the lead.

Thornton rebounded, and although Ozzie went matchup crazy with Ryan Bukvich, Boone Logan and Mike MacDougal before Jenks closed it out, they got the job done.  These nights will only get longer when Mike Myers arrives in Chicago.

Record: 55-69 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 19: Mariners 11, White Sox 5

You only had to watch four outs of this game to understand where these two teams stand in terms of talent.  After Jerry Owens hit a two-run, stand-up triple, the Sox stranded him at third after Jermaine Dye grounded into his second double play of the afternoon.

Jon Garland, who gave up two homers in the first inning and a couple more runs in the second, appeared to finally settle down when Jamie Burke hit a hard but routine grounder to short that would apparently end the inning.

But Juan Uribe couldn't handle a hop, and by the time he corralled it and fired to first, Burke's foot was on the bag.  Then the following happened:

1. Yuniesky Betancourt doubled off Josh Fields' glove.
2. Ichiro Suzuki shot a single between the hole on the right side.
3. Jose Vidro singled.
4. Ryan Bukvich threw a wild pitch to bring home a run.
   
5. Ryan Bukvich walked a guy.
6. Ryan Bukvich walked a guy.
7. Ryan Bukvich walked a guy, bringing home a run.

Record: 54-69 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 18: Mariners 7, White Sox 5

This game unfolded like a good chunk of first-round NCAA tournament games do.

Underdog jumps out to lead while favorite struggles to click:

Jim Thome and A.J. Pierzynski homered off Jeff Weaver, and the Sox played for one run successfully when Pierzynski and Erstad singled, Scott Podsednik bunted them over and Juan Uribe hit a deep flyball for the sacrifice fly.

Meanwhile, the Mariners shot themselves in the foot twice by grounding into double plays, including one nicely turned by Juan Uribe and Danny Richar to get Kenji Johjima.

Favorite climbs back into the game:

John Danks looked strong the first couple of innings, but then started leaving pitches up.  Base hits started falling, and when Jose Vidro singled to left with two outs, it was a brand new ballgame.

Underdog becomes undone:

Ehren Wassermann experienced his toughest inning as a major-league reliever.  He came in after Danks allowed a single to start the sixth, and began by hanging a sinker to Richie Sexson, who roped it into the left-field corner to put runners on second and third.  He then threw another hittable fastball to Johjima, who shot it right back up the middle.  Sexson was held at third, but Jerry Owens airmailed the throw, and it bounced into the camera well behind home plate.

The Seattle feed's camera work sucked, and I couldn't see whether Wassermann could've caught Owens' throw.  It went over Pierzynski's head, but bounced short of the wall.

He battled back by inducing a couple choppers to third, which kept Johjima stranded at third after the two-base error.  But then Wassermann walked Ichiro intentionally, and then Vidro shot a single to right.  Josh Fields couldn't handle a chopper, loading the bases, and then another run scored when Wassermann bounced one and Pierzynski couldn't block it.

It was the equivalent of a 29-5 run that turns a possible upset into a laugher in the other direction.  The favorite ends up covering the spread and reminds everybody watching that there is a tremendous talent imbalance on the court.

A couple of bright notes: Thome hit two homers, and Pods made arguably the finest defensive play of his White Sox career when he ran down a shallow flyball, then in one motion fired to first in time to get Yunieski Betancourt by a step.

Record: 54-68 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 17: Mariners 5, White Sox 4

I had a pretty good feeling when Danny Richar stepped into the box against George Sherill with the bases loaded and the Sox trailing 5-0, and saw that Sherill was attacking him inside with fastballs.  Richar can pull the ball with authority, but it's the offspeed stuff -- namely sweeping breaking balls from left-handers -- that render him unable to hit the ball with power.

