For the second straight game, Carlos Quentin managed to come up huge in a late inning situation. Better yet, Jermaine Dye managed to top him.
On a two-out, 0-2 pitch from Todd Jones, Quentin poked a single through the right side to extend the inning. Dye followed with a blast to right-center that cut through the wind and landed in the first few rows to turn a White Sox defeat into a big series- and road-trip-opening victory.
The Sox had lost their first 38 games this season when trailing after eight innings, but Bobby Jenks' easy 1-2-3 ninth inning put something in the win column.
Dye's homer let Nick Masset and Ozzie Guillen off the hook -- Masset for giving up a go-ahead homer to Carlos Guillen on a 2-0 count in the seventh inning, and Ozzie Guillen for using Masset after the Sox had worked so hard to tie the game.
(Note: I just read that Matt Thornton and Scott Linebrink were unavailable, which made using Masset more excusable. Still would've preferred Carrasco, or even Octavio Dotel.)
This game had the shades of the series opener in Comerica Park last June, with Nate Robertson doing just enough on the mound despite allowing plenty of baserunners, and the Sox playing some poor defense.
Carlos Guillen's excellent takeout slide led to the first Detroit run of the game and a throwing error by Orlando Cabrera, an excuseable miscue. Two other misplays in the third inning were costlier.
Miguel Cabrera hit a shot down the left-field line to make it a 3-1 game, but an excellent carom gave Quentin a legitimate chance of throwing Cabrera out at second -- had he seen him. He looked to third first, then saw the play at second, and he ended up getting the ball to second a hair too late, giving the Tigers an extra out.
After an intentional walk, Josh Fields' first error of the season in his first game of the season turned what should've been a double play ball -- or at least a force at home -- into another run with everybody safe. But Floyd manned up and got another double play ball off the bat of Ivan Rodriguez, and that was turned.
That would be the last run scored off Floyd, who lasted six innings and rebounded well enough after seven walks in his previous outing. He showed more toughness in the fifth. With runners on the corners and one out, Floyd threw the perfect 3-2 curve to get Matt Joyce swinging. Miguel Cabrera was running on the play, and A.J. Pierzynski threw to second with Cabrera nowhere close. Magglio Ordonez chose to get caught in a pickle, and he was tagged out to end the inning.
Fields redeemed himself in the seventh, leading the inning off with a single and setting the table for a very productive one-two punch of the No. 9-1 hitters, Alexei Ramirez and Orlando Cabrera. Ramirez flared a single to center, and Cabrera came through with a first-pitch RBI single off Joel Zumaya that put runners on the corners.
Cabrera made his presence felt on the basepaths. When A.J. Pierzynski hit a fly to center that Ramirez could tag on, Cabrera tagged as well, making it to second just ahead of the throw. That turned out to be huge, because two batters later with two outs, Cabrera would go for third on a pitch that got away from Rodriguez. Not only was he safe, but Rodriguez's throw went into left field, and Cabrera came out to score to tie the game.
Cabrera and Ramirez teamed up for the first run of the game, too, with Ramirez doubling to put runners on second and third with one out. Cabrera followed with an RBI single to left. Combined, the middle infielders went 5-for-8 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI.
Record: 58-43 |
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