2008 State of the Sox

June 7: White Sox 11, Twins 2

What would Vegas have paid if you laid down money for the following bet about tonight's Sox game:

• Paul Konerko would hit his first triple in over four years.
• Alexei Ramirez would draw a non-four-pitch walk.
• Mark Buehrle would throw eight innings of one-run ball.
• The Sox would score double-digits, without any help at all from Carlos Quentin.

My guess?  A million, billion dollars.

And I didn't mention Joe Crede having a second straight two-homer game, because with the way he's swinging the bat, leaving the yard twice seems far more likely than any of the aforementioned events.

Crede's first homer, off Livan Hernandez, gave the Sox a 4-0 lead in the second inning, which was sparked by a leadoff Konerko three-bagger.  He hit a liner directly at Carlos Gomez, but it tailed away while Gomez kept charging forward.  The ball got past him, and Konerko chugged away and rolled into Tripletown station.

He'd barely score on Jim Thome's pretty deep sac fly to right, but the Sox didn't settle for one.  Jermaine Dye singled, Nick Swisher ripped a double over Justin Morneau's head, and Crede followed up with a blast to the bullpen.

Crede would strike out his next time up in the fourth with runners on first and second, ending his consecutive times on base streak at six.  But Alexei Ramirez picked him up with a single up the middle -- and he smartly advanced to second on the throw.  That was huge, because he'd come around to score on Orlando Cabrera's bullet off the wall.  Cabrera barely made it into second, so Ramirez would've never scored from first.

The Sox had a 7-0 lead, and that was all Mark Buehrle needed.  The 31-minute rain delay didn't bother him, and neither did his defense, which was solid for him all game long.  Cabrera made a sliding stab and throw from the hole, Swisher made a nice running catch on a deep, slicing drive at the track in center, and Crede showed quick reflexes by grabbing a hot one-hopper when he was playing in for the bunt, to name a few.

He lasted eight innings, and finished his night by freezing Justin Morneau with an outside corner fastball.  A Delmon Young homer, his first of the year and with the Twins, was the only damage he suffered.

Crede's second blast came in the eighth, following up three straight singles by Thome, pinch-hitting Brian Anderson and Swisher.  Swisher had his first three-hit day in a White Sox uniform and scored three runs.

Record: 35-26 | Box score | Play-by-play