It really was a back-asswards way of pitching him.  Here's the progression:

1. Fastball high and tight (Johjima set up away).
2. Fastball outside half, knee-high.
   
3. Fastball inner half, thigh-high
   
4. Fastball inner half, belt-high (Johjima set up away).
5. Fastball low and away.
6. Fastball inner half, thigh-high. (Johjima set up away)

Johjima had the right idea, but Sherill couldn't commit, and he paid the price.

Strangely enough, that only lasted one batter.  Jerry Owens came to the plate next:

1. Curve, low and away (Owens couldn't check his swing).
2. Fastball, at the knees, outside corner.
3. Fastball, outside corner.

Three strikes and he was out.

That was the only highlight of this game.  Jose Contreras didn't embarrass himself, but he had issues with damage control.  He put the Sox in an early hole giving up a cheap double to Jose Guillen and a homer to Raul Ibanez in the first inning, both with two outs.  He had more two-out issues in the fifth, when he gave up three straight singles after a sacrifice fly gave him a clean slate on the basepaths.

He also committed his fifth error of the season, when he barehanded an Ichiro Suzuki bunt but threw high to first, allowing Ichiro to move to third.

Nevertheless, his velocity was in the right range (topping out at 94) and he didn't walk anybody.  Contreras only threw 97 pitches over seven innings, a pretty low amount for the amount of hits he gave up.  It's a little bit of a confidence booster, at least.

But you know what didn't inspire confidence?  Seeing Alex Cintron come to the plate with two outs and two on against J.J. Putz in place of Thome.  Cintron had entered earlier in the game for Jim Thome as a pinch-runner, but ended up not being a factor.

But after Juan Uribe walked and advanced to third on the next two outs, and then Josh Fields walked, Cintron came to the plate as the Sox's last shot.

He struck out on three pitches.  He looked at the first fastball, and then swung through the next two, looking like he was swinging a railroad tie instead of a bat.

Record: 54-67 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 16: Athletics 8, White Sox 5

The A's swept the Sox in Oakland.  Go figure.

This game reminded me a lot of the one that pretty much sealed the Sox's fate last year -- the Sox built an early lead that could've been bigger with one more hit they couldn't find, then watched the starter give it away thanks to a big home run.

Javier Vazquez had a 3-0 lead enter the fourth inning, and plenty of momentum after stranding Mike Piazza at third in the second, and recording a 1-2-3 inning and the third.  But he gave up the cushion over the next two innings, capped off by a Piazza homer to right-center.

Unlike last year's dog, though, the Sox did get the lead back.  Danny Richar drew a walk off Dan Haren, barely stole second (his first career steal), advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jim Thome's RBI single, barely beating out a chopper up the middle when Marco Scutaro's jump-throw went wide of the bag.

Enter the bullpen, which had protected leads like the 2005 squad as of late.  Boone Logan gave up a homer to Shannon Stewart off the foul pole, the first run he allowed in nine outings.   Ryan Bukvich retired the four guys he faced, but Wild Mike MacDougal returned to walk two and force Matt Thornton into cleaning up his mess.  Thornton did just that, but then gave up the game-ending shot to Kurt Suzuki -- the first run he allowed in nine outings.

This is what happens in Oakland for some reason, and everybody's to blame.  Vazquez for barfing up the lead, Thornton for serving up a gopher ball to Suzuki, who entered the game with four hits in 26 at-bats off southpaws.

The offense deserves a finger pointed in its direction as well.  Jerry Owens and Josh Fields -- both of whom went 0-for-6 today -- failed to score Juan Uribe when he stood on third with no outs in the second.  The other failures are far less severe, but in five different innings, the Sox had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs and couldn't cash him in.  One more hit, and it could've very well been a different game.

Record: 54-66 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 15: Athletics 3, White Sox 2

Another day, another one-run loss to the A's, with a few recurring themes:

Misplaying a double into a triple:  Scott Podsednik and Jerry Owens didn't know if the other was going to pick up Travis Buck's double to the left-center gap.  Pods made an awkward last-moment stab, booted it, and Buck ended up at third.  At least they called it an error this time.

