2005 White Sox Schedule

[Chisox73]

Here is your White Sox 2005 game schedule.All home games are in CAPS.All game times are Chicago(Central) time.

APRIL 4- CLEVELAND W 1-0(Buehrle dominant!)
APRIL 6- CLEVELAND W 4-3(4-run 9th wins it!)
APRIL 7- CLEVELAND L 11-5,11 innings(Shingo blows save)
APRIL 8- @ Minnesota W 5-1(El Duque Impressive!)
APRIL 9- @ Minnesota W 8-5(Sox hit 3 homers)
APRIL 10- @ Minnesota L 5-2(Santana beats Buehrle)
APRIL 11- @ Cleveland W 2-1(Garcia stellar)
APRIL 13- @ Cleveland W 5-4
APRIL 14- @ Cleveland L 8-5
APRIL 15- SEATTLE W 6-4(Garand nearly perfect)
APRIL 16- SEATTLE W 2-1(Another Buerle masterpiece!)
APRIL 17- SEATTLE L 5-4
APRIL 18- MINNESOTA W 5-4(2 HRs for Everett)
APRIL 19- MINNESOTA W 3-1(Finally beat Radke!)
APRIL 20- @ Detroit W 9-1(At last,a laugher!)
APRIL 21- @ Detroit W 4-3
APRIL 22- @ Kansas City,W 8-2(Crede swinging hot bat!)
APRIL 23- @ Kansas City W 3-2,10 innings(Rowand comes up huge in the 10th)
APRIL 24- @ Kansas City,W 4-3(Wasn't pretty,but we'll take it)
APRIL 25- @ Oakland,W 6-0(Garland outduels Zito)
APRIL 26- @ Oakland,L 9-7(Ugly game)
APRIL 27- @ Oakland,L 2-1(see above)
APRIL 29- DETROIT,L 3-2,11 innings(16 men stranded)
APRIL 30- DETROIT,W 4-3(3-run 7th wins it)
APRIL RECORD; 17-7,1st place,1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

MAY 1- DETROIT,W 8-0(Garland dominant again!)
MAY 3- KANSAS CITY,W 5-4(Everett to the rescue!)
MAY 4- KANSAS CITY,W 4-2(3-run 4th does it!)
MAY 5- KANSAS CITY,W 2-1(Winnin' Ugly again!)
MAY 6- @ Toronto, W 5-3
MAY 7- @ Toronto, W 10-7(Boom goes the dynamite!)
MAY 8- @ Toronto, W 5-4(1st sweep in TOR since '99)
MAY 9- @ Tampa Bay, L 4-2(Offense asleep again)
MAY 10- @ Tampa Bay, L 7-6(Pitchers walk 9)
MAY 11- @ Tampa Bay, W 5-2(El Duque stops skid)
MAY 12- BALTIMORE,W 3-2(Garland 7-0!)
MAY 13- BALTIMORE,W 5-3(3-run rally in the 7th does it!)
MAY 14- BALTIMORE,L 9-6(Garcia torched)
MAY 15- BALTIMORE,L 6-2(The Streak is Over)
MAY 16- TEXAS,L 7-6(Tough one to lose)
MAY 17- TEXAS,W 5-2(Garland 8-0!)
MAY 18- TEXAS,W 7-0(Buehrle in control)
MAY 20- @ Chicago Cubs,W 5-1(Garcia dominant)
MAY 21- @ Chicago Cubs,W 5-3(4-run 8th wins it!)
MAY 22- @ Chicago Cubs,L 4-3(McCarthy sharp in debut!)
MAY 23- @ Los Angeles(AL),L 4-0(Garland drops 1st game)
MAY 24- @ Los Angeles(AL),W 2-1,11 inn.(Buehrle sharp again)
MAY 25- @ Los Angeles(AL),W 4-2(Freddy in control)
MAY 26- @ Los Angeles(AL),L 3-2(Tough loss)
MAY 27- @ Texas,L 6-2(McCarthy lit up)
MAY 28- @ Texas,Rained Out
MAY 29- @ Texas,L 12-4(Garland lit up in the 6th)
MAY 30- LOS ANGELES(AL),W 5-4(Wild 9th inning)
MAY 31- LOS ANGELES(AL),W 5-4(Dye job in the 9th!)
MAY RECORD; 18-10
OVERALL RECORD; 35-17,1st Place,5 Games Ahead of Minnesota

JUNE 1- LOS ANGELES(AL) L 10-7
JUNE 3- CLEVELAND,W 6-4
JUNE 4- CLEVELAND,W 6-5
JUNE 5- CLEVELAND,L 4-3
JUNE 6- @ Colorado,W 9-3(Freddy Retires 22 staight!)
JUNE 7- @ Colorado,W 2-1(Pitchers duel at Coors)
JUNE 8- @ Colorado,W 15-5(Bats come alive late)
JUNE 10- @ San Diego,W 4-1(Garland wins his 10th)
JUNE 11- @ San Diego,L 2-1(Hermansen blows save)
JUNE 12- @ San Diego,W 8-5,10 inn.(Rowand's blast wins it!)
JUNE 13- ARIZONA,L 8-1
JUNE 14- ARIZONA,L 10-4
JUNE 15- ARIZONA,W 12-6(10 runs in the 6th!)
JUNE 17- LOS ANGELES(NL),W 6-0(Buehrle CG)
JUNE 18- LOS ANGELES(NL),W 5-3(AJ's walk-off does it!)
JUNE 19- LOS ANGELES(NL),W 4-3(Another late inning comeback)
JUNE 20- KANSAS CITY,W 11-8(See above)
JUNE 21- KANSAS CITY,W 5-1(Garland wins #12)
JUNE 22- KANSAS CITY,W 5-1(Buehrle again!)
JUNE 24- CHICAGO CUBS W 12-2(Turnin' up the heat!)
JUNE 25- CHICAGO CUBS,L 6-2
JUNE 26- CHICAGO CUBS,L 2-0(Too much Prior)
JUNE 28- @ Detroit,W 2-1
JUNE 29- @ Detroit,W 4-3
JUNE 30- @ Detroit,W 6-1
JUNE RECORD;18-7
OVERALL RECORD;53-24,1st Place,10 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

JULY 1- @ Oakland,L 6-2
JULY 2- @ Oakland,W 5-3
JULY 3- @ Oakland,L 7-2
JULY 4- TAMPA BAY,W 10-8
JULY 5- TAMPA BAY,W 6-4(Thomas hits 3-run bomb!)
JULY 6- TAMPA BAY,W 7-2(Thomas does it again!)
JULY 8- OAKLAND,L 4-2
JULY 9- OAKLAND,L 10-1(Zito unhittable)
JULY 10- OAKLAND,L 9-8,11 innings
Record at the Break; 57-29,1st place,9 games ahead of Minnesota
JULY 12- All-Star Game @ Detroit
JULY 14- @ Cleveland,W 1-0
JULY 15- @ Cleveland,W 7-1
JULY 16- @ Cleveland,W 7-5(Near bullpen collapse)
JULY 17- @ Cleveland,W 4-0(1st sweep at CLE since '63)
JULY 18- DETROIT,W 7-5(Crede big blast in 7th!)
JULY 19- DETROIT,L 7-1
JULY 20- DETROIT,L 8-6
JULY 21- BOSTON,L 6-5(Crede's error costly)
JULY 22- BOSTON,W 8-4
JULY 23- BOSTON,L 3-0
JULY 24- BOSTON,W 6-4(Game time temp;101)
JULY 25- @ Kansas City,W 14-6(22-hit attack)
JULY 26- @ Kansas City,L 7-1
JULY 27- @ Kansas City,L 6-5(13 inn.)
JULY 29- @ Baltimore,W 7-2
JULY 30- @ Baltimore,W 9-6
JULY 31- @ Baltimore,W 9-4
JULY RECORD;15-11
OVERALL RECORD;68-35, 14 1/2 Ahead of Cleveland and Minnesota

AUGUST 1- @ Baltimore,W 6-3(Lead now 15 games!)
AUGUST 2- TORONTO,L 7-3
AUGUST 3- TORONTO,L 7-4
AUGUST 4- TORONTO,W 5-4
AUGUST 5- SEATTLE,L 4-2
AUGUST 6- SEATTLE,W 4-2
AUGUST 7- SEATTLE,W 3-1
AUGUST 8- @ New York,L 3-2
AUGUST 9- @ New York,W 2-1
AUGUST 10- @ New York,W 3-2(10 inn.)
AUGUST 12- @ Boston,L 9-8
AUGUST 13- @ Boston,L 7-4
AUGUST 14- @ Boston,Rained out
AUGUST 15- MINNESOTA,L 4-2
AUGUST 16- MINNESOTA,L 9-4(16 inn.)
AUGUST 17- MINNESOTA,L 5-1
AUGUST 19- NEW YORK,L 3-1
AUGUST 20- NEW YORK,L 5-0(Longest losing streak of the season)
AUGUST 21- NEW YORK,W 6-2(Sox torch Big Unit for 4 HRS in the 6th!)
AUGUST 23- @ Minnesota,L 1-0(Garcia throws 1-hitter in loss)
AUGUST 24- @ Minnesota,W 6-4
AUGUST 25- @ Minnesota,W 2-1(10 inn.)
AUGUST 26- @ Seattle,W 5-3(12 inn.)
AUGUST 27- @ Seattle,W 4-3
AUGUST 28- @ Seattle,L 9-2
AUGUST 29- @ Texas,L 7-5
AUGUST 30- @ Texas,L 8-6
AUGUST 30- @ Texas,W 8-0(McCarthy's 1st ML win!)
AUGUST 31- @ Texas,L 9-2
AUGUST RECORD;12-16
OVERALL RECORD;80-51, 7 Games ahead of Cleveland

