Black Sox Blog

As 2008 winds down, I’m still waiting for the White Sox to bring in some talent as opposed to giving it away.  It’s only been a couple of months since they won the division in the final days of the season and now, it looks like the White Sox have more holes then they had going in.  You just have to hope Ken Williams has a plan, but the departure of Javier Vazquez will leave a void in the rotation and while Nick Swisher hardly lit it up, the guy had the potential to belt 40 homers if given the chance at the Cell.

Scott Merkin writes about the White Sox not being done, but you can say that about every team right now.  Williams can do that though.  Just when it looks like the White Sox are sellers, they turn around and make a nice deal to fill in a weak spot.  Of course there’s always the chance that, like in the case of Swisher, that the deal still works out.  I was against the White Sox dealing of Brandon McCarthy a couple of years back but John Danks looks pretty good right now while McCarthy doesn’t.

Had a nice Christmas and I found a sweet new place to pick up baseball equipment.  While little league is still a few months away, I’m hoping to get my son out to break in the new baseball bat I picked up for him.  If you’re in the market for baseball equipment, I picked up mine at Baseball Rampage, which has a top notch selection.

Down 0-2 in a best of five series, the Sox are in a win-or-go home situation for the rest of this series.  Luckily for the Sox they won game 3, 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays.  Once again John Danks came through in the clutch for the South Side Sluggers.  Danks lasted six and two-thirds innings, giving up seven hits, three earned runs, and struck out seven from the high-powered Rays offense.  The bullpen came in and held the Rays scoreless which gave some confidence to the team for the rest of the series.  Dewayne Wise came up big for the Sox with a 2-run double that scored two and went on to score himself.  The Sox offense needs to get a jump start from somebody if they are going to have a chance in the rest of this series.  Only managing seven hits vs. five strikeouts usually will not get it done in the playoffs, but Danks carried the team on his back once again to keep their chances still alive.  The blackout at U.S. Cellular helped the Sox win the first game, but can they pull off another and keep this series going?  We’ll see on Monday in Game 4.  Go Sox!

The more experienced Sox knew they had a chance in the game, but Rays rookie Evan Longoria came up big and hit two home runs to power the Rays past the Sox for a 6-4 victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.  Dewayne Wise did his part in hitting a three run homer in the third inning.  Also, Paul Konerko tried to get a rally going in the top of the ninth with a solo shot, but the Sox just couldn’t get the key hits when they needed them to get back over the hump and steal the lead.  Javier Vazquez pitched a bad game only lasting four and one-third innings and giving up eight hits, six earned runs, along with six strike outs.  The pitching is the key for the Sox and without stellar performances, the Sox are doomed, especially against a young line up like Tampa Bay that will steal the momentum and just feed off of it.  Mark Buehrle takes the mound in game to as the Sox try to even up the series before they head back to Chicago.  Ozzie and the crew do not want to go back down 2-0, but a good game from both the pitching and offense is needed to beat the AL East winner, Tampa Bay.

With only one chance left to get into the post season, the Sox pulled off a great win against the Twins to be back in the running for a World Series since 2005, when they won the championship.  To have a chance to keep playing, John Danks needed to have a great game against a powerful Twin line up, and Danks delivered.  Pitching a stellar eight inning, Danks only gave up two hits and zero earned runs and dominated the game.  With the pitching and defense covered, all the Sox had to do was put some runs on the board.  Only managing five hits in the game, Jim Thome hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to put U.S. Cellular field into a frenzy.  Bobby Jenks came into the game and finished off the Twins batters as well as their season with a flawless ninth inning.  For the final out of the game, Brian Anderson came flying in from center field and made a diving catch to seal the game.  Once the ball was caught, the beer and champagne started flowing and the celebrations began.  The Sox are matched up again the AL East winners Tampa Bay Rays in a series that is sure to be a thriller.  The series starts Thursday and look for Ozzie Guillen to pump his team up and have them ready to end the cinderella story of the Rays.

