2008 State of the Sox

April 17: Orioles 6, White Sox 5 (10 innings)

Pitching and defense had been the key to most of the White Sox's victories early in the season.  Tonight, they didn't have enough of either.

Two errors led to three unearned runs, and Bobby Jenks and Boone Logan, two relievers who had been so good, couldn't hold it down.

First, Jenks came in with a two-run lead and watched it evaporate, starting with a chopped infield single behind the third base bag by Brandon Fahey.  He hung a curve to Brian Roberts and watched it get smacked to the right-field wall for a one-run double.  Melvin Mora was down 1-2, but worked the count full before tying the game with a bouncer through the middle.

Logan couldn't record one out in the 10th , walking Kevin Millar after getting ahead 0-2.  He had Luke Scott down 0-2, too, but after he didn't get the call on what looked to be a perfectly good outside-corner fastball, doom soon followed.  He walked Scott, too, and after an Aubrey Huff flyout, Adam Jones ripped a double down the left-field line to win the game.

Of course, the bullpen might not have been put in that position had the White Sox defense held up their end.  Paul Konerko's first error of the year led to two unearned runs.  Konerko couldn't handle a hot shot off the bat of Luis Hernandez to lead the inning off, deflecting off his glove and into right field.  Gavin Floyd got a couple groundouts, but Nick Markakis took a low, inside fastball and ripped it over the scoreboard in right to tie the game at 2.

It was a rare bad pitch for Floyd, who should've been staying away from Markakis with the base open, two outs and right-handed Kevin Millar on deck. 

Two innings later, Scott Linebrink, who should've been out of the inning when he struck out Millar for the apparent third out.  Instead, the ball got away from Pierzynski, and his throw to first pulled Konerko off the bag.  A Luke Scott double later, the Orioles cut it to 5-3.

The Sox offense didn't quite look on track, but they provided runs when they needed to.  After a 2-0 lead (provided by a Joe Crede single and a Nick Swisher sac fly) evaporated starting with the Konerko error, Carlos Quentin gave the Sox the lead right back with a solo homer -- and Crede made it 4-2 by going back-to-back.

Quentin also went the other way for his first multi-homer game in the eighth, but that would be all the offense the Sox could muster off the Baltimore bullpen.

Record: 9-6 | Box score | Play-by-play