SEPTEMBER 1- DETROIT,W 12-3
SEPTEMBER 2- DETROIT,W 9-1
SEPTEMBER 3- DETROIT,W 6-2
SEPTEMBER 4- DETROIT,W 2-0
SEPTEMBER 5-@ BostonW 5-3(McCarthy outpitches Schilling)
SEPTEMBER 6- KANSAS CITY,W 6-5
SEPTEMBER 7- KANSAS CITY,W 1-0
SEPTEMBER 8- KANSAS CITY,L 4-2
SEPTEMBER 9- LOS ANGELES(AL),L 6-5(12 inn.)
SEPTEMBER 10- LOS ANGELES(AL),L 10-5
SEPTEMBER 11- LOS ANGELES(AL),L 6-1
SEPTEMBER 13- @ Kansas City,W 6-4
SEPTEMBER 14- @ Kansas City,L 10-9
SEPTEMBER 15- @ Kansas City,L 7-5
SEPTEMBER 16- @ Minnesota,W 2-1(10 inn.)
SEPTEMBER 17- @ Minnesota,L 5-0(Too much Santana)
SEPTEMBER 18- @ Minnesota,W 2-1(Contreras huge)
SEPTEMBER 19- CLEVELAND,L 7-5
SEPTEMBER 20- CLEVELAND,W 7-6(10 inn.)(Crede's Walk-off blast wins it!)
SEPTEMBER 21- CLEVELAND,L 8-0
SEPTEMBER 22- MINNESOTA,L 4-1(11 inn.)(Lead down to 1 1/2 games)
SEPTEMBER 23- MINNESOTA,W 3-1
SEPTEMBER 24- MINNESOTA,W 8-1
SEPTEMBER 25- MINNESOTA,W 4-1
SEPTEMBER 26- @ Detroit,L 4-3
SEPTEMBER 27- @ Detroit,L 3-2
SEPTEMBER 28- @ Detroit,6:05pm,CSNW 8-2
SEPTEMBER 29- @ Detroit,W 4-2-SOX WIN AL CENTRAL!!!!
SEPTEMBER 30- @ Cleveland,W 3-2(12 inn.)(Gload comes throgh in the 12th)
SEPTEMBER RECORD;17-12
OVERALL RECORD;97-63, 4 Games ahead of Cleveland

OCTOBER 1- @ Cleveland,W 4-3
OCTOBER 2- @ Cleveland,W 3-1(Indians eliminated from the post-season)
OCTOBER RECORD; 2-0
FINAL 2005 RECORD;99-63,AL CENTRAL CHAMPS,6 GAMES AHEAD OF CLEVELAND

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
OCTOBER 4- BOSTON,W 14-2(Sox hit ALDS record 5 HRs)
OCTOBER 5- BOSTON,W 5-4(Sox score 5 in the 6th)
OCTOBER 7- @ BostonW 5-3(El Duque's 6th inning escape job.The stuff of legend!)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
OCTOBER 11- LOS ANGELES L 3-2(Tough loss for Conteras)
OCTOBER 12- LOS ANGELES W 2-1(Crede's double caps off wild 9th)
OCTOBER 14- @ Los Angeles W 5-2(Garland spectacular on 12 days rest)
OCTOBER 15- @ Los Angeles,W 8-2(Garcia throws complete game)
OCTOBER 16- @ Los Angeles,W 6-3(WHITE SOX WIN THE PENNANT!!!)

2005 WORLD SERIES
OCTOBER 22- HOUSTON,W 5-3(Contreras and Crede lead the way!)
OCTOBER 23- HOUSTON,W 7-6(PODSEDNIK'S WALK OFF WINS IT!!)
OCTOBER 25- @ Houston,W 7-5,14 innings(Geoff Blum,the unlikeliest of heroes!)
OCTOBER 26- @ Houston,W 1-0(WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!)

[The Commissioner]

Wow, that schedule gets awfully tough there in August. Hopefully they can have some momentum in their favor before that road trip to New York.

[Chisox73]

Yeah,the schedule makers didn't do us many favors for August,making the Sox play a 15 game stretch against the Yankees(6 games),Red Sox(3) and Twins(6). :ughh

[Chisox73]

Promotions are now up,and are subject to change.

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle was dominant in his 2005 debut as he faced onlt 28 batters in 8 innings as the White Sox edged the visiting Cleveland Indians 1-0 before a sun-drenched sell-out crowd of 38,141 at US Cellular Field this afternoon.

Buehrle(1-0) allowed only 2 hits,a walk and 5 strikeouts in 8 innings of work.Shingo Takatsu pitched a perfect 9th for his 1st save of the year.

The lone run of the game came in the 7th when Paul Konerko led off with a double,went to 3rd on a sac fly by Jermaine Dye,then scored on when Aaron Rowand reached on an error by Indians SS Jhonny Peralta.

Konerko had 2 of the 4 Sox hits in the game,with Dye and AJ Pierzynski each had a hit.

Tribe pitcher Jake Westbrook(0-1) went the distance for Cleveland allowing the earned run on 4 hits,walking 1 and striking out 3.

CLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 2 1
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 1 4 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(1-0)
LP- Jake Westbrook(0-1)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(1)

T- 1:51
Att.- 38,141(sellout)
Game time weather; 64 degrees-sunny

RANDOM STUFF: This was the first time the Sox have opened at home since 1990,and thier 1st season opener at US Cellular Field.

Cleveland had only 1 runner in scoring position the entire game.That coming in the 7th inning when Coco Crisp went to 2nd on a walk to Travis Hafner.He was immediately erased on a double play,one of 2 the Sox turned today.

The Indians only left 1 man stranded this afternoon.

White Sox record;1-0. tied for 1st place with Detroit.

[Chisox73]

Juan Uribe's game-winning sac fly in the bottom of the 9th capped off a 4-run comeback as the White Sox stole a 4-3 decision over the Cleveland Indians this afternoon at US Cellular Field.

With the Sox down 3-0 after 8 1/2 innings,Carl everett led off the 9th with a line single.The next batter Paul Konerko then blasted his 1st homer of the season,cutting the deficit to 3-2.On the very next pitch,Jermaine Dye tied the game with his first homer of the year.

Aaaron roewand then laced a double over the head of CF Grady Sizemore.AJ Pierzynski was walked intentionally.Willie Harris,who was pinch-hitting for Joe Crede,laid down a perfect bunt which was bobbled by Wickman loading the bases for Uribe's heroics.

It took Wickman all of 14 pitches to turn a 3-0 Indians lead into a 4-3 White Sox winner.

Sox starter Freddy Garcia went 6 innings,allowing 2 runs on 5 hits,walking 3 and striking out 6 in 109 pitches for a no-decision.Damaso Marte(1-0) picked up the win.

CLE 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 8 1
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4- 4 9 1

WP- Damaso Marte(1-0)
LP- Bob Wickman(0-1)

HR; SOX- Konerko(1),Dye(1)

T- 2:55
Att- 10,520
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,75 degrees

THIS AND THAT; Scott Podsednik and Tadahito Iguchi each got thier 1st hits as White Sox players in the game.Both went 1-for-4 in the game.Paul Konerko went 2-for-4 in the game.

After stranding 1 runner on Monday,the Tribe left 11 men stranded today.

Luis Vizcaino made his Sox debut,allowing a run in the 9th inning.

The Sox are 2-0 for the first time since 1999.

White Sox record; 2-0,1st place,1/2 game ahead of Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

Shingo Takatsu gave up 3 solo homers in the 9th inning and the visitors from Cleveland erupted for 6 runs in the 11th inning to salvage the finale of a 3-game seires at US Cellular Field as the Indians defeated the White sox 11-5 Thursday afternoon.

The Sox were up 6-3 in the 9th when Casey Blake,Coco Crisp,and Ronnie Belliard all went deep of Takatsu.

Victor Martinez untied the game in the 11th with a 2-RBI single off losing pitcher Luis Vizcaino(0-1).They added 4 more after that to seal the win.

White Sox starter Jose Contreras had an excelllent outing for the Sox,allowing a run on 4 hits,walking 2 and striking out 4 in 6 innings of work.He pitched out of a 2-out,2 on jam in the 6th inning.

Offensively,the Sox were led by AJ Pierzynski with 2 hits,including his 1st homer of the year.Tadahito Iguchi got 3 hits,and Scott Podsednik chipped in with 2 hits.

CLE 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 6- 11 14 1
SOX 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 5 11 2

WP- Arthur Rhodes(1-0)
LP- Luis Vizcaino(0-1)

HR- CLE;Blake(1),Crisp(1),Belliard(1)- SOX;Pierzynski(1)

T- 3:56
Att- 10,800
Game time weather- Cloudy,46 degrees

POST MORTEM;The Sox coming into this game were the last undefeated team in the American League.

The Sox used 7 pitchers in the game.Jose Contreras(6 IP),Neal Cotts(1/3 IP),Cliff Politte(1/3 IP),Damaso Marte(1/3 IP),Dustin Hermansen(1 IP),Takatsu(2/3 IP),and Vizcaino(2 1/3 IP).

White Sox record; 2-1,tied for 1st with Detrouit and Minnesota

[Knick9]

If he does something like that again, then I say the ChiSox should release Takatsu ASAP. The White Sox had the game in the bag before he came in. Even if it's only game #3 you can't blow a save like that come game #162.

Watching Tadahito ('Hito) Iguchi bat and field for my first look, I think he'll fit in with the club good. He got some hits in and it helped. Welcome to the squad 'Hito.

Go White Sox! :gt

[jmcts]

Takatsu has been messing up ever since last year. Seems like the MLB hitters have figured him out.

[Chisox73]

Orlando "El Duque' Hernandez was impressive in his White Sox debut at a sold out Metrodome as the White Sox spoiled the home opener for the Minnesota Twins with a 5-1 win.

El Duque went 7 innings,allowing a run on 6 hits,striking out 5 batters in the game.Dustin Hermansen pitched the final 2 innings for the Sox.

The Sox got on the board in the 1st inning when Carl Everett doubled home Willie Harris for a 1-0 lead.