Another good start and bullpen effort wasted:  Mark Buehrle made few mistakes; unfortunately, Kurt Suzuki turned one of them into a two-run homer.  The other run Buehrle allowed was on a Mike Piazza inside-outer that barely went over Danny Richar's head.

Ehren Wassermann worked a quiet 1-2-3.

A good game for Josh Fields:  Fields had another two-hit night, with a pair of singles off Joe Blanton.  That'll raise his average against righties over the Mendoza Line, and also shook off a terrible strike call to hit a big sacrifice fly in the eighth inning that put the Sox on the board.

He also made a couple nice plays with the glove, smothering a rocket shot in time for the out at first, and barehanding a weak grounder.

The offense didn't show up:  Unlike yesterday, they didn't even have scoring opportunities.

The only thing that really sticks out in this game is the turn of events in the fifth inning.  With Jack Hannahan on second, Buehrle broke Travis Buck's bat on a grounder to second.  The problem was that the bat beat the ball to Richar, and the time Richar needed to get around the shard allowed Buck to beat it out.

Luck turned the other way, however, when Buehrle knocked down Shannon Stewart's comebacker towards the plate.  Hannahan was running on contact, but Buehrle recovered in time to flip the ball to Toby Hall, who blocked the plate beautifully and prevented another cheap run from crossing the plate.

Record: 54-65 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 14: Athletics 4, White Sox 3

On one hand, when Darin Erstad and Jerry Owens have to face a lefty with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and both manage to reach base, they should get credit for it, no matter how weak the hits are.

On the other hand, the Sox blew so many other situations that it's difficult to muster up one ounce of compassion for them.

And so it goes, with the Sox dropping their third straight when Jerry Owens was called out on a dribbler to short that he barely beat out.

Juan Uribe started the last-chance rally with arguably his most disciplined at-bat of the year.  He started by watching Alan Embree throw the first three pitches out of the zone.  Knowing the Sox needed a baserunner, he watched the next two fastballs for strikes.  Embree threw one more heater on the outer half, and Uribe went with it, slashing it down the right field line for a double.

He'd score when a pinch-hitting Darin Erstad hit a duck-snort single that fell between Donnie Murphy and Mark Kotsay, but the game would end one at-bat later.

Of course, had Andy Gonzalez been able to cut off a single, or Josh Fields been able to hold onto a relay throw, that could have tied the game at 3.  And if the Sox took advantage of any number of opportunities before that, they would've owned a lead.

Jon Garland pitched a pretty good game, but Jack Cust (twice) and Murphy capitalized on his few mistakes for solo homers. Still, Oakland only held a 3-2 lead after Josh Fields hit a monster solo shot in the top of the sixth when Nick Swisher came to the plate with one out.

Swisher lined a ball to the left-center gap, but with McAfee Coliseum's expansive outfielder, Andy Gonzalez (playing his completely natural position of center field) failed to take a wide enough angle to cut the ball off.  What should've been a single -- or maybe a stretched double if Swisher was running hard all the way -- turned into a triple when a sliding Swisher knocked the ball out of Fields' mitt.  The relay throw made it in plenty of time, but Fields appeared to snow-cone the ball before the tag.

Swisher scored on a sacrifice fly, and that would prove to be the key insurance run.

And that run mattered because the Sox offense couldn't figure out what to do when it put runners into scoring position:

In the fourth inning, the Sox had runners on first and second with nobody out.  Jim Thome then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and Paul Konerko grounded out to third to end the inning.

In the fifth, Jermaine Dye was on third after Uribe singled home a run with one out.  Danny Richar tapped back to the pitcher, though, and Dye was eventually (barely) tagged out after a rundown.

One inning later, Jim Thome misread a ball in the dirt from second base with one out.  Kurt Suzuki fired back to second, and Thome hung himself out to dry.

