Too late

(August 9)

Short take:  This is not good

Seven innings.  For seven innings our White Sox did their utmost to walk through this game dead from the neck up.  Another pitching mediocrity makes them look stupid and a late rally predictably falls short, 3-2 losers at Anaheim.  The Sox drop the series, fall below .500 again, and now face three games against the buzz-saw in Seattle.

Oh yeah, this looks real promising.

This was a train wreck from the very start.  The Sox didn't manage their first hit until the fourth inning and still managed to screw that up with a base-running gaffe by Magglio Ordonez.  With runners at first and third, Paul Konerko grounded out to end the rally.

As usually happens after such a mess, Sean Lowe collapsed the very next inning.  Locked in a pitcher's duel with Valdes, and having only allowed one hit the previous three innings, Lowe was tagged for three runs and four hits.  They were all singles.  He would pitch into the seventh inning with nothing but an "L" for the effort.  Way to go, Team!

Anaheim wouldn't score again.  Worse, they wouldn't need to.  The Sox were playing corpseball and seemingly nothing would bring them back from the dead.  1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3... what the hell?  Why not call a forfeit and catch the early flight to Seattle.  Pathetic.

Just when you thought the Sox would never reach base safely again, Carlos Lee hits a lead-off dinger in the eighth and the score becomes 3-1.  Chris Singleton, Royce Clayton, and Mark Johnson followed with three consecutive outs and the procession of futility continued.  Along with lead-off head case Ray Durham and Konerko, these lifeless dolts failed to reach base in 17 at-bats.

Jose Valentin got a rally started with a one-out double in the ninth.  Ordonez doubled him in and the score was 3-2.  With the tying run at third base, Jose Canseco struck out and Paul Konerko finished his perfect night with a foul-out.

It gets worse.  Last we heard the team was boarding a plane heading for Seattle.  Check here for reports of further disasters.