The Twins tied it in the 3rd on Jason Bartlett's RBI double.

But the Sox went ahead for good in the 6th when Paul Konerko hit an absolute bomb off Twins starter Kyle Loshe(0-1).After Jermaine Dye singled,Aaron Rowand went deep to make it a 4-1 game.

They added 1 more in the 7th on Everett's 2nd RBI double of the game to make it a 5-1 game.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0- 5 11 0
MIN 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 8 1

WP- Orlando Hernandez(1-0)
LP- Kyle Loshe(0-1)

HR;SOX- Konerko(2),Rowand(1)

T- 2:46
Att- 48,764(sell out)
Game time weather- Indoors,70 degrees

THIS AND THAT; AJ Pierzynski was 1-4 in his return to minnesota tonight.He recieved a warm ovation from the Minnesota faithful.

Prior to the game,the Twins honored their late PA announcer Bob Casey.They put a tribute to Casey just off of the wall behind home plate,where he did his announcing.

Scott Podsednik was 2 for 3 in stolen base attempts tonight.

Prior to tonight's game,Paul Konerko was 3-for-38 lifetime against Kyle Loshe.

Carl Everett was 3-5 tonight with 2 doubles.Every regular in the lineup git a hit except for Juan uribe and Joe Crede.

White Sox record; 3-1,1st place,1 game up in the AL Central

[Hammerin Hank]

The White Sox have the best record in the AL right now.

[Chisox73]

Looking good after 1 turn in the rotation. :cool:

Awesome avatar Hank. :clapping

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland battled th flu tonight and the offense reverted back to the long ball as the White sox took thier 2nd straight game at the Metrodome with an 8-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

Garland,who was basically a game time decision because of his flu,went 6 innings,allowing 3 runs on 10 hits,and striking out 1.His only mistake was a 3-run home run by Twins LF Shannon Stewart in the 5th inning to tie the game at 3.

The Sox got started in the 1st inning when Carl Everett cranked out a 2-run homer off losing pitcher Brad Radke(0-2).Everett also brought home Scott Podsednik in the 2nd to make it 3-0.

After Stewart's game tying blast,the Sox regained the lead for good when timo Perez,making his 1st start of the new season,launched a 407-foot solo bomb into the right field upper deck for a 4-3 lead.

Later in the inning,Juan Uribe singles home Aaron Rowand.Podsednik hits a grounder,forcing Juan Uribe at 2nd,scoring Joe Crede.He would later score on a passed ball to make it a 7-3 lead.

Paul Konerko added a solo shot,his 3rd homer of the year in the 8th.

The Twins would add single tallies in the 8th and 9th.

SOX 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 0- 8 8 0
MIN 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 1- 5 14 2

WP- Jon Garland(1-0)
LP- Brad Radke(0-2)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(2)

HR-SOX;Everett(1),Perez(1),Konerko(3)-MIN;Stewart(1),Hunter(1)

T- 2:37
Att- 41,533
Game time weather-Indoors,70 degrees

CLEANUP WORK; Mark Buehrle would have been the emergency starter had Garland not gone tonight.Buehrle has had his 4 days rest.

The White Sox have won 8 of the lat 12 games at the Metrodome.

Shingo Takatsu pitched to 1 batter in the 9th inning after Cliff Politte gave up an RBI single to Joe Mauer.Shingo struck out Matthew LeCroy to end the game.

Garland threw 84 pitches in his 6 innings,60 of those were for strikes.

Every starter in the lineup got 1 hit,except AJ Perzynski,who went 0-4

White Sox record; 4-1,1st place,1 game ahead of Detroit.

[Chisox73]

In a battle of aces at the Metrodome Sunday night.Defending Cy Young winner Johan Santana outdueled Mark Buehrle as the Minnesota Twins salvaged a 5-2 win in front of a national TV audience on Sunday night.

The Sox got on the board in the 1st on Carl Everett's sac fly,scoring Pablo Ozuna to make it 1-0.They added another in the 3rd when Tadahito Iguchi's sac fly scored Juan Uribe.

But in the Minnesota 3rd,Buehrle ran into trouble.After Luis Rivas and Juan Castro singled with 1 out,Joe Mauer struck out,and with 2 out,Matthew LeCroy hit a seemingly harmless grounder between short and 3rd.But Joe Crede slipped and kicked the ball into left field,scoring Rivas.

The next batter,White Sox nemesis Torii Hunter deposited a 3-1 pitch into the left field seats for a 3-run homer making it a 4-2 Twins lead.

Hunter would add another RBI in the 5th on a ground ball to short,forcing the runner at second.

Buehrle(1-1) went 7 innings,allowing all 5 earned runs on 7 hits,walking 3 and striking out 2.Santana(2-0) went 7 innings,allowing 2 runs on 5 hits,walking 1 and striking out 11.Joe Nathan picked up the save for the Twins

SOX 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 8 2
MIN 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 x- 5 7 0

WP- Johan Santana(2-0)
LP- Mark Buehrle(1-1)
Save- Joe Nathan(1)

HR; MIN;Hunter(2)

T- 2:29
Att- 28,089
Game time weather- Indoors,70 degrees

STUFF; Pablo Ozuna made his first start of the seaon for the Sox.He filled in for Scott Podsednik at left field.He was 1-4 with a run scored.

Iguchi and Everett each had 2 hits for the Sox.

Joe Crede continues to struggle at the plate,going 0-4 in the game,dropping his BA to .143 for the young season.

Torii Hunter stole 2 bases in the 8th inning off Cliff Politte.

White Sox record; 4-2,1st place,1 game ahead of the rest of the division

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia was stellar in his outing this afternoon as he went 8 innings and retiring the last 14 men he faced as the White Sox spoiled Cleveland's Home Opener with a 2-1 win Monday afternoon.

Garcia(2-0) only allowed 4 hits in his 8 innings of work,while striking out 4.

Travis Hafner's 2-out RBI single in the 4th scoring Coco Crisp was the last hit the Tribe would get.

The Sox got thier first run in the 6th,when after Scott Podsednik led off the inning with a bunt single,and stealing second,he scored 1 out later on a single by Carl Everett to tie the game at 1.

Podsednik was in the middle when the Sox scored the go-ahead run in the 7th.After catcher Chris Widger's 2-out single,Joe Crede followed with a single,sending Widger to 3rd,Podsednik then singled home Widger for a 2-1 Sox lead.

Damaso Marte worked 2/3 of an inning allowing a walk before Shingo Takatsu came in to strike out Aaron Boone to end it.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0- 2 6 1
CLE 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 4 1

WP- Freddy Garcia(1-0)
LP- Kevin Millwood(0-1)
Save- Shgingo Takatsu(2)

T- 2:39
Att- 42,461
Game time weather- Sunny,48 degrees

NOTES; Joe Crede went 2-3 in the game today to raise his average to .208

Scott Podsednik stole his 4th base of the season today.He also threw out Ronnie Belliard at 3rd base.

Garcia threw 109 pitches in 8 innings,with 63 of those being strikes.

White Sox record; 5-2,1st place,1 1/2 ahead of Detroit and Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Juan Uribe knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning,and Dustin Hremansen picked up his 1st save as the White Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians 5-4 in 10 innings at Jacobs Field.

After the Tribe jumped out to a 3-0 lead,the White Sox scored 3 runs in the 4th inning on RBI hits by Carl Everett,Jermaine Dye,and Aaron Rowand.

Starter Jose Contreras settled down after falling behind 3-0 early.He went 6 2/3 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and walking 5 batters.Damaso Marte and Luis Vizcaino held Clevleand bats in check for a combined 2 1/3 innings before Dustin Hermansen came in to pitch a scoreless 10th for the save.

The Sox opened up thier winning rally in the 10th on AJ Pierzynski's lead-off double.He was safe at third when he beat 1B Ben Broussard's throw to 3rd on a sac bunt from joe Crede,then Uribe launched a deep drive to center for the game winner.

SOX 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 1- 5 9 0
CLE 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 4 6 1

WP-Luis Vizcaino(1-1)
LP-Bob Howry(0-1)
Save-Dustin Hermansen(1)

HR-CLE;Sizemore(1)

T- 2:54
At- 14,410
Game time weather-Clear,49 degrees

SOX YARNS; Aaron Rowand's game tying single in the 4th inning snapped a 0-9 skid.

Contreras threw 104 pitches,55 for strikes.

Ozzie Guillen went to Hermansen in the 10th because the lead-off batter in the inning Coco Crisp was one of the 3 batters to go deep of Shingo Takatsu last week in Chicago.Ozzie did not want Crisp to get on base to lead off the inning.Thus,the decision to bring in Hermansen.

White Sox record; 6-2,1st place,1 game ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

In a slow,painnful game,the Cleveland Indians salvaged the series finale with an 8-6 win over the White Sox at Jacobs Field on Thursday night.

The Indians scored 4 times in the 1st inning off 'El Duque' Orlando Hernandez after the Sox had scored a run in the top of the inning.But the Sox tied the game in the 3rd inning on 1 swing of the bat,as Paul Konerko's 4th blast of the year,a 3-run shot tied the game at 4.

After taking the lead in the 4th inning,Cleveland came back in the 6th after Hernandez walked Jhonny Peralta to lead off the inning.With runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out,Alex Cora punched a single throgh the hole between short and 3rd.Juan Uribe had vacated that hole to cover third on a bunt,but Cora's hit scored Peralta.Travis Hafner would follow with a 2-run double to give the tribe an 8-5 lead.

The Sox made it 8-6 in the 8th when Ben Broussard failed to touch 1st on a grounder by Pablo Ozuna,scoring a run.That would be as close as the sox would get.

