2008 State of the Sox

July 8: White Sox 8, Royals 7 (13 innings)

Well, the Sox needed a three-run comeback, a two-run sacrifice fly, two save opportunities, some officiating in their favor and an amazing escape by Nick Magic, but they managed to take the first game of the road trip.

As we found out last year, sometimes it's just impossible to out-suck the Royals.

After Scott Linebrink blew a two-run lead in the 10th, the Sox regained the lead thanks to the rarest of things for Ozzie Guillen's club -- a perfect hit-and-run.  After Alexei Ramirez led off with a single, he took off on a 2-1 pitch as Orlando Cabrera sliced it over the second-base hole and into the right-center gap.  Ramirez scored all the way from first to make it an 8-7 ballgame.

In came Nick Masset, and because he has to make everything difficult, he started it off with a leadoff walk.  He managed to strike out David DeJesus, but Mike Aviles followed with an opposite-field single to put runners on the corners.  He walked Alex Gordon to load the bases for Mark Grudzielanek.

Grudzielanek had the reputation of killing the Sox, but this time the wound was self-inflicted.  He grounded to short, and Cabrera stepped on second before throwing to first for a White Sox winner, capping off a wild victory.

The Sox trailed for most of the game thanks to Jose Contreras and his missing forkball, but they managed to take the lead for the first time since the second inning in the 11th.  Once again, Ramirez and Cabrera played a big part.

The Sox had runners on first and second after singles by Joe Crede and Ramirez when Cabrera hit a nubber to second.  Instead of running behind Esteban German, Ramirez tried to speed in front of him before the ball arrived.  He clipped a charging German, but was not ruled for interference after German failed to field the ball cleanly to load the bases.

But that wouldn't be the only stroke of luck the Sox received.  The next batter, A.J. Pierzynski, hit a fly to deep right, and Joey Gathright and Mark Teahan collided in right-center.  Gathright held onto the ball, but his helicopter tumble on the warning track gave Ramirez enough time to score all the way from second for the rare two-run sacrifice fly to give the Sox a 7-5 lead.

Scott Linebrink gave it right back.  German singled, stole second and advanced to third, but Linebrink still had two outs and a 7-5 lead.  Aviles made it 7-6 with a single to left, and he'd come around to score on Teahan's double over Jermaine Dye's head in right.

The game featured some role reversal, as Dye and Carlos Quentin, two guys who carried the team, were absolutely lousy.  They combined to go 1-for-13.  Quentin had a first-inning single, but popped out twice with a runner on third and fewer than two outs, and also pulled up short on a flyball in fair territory as he incorrectly anticipated the wall.   He stranded six runners.  Dye went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts, and was the only starter without a hit.

Meanwhile, the much-maligned Jim Thome had a tremendous night as a rally starter.  He went 4-for-5 and came around to score three times.  The other time, his pinch-runner, Brian Anderson crossed the plate as the tying run on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly by Joe Crede.

Crede, too, came through in big ways.  Along with the sac fly, his massive solo homer to left made it a one-run game in the sixth -- and he also saved a run with the glove.

Jose Guillen led off the fifth by roping a Jermaine Dye triple down the right field line.  It wasn't the classic J.D. three-bagger, because he wasn't slow to get there.  Instead, he missed the cutoff man, and Guillen made it to third easily.

Contreras, although he couldn't locate his forkball all night long, wouldn't allow him to score, and Crede was a big reason why.  After Teahan hit a weak, shallow fly to left for one out, Crede flopped to stop a Billy Butler grounder to his right.  He held Guillen at third, then made a strong throw to first for the second out.  Another lazy fly to Quentin, and Contreras was out of the inning.

Dye aside, the Sox featured stellar defense all night long, with Crede handling some tough hops at third, Orlando Cabrera charging the ball well and Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher picking the ball well at first.

Konerko, in his first game back, did show a little rust when he and Contreras confused each other as to who was covering first on a grounder to second, and that run would come around to score.  But he had an ultimately successful return, going 1-for-3 with two hard-hit balls and a tough walk.

Record: 52-37 | Box score | Play-by-play