On the verge of a bad late season collapse, the destiny of the Sox is still very much in their hands.  With a big win against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday by a score of 5-1, the Sox still trail the Twins by a half game.  Therefore, the Sox must makeup a game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday in which they must win to keep their season alive.  It is great for the game of baseball to have an entire season of 161 games, come down to this last game as to whether they have a chance to play in the playoffs.  If the Sox end up beating the Tigers, they will host the Twins for a single-game tie breaker on Tuesday with loser goes home on the line.  Gavin Floyd will take the mound in the game against Detroit going up against former White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia.  Garcia helped pitch in the clinching game of the 2005 World Series against the Astros.  Despite the fact that Garcia and Ozzie Guillen are countrymen of Venezuela and good friends, don’t expect Garcia to be throwing meatballs across the plate for the Sox hitters to feast on.  The Tigers would love nothing more than to knock the Sox out of a chance at a playoff birth.  If the Sox do not leave it all out on the field, their doomed, but I expect them to play their hearts out and try to extend the season.

All the White Sox had to do was not get swept by the Twins in the series and they still would have held a one-half game lead over Minnesota.  Not a tough task right?  Wrong, once again the speed of the Twins out shined the Sox.  Down 6-1, the Twins made a huge comeback to beat the Sox 7-6 in the bottom of the tenth.  A six run fourth was all that the Sox had to fight off the Twins with.  With only seven hits in the game compared to fifteen of the Twins, Minnesota just kept plugging away and chipping at the lead until finally in the end they pulled out the walk off run as well as the series sweep and claimed the lead in the AL Central.  Tough to swallow, but the Sox players know they are still in it and just need to win games.  Chicago hosts the Cleveland Indians for a three game series, if they are tied up with Minnesota after the end of the season, the Sox will have to make up a game against the Detroit Tigers and if they win, then Minnesota will have to travel to the South Side to play in a one game playoff.  John Danks will take the mound in the first game against Cleveland, but looming in the final game of the series is Cleveland ace Cliff Lee with a stunning record of 22-3.  Hope for the best Sox fans, pray for your team tonight.

A two and one-half lead over the Minnesota is looking better and better as the season is coming to a close.  Despite a dormant offense, which seems to be the trend of late, the Sox managed to squeak out a win.  Scoring three runs on a meager six hits was just enough to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0.  A 2-run home run by Paul Konerko, his 18th on the year, gave the Sox a lead that they never lost.  Once again the White Sox pitching kept them in the game by dominating the Kansas City players.  John Danks pitched for seven innings, giving up four hits and zero earned runs giving the Sox a stellar performance that they needed on a night when the Sox hitters seemed lackluster.  The bullpen also came in and pitched scoreless innings proving that great pitching can really win the game.  Having the day off on Monday, the Sox will rest up to play a HUGE series against the Minnesota Twins which could very easily change the momentum in the AL Central.  Javier Vazquez will go for his 13th and most important win thus far on Tuesday to start off the three game series.

This deep into the season and a top one of the toughest divisions in the league, one would think that the Sox offense would just be hitting it’s stride in anticipation for the post season.  However, once again in their loss to the Yankees, the Sox only managed to get six hits in the game and still struck out seven times.  Even if they do make it into the playoffs, offensive production like this will get result in a quick sweep and early exit.  The starting pitching is not the problem for the Sox at this point.  Clayton Richard had another solid outing lasting six and two-thirds innings and only giving up five hits, two earned runs, and five strikeouts.  As long as the Sox pitching continues to be stellar, they will have a chance to go deep, but the offense needs to figure out what is going to even have a chance.  Despite the 5-1 loss to the Yanks, the Sox still hold a two and one-half lead over the Twins in the AL Central.  Javier Vazquez takes on the Yankees in the final game of the series and the final game ever for the White Sox at Yankee stadium.