SOX 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0- 6 12 1
CLE 4 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 x- 8 10 1

WP- Rafael Betancort(1-0)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(0-1)
Save- Bob Wickman(3)

HR-SOX;Konerko(4)-CLE;VMartinez(1)

T- 3:25
Att- 12,470
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,47 degrees

BANGED AND BRUISED; Carl Everett left the game in the 1st inning after he hit the left field wall face first while chasing a long drive off the bat of Ben Broussard.He was knocked out briefly,and suffered a contusion to his left shoulder blade.He is day-to-day.

Aaron Rowand jammed his left shoulder in the 8th inning while diving into 1st base trying to beat out a infield grounder.

El Duque was banged up for 6 runs,4 earned on 8 hits,while walking 4 in the game.Neal Cotts was tagged for 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings.He walked 2 and stuck out 3

Willie Harris made the most of his rare start by going 2-3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored.

Aaron Rowand had 3 hits in the game.

White Sox record; 6-3,tied for 1st place with Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland and Juan uribe were the brightest stars for the sox Friday night,but it was Dustin Hermansen who save d the day as the White sox defeated the visiting Seattle Mariners 6-4 at US Cellular Field.

Garland(2-0) retired the first 19 Mariners he faced in the game,as he was inching closer to becoming the 1st White Sox pitcher to hurl a no-hitter since wilson alvarez in 1991.

Of those 19 in a row he retired,10 of those came on grounders.That indicated that his sinker had great movement.In the 7th inning,after 1 out,Garland walked Jeremy Reed to end the perfecto,then the next batter,Adrian Belter,singled to center to end the no-no.But 3 batters and 2 runs later,Randy Winn grounded into a inning ending double play.

Luis Vizcaino pitched an inning and a third following Garland,giving up 2 runs on 2 hits.He left in the 9th after giving up 2 hits.Damaso Marte hit Raul Ibanez to load the bases.That was his only batter he faced.

Shingo Takatsu came in and gave up a 2-run single to Bret Boone to cut the Sox lead to 6-4.Guillen then hooked Shingo 7 pitches later in favor of Dustin Hermansen,who retired the only 2 men he faced for the save.

Offensively,the Sox were led by Juan Uribe,who was 2-3 with a homer and 4 RBIs on the night.Jermaine Dye also went deep in the game.He hit a solo shot in the 6th inning.

SEA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2- 4 5 0
SOX 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 x- 6 9 0

WP- Jon Garland(2-0)
LP- Joel Pineiro(0-1)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(2)

HR-SOX;Uribe(1),Dye(2)

T- 2:39
Att- 16,749
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,60 degrees

DIAMOND GEMS; This is the 1st time in his career that Jon Garland has started the season 2-0.He threw 87 pitches in the game,55 of those were strikes.

White Sox record; 7-3,tied for 1st place with Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle turned in a masterful performance on the mound and Paul Konerko's 2 solo homers were all the Sox needed as they defeated the Seattle Mariners 2-1 at US Celular Field Saturday afternoon.

Buehrle(2-1) went the distance today,giving up only a run on 3 hits,while striking out a career high 12 batters in the game.But the only blemish on buehrle's afternoon was one Ichiro Suzuki.

Ichiro accounted for all the Seattle offense,collecting all 3 Mariner hits,and scoring the lone Seattle run in the 9th,after leading off with a triple.

Without Ichiro in the way,Buehrle had no-hit stuff.

Paul Konerko hit solo homers in the 2nd and 7th inning to give the Sox all the runs they needed.Konerko leads the majors with 6 homers on the yopung season.This was his 2st multi-homer game of the season,and the 12th of his career.

Seattle starter Ryan Franklin(1-1) was the hard luck loser in the game.He went the distance himself allowing the 2 runs on 4 hits.

SEA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 3 0
SOX 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 x- 2 4 0

WP-Mark Buehrle(2-1)
LP- Ryan Franklin(1-1)

HR-SOX;Konerko 2(6)

T- 1:39
Att- 25,931
Game time weather- Sunny,65 degrees

HIGH HEAT; Buehrle's 12 Ks in the game topped his previous best,which was 10 vs. Minnesota on June 26,2003.

Ichiro has a lifetime .500 batting average(12-24) against Buehrle.

The 1 hour,39 minute game was the shortest White Sox game since at least 1984.

QUOTE; "If someone knows how to get this guy out...I need to talk to Garland because he got him out 3 times.I can't seem to get that guy out.I pretty much throw everything.He's the best hitter I ever faced."
Mark Buehrle on facing Ichiro.

White Sox record; 8-3,tied for 1st place with Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

For the 4th time this season,the White Sox had a chance to sweep a 3-game series.For the 4th time,the White Sox were denied a sweep as the Seattle Mariners took the finale of the 3-game set with a 5-4 win at The Cell on Dog Day Afternoon.

Seattle jumped on the board against former teammate Freddy Garcia in the top of the 1st inning on solo homers from Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez.For Ichiro,it is his 1st homer of the year,and the 13th time he's led off a game with a home run.

The Sox took the lead in the 3rd inning after Tadahito Iguchi singled home the 1st run,then later,Carl Everett's 2-run homer gave the Sox a 3-2 lead.

The Mariners regained the lead in the 5th inning.After they had tied it at 3,Mariners SS Wilson Valdez hit a single that was misplayed by Jermaine Dye,sending Valdez to 3rd.After walking Ichiro on purpose,Jeremy Reed ws walked,then the next batter,Adrian Beltre singled up the middle scoring 2 runs,making it 5-3.

In the bottom of the inning,the Sox had a chance to get back into the game with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out,Carl Everett was called out on a questionable check swing call by the home plate umpire.The Sox would end up leaving those runner stranded.

The Sox would mount a rally in the 9th inning.Aaron rowand would lead off with a double,then Joe Crede would get an infield single,putting runners at the corners.Juan Uribe would then hit a sac fly to center,scoring Rowand.But the game would end when Willie Harris,pich-running for Crede was gunned down at 2nd base.

SEA 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0- 5 10 1
SOX 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1- 4 8 1

WP- Gil Meche(1-0)
LP- Freddy Garcia(1-1)
Save- Eddie Guardado(3)

HR-SEA;Ichiro(1),Ibanez(2)-SOX;Everett(2)

T- 2:52
Att- 23,324(500 dogs)
Game time weather-Sunny,74 degrees

POOPER SCOOPERS; The White Sox 4 through 9 hitters were a combined 3-22 in the game.

The Sox were 2-10 with RISP in the game.They are hitting an abysmal .192 in those situations so far this season.

Freddy Garcia went 7 innings,allowing 5 runs,all earned on 9 hits,walking 2 and striking out 2 on 108 pitches.Garcia saw his 10-game winning streak in day games snapped.He is 35-10 in day games since 1999.Only Pedro Martinez has a better winning pct. in day games during that span.

The Mariners also snapped an 8-game losing streak in Chicago.

White Sox record; 8-4,tied for 1st place with Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Despite severe control problems by Sox starter Jose Contreras,the White Sox somehow managed to e3ek out a 5-4 win over the visiting Minneota Twins at US Cellular Field on Monday Night.

The win puts the White Sox in sole possession of 1st place in the AL Central.

The Sox jumped on the board in the 1st inning when Carl Everett hit a solo homer,the 1st of 2 blasts on the night,making it a 1-0 game.But the Twins would answer back in the 2nd inning on a michale Cuddyer RBI single.They added 2 more in the 4th thanks to the wildness of Conteras.He balked in a run with the bases loaded,and uncorked a wild pitch,making it a 3-1 Twins lead.

The Sox would tie the game in the 5th on Joe Crede's 2-run shot,his 1st of the season.Carl Everett's 2-run job in the 6th gave the Sox a 5-3 lead.

The Twins would add 1 more run in the 9th inning when Joe Mauer teed off on Shingo Takatsu,making it a 5-4 game.Shingo would retire the last 2 men he faced for the save.

MIN 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1- 4 9 0
SOX 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 x- 5 7 1

WP-Luis Vizcaino(2-1)
LP- Kyle Loshe(1-2)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(4)

HR-SOX; Everett 2(4),Crede(1)-MIN;Mauer(1)

T -2:47
Att- 27,018
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,80 degrees

STUFF TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS WITH; Jose Conteras went 4 2/3 innings,allowing 3 runs,2 earned,on 6 hits,walking 4,striking out 2,hitting Jacque Jones in the 1st,and balking home a run,for a no-decision.

The 2 homers by Carl Everett was the 1st time since April 27,2003 that he has had a multi-homer game.It is the 17th time in his carerr that he's had a multi-homer game.

White Sox record; 9-4,1st place,1 game ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox completed thier 1st sweep of the young season with a 3-1 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field and open up a 2-game lead in the AL Central.

The overall storyline of this series was missed opportunities by the Twins.The Twins pounded out 14 hits in the game,but had only 1 run to show for it.

"El Duque" Orlando Hernandez went 6 innings,allowing 10 hits and no runs to up his record to 2-1 on the year.Damaso Marte picked up his first save of the year,after relieving Shingo Takatsu in the 9th.

The Sox offense was led by Paul Konerko,who was 2-4 and hitting his league leading 7th homer of the season.Joe Crede went 2-3 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 14 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 x- 3 11 0

WP- Orlando Hernandez(2-1)
LP- Brad Radke(1-3)
Save- Damaso Marte(1)

HR-SOX;Konerko(7)

T- 2:40
Att- 18,310
Game time weather- Overcast,69 degrees

BROOM THINGIES:Minnesota left 12 men on base in the game,22 in the 2 game set.They left 6 men in scoring position,and hit into 3 DPs.

El Duque became the 1st pitcher since Chuck Rainey of the Cubs in 1983 to allow no runs on 10+ hit in 6 or fewer innings of work.Rainey pitched 5 innings of shutout ball,aloowing 10 hits.

White Sox record; 10-4,1st place,2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

In the 1st laugher of the young season,the White Sox and Jon Garland took the 1st of a 2-game set at Comerica Park with a 9-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Garland was masterful in his 8 innings of work as he allowed 1 run on 5 hits as he goes 3-0 for the 1st time in his career.He is 5-1 lifetime at Comerica Park.

