The
last time the White Sox faced Jered Weaver, they managed four hits off him over six innings, and Jerry Owens had three of them.
So it makes perfect sense that sans Owens, the Sox would only manage one hit. It's simple math.
Weaver dominated the Sox over seven innings, without a single runner advancing into scoring position. I'm pretty much numb at this point, but I feel bad for John Danks, who outpitched Weaver in some respects and had nothing to show for it.
Danks actually had a worse line -- he allowed seven hits over 6 1/3 innings -- but he wasn't facing an opponent that played like it was opposite field out. Erick Aybar's first-inning double was the only one that went for extra-bases, and after Casey Kotchman's second-inning single, the Angels didn't pull another ball for a hit. The Angels doinked five more singles to right, and Danks was up to the challenge almost every time.
In the third, he had runners on first and second, one out, and Vladimir Guerrero at the plate. He got Vlad to ground into a soft 6-4-3 double play. He also stranded a runner on second in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings after two-out singles and easy stolen bases, the only thing somewhat discouraging about Danks' night.
He was pulled in the seventh when a pair of soft opposite-field singles put runners on the corners with one out, and he followed with a walk to Gary Matthews Jr., during which Matthews called time while Danks started his delivery.
Octavio Dotel manned up. He struck out both Aybar and Guerrero to keep it a scoreless game.
Unfortunately, Dotel would also turn out to be the victim, saddled with a loss after giving up an infield single and watching the Sox defense take the rug out from under him under Matt Thornton's watch.
Jermaine Dye was the first perpetrator -- Garret Anderson hit a not-hard liner to right, and jogged down the first-base line thinking he was out. Dye got a slow read on it, and with his acceleration, had to make an awkward dive at it. It was unsuccessful, and runners were on the corners with no outs when an average right fielder has a chance at a 9-3 double play.
Then Nick Swisher joined in the fun. On Mike Napoli's fly to center, he overthrew the cutoff man and allowed Anderson to reach second. Without the miss, Anderson doesn't score on Robb Quinlan's single to right two batters later.
So when it comes down to it, every White Sox pitcher did his job, and none of them were rewarded for it. The Sox managed twice as many hits off relievers Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez by -- perish the thought -- taking it the other way. Joe Crede slapped a bouncer down the first-base line in the eighth for a single, but was erased with a 5-4-3 double play.
In the ninth, Carlos Quentin hit a one-out double off the wall in right-center, just out of Torii Hunter's reach. He'd be stranded there when Jim Thome flew out and Dye struck out on three pitches to end the game.
Record: 18-20 |
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