A weekend marked by delays, cancellations, and then two big wins against Detroit, the Sox could not keep the momentum going in the first game against the Yankees of a four game series.  In the series ever for the Sox at Yankee Stadium, their offensive woes continued as they only managed to get six hits along with six strike outs.  Dewayne Wise tried to give the Sox a jolt of life by hitting a two run home run in the fourth inning to tie the game, but the Yankees answered in the seventh inning to break the tie for good and allow Mariano Rivera to move into second on the all time saves list.  Mark Buehrle started the game for the Sox and lasted six innings, giving up six hits, two earned runs, and six strike outs.  A stellar performance was just not enough against a stacked Yankee line up that has under achieved all year.  With twelve games left, the Sox are situated a top the AL Central with a one and one-half game lead over the Minnesota Twins.  The Sox better get their offense and pitching back on track to put some space between themselves and the Twins as the head towards a huge three game series against Minnesota just before the season ends.

In game one of two on Tuesday night, the Sox were shut down by Blue Jays ace A.J. Burnett and lost the critical game 3-1.  Only managing two hits in the game compared with nine strikeouts, the Sox offense could not compete with the spectacular pitching of Burnett.  A good pitching performance by Javier Vazquez, six innings, five hits and two earned runs usually put the Sox in a great position to win, however the Vazquez was clearly outshined.  Trying to redeem themselves in game two, the Sox were beat down once again 8-2 by the Blue Jays.  Clayton Richard started the game and he and the rest of the Sox pitching staff gave up fourteen hits to the Blue Jays but only struck out three batters.  The Sox boosted their offense a little bit by getting nine hits as opposed to two in the first game, but did not get the timely hits to score the runs they desperately needed.  After losing the two games, the Sox are now only up one game in the AL Central over the Minnesota Twins.  The next two games are against the Blue Jays and the Sox desperately need to get back on track to build their lead as they head into the final stretch towards the playoffs.

As the season gets closer and closer to the end, the Sox caught a few breaks with Minnesota losing eight of their last eleven.  Luckily after dropping the first two games in the series against the Cleveland Indians, the Sox pulled out the last one by a score of 4-2 behind a home run from each Nick Swisher and Alexei Ramirez.  Despite only seven hits and eight strikeouts by the Sox offense, stellar pitching by Javier Vazquez kept the Sox in the game and the bullpen pulled through to help get the much needed win for the team from the South Side of Chicago.  Vazquez lasted for six innings, gave up five hits and two earned runs on the day.  With a one game lead in the AL Central and the Wildcard basically in the hands of the Boston Redsox, each game from here on out is one of the utmost importance for the Sox.  Powerhouse LA Angels come to Chicago this weekend for a three game series in which the Sox need to show they belong amongst the elite teams in the AL.

A lack of offensive production against the Orioles in the final game of the series led to the Sox getting routed by the club from Baltimore.  Giving up sixteen hits, the Sox only managed to hit safely five times in the game, only one more than their total of four strike outs.  The Sox offense can be unbeatable at times, but sometimes they decide to not even show up and it is almost a guaranteed loss for the South Side Sluggers.  Eleven runs given up against a very average Baltimore team is exactly what the Sox do not need right now with the season coming to a close.  John Danks only lasted four innings and gave up seven hits and four runs.  Not terrible but with no offense to back him up he got the loss on the day as the Orioles pounded the rest of the bullpen for the Sox ending in a 11-3 loss.  The Sox need to bring their A game against Boston as they travel to Fenway for a critical three game series that could have a huge impact on both the AL Central crown and the final wild card spot for the playoffs.  Chicago still holds a one game lead over Minnesota but a lack luster series in Boston could change things drastically.

Behind good production on offense and a solid pitching performance by Gavin Floyd, the Sox beat the Orioles 8-3 with one more game left in the series.  Floyd lasted for eight innings, and gave up only four hits, two earned runs, and struck out four as well.  With the win Floyd improved his record to 14-6 on the year.  As a team the Sox racked up sixteen hits, including a home run from Nick Swisher.  Several Sox had multi-hit games including four from Orlando Cabrera, three from Carlos Quentin, and two from Ken Griffey, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko.  The at bat after Swisher hit a home run, he fouled a ball off of his leg and left the game in the fourth inning.  Swisher should not miss any games due to the injury.  With the win the Sox move to a season high 20 games over .500.  A great accomplishment by any team but they are still in a tough battle for the division title and the wild card.  John Danks takes the mound in the last game against the Orioles on Wednesday.