The Sox jumped aboard for 3 runs in the 1st inning,and never looked back.Jermaine Dye's 2-run blast highlighted that 1st inning.

Dye also drove in 2 more with a 5th inning single.Joe crede extended his hitting streak to 11 games when he belted a 3-run blast in the 6th.

SOX 3 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0- 9 12 1
DET 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1

WP-Jon Garland(3-0)
LP- Wilfredo Ledezma(1-1)

HR-SOX;Dye(3),Crede(2)

T- 2:19
Att- 16,887
Game time weather- Clear,53 degrees

OUT OF LEFT FIELD; Brandon Inge and Omar Infante each had 2 hits for Detroit.

With Garland's quality start,the White Sox lead the AL with 10 quality starts.

White Sox record; 11-4,2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Scott Podsednik drove in 2 runs in the 7th inning to lift the White Sox to thier 4th straight win,and 12th win in thier first 16 games with a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Mark Buehrle(3-1) pitched 7 innings,allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in the game.He only struck out 4 batters,coming off his last start where he whiffed 12 Seattle Mariners.

With the Tigers leading 3-2 in the 7th,AJ Pierzynski and Joe Crede singled,then Juan Uribe sacrificed and advanced both runners into scoring position.Then with Jamie Walker on the hill,Podsednik lined a single past the outstetched glove of 1B Dmitri young,scoring Pioerzynski and Crede.

Dustin Hermansen pitched a scoreless 8th,and Shingo takatsu pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 5th save.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0- 4 9 0
DET 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0- 3 7 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(3-1)
LP- Jeremy Bonderkman(1-1)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(5)

HR-DET;Rondell White(3)

T- 2:21
Att- 19,334
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,54 degrees

HOT FLASHES; At 12-4,the White Sox are off to thier best start since 1935.

Joe Crede went 2-4 in the game,extending his hitting streak to 12 games.

White Sox record; 12-4,1st place,2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia pitched 7 strong innings and the bottom of the order provided the bulk of the offense as the Sox cruised to thier 5th straight win wioth a 8-2 romp over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium Friday Night.

Scott Podsednik reached base 5 times in the game,going 2-3,walking 3 times,stole 3 bases,and scoring a run.

The 7-8-9 men in the order,AJ Pierzynski,Joe Crede,and Juan Uribe combined to go 8-13,scoring 5 runs,and driving in 3.

SOX 0 2 0 1 0 2 2 0 1- 8 12 0
KAN 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0- 2 4 2

WP- Freddy Garcia(2-1)
LP- Runelvys Hernandez(1-3)

T- 2:36
Att- 15,832
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,58 degrees

HOT STREAKS; Joe Crede went 3-4 with a double and 3 runs scord to extend his hitting streak to 13 games,baseball's longest this season up to this point.He now raises his batting average to .328 on the season.

White Sox record; 13-4,1st place,3 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Aaron Rowand drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to,lift the White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals for thier 6th win in a row.

The win lifted the White Sox to 14-4 on the season,thier best start in the 105 year history of the franchise.

The White Sox opened the scoring in the 1st,after Scott Podsednik led off with a single,he went to 2nd on a catchers interference with Tadahito Iguchi at-bat,then scored on a Carl everett RBI single.

The royals answered back in the bottom of the 1st when David DeJesus hit a solo homer off starter Jose Contreras.That would be his only blemish on the night.Although it would be a short night for Contreras as he would leave the game in the 4th inning after he strained his right hamstring getting off the mound on a Mike Sweeney grounder to 1st.

Contreras was limping pretty good but faced the next batter,Matt Stairs.On the 1st pitch to Stairs,he bunted foul.Not very happy that Stairs would try to bunt on the pitcher with a bum leg,Contreras drilled Stairs with the very next pitch.Manager Ozzie Guillen took him out of the game after that.

Juan Uribe would drive home the 2nd run for the sox in the 2nd inning,but it was Royals pitching that shut down the Sox until the 10th.

After the Royals tied the game in the 8th inning,they had a chance to win it in the 9th inning,when with the bases loaded,and Eli Marrero pinch-hitting,reliever Damaso Marte(2-0) threw inside to Marrero,with the pitch getting away from C AJ Pierzynski.Matt Diaz broke for the plate,and was thrown out on a bang-bang play.Marrero wopuld then strike out to send it to extra innings.

In the 10th,Aaron Rowand drive home Pierzynski with a single to right,and Damaso Marte nailed down the win with a 1-2-3 10th inning.

SOX 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 10 0
KAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 2 7 1

HR-KC;DeJesus(2)

T- 3:24
Att- 19,641
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,55 degrees

BLACK AND SILVER STREAKS; Contreras went 3 1/3 innings,allowing only the home run in the 1st inning,walking a batter,and striking out 6 before hurting his hamstring in the 4th.

Luis Vizcaino gave up the tying run in the 8th inning for his 1st blown save of the year.

Joe Crede extended his hitting streak to 14 games by going 2-5 in the game.

Juan Uribe finally got above the .300 mark by going 3-4 with an RBI

The Sox left 12 men stranded in the game.

KC starter Zack Grienke was stellar,allowing 2 runs on 5 hits,and striking out 7 batters in 7 innings of work in the game.KC hurlers combined to strike out 13 White Sox batters.

The Sox are now 8-2 on the road,thier best road start since 1982.

White Sox record; 14-4,1st place,3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Knick9]

Actually, '73, it's a 13 game hitting streak that Crede is on. ;)

Great start by the ChiSox. I hope it ends differently in the A.L. Central. :clapping

[Chisox73]

It is a 14-game streak Knick9.

He's 20-49 during that span,hitting .408 with 6 double,2 homers and 8 RBIs during the streak which began April 9th in Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

The White Sox used a 2-run rally in the 8th inning to complete thier 1st sweep of the season as they defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium sunday afternoon.

The win is thier 7th in a row,and raises thier record to 15-4 on the season.

The Sox scored in the top of the 1st inning when Ross gload drove in Scott Podsednik with a single,then later,Timo Perez drove in the 2nd run of the inning on an RBI groundout.

KC tied the game in the 5th on an RBI single by ruben gotay.He would later score on an error by 2B Wilie Harris.They would take the lead inn the 7th on a solo homer by Matt Stairs off reliever Cliff Politte.

The Sox mounted thier rally in the 8th inning,when with 2 on and 2 out,last night's hero Aaron Rowand hit a little bleeder up the middle to score Willie Harris for the tying run,and advancing Paul konerko to second.

The next batter,pinch-hitter Pablo Ozuna,doubled down the right field line,scoring Konerko,but Rowand was thrown out from me to you trying to score from 1st.

Neal Cotts(1-0) picked up the win,while Shingo Takatsu pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 6th save.

SOX 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0- 4 6 4
KAN 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0- 3 5 1

WP- Neal Cotts(1-0)
LP- Shawn Camp(0-1)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(6)

HR-KC;Stairs(2)

T- 2:57
Att- 15,331
Game time weather- Sunny,53 degrees

MORE BROOM THINGIES; Sox starter Orlando Hernandez went 5 innings,allowing 2 runs on 4 hits,walking 6 and striking out 5 batters,while throwing 111 pitches.

Joe Crede went 0-4 to snap his 14-game hitting streak.

The White Sox are now a league leading 9-1 in 1-run games.

White Sox record; 15-4,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[misfitz69]

What a great season this is shaping up to be. Probly the best season I've witnessed, Sox wise, since the shortened 94 season. This is great. Once Frank is back, it'll be even better. I'm also loving the newly popular catch phrase from Hawk......"Big hack...no contact." Cant wait to see the rest of the year unfold. Garland and Buehrle are phenominal as is the whole staff.



Go Go Sox!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChicagoBaseballFan]

After seeing the new White Sox marketing campaign 'White Sox Baseball - Win, or Die Trying' (Paul Konerko), I get the feeling that they are attacking Cory Patterson. Anyone else?

[Chisox73]

Welcome aboard misfitz69 and ChicagoBaseballFan. :clapping

Despite this great start,I'vre heard grumblings among sports talkers that "The Sox haven't really played anyone yet."

I don't buy that at all.After all,this month,the Sox have pretty much steamrolled throgh thier division,especially taking 4 of 5 against Minnesota.

These next 3 games at Oakland are huge for us,maostly because of the fact that the Sox have dropped 16 of thier last 18 at the Coliseum since 2001.If Jon Garland does beat Barry Zito tonight,that will go a long way in building up the confidence,not only for Garland,but the rest of the team,knowing that they can go to a chamber of horrors like Oakland,and be competitive,and hopefully come out winning at least 2 of 3.

Now's the time to get to the A's,since thier offense is very anemic right now,and out pitching is getting the job done for us.

[misfitz69]

And they did just that tonite. How bout Garland tossing a 4 hit shutout. Very nice I must say. He pissed me off last year with his good today bad tomorrow routine, but this year it seems he has it together. Now I dont expect him to be undefeated, but I do see him being very consistant and successfull this year. Another nice win for the Southsiders. 8 in a row and 10 of the last 11. Very impressive.


Go Go Sox

[Chisox73]

It may well have been the defining moment in the up and down career of White Sox pitcher Jon Garland as he pitched a complete game shutout,while outdueling Oakland ace Barry Zito in a 6-0 win for thier 8th consecutive victory.

Chris Widger broke up a scoreless game in the 7th inning with a 2-run homer off Zito,his first blast as a member of the White Sox,and his first homer since April 9,2000,when he went yard off White sox p Mike Sirotka,while as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Barry Zito went 6 2/3 innings,allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in the game.

Carl Everett added a 2-run double off Zito in that 7th inning,while Paul Konerko drove in 2 with a single off Juan Cruz in the 9th inning.

