2006 State of the Sox

May 5: Royals 5, White Sox 4

Because yesterday’s game was a day affair, the last game I saw on television was the strangest game of the season two nights ago.  

During that game, I tuned in right at the start of the seventh inning, when Joe Crede would go deep and give the Sox a lead.  The Sox bullpen would then cough up the lead, the Sox would tie it up in the ninth and then win the game in extra innings.

Sure enough, tonight I tuned in at the top of the eighth.  Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless inning, Joe Crede then homered to give the Sox the lead.  Then the bullpen coughed it up, and the Sox rallied in the ninth.

This time, however, they came up a little bit short.  About 10 feet short to be precise.  

I didn’t see any of Garland’s start, but evidently he pitched well enough to keep the Sox in the game despite not getting a 1-2-3 inning until the fifth.  That would be the only one he’d have all night, but he somehow managed to keep the Royals scoreless until Esteban German’s RBI single gave the Royals the first run of the game in the seventh.  

I didn’t see Elarton’s start, but evidently he pitched better than Garland.  He held the Sox scoreless through six, only allowing two hits and no walks, and German’s single provided his first ounce of run support against Chicago all year.  Unfortunately, he coughed it right back up when Tadahito Iguchi homered the opposite way to tie up the ballgame.  

Crede’s homer should’ve been the game-winning run, but Ozzie let Thornton start the ninth after a 1-2-3 eighth, and Ozzie pushed his luck.  Thornton walked a batter, and Guillen brought Bobby Jenks in the ballgame.  The first batter he faced laid down a sacrifice bunt, and had the high strike still been around, he would’ve struck out Tony Graffanino to give the Sox two outs.  

Jenks fell behind 3-0 on Tony G., but then came back with two strikes, and Graffanino showed up the ump both times by taking a few steps towards first on two easy strikes, then recoiling in shock.  After a foul ball, Jenks threw a fastball that was an inch above the belt on the inner half of the plate.  You’d think the ump would’ve been glad to call a strike three, but he gave Graffanino the free pass, and the rest of an inning was a haze.

I remember Esteban German singling again, and Kerry Robinson of all people singling in the go-ahead run, and then Boone Logan came in and he sucked, and Cliff Politte came in to close out the inning, and Ozzie used four pitchers in one frame and it was horrible.

But the Sox did not go quietly – Podsednik knocked a double down the left field line off closer Ambiorix Burgos, and then Jim Thome followed two batters later with his 12th homer of the year to opposite field to bring the Sox within one.  Paul Konerko then singled despite finishing his swing holding only the bat handle, and Pablo Ozuna came in the game to pinch-run.

A.J. Pierzynski then roped a line drive down the left field line that looked good…but Emil Brown ran it down 10 feet in front of the warning track.  Crede followed with an infield single, but Rob Mackowiak ended the game with a can of corn to center field.  The Royals have won seven games on the season – they’re 3-4 against the Sox, and 4-16 against everybody else.  

Record: 20-9 | Box score | Play-by-play