2008 State of the Sox

ALDS Game 1: Rays 6, White Sox 4

The Sox entered this game with a noticeably unfavorable pitching matchup, so when Dewayne Wise picked up Orlando Cabrera with a two-out homer that gave the Sox a 3-1 lead, Javier Vazquez needed to hold it.

He surrendered it immediately.  It started with a slap hit by Jason Bartlett, followed up with a triple  over the head of Ken Griffey (although Brian Anderson likely wouldn't have caught it).  A Willy Aybar sac fly tied it, and then Evan Longoria blasted a 64-m.p.h. lollipop curve out to left field to retake the lead, which he had given the Rays in the second inning by taking a first-pitch fastball over the left-field wall.

Longoria sealed Vazquez's exit two innings later with an RBI single, the third hit of the inning.  Javy once again left the game after only 4 1/3 innings, and despite some fine relief work from Clayton Richard, who settled down after allowing an RBI single to Carl Crawford, the Sox were basically out of it.

The Sox were outhit 11-7, and were retired 1-2-3 in five of the nine innings.  In six innings, only three batters came to the plate.  A.J. Pierzynski singled to lead off the fourth, but was hung out to dry when Cabrera missed on a hit-and-run with a 0-1 count. 

Cabrera really had a lousy game.  He went 0-for-4 and stranded five runners.  He left two on in the third inning by popping up the second bad pitch he swung at with two on, but Wise picked him up with the homer.

He had no such cushion when Grant Balfour struck him out to end the seventh with the bases loaded.  He had a chance to pick up a teammate himself as Balfour struck out Juan Uribe before him.  Cabrera picked him up emotionally, maybe.  After ball one, he kicked a cloud of dusty toward Balfour and said "fork you," and Balfour fired back.  Joe West had to keep them separated.

It could've been one of the coolest moments ever, especially when Cabrera got ahead 2-1.  But West said Cabrera swung on a close check-swing, and Balfour blew him away with a fastball to end the inning.  Balfour had more words for Cabrera after that; Cabrera had nothing.

The Rays left an opportunity on the table as well when Octavio Dotel struck out B.J. Upton with the bases loaded in the eighth, and Paul Konerko led off the top of the ninth with a solo shot off Dan Wheeler.  It was a nice at-bat for Konerko in one way, considering he fell behind 0-2 and extended the at-bat to 11 pitches.  On the other hand, he thought he walked on 2-2.  Either way, he closed it to a two-run game.

Unfortunately, the Sox couldn't bring the tying run to the plate.  Griffey flew out (0-for-4, two strikeouts), Alexei Ramirez struck out and A.J. Pierzynski, who had a nice day with two hits and a HBP, flew out harmlessly to center to end the game.

Rays lead 1-0 | Box score | Play-by-play