Garland became the 1st Sox pitcher since Esteban Loaiza in 2003 to win his first 4 decisions.He only gave up 4 hits in hurling his 2nd career complete game shutout.He allowed only 1 XBH,that to Marco Scutaro in then 5th inning.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2- 6 9 0
OAK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 1

WP- Jon Garland(4-0)
LP- Barry Zito(0-4)

HR-SOX;Widger(1)

T- 2:20
Att- 10,206
Game time weather- Clear,61 degrees

THROWING STRIKES; Pablo Ozuna went 2-3 with 2 runs scored in the game.Chris Widger went 2-4 with 2 runs scored in the game.

Garland faced only 31 batters in the game.He walked 1 and struck out 3 batters.Of his outs,13 were ground ball outs to 11 fly ball outs.

The White Sox are off to the best start in MLB after 20 games since the 1998 San Diego Padres started 16-4.Their 10-2 road start is thier best road startr since their pennant winning season of 1959.

White Sox record;16-4,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

Coming into Monday's game,the White Sox were an abysmal 2-16 at Oakland since 2001.The A's were 27-9 overall against the Sox during that same span.

This is the first time since 1999 that the Sox have won the opening game in Oakland.

Thier last winning record at the Coliseum was in 2000 when they went 4-2.

[Chisox73]

The highly anticipated pitchers duel betewwe Mark buehrle and A's starter Rich Harden took a back seat to offense and a bullpen meltdown Tuesday night.

Buehrle had 3-run leads twice in the game,but the bullpen failed to close the door as the Oakland A's stormed back for a 9-7 win at the Coliseum to even the 3-game set at 1 apiece.

The Sox scored once in the 1st inning,and twice in the 4th,before the A's bats came to life.

The A's scored 4 runs in the 5th inning off Buerle.The big blow was a 2-run single by Eric Chavez.It was his 1st hit with runners in scoring position this year.Chavez' hit tied the game at 3.

After the A's took a 4-3 lead,the Sox stormed back by putting up a 4-spot in the 6th.Juan Uribe singled,scoring Aaron Rowand on a throwing error.Scott Podsednik had an RBI single,and Tadahito Iguchi drove in 2 with a single.

But in the 7th inning,with buehrle in big trouble,Damaso Marte relieved Buehrle with the bases loaded,and balked home the tying run to make it a 7-7 game.

The A's added 2 more in the 8th on RBI singles by Erubiel durazo and Jason Kendall

SOX 1 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 0- 7 14 3
OAK 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 2 x- 9 13 2

WP- Justn Duchscherer(1-0)
LP- Damaso Marte(2-1)
Save- Octavio Dotel(5)

T- 3:06
Att- 20,412
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,64 degrees

THE GOOD,THE BAD,AND THE UGLY; Tadahito Iguchi and Aaron rowand each had 3 hits fior the sox.Iguchi had 2 RBIs.

Mark Buehrle went 6+ innings,and was charged with 7 runs,all earned on 11 hits,walking 3 and striking out 2.His ERA soared form 2.61 to 3.89.His current streak of pitching 6+ innings is at 33 starts.

Rich Harden,who came into the game with a 0.44 ERA fared no better.He went 5 1/3 innings,allowing 6 runs,5 earned on 9 hits,walking 2 and whiffing 4.His ERA soared from 0.44 to 2,16

Several players were banged up in the game.Carl Everett was drilled in the 5th inning by Harden.Pablo Ozuna was hit in the wrist in then 7th inning and had to leave the game.The next batter,Juan Uribe hurt his groin getting out of the way of a pitch.

White Sox record; 16-5,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota.

[Chisox73]

The starters for both teams,Freddy Garcia of the White sox,and Kirk Saarloos of the A's both pitched really well,but the game took a really bizzare twist in the 9th inning,that ultimately cost the White Sox as they dropped the finale of a 3-game set in Oakland 2-1 for thier first 2-game losing streak of the season.

Paul Konerko got the Sox on the board in the 1st inning with an RBI double in the 1st.The Sox offense could not produce after that.Their downfall was hitting into 4 double plays.

Erubiel Durazo tied the game in the 4th with a solo homer off Garcia.

Then things got crazy in the 9th.After Aaaron Rowand was hit by a pitch,and AJ Pierzynski walked with 2 out.Joe Crede was hit by a pitch.But he was ordered back to the batters box by HP umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.Manager Ozzie Guillen argued the call,and was ejected form the game.Crede then popped out to 2B Mark Ellis.Crede flipped the bat in disgust and was also ejected by Wendelstedt.

The A's took full advantage in the bottom of the 9th when after Durazo singled off Damaso Marte(2-2),Dustin Hermansen came in,Mark Ellis bunted Durazo over to 2nd,then intentionally walked Nick Swisher.Then Marco Scutraro singled past the outstretched glove of 3B Chris Widger for the game winner.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1
OAK 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 2 7 1
1 out when the winning run scored

WP- Justin Duchscherer(2-0)
LP- Damaso Marte(2-2)

HR-OAK;Durazo(2)

Ejections- SOX;Guilen,Crede

T- 2:42
Att- 14,172
Game time weather-Overcast,61 degrees

BIZZARO NOTES; After Willie Harris made his ML debut at SS last night,backup C Chris Widger started the game at 3rd base,3B Joe Crede started the game at short,and RF Jermaine Dye fininshe dthe game at short.All were playing those positions for the 1st time ever,because of all the injuries by the regulars.

Freddy Garcia pitched really well,going 7 innings,allowing a run on 4 hits.Saarloos gave up a run on 4 hits in his outing.

Erubiel Durazo accounted for both Oakland runs as he went 3-4,scoring twice.

White Sox record; 16-6,1st place,3 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The overwhelming theme for the White Sox again last night was missed opportunities.The Sox sranded a season high 16 runners in a 3-2,11 inning loss to the Detroit Tigers at US Cellular Field on Friday night.

The Sox had put the leadoff man on in 8 of the 11 innings,and had only 2 runs to show for it.

The Sox got on the board in the 5th inning as Carl Everett walked with the bases loaded off Tiger started Nate Robertson.That gave the Sox a 1-0 lead,the 23rd straight game to start the season that the Sox have had the lead.Only the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers had a longer streak at 25 games.

The lead would not last long however,as in the Tiger 6th,Rondell White drilled a Jose Contreras puitch deep into the left field bleachers to tie the game at 1.

The next inning,Ivan Rodriguez put Detroit ahead with an RBI double off the left field wall against reliever Luis Vizcaino.

But the Sox would have a golden opportunity in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and 0 outs against tiger closer Troy Percival.Aaron rowand hit a sac fly to center,scoring the tying run,then Timo Perez struck out,then after a walk to re-load the bases to AJ Pierzynski,Joe Cred popped up to the 1st baseman to sent it to extra frames.

The Tigers went ahead for good in the 11th,when the very speedy Nook logan ripped an RBI triple off close Shingo Takatsu.

The Sox went down quietly in the 11th for thier 3rd straight loss.

DET 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1-3 8 2
SOX 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0-2 7 0

WP- Jamie Walker(1-0)
LP- Shingo Takatsu(0-1)
Save- Franklyn German(1)

HR-DET;Rondell White(4)

T- 4:10
Att- 18,313
Game time weather- Cloudy,46 degrees

STRANDED; Starter Jose Contreras went 6 innigs,allowing a run on 3 hits,walking 3 and striking out 6,while throwing 113 pitches.

Tadahito Iguchi went 3-5 with a run scored.

Tigers OF Nook Logan went 3-4 with a triple in the 11th scoring the winning run.

Of the 16 men stranded,8 were left in scoring position.

White Sox record; 16-7,1st place,1 1/2 gamnes ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox used a 3-run 7th inning to snap a 3-game losing streak in defeating the Detroit tigers 4-3 at US Cellular Field Saturday night.

With Chicago trailing 3-1 in the 7th inning,Aaron Rowand was hit by a pitch to lead off the 7th inning,AJ Pierzynski followed with a single,sending Rowand to 3rd.Joe Crede would then single to left,scoring Rowand to make it 3-2 Tigers.Then after a Wilie Harris sac bunt advancing both Pierzynski and Crede into scoring position.Scott Podsednik grounds out,scoring Pierzynski to tie the game,then Tadahito Iguchi drove in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle fopr a 4-3 Sox lead.

"El Duque" Orlando Hernandez went 7 innings for the win,Cliff Politte(2/3 inn.) and Damaso Marte(1/3 inn.)combined to pitch a scoreles 8th,and Dustin Hermansen pitched a scoreless 9th for his 3rd save of the season.

DET 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 3 9 0
SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 x- 4 6 0

WP- Orlando Hernandez(3-1)
LP- Jason Johnson (2-2)
Save- dustin Hermansen(3)

T- 2:50
Att- 30,189
Game time weather- clear,50 degrees

BACK ON TRACK; With the win,the Sox tie for the most April wins in team history with 17.They won 17 games in April back in 2000.

The win was Ozzie Guillen's 100th win as White Sox manager.

This is the 24th game this season that the Sox have had the lead in the game,the 2nd longest such strak to start the season in ML history.Only the 1955 Brooklyn dodgers had a longer streak at 25 games.

Tadahito Iguchi went 2-4 in the game with 2 RBIs and a stolen base.Scott Podsednik and Willie Harris would also record swipes in the game.

Contreras went 7 innings,tying it for the longest outing of the season,allowing 3 runs on 8 hits,walking 3 and striking out 6,while throwing 118 pitches.

White Sox record; 17-7,1st place,1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland became the American League's first 5-game winner as he threw his 2nd straight complete game shutout as the White sox routed the Detroit tigers 8-0 Sunday afternoon at US Cellular Field.

Garland(5-0) scattered only 4 hits and a walk,while striking out 6,in running his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 23 innings.He has not allowed a run to the Tigers in his last 14 innings.His ERA dropped from 1.80 to a microscopic 1.38

The Sox got on the board in the 3rd on Joe Crede's sac fly,scoring Aaron Rowand.

