Black Sox Blog

Nick Swisher and his two home runs, one from each side of the plate, powered the Sox past the Cleveland Indians 9-7 and to their fifth straight win.  With a grand slam in the third and a solo shot in the sixth, the Sox could not have asked for more out of their slugger.  Jim Thome also hit his 16th home run of the year along with a double and three RBI’s to jump ahead of the Indians in a good ol’ slugfest.  Gavin Floyd got all the help he needed from his offense and he took over from there.  Lasting six innings he gave up seven hits and four runs of which three were earned.  Also, Floyd struck out ten Indian batters on the day.  The streaking Sox need to continue this winning streak if they want to keep some distance between themselves and the Tigers and Twins who are battling for second place with a three game series simultaneous with the Sox and Indians.  Tomorrow John Danks takes on Cliff Lee in game two of the series.

With the seats full at U.S. Cellular field, hoping for a payback series after the Cubs had just swept the Sox a week ago, the Sox got their payback and completed the sweep over the Cubs with a win on Sunday 5-1.  Powered by three home runs by Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson, and Jim Thome, the Sox offense got big hits at big times and supported a solid day by starter Mark Buehrle.  Buehrle pitched seven innings and gave up six hits, and one unearned run.  The defense was also running on all cylinders turning four double plays on the day.  Selling out the third straight game, there were several fights in the stands with emotions running high due to the cross town rivalry that was at it’s peak on Sunday.  Only a half game up on the streaking Twins, the Sox take on divisional foe Cleveland on Monday and will try to widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the division.

A week after getting swept by the Cubs at Wrigley field, the Sox bats came alive and got some payback as they pounded the Cubs 10-3 on the south side of Chicago.  A seven run third inning capped off by a grand slam by Nick Swisher put the Sox ahead and they never looked back.  Carlos Quentin had a huge game going four for five including a double and two RBI’s.  Putting up fourteen hits and having a big time hit from Swisher is exactly what the Sox needed to get back on track.  Jose Contreras pitched a great game against a powerful Cubs line up.  Lasting six innings he gave up seven hits and three earned runs as his offense gave him the production he needed to cruise through the day.  The number one draft pick of the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, through out the first pitch as everyone cheered on the hopes that he will return the Bulls to the glory days of the 90’s.  Javier Vazquez will start game two as the Sox try to tame the Cubs once again.

With not one player on the White Sox roster having faced Eric Stults before, the Dodgers’ pitcher dominated the Chicago line up and earned his first complete game in the big leagues.  Only managing to get four hits throughout the game, the offense for the Sox was anemic and seemed to make it easy on Stults.  Alexei Ramirez combined for half of the hits going two for three, while only two other players managed to get a hit in the game.  Furthermore, the Sox only earned one base on balls along with three strikeouts.  Ozzie Guillen attributed the bad offense to never having faced Stults before.  Gavin Floyd started the game and lasted five and one-third innings and gave up six hits and five runs, of which four were earned.  With only a half game lead in the AL Central, the Sox need to get their bats on track with not one player on the team batting over .300 on the year.  Chicago and L.A. square off once more with John Danks getting the start and looking to get his team back on the winning track.

Getting no love from across town, the Sox were beaten once again by the Cubs by a score of 7-1 as the Cubs completed the sweep of the Sox at Wrigley Field.  The Sox have now lost a season high nine games in a row at home and need to get back on track to keep their lead in the AL Central.  Javier Vazquez had an average day on the mound completing six innings and giving up five hits and five runs along with five walks and four strike outs.  However, with no home runs and only two doubles on the day, one run was the most the Sox offense could put on the board to help Vazquez out.  Going against a team as good as the Cubs, that is just not going to get it done.  Despite out hitting the Cubs by two, the Cubs proved they were the better team by showing they could generate some runs regardless of what their bats were doing.  Also, for being out hit, the Cubs still managed to put up six more runs than the Sox, Ozzie needs to address this issue immediately and get the Sox bats back on track.  The Sox start a three game series Tuesday against the LA Dodgers on the road and hope to end their away losing streak.

Only if the Sox could subtract the fourth inning of game two against the Cubs, they would have destroyed them 7-2.  However, the baseball gods won’t allow that and the nine run inning that featured two home runs by Jim Edmonds and put the Cubs on top for good.  One devastating inning cost the Sox the game 11-7 to their in state rivals.  Jermaine Dye and Dewayne Wise both had a home run for the Sox but it wasn’t enough.  Jose Contreras was pulled during the fourth inning amidst the rain of runs the Cubs were putting up.  Contreras went three and one-third innings and gave up ten hits, nine earned runs including three home runs.  Overall the Sox offense had a decent game putting up seven runs on eleven hits, but they also struck out seven times.  Compared with the Cubs fifteen hits and four strike outs, the Sox didn’t have to hot of a game.  The Cubbies go for the sweep tonight as Javier Vazquez takes on Ryan Dempster in the final game of the series.