That's why it's hard to feel sorry for this team.  And that's why it's laughable to think that they still consider themselves in contention.

Record: 54-64 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 12: Mariners 6, White Sox 0

Good news:  Bobby Jenks tied the major-league record by retiring his 41st consecutive hitter to end the ninth inning.

Bad news:  Jeff Weaver shut the Sox down, throwing a five-hit shutout.

Weaver entered the game with a 6.32 ERA.  And that's all that really needs to be said.

Record: 54-63 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 11: Mariners 7, White Sox 6

On a night where Gavin Floyd regressed to his bad self and the Sox offense resembled its first half self, Josh Fields found a way to provide some excitement once again.

The rookie took the first pitch he saw from all-world closer J.J. Putz, who entered the game having allowed only 25 hits in 53 2/3 innings, over the left-center fence for a grand slam.  The blast, his third in two days, turned a 7-2 game into a 7-6 game.

Unfortunately, Putz settled down and retired Jim Thome on a hard liner, and struck out Jermaine Dye and Darin Erstad to end the game.

Of course, when Darin Erstad is batting fifth, that means that the Sox didn't have much of a chance in today's game to begin with.  Today's lineup not only featured scuffling rookies Jerry Owens and Danny Richar, but also Erstad (in place of Konerko), Alex Cintron (in place of Juan Uribe) and Toby Hall.  That's not exactly a squad that can escape an early hole.

That's exactly what Floyd put his team in when he gave up a three-run homer to Raul Ibanez in the first inning.  In Floyd's defense, it didn't look like a homer off the bat, but with the way Floyd threw the ball tonight, he could've actually fared worse.

Here's the story in eight words:  Lots of fastballs up, lots of get-me-over curves.  He didn't have the hook that he used so effectively against Detroit, and he couldn't establish the inside corner with his heater.  When neither of those things are working, Floyd doesn't have much of a chance.

Jose Contreras kept the Sox in the game with five scoreless innings of relief, but it wasn't particularly impressive.  He made his share of good pitches, of course, but there were quite a few at-'em balls and just-missed pop-ups that preserved Contreras' line.

Record: 54-62 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 10: White Sox 5, Mariners 3

Josh Fields had his first multi-homer game and Javier Vazquez threw seven solid innings, but this game has to be classified as a total team victory.

Vazquez needed some help from his defense.  With the game tied 2-2 (Jermaine Dye and Fields with solo homers for the Sox, Raul Ibanez and Kenji Johjima for the Mariners), Vazquez found himself in trouble when Ichiro Suzuki singled to move Yuniesky Betancourt to third. 

Scott Podsednik didn't bother trying to get Betancourt at third, instead throwing to second and preventing Ichiro from advancing, and this helped to limit the damage.  Betancourt scored on a sacrifice fly to give Seattle a 3-2 lead, but keeping Suzuki at first set up the next at-bat.  Jose Guillen nubbed one to Juan Uribe, who charged but had no shot at Guillen.  However, his pump-fake gave Suzuki the impression that he could keep running to third, and he was hung up between bases before Fields applied the tag.

After Fields tied the game in the sixth, Vazquez ran into trouble again in the seventh.  This time, Fields helped to stem the damage after Seattle loaded the bases on a single, an error (Javier Vazquez throwing high on what should've been a 1-6-3 double play), and an intentional walk following a sacrifice bunt.

Jose Vidro hit a chopper to third, and Fields first looked to second to start a 5-4-3 double play.  But with Ichiro running, Fields fumbled the exchange.  Thankfully, he thought on his feet and fired home in time to get Johjima at home for the second out.  The threat ended when Guillen grounded out to Danny Richar.

The Sox then gave Vazquez the win with two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Jermaine Dye scored from second on a double -- something that never would've happened two months ago.  Juan Uribe lined one off the wall in left that skipped past Ibanez.  Razor Shines waved Dye home all the way, and he would've been out if Betancourt's relay throw home was lower.  Instead, it forced Johjima to jump, and Dye made a nice slide away from Johjima just before the tag.  Uribe advanced to third on the throw, then scored on Darin Erstad's "triple" -- a single that got past a diving Suzuki.