Some classic small ball came into play in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded and 2 out,Timo Perez caught the Tigers defense napping when he layed dow a beautiful bunt between the pitcher and 1st baseman,scoring Tadahito Iguchi for a 2-0 lead.

In the 4th,Carl Everett's single over the 1st base bag scored Scott Podsednik and Iguchi for a 4-0 lead.They added 2 more in the 6th when after Pedro Lopez,making his ML debut,singled home Chris Widger.He later scored on a sac fly by Everett.

Timo Perez hit a 2-run homer in the 7th inning to make it 8-0.

DET 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 2
SOX 0 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 x- 8 9 0

WP-Jon Garland (5-0)
LP- Wilfredo Ledezma (1-2)

HR-SOX; Perez(2)

T- 2:33(:11 minute delay)
Att- 20,862
Game time weather-Overcast,47 degrees

THROWING HEAT; The White Sox tied a major league record by leading in it's 25th straight game to start the season.That ties the record set byt he 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Carl Everett and Timo Perez each had 3 hits and 3 RBIs each in the game.

Tadahito Iguchi scored twice in the game.

White Sox record; 18-7,1st place,2 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Carl Everett's 2-run double in the bottom of the 8th inning lifeted the Chicago White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Kansas City royals at US Cellular Field on Monday night.

His heroics came with the Sox down 4-3 and Scott Podsednik and hot-hitting Tadahito Igughi aboard.his hit just missed clearing the right-center field ence by mere inches.

It also put the White Sox in the record books.They have now had the lead for the 26th consecutive game to start the season,eclipsing the old record of 25 games set by the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

It was also the only runs of the game that did not come via the long ball.

Mike Sweeney belted a 2-run homer in the 1st innig,and a solo shot in the 6th.Eli Marrero also hit a solo shot for KC in the 6th.

Tadahito Iguchi went 4-4 in the game,including his 1st ML homer,a 2-run shot in the 3rd inning.Aaron Rowand hit a solo blast in the 7th inning.

Mark Buehrle(4-1) went 8 innings for the win.He allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in the game.Shingo Takatsu pitches a 1-2-3 9th for his 7th save of the year.

KAN 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0- 4 8 0
SOX 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 x- 5 11 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(4-1)
LP- Andrew Sisco(0-1)
Save- Shingo Takatsu(7)

HR-KC;Sweeney 2(6),Marrero(4)-SOX;Iguchi(1),Rowand(2)

T- 2:13
Att- 12,362
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,42 degrees

WHITE SOX DUCK SNORTS: Tadahito Iguchi went 4-4 for the 1st time in his ML career tonight.Iguchi now raises his bating average to a red hot .365 :cool:

Carl Everett and Jermaine Dye each went 2-4 in the game.

White Sox record; 19-7,1st place, 3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia held the Kansas City Royals in check as the White Sox won thier 4th in a row with a 4-2 win over Kansas City tonight at US Cellular Field.

Garcia went 6 2/3 innings,allowing 2 runs on 8 hits,walking 2 and striking out 4 for the win.He is now 3-1 on the season.

The Royals jumped on the board in the 3rd on a Mike Sweeney RBI double.Sweeney would add another RBI in the 7th on a sac fly.

Joe Crede put the Sox on the board in the bottom of the 3rd with a solo homer off royals starter Renulvys Hernandez(1-4).

The 4th inning would be big for the Sox.After Aaron Rowand singled and stole second,Jermaine Dye hit a laser off the left field wall for an RBI single.The next batter,AJ Pierzynski then drilled a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall to give the sox a 4-1 lead at that point.

Dustin Hermansen went 1 1/3 innings for his 4th save.

KAN 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0- 2 9 0
SOX 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 x- 4 6 0

WP- Freddy Garcia(4-1)
LP- Renulvys Hernandez(1-4)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(4)

HR-SOX;Crede(3),Pierzynski(2)

T- 2:39
Att- 12,172
Game timne weather- Clear,52 degrees

SOX YARNS; The Sox are 5-0 against Kansas City this season.

Hot-hitting Tadahito Iguchi was 0-3 tonight with a walk and a stolen base.

Cliff Politte came in the game with 1 out in the 7th,and the base loaded.He got a sac fly out of mike Sweeney,and then struck out Ken Harvey.

The White Sox are the 1st team in baseball to win 20 games this season.

White Sox record; 20-7,1st place,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox scored both of thier ruuns without the benifit of a hit in the bottom of the 8th inning as they completed a 3-game sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals with a 2-1 win this afternoon.

The Sox only got 2 hits in the entire game,a leadoff single in the 3rd by AJ Pierzynski,and a leadof single by Scott Podsednik in the 4th.

With the Sox trailing 1-0 in the 8th,Paul Konerko,mired in a 4-for-44 slump, lead off with a walk off Royals starter Zack Grienke.With Pablo Ozuna pinch-running for Konerko,Aaron Rowand advanced the runner to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt.Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitch,and that was all for Grienke.

Andrew Sisco came in and got PH Jamie Burke to ground out to 1st,advancing the runners to 2nd and 3rd.

Joe Crede walked to load the bases,then the next batter,Juan Uribe walked to score Ozuna with the tying run.

After Sisco was chased for Ambiorix Burgos,Scott Podsednik walked to score Dye and the Sox were up 2-0.They scored 2 runs on 0 hots,a hit batsman and 3 walks in the 8th.

Shingo Takatsu made it interesting in the 9th when he walked 2 batters,but got Terrence Long to fly out to end the game.

Jose Contreras picked up the win,his 1st decision of the season.He went 8 innings,allowing a run on 4 hits,walking 1 and striking out 6 in his best outing of the season.He only threw 102 pitches in 8 innings.

KAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 1 4 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 x- 2 2 0

WP- Jose Contreras(1-0)
LP- Zack Grienke(0-3)
Save -Shingo Takatsu(8)

HR- KC;Tony Graffanino(1)

T- 2:10
Att- 15,389
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,57 degrees

WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE; Former Sox player Tony Graffanino homered in the 7th inning for the Royals' only run.

Juan Uribe walked for the 6th time this season.his walk scored the tying run.

The White Sox are now 18-4 against the AL Central.They are 13-3 in 1-run ball games.

White Sox record; 21-7,1st place, 4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

AJ Pierzynskui's 2-run fister into left field in the 8th inning made a winnerout of El Duque and extended the Sox winning streak to 6 games with a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre(nee SkyDome) Friday night.

Orlando Hernandez went 7 innings,giving up 3 runs on 6 hits,walking 3 and striking out 4 to up his record to 4-1 on the year.

The sox got on the board in the 1st inning when with Paul Konerko batting,Jays' C Greg Zaun was charged with a passed ball,scoring Tadahito Iguchi.

The Jays however,would answer with 3 in the 2nd inning,with old Sox nemises Corey Koskie going deep off El Duque with a lead-off solo shot.

In the White Sox 3rd,Scott Podsednik doubled,scoring Joe Crede making it a 3-2 Toronto lead.

Jermaine Dye tied the game in the 7th with his 4th home run of the year,a solo blst off reliever Pete Walker.

In the Sox 8th,with 1 out,Carl Everett walked,Paul Konerko singled,advancing Everett to 3rd,the with Miguel Batista replacing Jason Frasor on the hill for the Jays,Timo Perez bunts a pop up to 1B Eric Hinske.Dye would walk,then Pierzynski fists an 0-2 pitch into short left field scorin Everett and Konerko for a 5-3 lead.

Dustin Hermansen picked up the save for the Sox,his 5th of the year.

SOX 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0- 5 9 0
TOR 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 7 0

WP- Orlando Hernandez(4-1)
LP- Jason Frasor(1-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(5)

HR-TOR;Koskie(6)-SOX;Dye(4)

T- 3:03(:11 delay,gorunds crew)
Att- 21,769
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,63 degrees

OH,CANADA: El Duque threw 116 pitches in his 7 innings of work.

The White Sox extend thier ML record with thier 29th straight game in which they've had a lead.

Damaso Marte went 1 1/3 inning pitched,retired all 4 men he faced.

Every starter in the Sox lineup got a hit except for Carl Everett.Everett however reached base in the 8th and scored the go-ahead run in that inning.

White Sox record; 22-7,1st place,4 1/2 ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox hit 5 home runs en route to an easy 10-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon for thier 7th straight win and raising thier record to 23-7.

Jon Garland went 5 2/3 innings in becoming the American League's 1st 6 game winner.

The Sox teed off early and often on Blue Jay pitching in the game.The offensive festivities got started in the 1st inning when Paul Konerko blasted a 2-run homer off starter Ted Lilly.

After the Jays scored a run off Garland in the bottom of the 1st,the Sox struck back in the 2nd inning when they put up a 4-spot,thanks to 2-run homers by Juan Uribe and Tadahito Iguchi to make it a 6-1 lead after 2 innings.

The Jays scored again in the 3rd on an RBI single by Corey Koskie.

But the Sox ran away from the Jays in the 4th inning when with 2 aboard,Konerko launched his 2nd homer of the game to make it 9-2 Chicago.The next batter,Aaron Rowand went deep to make it a 10-2 game.

Garland(6-0) ran into some trouble in the 5th inning by giving up 3 runs,and he also gave up a solo homer to Russ Adams in the 6th to make it 10-6.

Garland went 5 2/3 innings,and wasn't exactly sharp in the game,struggling with his control at times.But his offense broke out early to help him get the win.He allowed 6 runs on 9 hits in the game,and saw his scotreles inning streak snapped at 23 2/3 innings.

Neal Cotts pitched 2 scoreless innings while Luis Vizcaino pitched the last inning and 1/3,giving up a solo homer to Russ Adams in the 9th.It was Adams' 2nd homer of the game.

