Black Sox Blog

After losing the last game of a three game series to division rival Detroit, the Sox have lost the first two of a four game series against another divisional foe, the Minnesota Twins.  A five run fifth inning helped the Twins get past the Sox by a score of 6-5 in game two of the series.  Trying to rally late, the Sox scored one run in the ninth but could not put another on the board to tie the game.  Home runs by Brian Anderson and Nick Swisher helped the cause for the Sox but it just wasn’t enough to counter the big hitting Twins which included clutch hits by Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.  Clayton Richar had a tough game against a powerful lineup, going four and two-thirds innings, and giving up seven hits and five earned runs.  Sometimes this is good enough to compete with the run scoring potential of the Sox lineup, but the Twins’ pitching staff earned their paychecks and kept the Sox off the board enough to get the win.   Gavin Floyd gets the start in the third game of the series.

After taking the first two games against a good Detroit squad in an important series that could possibly set the trend for the rest of the season, the Sox came up short in game three and lost to the Tigers 6-4.  However, taking two of three at Detroit is huge for the South Side Sluggers and could not come at a better time since the Tigers were started to make up some ground in the AL Central and close the gap the Sox had built all year.  Javier Vazquez started the game on Sunday and lasted seven innings, giving up eleven hits and six earned runs.  The four runs by the Sox couldn’t make up the difference to get Chicago back into the game like they did the previous two games.  A.J. Pierzynski and Jermain Dye each had a home run but it just wasn’t enough this time.  With a commanding lead over the Tigers, the Sox now turn their sights to Minnesota for a four game series that could help them blow the AL Central wide open or let the Twins get within striking distance.

Down by one run in the top of the ninth with two outs and one man on, Jermaine Dye stepped up to the plate and jacked a two run shot off of Detroit closer Todd Jones to put the Sox up 6-5.  Bobby Jenks came in the game in the bottom of the ninth and retired the Detroit hitters in order to end the game and take the first of a very important three game series.  With only eight hits in the game, the Sox clutch hitting put them in a position to rally late behind some timely hitting and poor pitching by the Tiger bullpen.  Gavin Floyd started the game and lasted six innings giving up nine hits and four runs, not a great outing but good enough to keep the game close with his offense putting a few runs on the board.  Alexei Ramirez and Orlando had the bulk of the offensive production with five of the eight hits, including the two out hit by Cabrera in the ninth to give Dye the opportunity to win the game and that is exactly what he did.  John Danks takes the mound in game two against Justin Verlander in a heavy weight battle that is sure to please.

After losing the first game of a three game series to the Texas Rangers, the Sox scored 10 runs in each of the next to and went on to win both as well.  Down three runs in the bottom of the eighth, the Sox went on to score five runs to go ahead and never look back to take the series against the rollin’ Rangers.  Only having managed nine hits on the day compared with eleven strike outs, it is amazing that the Sox scored ten runs in the game.  Furthermore, two home runs from Carlos Quentin to give him twenty six on the year, along with one from Jim Thome which was his ninteenth on the year, helped out the Sox offense to put some runs on the board.  Clayton Richard started the game for the Sox and lasted four innings and gave up seven hits, five runs, and also went on to strike out seven.  The bullpen came in and did the job to keep the game close, and Bobby Jenks came up big with the save in the ninth.  With a day off on Thursday, the Sox will get some much needed rest for a road series against Detroit, then Minnesota, then Kansas City.

As the Sox battled all game long, they were set up to with the lead in the eighth inning 7-6.  But before the Sox could celebrate, Esteban German hit a go ahead double to make the score 8-7 and the Royals never looked back and took the win by that score.  Chicago had a roller coaster day at the plate managing to tally fifteen hits while at the same time striking out thirteen times.  Five players on Chicago had a multi hit game including three from A.J. Pierzynski.  Usually a formula for a victory, the Sox pitching didn’t fare so well.  John Danks only lasted four innings, nine hits, and six earned runs.  Still in a position to win the game, Matt Thorton was on the mound when German hit the game winning double.  After losing the last two game of the series against K.C., the Sox look to rebound against the Texas Rangers as Javier Vazquez takes the mound in game one.  The Sox put Jose Contreras on the 15 day DL with right elbow tendinitis.

In the first game back from the All-Star game the White Sox seemed rested and rejuvenated by scoring nine runs in a rout over the Kansas City Royals.  But in game two of the series, Gil Meche and the rest of the Royal pitching staff dominated the Sox and held them to only two hits on the day.  Joe Crede hit a double and Alexei Ramirez hit a triple for the only hits on the day against the Royals who managed to score nine runs and win the game 9-1.  Gavin Floyd pitched a decent game but had no offense to give him some support.  Floyd lasted six inning and gave up four hits and three runs of which only one was earned.  He also had six strike outs on the day.  The bullpen also gave up six earned runs once Floyd left the game.  Bad pitching and absolutely no offense is the obvious reason the Sox lost the game along with some errors in the field that helped the Royals get their offense flowing.  John Danks takes the mound in the last game of the three game series as the Sox offense looks to bounce back and put some runs on the board.

The second half of the season is set to kick off and the White Sox are right there in the mix.  I’m going to be back home this weekend and the hope is to see the White Sox take on the Royals.  With the White Sox rolling though, it’s hard to get tickets and the box office just isn’t doing it for me.  I ended up getting some primo sets at a solid price by using a baseball ticket broker.