Not only a battle of in state rivals, but also a battle of two first place teams which has set the table for one hell of a series between the Cubs and the Sox.  Up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit back to back home runs off of Octavio Dotel to tie the game at 3.  All square in the bottom of the ninth, Aramis Ramirez stepped to the plate and knocked his second homer of the game for the walk off win for the Cubs.  A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye each had a home run for the Sox which put up their three runs on the day.  With a total of nine hits in the game, the Sox also struck out nine times.  A bad ratio of hits to strike outs such as 1-1 like today, is going to make it tough to win games especially against great teams like the Cubs.  John Danks started the game and pitched a solid six innings and gave up five hits and one earned run with five strike outs.  One swing of the bat in the ninth proved to be the difference.  Expect to see another exciting game between these two clubs tomorrow as Jose Contreras takes on Jason Marquis.

A day after putting up sixteen runs against the Pirates, the Sox bats continued to roll by scoring eight runs including three home runs from some likely and not so likely sluggers.  Toby Hall hit his first home run in two years while Carlos Quentin hit his seventeenth of the season.  Brian Anderson also contributed to the homers by jacking his third of the season.  Jumping to an early lead in the second, the Sox never looked back and cruised to the 8-2 victory behind Mark Buehrle and a stellar pitching performance.  After struggling for a few games, the Sox needed to play an all around bad team like the Pirates to get back into the groove they had going a week ago.  Buehrle lasted eight innings giving up four hits and two runs along with two walks and three strike outs.  This was Buehrle’s second straight win as well as the Sox second straight win.  When the bats are rolling and the pitching is on point, the Sox are a hard team to beat.  Gavin Floyd will start the final game tomorrow against the Pirates as the Sox look for the sweep before heading across town for a series against the powerhouse Cubs.

With interleague play in full force, the Colorado Rockies beat the White Sox 5-3 to give the Sox their fifth loss in six games.  Down by two in the bottom of the ninth, the Sox got a lead off single by Juan Uribe and then a couple of two out walks to load the bases.  Joe Crede stepped up and hit a pop up to third basemen Matt Holiday, who bobbled the ball as the whole stadium gasped and waited for the ball to hit the ground.  But, Holiday quickly regained his composure and cradled the ball with his bare hand against his chest and made the catch to end the game.  Jermaine Dye had a two run homer in the fifth and was one of four White Sox to have two hits on the day.  Jose Contreras started the game and pitched well but did not get enough help from the offense to squeak out the win.  Contreras lasted six and two-third innings and gave up seven hits and four runs of which only three were earned.  Perhaps Ozzie Guillen needs to have another tirade to light a fire under the Sox and get their bats rolling once again.

Down 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh and on the brink of losing four straight, Juan Uribe sparked the Sox to a three run inning and put them on top 5-4 for the win over the Colorado Rockies.  This was the club’s ninth straight win at home in Chicago.  Despite only six hits on the day, two solo home runs by Orlando Cabrera and Brian Anderson helped to put some runs on the board for the Sox.  Gavin Floyd started the game and pitched six and one-third innings giving up four hits and four earned runs, which were four solo home runs.  Both teams combined for six solo home runs on the night.  This was the first time all season that Floyd gave up more than one home run in a game.  Jim Thome missed his second straight game with a stiff back.  Chicago had some very timely hits that helped them put the necessary runs on the board and get the win despite only having six hits on the day.  John Danks will start the second game of the series against the Rockies.

After racking off seven straight, the Sox lost three straight and got swept by division rival Detroit.  The Sox bats really cooled off scoring only six runs in the entire series.  With a 1-1 tie going into the bottom of the ninth, Miguel Cabrera finally came through for the Tigers and hit a walk off solo shot to win the game for Detroit 2-1.  A great series for Detroit translates to a bad one for the South Side Sluggers.  Mark Buehrle pitched a gem going eight innings and giving up seven hits and only one earned run with six strike outs.  Octavio Dotel got the loss as he was the one who served Cabrera the walk off homer.  Kenny Rodgers pitched a great game for the Tigers and only allowed four hits on the day.  The Tigers pitching staff only gave up five hits to the Sox in total.  Despite only having five hits, the pitching of the Sox kept them in the game until the ninth inning.  Sometimes games just roll a certain way for a team.  In this case, the Tigers got the hit they needed at the right time and Chicago didn’t.  Chicago returns home tomorrow for a three game home stand against the Colorado Rockies.  Gavin Floyd gets the start in game one.