Trying to avoid a three game sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox found a stroke of luck in the 10th inning behind Alexei Ramirez.  Down by one run in the bottom of the ninth, Paul Konerko hit a single that set up a play at the plate.  The throw was there in time but it wasn’t handled well by the catcher and allowed Brian Anderson to score the tying run.  In the bottom of the tenth, Alexei Ramirez drove in A.J. Pierzynski for the walk off run.  Carlos Quentin and Jim Thome both had home runs in the game to help the White Sox cause.  Mark Buehrle started the game and pitched a solid six and two-thirds innings giving up five runs of which only two were earned.  Bobby Jenks was pitching in the tenth and got the win.  Back on top in the division, the Sox take on Baltimore in a three game series at the Orioles’ stadium.

A consistent stream of runs from the fifth inning on was too much for the White Sox to handle against the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays routed the Sox 9-4 in the first game of a four game series.  John Danks started the game and lasted for six and one-third innings and gave up seven hits and three earned runs.  The bullpen then gave up six runs against the powerful Rays line up and the Sox just couldn’t make up the difference.  Home runs by Alexei Ramirez and Nick Swisher were not enough to help the Sox battle back.  With ten hits in the game, the Sox lowered their chances by striking out nine times as well.  The streaking Twins have taken the lead over the Sox by half a game in the AL Central.  It looks like there is not only going to be a battle for the divisional title, but a three way battle between Minnesota, Chicago, and Boston for the wild card spot in the playoffs.  Javier Vazquez will start the game for the Sox in game two of the series against the Rays.

Ken Griffey finally got his first home run in a Whitesox uniform in a beat down that the Sox served the Mariners by a score of 15-3.  Griffey had one of the four home runs by Chicago on the day, the home run moved Griffey into a tie for fifth place with Sammy Sosa on the all time list.  With fourteen hits and only four strike outs on the day, the Sox hammered the M’s pitching.  A.J. Pierzynski, Alexei Ramirez, and Nick Swisher all added a home run with KG for the Sox.  Gavin Floyd pitched a solid six inning, giving up three runs and striking out seven.  The Sox have moved into a one game lead over the Twins in the AL Central.  The streaking Sox have now won five in a row and will take on the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend in a three game series that will be a battle of the divisional leaders.

Tied for the lead in the AL Central, the Sox blew out the Oakland A’s 13-1 behind four home runs and a stellar pitching performance by Javier Vazquez.  With only nine hits in the game, Jermaine Dye, Alexei Ramirex, Juan Uribe, and the league leading Carlos Quentin.  Javier Vazquez lasted for eight innings and gave up four hits, one earned run, and struck out eight of the A’s batters.  In a dead heat with the Twins for the lead in the division, the Sox take on the Mariners in a three game series on the South Side of Chicago.  On a different note, the A’s fans gave Nick Swisher a warm welcome and even had an A’s jersey of Swisher’s hung up in the stands.

Trying to win the last game and take the series against the defending champs, the White Sox knew they had a chance with their ace John Danks on the mound.  Danks did not disappoint, however, he was out shined by the starter on the other side of the field…Josh Beckett.  Danks lasted seven innings and only gave up two hits and two earned runs along with striking out nine.  But Beckett lasted eight innings and gave up seven hits but only one earned run and struck out eight.  Once Danks left the game the Red Sox batters went off on the Chicago bullpen and scored three runs in the top of the ninth to seal the game and even up the series with two wins a piece.  Once again the Sox had more strikeouts in the game, 9, than they did hits, 7.  The Sox are now a half game back in the AL Central to the Minnesota Twins.  Javier Vazquez takes the mound tonight against AL Central rival the Kansas City Royals as the Sox have a few important games that could put them in a great position heading into the final stretch of the season.

