It didn't take long for the Sox to bury the Mariners. Alexei Ramirez's three-run homer capped off a six-run outburst, giving Gavin Floyd a 6-0 lead he would protect to seal the sweep.
The Sox scored more than six, though. For good measure, they scored in each of the first six innings -- many times with two outs:
Second inning: Carlos Quentin's two-out walk preceded Ken Griffey Jr.'s first homer with the White Sox off R.A. Dickey.
Fourth inning: Griffey walked, took second when Jake Woods fell off the mound (balked). Paul Konerko drove him in with a single.
Fifth inning: Brian Anderson, who entered the game for Dewayne Wise after Wise injured himself making a diving catch, revived the inning with a two-out double down the left-field line. Juan Uribe doubled him home just out of the reach of Wladimir Balentien, and after Orlando Cabrera walked, A.J. Pierzynski blasted a homer in the Mariners bullpen, capping off a three-hit day.
Sixth inning: With two outs, Nick Swisher slashed a homer the opposite way into the Sox bullpen to balance things out.
It must've been demoralizing for the Mariners, but Floyd was happy to work with the cushion after escaping the first. Ichiro Suzuki and Jeremy Reed started the game with back-to-back singles, but Raul Ibanez hit a dribbler up the middle that led Cabrera right to the bag. He stepped on second, threw to first for two outs, and Floyd struck out Adrian Beltre to end the thread.
The double play was more amazing in hindsight, considering Ibanez had both of the Mariners' run-scoring hits -- a single through the right side in the third, and then a two-run homer in the right-field seats on the fifth.
Floyd was solid, as his good curve returned to help him rack up seven strikeouts.
Record: 73-53 |
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