posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 2:33 AM
by
Jim
Alexei's slam sends Sox to 163rd game
The vital statistics on Gary Glover's first and only pitch to Alexei Ramirez
Monday night, which he belted into the left-field seats for his fourth grand slam this season:
Type: Changeup.
Speed: 89 m.p.h.
Location: Belt-high, over the heart of the plate.
Time of death: 6:25 p.m. CST.
By the way, that pose is the picture of the season, and all the major media outlets agree.
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It never fails to amaze me that six months and 162 games sometimes aren't enough to separate two teams. Alas, Game No. 163 is required to figure out which team will represent the AL Central in the playoffs.
At this point, the Sox have nearly exhausted every trick in the bag. Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd have delivered on short rest, and now it's John Danks' turn to be a mensch on only three days' rest. Danks is only coming off his second-worst outing of the season.
And, of course, his worst outing of the season came against the Minnesota Twins, who bombarded him
for seven runs in just 2 1/3 innings April 9. His first two starts in his career against the Twins were solid;
the rest have been shaky at best.
Danks has his work cut out for him, but there are two reasons for hope:
No. 1: Mark Buehrle beat a team that routinely beat him in the past just two days ago.
No. 2: Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks might finally have some help.
Not that there's reason to breathe easy when Ozzie Guillen has to go to the bullpen, but there are finally signs of life beyond two relievers -- especially from the big money guys.
Scott Linebrink: He struck out the side in an inning of work Monday night, and it wasn't a fluke. His average fastball cracked 93 during his appearance, a full mile per hour faster than his previous appearance, when he was roped around the park by Cleveland. He also displayed excellent location with his curveball, which gives him the out pitch he's sorely lacked since his return.
The only question is whether his mysterious shoulder issue will allow him to go that hard two days in a row.
Octavio Dotel: Keep your fingers crossed, but Dotel has thrown five perfect innings over his last four appearances with eight strikeouts. He got two routine flyouts from two dangerous right-handed batters Monday.
In a perfect world, Guillen wouldn't have to go to either of these guys in a high-leverage situation. But given how nothing has come easy for the Sox this year, there's no reason to start expecting a relaxing night now.
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The White Sox want their fans to wear black for the one-game playoff, which doesn't sit well with me for a few reasons.
For one, black is a mourning color, meaning they almost want Sox fans to show up for a funeral. That's certainly what happened for Georgia fans, when the Bulldogs came out in black jerseys only to get blown out by Alabama Saturday.
And Black Tuesday after Dow Jones fell 777 points in one day? Add it all up, and it's a little bit too doom-and-gloomy for my tastes, though your mileage may vary.