Mark Buehrle may never have No. 1 starter stuff, but he turned in an ace performance tonight. He stymied the Rangers on three days' rest, while the offense found its groove to end a three-game losing streak.
Buehrle worked all parts of the plate, and, more importantly, worked his way out of early trouble before the Sox blew the game open.
After stranding a pair of runners after a pair of singles in the first, Buehrle faced a bigger test in the second. Hank Blalock led off with a triple on a rare Nick Swisher misplay in center. He wasn't sure whether to go for the ball or pull up, making the decision too late. The ball caromed high off the wall and rolled back towards the infield as Blalock rolled into third to put Buehrle in a pickle.
Buehrle rebounded by pitching inside. He jammed Brandon Boggs for a weak grounder to third, jammed Chris Davis for a weak comebacker that he handled, and jammed Jarrod Saltalamacchia for a flare to second to end the frame unscored upon.
The Sox would give him ample run support off Luis Mendoza, who shut down the Sox his first time around. Two-out rallies were the name of the game tonight:
First inning: Carlos Quentin draws a two-out walk, then scores from first on a Jermaine Dye skipped down the third-base line. He was running on the pitch, and scored as the throw home was well off the plate.
Fourth inning: Nick Swisher extended the lead to 4-0 earlier in the inning with a big three-run homer, but the Sox picked up another one. Juan Uribe reignited the engine with a double to the right-center gap, and while he should've scored when Orlando Cabrera's grounder in the hole escaped a diving Michael Young, A.J. Pierzynski picked him up with a single through the right side.
Seventh inning: With a 6-0 lead, Jim Thome drew a two-out walk, the fourth time he reached in four plate appearances (he'd walked and singled twice). Paul Konerko finally did something by flipping a single to center, and after Swisher walked on four pitches, Alexei Ramirez cleared the bases with his first grand slam.
Buehrle left in the eighth to a standing ovation, and although the bullpen allowed another run thanks to Matt Thornton's bases-loaded walk, it was a satisfying victory all the way around. A good way to cleanse the pallete after what had been a run of ugly baseball.
Record: 56-44 |
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