With only seven hits and four strike outs in the game against the defending world champs, the Boston Red Sox, who would have thought that the Sox could squeak out a win?  Mark Buehrle is who.  Going against the Manny-less Red Sox line up, Buehrle pitched seven strong innings and gave up four hits, one earned run, and struck out eight.  Immediately after Buehrle left the game, the Sox put up three runs in the eighth to get back into the game, but the Sox bull pen pulled through and an insurance run in the bottom of the inning kept the Sox ahead for good.  The bottom two and the top three hitters had all of the production for the White Sox offense, including a solo shot for Carlos Quentin which was number thirty one on the year.  Ken Griffey went hitless in the game in four at bats.  Jose Contreras will make his first start since July 13th on Saturday against the Red Sox in game 2 of the series.

An exciting walk off home run in extra innings was not out shined in game 2 against Detroit, but the Sox still won the game behind excellent defense and pitching.  John Danks had a great game going for six and two-thirds innings and only gave up four hits, one earned run, and struck out six of Detroit’s batters.  Jim Thome started off the game for the Sox with a three run home run in the bottom of the first inning with Nick Swisher and Jermaine Dye on base.  The Sox line up had a tough battle with opposing pitcher Justin Verlander all night long but with not enough offense on Verlander’s side and a couple innings of production by the Sox, Chicago continued their dominance of the Tiger’s this season.  Ken Griffey Jr. got the day off after going one for six with three strike outs.  So far the Sox are racking up the wins since acquiring the future hall of famer, but is it any thanks to him?  We’ll see as the new saga of KG unfolds and if the Sox can reclaim supremacy at the top of the AL Central.

Maybe the new distraction of Ken Griffey’s addition to the team or the big series against Detroit coming up or the fact that Minnesota is rolling through their opponents with reckless abandon; whatever it is the Sox were not focused against the Royals on Sunday and were blown out 14-3.  Not to mention five people were ejected during the game after a bench clearing brawl in the fifth inning when D.J. Carrasco hit Miguel Olivo in the hand, Olivo then charged the mound and the benches cleared leading to the ejections including Ozzie Guillen.  Throughout the game, the Sox managed seven hits compared with nineteen for the Royals.  Furthermore, the Sox lineup struck out eleven times compared with only four times for the Royals.  The entire pitching staff for the Sox was lit up by the Royals, and any time you get more than doubled up on hits and strike outs against, it is going to be tough to win the game.  The Sox start a three game series against the Detroit Tigers at home, Gavin Floyd will get the start in game one on Tuesday.

Despite a home run from Jim Thome, Brian Anderson, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko each, the Sox managed to put up seven runs on the day but gave up nine to the Kansas City Royals and went on to lose the second game of a three game series.  Luckily the Twins lost also so the Sox still remain a half game up in the AL Central.  Mark Buehrle had a terrible day, going four and one-third innings, giving up fourteen hits, eight earned runs and two homers.  The Sox offense produced ten hits on the day but that does not compare to the Royals nineteen.  Ken Griffey left the game in the sixth inning with a sore hamstring, he was also hitless on the day but had a spectacular diving catch in the outfield.  Since acquiring Griffey the Sox are 1-1.  Hopefully, the injury to Griffey’s nagging hamstring won’t last too long and he will be back against the Royals in the last game and then against the Tigers in a very important series between a divisional rival.  Clayton Richard gets the start in the last game of the series against the Royals on Sunday.

Losing three of four to the Minnesota Twins has lowered their lead in the AL Central to only half a game over the Twins and five and a half over the Tigers.  In the final game of the series in which the Sox were going for the split, home runs by Jim Thome and Jermain Dye were a help but not enough to get past the powerful Twins who scored at least six runs in three of the four games, each of which they won.  Only managing to get eight hits in the game compared with twelve strikeouts is not going to win too many game, especially against a division rival that is on their heels in the standings.  Despite a tough series, the Sox got a surprise by trading for Ken Griffey Jr. just before the deadline.  The Sox didn’t have to give up too much to get the slugger, Nick Masset and minor leaguer Danny Richar were both dealt in the trade.  Griffey put a huge question mark into the minds of many Sox fans, where is he going to fit in?  Perhaps as a DH, or first basemen, or outfielder?  Ozzie Guillen has his work cut out for him to see where the slugger will help the club the most.

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.

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.