2006 State of the Sox

Week in a Box: June 4 - 10

Not a bad week for the Sox, considering they could’ve lost every single game they played this week.  All in all, there were four one-run ballgames (including three by the score of 4-3), three comebacks, lots of late-inning heroics, and accelerated heartbeats for everybody involved.

It’d be nice to win a laugher for once, but two series victories against the biggest intra-division rivals?  I’ll take it.  

Player of the Week: Jermaine Dye.  Three home runs this week, three multi-hit games, and he provided the three runs needed to beat Cleveland in a thrilling comeback victory, including a two-out, two-RBI single that would prove to be the game-winner.  I’m calling him The Assassin – who’s with me?

Player of the Weak:  Juan Uribe.  Congrats to Juan for the birth of his fourth child, but that's all the good news for him this week.  An 0-for-10 streak has caused his average to sink below the Mendoza Line, and his glove has been disappointing as well.  But I’ll get to that later.  

Pitcher of the Week:  Jose Contreras.  He outdueled young Detroit flamethrower Justin Verlander for the only victory by a Sox starter this week.  El Conde looks like he’s back to form after his DL stint.

Pitcher of the Weak:  Jon Garland.  It’s tough to hand this one down, because he pitched better against Detroit than his line (7 IP, 6 ER) would indicate.  If Brian Anderson’s playing center instead of Rob Mackowiak, he allows only two earned runs.  But he does deserve criticism for allowing two more homers to push his total up to 19 in 77 innings.  Don’t look now Jon, but you’re in Ezequiel Astacio territory.  

Fireman of the Week: Bobby Jenks.  Before entering Game 2 against the Indians in a non-save situation, Bobby saved the previous four Sox victories.  His ERA is finally under 3.00, and has thrown 10 consecutive scoreless outings.  

Gas Can of the Week:  Cliff Politte.  I wouldn’t give this award to him if he were injured just before his disastrous outing against Texas – but the fact that he hid shoulder injuries for a couple weeks brings him this mark of disgrace.  

Super Sub of the Week:  Alex Cintron.  While Uribe’s wife was giving birth, Cintron came in and delivered two game-winning hits against the Tigers – his first homer in a White Sox uniform, and a late-inning RBI single the day after.  And he ended the latter game with a 6-3 double play to boot.  

Super Scrub of the Week:  Nobody.  Rob Mackowiak’s game-tying single against the Indians spared him.  Otherwise, everybody’s playing well.  Chris Widger even drew two walks in a start.  

Gold Glove:  Brian Anderson.  With one dramatic catch against Travis Hafner and the Indians, he solidified his spot on this team.  Mackowiak would not have made that play, and the Sox probably wouldn’t have recovered from a two-run (minimum) deficit.

Hands of Stone:  Juan Uribe.  He should be a Gold Glove shortstop, but he’s not playing like it right now.  His weak-assed toss that Grady Sizemore beat to the bag cost Javier Vazquez a shot at the win, and he also screwed up another double-play toss the next day.  If he’s not going to hit, he has to field.  He’s doing neither. 

June 10: White Sox 4, Indians 3 (11 innings)

The Sox made mistakes until the very end of the game, but they just kept coming – and overcoming – as they ensured their first series win against Cleveland this year.

With the Indians ahead 4-3 in the 11th inning, Eric Wedge handed the ball to Bob Wickman, who entered today’s game with 24 consecutive saves.  The White Sox thwarted his drive for 25 with a string of singles, started off by A.J. Pierzynski.  He advanced to second on Scott Podsednik’s bunt, then scored when Rob Mackowiak singled to right and Casey Blake.  Blake’s throw sailed on him, and Mack made it to second.

Blake wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.  Pablo Ozuna singled to right, and Cora sent Mack around.  Blake’s throw was right on the money, and although Victor Martinez didn’t actually tag him, he had the plate blocked and the throw beat Mack there – the ump will give the catcher the benefit of the doubt nine out of 10 times.

Yet Tadahito Iguchi would erase the out on the basepaths by smashing one just inside the first-base line, scoring Ozuna to give the Sox their third extra-inning win of the year.  Mackowiak impressed the most, as he appeared to learn from his first time facing Wickman.  On May 30, Mackowiak struck out looking in the ninth inning of a one-run game with a runner on scoring position -- Wickman kept throwing that little cutter towards the outside corner, and on his third attempt he finally found it.  This time with two strikes, Mackowiak swung and connected for the game-tying single.

Not only did the Sox have to work past a bad break in the bottom of the 11th, but they also had to pick up Matt Thornton, who allowed Martinez’s second homer of the game that gave Cleveland the oh-so-brief lead.  Agustin Montero finished up the game for his first career victory.  

Once again, Mark Buehrle couldn’t get a victory against C.C. Sabathia even though both pitchers threw very well.  Martinez proved to be the thorn in Sox pitchers’ sides all day long.  He gave the Indians a lead in the first inning with an RBI single, and then hit a Buehrle mistake over the left field wall in the sixth inning to make it a 2-0 game.  Otherwise, Buehrle threw well, even overcoming a defensive miscue when Juan Uribe threw a routine double-play relay toss wide of first. 

Sox hitters couldn’t figure out Sabathia for most of the game, as Captain Cheeseburger struck out seven in six innings.  The offense had its best chance in the sixth, when it had the bases loaded and no outs after an Ozuna single, Iguchi double and a Jim Thome HBP.  But Paul Konerko grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to score one run (no RBI), and after an intentional walk to Jermaine Dye, Alex Cintron grounded out to end the threat.  

Chicago had plenty of chances to take the lead in regulation, but it couldn’t figure out how.  After the bases-loaded failure in the sixth, the Sox didn’t score an inning later when they had runners on first and second and no outs.  

Just when it felt like it’d be more of the same after Ross Gload walked to lead off the inning and was doubled up on a hit-and-run lineout by Dye, the Sox offense came through.  Cintron walked, stole second (he had two on the day), Pierzynski walked, and a pinch-hitting Scott Podsednik smacked an opposite-field single to tie the game at 2.  Mackowiak ended the inning by popping out with a runner on third, but as we would find out, he’d make up for it later.

Record: 38-23 | Box score | Play-by-play