Bobby Jenks retired three more in a row to tie the American League record for most consecutive batters retired at 38.  It looked like he wouldn't get past 35 when he fell behind Jose Lopez 3-0, but he came back with three straight fastballs to keep the streak alive.

Record: 54-61 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 9: Indians 7, White Sox 5

Losses are so much easier to take when the starting pitcher just doesn't have it, rather than the bullpen not being able to hold a lead.

The Sox offense staked Mark Buehrle to a 3-0 lead after three, but he lost control of the game in the fourth, and was pulled after he failed to retire the first three hitters in the fifth.  He started throwing batting practice, and Josh Fields didn't help matters when he got stuck between hops on a hard bouncer.  The error preceded Kelly Shoppach's game-changing three-run homer, and the Sox were out of it from there on.

Fortunately, the bullpen kept the Sox in it.  Ehren Wassermann allowed an inherited runner to score on a groundout, but pitched two scoreless innings.  Ryan Bukvich also added two blank frames, capped off by pitching out of a first-and-third, nobody-out jam with three strikeouts.

The bullpen helped, but the lopsided offense couldn't bail Buehrle out.  Jerry Owens and Fields had miserable games at the top of the order, each going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.  Meanwhile, the bottom half of the order had five of the Sox's six hits.

Juan Uribe picked up where he left off with an RBI single in the second, and Danny Richar followed up with his first career RBI.  Jermaine Dye did the same the next inning, singling home Jim Thome, but A.J. Pierzynski was hung up trying to go to third on the throw to end the threat.

Pierzynski and Uribe added solo homers in the late innings to no avail.

Record: 53-61 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 8: White Sox 6, Indians 4 (13 innings)

Tonight exemplifies what I love about baseball.  Pick a storyline, any storyline:

1) Juan Uribe winning the ballgame with a two-run homer on the same night he committed two errors, including dropping a shallow flyball that nearly cost the Sox the game.

2) A.J. Pierzynski bailing out Uribe with a leadoff homer in the 12th, rehashing memories of one of the highlights of 2006, St. Stanislaus Day.

3) Ozzie Guillen getting a chance to make up for his gaffe that helped decide yesterday's game -- and making the wrong decision again!  Jerry Owens led off the 11th with a single, and instead of stealing on slow Joe Borowski and Victor Martinez, he called for Josh Fields to bunt once again.  Fields popped up the bunt, wasting an out, and then Owens stole second the very next batter.  Martinez couldn't even make the exchange!  To nobody's surprise, nobody scored.

4) Owens turning in a completely schizophrenic performance.  Before the single that could've/should've set up the winning run two innings before it actually happened, he tapped back weakly to the pitcher three times in a row.  On the other hand, he made a fantastic diving catch to rob Victor Martinez of extra bases and to save a run.

5) The return of Mike MacDougal, who was blowing 96-m.p.h. fastballs past Indians hitters up in the zone and locking them up with tight two-strike sliders.

6) Bobby Jenks retiring three more hitters, extending his perfect streak to 35, in perfect usage by Ozzie.  The game was tied going into the ninth, and Ozzie wanted to keep it that way.  Mission accomplished.  Jenks even made a nice play coming off the mound to snare Ryan Garko's chopper, making the throw in time to end the inning.

7) The redemption of Jose Contreras, who looked great in his bullpen debut.  He was almost handed his 15th loss of the season when Uribe dropped the pop-up in the 12th, but he came back in the 13th to strike out two batters, pulling the string on Franklin Gutierrez with a runner on second to end the inning.