After dominating the Detroit Tigers in their prior meetings this season, a Tiger team whom many thought to be the favorite coming into this year, slowed down the red hot White Sox and took the first game of the series by a score of 6-4.  Jose Contreras started the game for the Sox and lasted six innings giving up thirteen hits and six earned runs.  Even though the Sox managed to score at least six runs in their last seven games, Nate Robertson cooled off the Sox offense and kept them to a meager four runs.  Jim Thome led the way for the Sox by going three for four with his thirteenth home run of the season.  The Sox offense still managed to get twelve hits on the day but the left thirteen on base which shows that they just couldn’t get the key hits which is something they have been excelling of as of late.  The Sox still hold a six and one half game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.  Javier Vazquez will get the start tomorrow in game two against Detroit.

Cruising to their seventh straight win, the White Sox capped off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 7-5 come from behind victory.  This was their second straight series sweep and both teams are in the same division as the Sox, the AL Central.  Sox’ bats have been on fire, scoring at least six runs in each of their seven straight, including three straight double digit performances against the Twins by racking up forty runs in four games compared to only fifteen for the Twins.  In game four, Nick Swisher went two for two with two home runs and two walks.  Paul Konerko also belted his eighth on the season.  A big part of their success was getting the top of their order to get things rolling, and Orlando Cabrera came through by going four for five from the lead off position.  John Danks started the game and pitched decent, but his bats helped him out.  Danks lasted six innings and gave up six hits and five runs of which four were earned.  Bobby Jenks closed the game up and earned his fifteenth save of the season.  The Sox head to Detroit tomorrow for a three game series and look to go for a three team sweep within the division.

The White Sox bats exploded against the Minnesota Twins as nearly everybody contributed to the 10-6 win over the second place team in the AL Central.  Combining for sixteen hits, including four home runs and no strike outs, the Sox offense was pretty close to perfect on the night.  Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye both had a homer along with Joe Crede who had two on the day which contributed to his four for four performance at the plate.  Javier Vazquez had an average day on the mound by going five and one third innings with nine hits and four earned runs.  However, Vazquez’s performance along with the rest of the bullpen was enough thanks to the great offensive production by the team.  The Sox have now won four in a row after manager Ozzie Guillen’s tirade.  Guillen really knows how to spark his team and that’s why we love him.  Mark Buehrle takes on Livan Hernandez in the second game of the series against Minnesota.

Rejuvenated by the always entertaining Ozzie Guillen, the Sox completed the sweep over the Kansas City Royals by taking the their third game in a row by a score of 6-2.  Jim Thome helped the cause by hitting his twelfth home run of the season.  Jose Contreras won his fourth straight decision by controlling the Kansas City hitters.  Seven innings of work and only four hits and one earned run was just what the Sox needed from Contreras.  The pitching staff effectively shut down the Royal offense and held them to only six hits in the game.  Four players in the Sox line up had two hits in the game.  Clutch hit from the top of the order accounted for three of the six RBI’s in the game.  Divisional foe Minnesota comes to town tomorrow as the Sox look to put some more room between themselves and the rest of the division.  Javier Vazquez will start the game and try to keep the squad rolling with wins.

After Ozzie Guillen went on a tirade and called for changes to be made to the team, nothing was done…and it worked out just fine.  The Sox bats got their swagger back, and a little more.   Four home runs by the Sox helped to fuel the team to a 9-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the first of a three game series.  Nick Swisher, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Quentin, and Alexei Ramirez all had a homer in the game.  Gavin Floyd started the game for the Sox and pitched well enough to give the Sox the win.  Floyd lasted seven innings, gave up six hits and four runs of which only two were earned.  He also gave up no walks and struck out four.  A great day at the plate for the Sox can be characterized by eleven hits compared with only four strike outs on the day.  The four home runs tied their most in one game for the season.  On May 18, they also hit four home runs at San Francisco.  John Danks takes the mound in game two as the Sox try to keep rolling.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, the White Sox were beaten once again by a walk off home run by the Tampa Bay Rays to win the game 4-3.  After winning the first of the four game series, the Sox lost the next three including two walk off home runs.  The series for the South Side Sluggers can be characterized by missed opportunities.  For the series, the Sox were 5 for 39 with runners in scoring position including 2 for 14 in the game on Sunday.  Despite thirteen hits in the game, the Sox could not get it done when it counted.  A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez both led the Sox with three hits on the day.  Mark Buehrle started the game for the Sox and last six innings, gave up seven hits and three earned runs.  Matt Thorton gave up the home run in the bottom of the tenth and got the loss on the day.  After a stressful series, Ozzie Guillen expressed his feelings and let people know that there will be changes to come in the line up.  With the day off on Monday, the Sox play Kansas City at home on Tuesday.