In the final game before the All-Star game, the Sox and the Rangers had a good ol’ fashion slugfest in which the Sox managed twenty two hits while the Rangers hit seventeen.  Home runs by Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye helped to keep the Sox in the game, but they eventually fell short 11-10 despite a three run top of the ninth rally that came close.  Jose Contreras started the game and had a rough day, only lasting four innings and giving up ten hits and seven earned runs.  Seven Sox players had a multi-hit game including six with at least three hits.  With such offensive production, the Sox usually manage to pull out wins on days like these, but the Rangers got some timely hits and big scoring innings put them over the hump.  Going into the Mid Summer Classic, Chicago has a one and one-half game lead over the Twins and a seven game lead over Detroit.  Looking good for the second half of the season, Chicago knows they must keep up the pressure to win the competitive AL Central.

Returning to his native Texas, John Danks pitched a great game in front of several family and friends.  Lasting for seven and two-thirds innings, Danks gave up seven hits, four earned runs, and struck out eight without giving up a single walk.  Putting his team in a great position to win, the Sox bats came alive and scored nine runs to edge out the Rangers 9-7 to even the series at one game a piece.  Home runs by Jim Thome and Paul Konerko helped to get the Sox rolling.  Despite going 2 for 15 since coming off the disabled list, Konerko went 4 for 4 and led the way for the Sox offensive charge.  A total of sixteen hits and five players with more than one hit is a recipe for a win on any day, especially when the starting pitching was as effective as Danks was on Saturday.  Jose Contreras takes the mound in the last game of the series as well as the last game before the Sox have four days off for the All-Star game.

Being down five runs did not rattle the cool, calm, and collected South Side Sluggers as they battled back to beat the Royals 7-6.  Carlos Quentin hit two two-run home runs to get the Sox back into the game, then all tied up the Sox got the go-ahead run without a pitch even being thrown.  In the eighth inning, with the score tied at six and the bases loaded, Royal pitcher Ramon Ramirez balked which advanced the runners and Quentin trotted home for what would be the game winning run.  Javier Vazquez had a rough game going five and two-thirds innings giving up eleven hits and six earned runs.  Luckily the Sox had some clutch hits and timely errors by the Royals to edge out the win.  Mark Buehrle will start the game as the Sox look to sweep the Royals.

A long, choppy game with many ups and downs and lead changes finally culminated in a 13th inning win by the Sox over the Kansas City Royals 8-7.  In the top of the 13th, after Alexei Ramirez singled, Orlando Cabrera hit a double into right-center field and scored Ramirez easily for the game winning run.  In the bottom of the inning, the Royals loaded the bases with one out but Nick Masset got Mark Grudzielanek to hit into a game ending double play and give the Sox a hard fought win.  Ramirez and Jim Thome each contributed four hits to the Sox sixteen total.  Jose Contreras started the game and lasted five and two-thirds innings and gave up ten hits and five earned runs.  The Sox take on the Royals again tonight with Javier Vazquez getting the start and trying to get above the .500 mark of 7-7.

After being dominated by the Oakland pitching staff, the Sox offense got back into a groove and powered the club past the A’s 6-1.  Three home runs by the Sox lineup helped to put some runs on the board.  Alexei Ramirez, Brian Anderson and Nick Swisher all belted a home run for the team.  Ramirez had a great day going three for three, with two runs scored.  Gavin Floyd pitched a stellar game lasting seven and two-thirds innings and only giving up three hits, three walks, six strikeouts and no runs against a good Oakland offense.  After Floyd was finished the Sox bullpen came in and held on to win the game even though Scott Linebrink gave up a solo home run in the ninth.  John Danks takes the mound against the undefeated Rich Harden today as the Sox try to be the first to beat Harden and end the series on a winning note.

After taking two straight series and winning seven in a row, the Sox bats have been cooled off by the Oakland A’s in the past two games.  The A’s celebrated Independence day in style by beating down the Sox 7-1.  Only managing to get six hits in the game compared with seven strike outs, is a formula for failure almost all of the time.  Not to mention that the A’s ripped off seventeen hits in the game against the Sox pitching staff.  Mark Buehrle had a rough game going five and two-thirds innings and giving up ten hits and four earned runs.   On a day to remember and appreciate our soldiers all around the world, the Sox wore camouflage uniforms to pay tribute.  The Sox still maintain a one game lead over the Minnesota Twins and a six game lead over the Detroit Tigers.  Closing in on the All-Star break, the Sox will look to gain some momentum and make some more distance between themselves and the rest of the AL Central.

Down one going into the bottom of the tenth inning, Alexei Ramirez hit a high fly ball with two outs that barely cleared the fence to tie the game at two.  DeWayne Wise then stepped up to the plate, singled, stole second, and still with two outs Orlando Cabrera hit a single and Wise motored all the way home to win the game for the Sox in walk off fashion.  John Danks had a monster game by going eight innings giving up four hits and one earned run along with an outstanding eight strike outs.  Despite the great game, Danks left the game in a 1-1 tie and received a no decision, along with Cleveland stud Cliff Lee who also had a great game for the Indians.  With the wins just rolling in and the bounces going the way for Chicago, Jose Contreras will take the mound tomorrow against reigning AL Cy Young C.C. Sabathia and look to wrap up the sweep of the Indians before they battle Oakland for a four game series.