8) Jon Garland and C.C. Sabathia looking wobbly, but turning in a duel nonetheless.  Garland pitched rather well for a guy who struggled to get strike one, retiring 11 in a row at one point.  He fell behind 11 of the first 14 batters he faced, but he pitched well from behind.  He got dinged for two runs in the sixth on a pair of run-scoring, opposite-field singles where good hitting beat good pitches.

Meanwhile, Captain Cheeseburger looked as beatable as he has against the Sox, which isn't saying much.  They only scored two runs on him, but it should've been more considering five of the six hits off Sabathia went for extra bases.  Timing, as always, was the issue.  Jermaine Dye grounded out and failed to score the runner from third in the first inning, and then Fields was caught trying to steal third in the fifth to thwart another potential opportunity.

Add in all of the above, and that's why watching baseball is an unparalleled experience.  Damn the ratings, and give me this game anytime.

Record: 53-60 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 7: Indians 2, White Sox 1

In the first inning, Jerry Owens stood on first with nobody out and Victor Martinez behind the plate.  He stole second with ease, advanced to third on Josh Fields' grounder and scored two batters later on a Paul Konerko sacrifice fly.

In the ninth inning, Owens stood on first with nobody out and Martinez behind the plate, after Owens lucked out when Martinez allowed a called third strike to get past him.  Ozzie Guillen called for Fields to bunt on the first pitch.  He executed, but in the process, gave that spare out right back to the Indians.  Jim Thome gets Owens to third with a deepish fly to right, but that's where Owens is stranded when A.J. Pierzynski lines out softly to second to end the game.

Why Owens didn't get a chance to steal second again is beyond me -- especially after watching Joe Borowski's pickoff move, which is so awful it looks like he can't remember which foot is supposed to go forward when he throws.

If Owens makes second, then the Sox have three shots to get him home, or two shots to get him home from third if you call for the bunt then.  If he gets caught, then at least we know that there really is no use for having Owens on the roster, because nobody of his supposed caliber is supposed to be caught by a guy like Martinez in a big situation.

As it turns out, the Sox could've used that out.  Instead of getting John Danks off the hook during his most impressive outing as a big-league pitcher, the rookie took the loss in a game reminiscent of his first month, when he received nearly zero run support.

Danks' changeup-fastball combo couldn't have been better, and he used it to strike out a career high eight batters on the night.  Danks attacked hitters (65 of his 99 pitches were strikes), and when he got two strikes on them, he set them up high with the 91-m.p.h. fastball up in the zone, then followed with the 77-m.p.h. changeup with the tailing action away from right-handers.  It seemed like Cleveland hitters couldn't tell when the change was coming, because Danks had them on their heels.

Even the pitch that gave him the loss was a good one -- he got a fastball in on the hands of Grady Sizemore, but he inside-outed it just past Juan Uribe onto the outfield grass to drive in two runs.

Danks still has room for improvement, because he gave up three warning-track shots.  Nevertheless, it was a remarkable outing for a guy who appeared to be running out of gas.

Unfortuantely, the offense couldn't solve Jake Westbrook.  After Owens crossed the plate in the first, the Sox only threatened one other time.  Scott Podsednik singled and stole second in the fifth inning, but Westbrook, who only allowed two singles through the box on the evening, snagged Danny Richar's comebacker for the third out.

Record: 52-60 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 5: White Sox 3, Tigers 1

Gavin Floyd got a third shot at a first chance and made a statement in today’s ballgame.  

While today marked start No. 3 of the season, it was his first as a non-emergency starter, as his first two efforts were as part of a doubleheader.  He took advantage of the opportunity by throwing six shutout innings, allowing seven singles and no walks (though one HBP) while striking out six.  

Ozzie Guillen pulled Floyd after allowing a soft single to Mike Rabelo over the head of Danny Richar, but at only 99 pitches, Floyd looked like he could’ve gotten through the seventh.  Not that Ozzie made a wrong decision by any means, but Floyd had all his pitches working, especially the curveball.

