August 10: Mariners 6, White Sox 4
Note: k8t wrote this recap.
The latest episode of “Rookie Pitcher Hassles The White Sox” featured a different storyline, but the same old ending. After four shutout innings on both sides, former Sox Ken Griffey Jr. of all people hit the two-run single that got the Mariners on the board, and the hits just kept coming for both sides.
The fifth inning proved most crucial for the Good Guys with a double by Carlos Quentin (his first of two on the night) and a walk by Jayson Nix, which set up Ramon Castro’s game-tying two-run double.
Unfortunately for the Sox and Gavin Floyd, they couldn’t cut off the offense. In the bottom of the fifth, after walking Michael Saunders (who then promptly stole second), Floyd gave up a single that scored another run. Floyd got himself out of the jam and the Sox picked him up the next inning.
Luke French, the Mariner rookie had reached his limit and walked Gordon Beckham and Jermaine Dye back to back. After striking out Jim Thome, he walked Paul Konerko, too. That was it for French, who was replaced by Sean White. Quentin doubled for the second time of the game to score both Gordon Beckham and Dye.
That was it for Floyd, too. After starting his half of the inning with another single to Griffey, Jr. (promptly thrown out in the first half of a double play), Floyd gave up a home run on the worst pitch of the season to date — an 0-2 fastball in the strike zone to Russell Branyan — and the White Sox lost the lead for good. One at-bat later after walking Jack Wilson, Floyd received a visit to the mound and found the bench for the remainder of the game. That would have been fine, except Tony Pena entered the game and gave up a two-run dinger to the first batter he saw, Kenji Johjima.
It could have been worse considering during the first four shutout innings, Scott Podsednik got picked off at first and Nix ended up out in a double play because he made a mental mistake, strayed too far away from first base on a fly ball and couldn’t get back in time. However, the damage was contained, all things considered.
Scott Linebrink entered the game and had a 1-2-3 inning composed of a strikeout and two groundouts. Mariners relievers posted zeroes, themselves. For the most part, the Sox stayed even with the Mariners and if it hadn’t been for that crucial sixth inning, this story may have ended differently.
Record:57-56 | Box score | Play-by-play