The only worrisome part about Floyd’s start was that the Tigers had no problems running on him.  A.J. Pierzynski’s no Ivan Rodriguez, but he got little help from Floyd in the holding-runners-on department.  Thus, while only four runners reached second base on Floyd’s watch, three of them were attributed to the stolen base.

Meanwhile, Floyd got enough support from his offense and bullpen to earn his first win as a member of the White Sox.  The Sox should’ve put up more than three runs, but double plays killed them once again:

• After he stretched an RBI single into a double to score the Sox's first run, Josh Fields either didn't know where the ball was, or didn't know how many outs there were.  Scott Podsednik lined to left, and he was way off the bag.
• Jim Thome came up in the second with the bases loaded and one out, but grounded into a double play to end the inning.
• Paul Konerko’s twin killing end the fifth.
• Fields also went 5-4-3 after a rare walk by A.J. Pierzynski.
• Danny Richar flied into a double play on a botched hit-and-run, ending the chance of scoring an insurance run in the ninth.

Fortunately, aside from a Magglio Ordonez monster shot off Mike MacDougal, the Sox bullpen got the job done.  Bobby Jenks retired three in a row, making it 33 consecutive outs.

Record: 52-59 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 4: White Sox 7, Tigers 5

It's nice to see the White Sox win these types of games.  Javier Vazquez thrived even without his best stuff, and Sox hitters managed to score enough runs even while grounding into four double plays.

Better yet, when the Sox posted four runs off Jeremy Bonderman to start the ballgame on consecutive run-scoring two-out hits by A.J. Pierzynski, Jermaine Dye and Scott Podsednik, Vazquez didn't give any of it back in the next half-inning.

Vazquez had what I would call a Freddy Garcia-like start.  He had some issues locating his fastball, which led to the Tigers cutting that deficit in half in the second inning, but other than a Placido Polanco homer, Javy cruised.  He retired the last seven batters he faced, including striking out the side in his last inning of work.

Meanwhile, Jim Thome hit his 490th homer, a no-doubter which Magglio Ordonez didn't even flinch for out in right field.  A.J. Pierzynski hit his first home run since May 20.  The Sox added what would prove to be a key insurance run when Thome singled, moved to third on a perfect hit-and-run with Paul Konerko and scored on a wild pitch.

Mike MacDougal struggled in his second outing, but there are still encouraging signs.  His fastball was clocked around 96-97 m.p.h. with movement, and he didn't walk anybody.  He gave up a single and a double, but Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks had his back.

Record: 51-59 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 3: White Sox 7, Tigers 3

If I had one gripe about this game, it's that for the second straight day, a White Sox pitcher allowed a crooked number after the offense gave him a big inning.

After the Sox offense put five runs on the board in the fourth -- including Juan Uribe going ¡profundo grande! opposite-field -- only to see Mark Buehrle give up the Tigers' only three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Thankfully the Sox still sported a two-run profit, but at this rate, Sox hitters may play for one run, then call it a frame.

Fourth inning aside, Buehrle looked very sharp -- and efficient.  After allowing 14 hits in 6+ innings against the Tigers the last time around, Buehrle only gave up seven hits over eight innings, over which he only threw 105 pitches.  He had control over both corners with all his pitches, and was a joy to watch, per usual.

Some other standout performances:

• Scott Podsednik stole second base on Andrew Miller's pickoff move.  Miller has a terrible move for a lefty, and Pods took full advantage of it.  He also made a beautiful diving catch and a sprinting grab in the gap.
• Jermaine Dye blasted another homer, and Josh Fields cranked a weak Todd Jones curveball 420something feet away in left center.  It's about time the Sox finally got to Jones.
• Darin Erstad hustled out an infield single and didn't hurt himself.

Record: 50-59 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 2: White Sox 13, Yankees 9

Well, I didn't get the milestone I thought I might see, but this one was damn close.  All I know is that I really began to loathe the White Sox when I saw their 8-0 lead evaporate over the course of the same inning in which they built the entire margin.



Both Roger Clemens and Jon Garland were knocked out in the second after allowing eight runs, both because of failures to record five outs.  Robinson Cano's inability to start what should've been a 4-6-3 double play led to five unearned runs for Clemens, but he contributed to the hit parade as well when he failed to cover first base on Darin Erstad's "single" to first baseman Andy Phillips.  Phillips did a nice job of knocking the hard-hit ball down, but when he looked for the flip, no one was there.

Thus, I was feeling pretty good when the Sox sent 14 batters to the plate over the course of the inning, including key at-bats from Jermaine Dye (tan RBI double, first of two two-baggers on the inning), A.J. Pierzynski (a two-run single, the second of two singles on the inning), and run-scoring hits from Paul Konerko, Erstad and Juan Uribe.

But the good feelings were gone within the half-hour, as Yankee hitters greeted Jon Garland with five straight hits, including a three-run homer by Wilson Betemit.  The Bombers' run was aided by a couple of cheap hits -- when Garland made a good pitch to jam Andy Phillips, it flew about 75 feet in front of Juan Uribe and bounced sideways with crazy spin for a single.  Boone Logan made a similar pitch to Jorge Posada, but he fisted it down the right-field line for a two-run double to tie the game.

Fortunately, the White Sox never actually trailed in the game and won the battle of the bullpens.  Ryan Bukvich allowed the only Yankee run over the rest of the game when he allowed a solo shot to Bobby Abreu.   It was the only blemish on an excellent 7 2/3 innings of work, including two by Bukvich himself.

The highlight was Mike MacDougal's return to the majors.  Having just been called up before the game, MacDougal threw a dominant two innings.  He attacked the strike zone, cranked up his fastball to 96 on the stadium gun and didn't miss much with his slider.  He nearly got into a jam when Andy Phillips singled with one out to put runners on first and second, but he settled down after Johnny Damon lined to Paul Konerko to start a 3-6, inning-ending double play.

With a scoreless, walkless inning under his belt, MacDougal blew through the 2-3-4 hitters, getting a weak groundout from Melky Cabrera before striking out Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez.  Abreu froze on a backdoor slider, and Rodriguez struck out swinging after sitting ahead in the count 3-0 at one point.

Scott Podsednik re-started the Sox offense in the fourth by doubling to lead off the inning.  He'd score on Jermaine Dye's first homer of the day to give the Sox a 10-8 lead.  Pods would add an RBI single in the fifth, and then Konerko and Dye went deep off Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth to give Sox pitching enough of a cushion for once.

Record: 49-59 | Box score | Play-by-play

August 1: Yankees 8, White Sox 1

Coming off a game in which the Yankees tied a single-game, franchise high for home runs with eight, it wasn't a surprise to see them tee off on John Danks.

Danks, who struggled to locate his curveball, served up three gopher balls over four innings.  He was once again inefficent, throwing 96 pitches over four innings, and put a heavy workload on the bullpen.

Thankfully, the bullpen kept it somewhat respectable -- two runs over the last four innings, both on solo homers.  Unfortunately, the Sox offense had no designs on getting back in this game, as Andy Pettitte, Luis Vizcaino and Brian Bruney shut down a very lethargic-looking lineup.

It was pretty much a snoozefest, with the only interesting moment coming when Charlie Haeger was ejected rather unfairly by Tim Hallion.  For one, there was no prior warning.  Secondly, while Haeger hit Robinson Cano with the first pitch after Jorge Posada went deep for the second time in the game, he plunked him with a 71-m.p.h. knuckleball. I was hoping that Ozzie would go after Hallion harder, but it probably doesn't help your league-wide reputation when you get kicked out of consecutive games.

Scott Podsednik had a nice game, smoking an RBI triple to the left-center gap and making a beautiful, full-extension diving catch in the eighth inning.

Record: 48-59 | Box score | Play-by-play