SOX 2 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0- 10 11 0
TOR 1 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 1- 7 10 1

WP- Jon Garland(6-0)
LP- Ted Lilly(1-3)

HR-SOX;Konerko 2(9),Uribe(2),Iguchi(2),Rowand(3)-TOR;Adams 2(3)

T- 2:51
Att- 23,078
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,61 degrees

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE; Paul Konerko went 2-for-5 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIS.He also struck out 3 times.

Scott Podsednik scored 3 times in the game.He was along for the ride on both Konerko homers and Tadahito Iguchi's shot.

Konerko also moves into 5th place on the White Sox all-time home run list with 172 homers.He passed Robin Ventura(171) on the list.He need 16 homers to pass Magglio Ordonez for 4th on the all-time homer list.

Chris Widger went 3-4 in the game.

Jon Garland became the 1st White Sox pitcher to win his first 6 starts since James Baldwin did it in 2000.

The 23-7 start for the Sox is thier best start after 30 games since 1919.

White Sox record; 23-7,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Puckett]

I just have a feeling that the White Sox will win the AL Central this year. they have one of the top homerun hitting team in baseball.

:)

[Chisox73]

The final score didn't really matter in this game.The thoughts of the players and the fans at the Rogers Centre were on Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun,who suffered a frightening injury in the 9th inning.

With John McDonald at-bat,he hit a grounder to 3B Joe cred,who threw to 2B Pedro Lopez to force Zaun at 2nd.Zaun's head collided hard with Lopez' knee and he was briefly knocked unconscious.

Trainers and paramedics worked on Zaun for 13 minutes before he was carted off on a stretcher to Mt.Saini hospital in toronto,where as of this posting,tests show that Zaun sustained a head injury,with no spinal cord damage.

As for the rest of the game,it was the Sox that used the long ball early again.Juan Uribe hit a solo homer in the 1st,and Jermaine Dye hit a 2-run shot in the 2nd to make it 3-0 Sox.

In the 4th,Aaron Rowand scored on a Joe Crede sac fly,and Pedro Lopez drove in AJ Pierzynski to make it 5-0.

Juan Uribe made 2 errors in the bottom of the 4th as the Jays scored 4 times in that inning to cut the White Sox Margin to 5-4. Uribe fumbled Alex Rios' grounder scoring Corey Koskie to make it 5-1,then after Gregg Zaun's RBI single made it 5-2,Uribe's air mail past 1B Paul Konerko scored 2 more.

Mark Buehrle went 7 1/3 innings for his 4th win of the year against 1 loss.He allowed 4 runs,2 earned on 9 hits.Damaso Marte picked up the save for the Sox.

SOX 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 5 10 2
TOR 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0- 4 10 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(4-1)
LP- Gustavo Chacin(4-2)
Save- Damaso Marte(2)

HR-SOX;Uribe(3),Dye(5)

T- 2:38(:13 delay,injury)
Att- 20,946
Game time weather- Sunny,63 degrees

STREAKING; This was the 1st sweep at Toronto since September 17-19,1999.All 3 wins this weekend in Toronto came with the roof open.

The White Sox remain unbeaten in May,and match thier season high with an 8 game win streak.

Uribe,Everett,and Rowand each had 2 hits for the Sox.

The White Sox turned 4 double plays in the game.

White Sox record; 24-7,1st place,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[misfitz69]

They are doing great. Plus now there's a "gift" of a road trip series, Tampa Bay. Looks as though it may go to 11, like Spinal Tap. They just keep on keeping on. BTW, Chisox73, Much, much, much appreciation for this thread and its detail. I think I speak for all when I say this. And of course, thanks for the Sox Pride !!!!! I'm glad we have some true believers here. See y'all in October!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chisox73]

Thanks for the compliments misfitz. :) I'm glad that you enjoy them.The more happy recaps,the more enjoyable they become. :gt

I try to get as much info out there in my recaps as possible.And sometimes,add a little bit of spice into those.

[Chisox73]

OK,so you can't win 'em all.But the offense needs to wake up for the White Sox to succeed.The offense was silent for the most part in thier 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in front of a very sparse crowd at Tropicana Field.

The Sox scored thier only 2 runs in the 1st inning off Rays' starter Hideo Nomo.Scott Podsednik walked,stole second,and scored on Tadahito Iguchi's double for a 1-0 lead.After Carl Everett reached on an infield hit,Paul Konerko flied out to center,scoring Iguchi to makle it 2-0.

The Sox had a chance to blow the gamne open in the 3rd with the bases loaded.But Aaron Rowand struck out swingin to end the threat.

They had another chance to add to the total in the 6th inning.Nomo left the game with a cramp in his hamstring.Reliever Lance Carter gave up back-to-back singles to Konerko and Rowand,then retired the next 3 batters to end that threat.

Carter would retire 11 in a row during until Joe Crede's single with 2 out in the 9th inning.

The Rays got on the board in the 4th on former Sox Chris Singleton's RBi double,scoring Carl Crawford.

They added 2 more in the 6th on an RBI double by Damon Hollins and an RBI single by Singleton,and added thier final run in the 7th on an RBI groundout by Aubrey Huff.

Freddy Garcia went 6 1/3 innings in a losing effort,giving up 4 runs on 8 hits to drop his record to 3-2.

SOX 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 8 1
TAM 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 x- 4 10 0

WP- Lance Carter(1-0)
LP- Freddy Garcia(3-2)
Save- Danys Baez(3)

T- 2:45
Att- 8,774
Game time weather- Dome,72 degrees

STREAK BUSTERS; Freddy Garcia entered the game with a run support of 3,70,18th fewest in the AL,and fewest among the starters.Last year with Seattle,Garcia's run support was 2.19

Scott Podsednik stole his 17th base of the season in that game.He's on a pace for 86 stolen bases,shattering Rudy Law's mark of 77 set in 1983.

White Sox record; 24-8,1st place,4 1/2 ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jorge Cantu's walk-off blast off closer Shingo Takatsu sent the White Sox to thier 2nd straight loss Tuesday night in a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

It capped off a bad night by the Sox pitchers,who walked 9 Devil Rays in the game.

Starter Jose Contreras went 5+ innings,allowing 4 runs on 5 hits,walking 5 and striking out 3 in the game.

The Sox scored single runs in the 1st and 2nd innings,then scored twice in the 4th on consecutive doubles by Juan uribe,Chris Widger,and Joe Crede to make it 4-1 Sox.

The Rays tied it in the bottom of the inning on Toby Hall's 3-run bomb off Conteras.

The Sox regained the lead in the 6th when with Widger at 3rd,Joe Crede hit an infiled single,in which P Lance Hendrickson threw down the right field line,putting Crede at 3rd,making it 5-4 Sox.1 out later,Tadahito Iguchi executed a perfect suicide squeeze scoring Crede without a play at the plate.

Tampa tied it in the 7th with runs off Neal Cotts and Luis Vizcaino,before Cantu's heroics ended the game in the 9th.

SOX 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0- 6 9 1
TAM 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 1- 7 9 1
1 out when winning run scored

WP- Jesus Colome(1-0)
LP- Shingo Takatsu(0-2)

HR-TB;Hall(2),Cantu(5)

T- 3:17
Att- 9,389
Game time weather- Indoors,72 degrees

POST MORTEM; The 7-8-9 hitters in the lineup,Uribe,Widger,and Crede combined for 7 of the 9 Sox hits in the game.

The Sox left 5 men in scoring position in the game.

White Sox record; 24-9,1st place,3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

"El Duque" Orlando Hernandez was sharp in his outing and was helped by a 4-run White Sox outburst as the sox avoided being swept for the 1st time in 2005,with a 5-2 win at Tropicana Field to up thier record to 25-9.

El Duque(5-1) went 6 1/3 innings,giving up 2 uns on only 3 hits.He walked 4 and struck out 4 in the game.

Tampa starter Dewon Brazelton(1-7) walked 6 batters in 4 2/3 innings of work for his AL leading 7th loss.

Like most games this season,the Sox scored first again,this time in the 3rd inning,when Aaron Rowand's sac fly scored Pablo Ozuna for a quick 1-0 lead.

The Rays tied it at 1 on Alex Sanchez' RBI double,scoring Alex Gonzalez in thier half of the 3rd.But El Duque would hold the Rays in check while the Sox bats got to work.

The Sox broke it open in the 5th when they scored 4 times.It got started when with Rowand at the plate,Brazelton uncorked a wild pitch,scoring Ozuna,and advancing Timo Perez to 2nd.After Rowand reached base,Paul Konerko doubled scoring Perez and Rowand.Konerko would later score on Jermaine Dye's single to right making it a 5-1 game.

The Rays would add a run in the 7th,but that would be all they got.

Damaso Marte gave up 2 hits in the 8th inning before Dustin Hermansen came in and got Damon Hollins to line into a double play to end the 8th.Hermansen pitched a scoreless 9th for the win.

SOX 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0- 5 8 0
TAM 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0- 2 5 1

WP- Orlando Hernadez(5-1)
LP- Dewon Brazelton(1-7)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(6)

T- 2:51
Att- 9,414
Game time weather-Indoors,72 degrees

DOME DOINGS; El Duque raises his lifetime record against Tampa Bay to 11-3,and 5-0 at Tropican Field.

Konerko's 2 RBIs give him 25 on the year,tying him for the team lead with Carl Everett.

Dustin Hermansen has not given up a run in his 16 1/3 innings this season.He is the only remaining AL reliever to not give up a run this year.

White Sox record; 25-9,1st place,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland continued his hot pitching as he tamed Baltimore's high octane offense to run his record to 7-0 in a 3-2 win at US Cellular Field Thursday night.

Garland went 8 inning,allowing 2 runs on 8 hits,and pitched out of a couple of huge late inning jams.His 1st jam came in the 6th with the Sox up 3-1 and runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out,Garland struck out David Newhan,then got the dangerous Melvin mora to hit a weak pop-up to Paul konerko to end the inning.

Perhaps his gutsiest pitching of the year came in the 8th when after Mora singled home home Brian Roberts to cut the lead to 3-2,Garland was allowed to pitch to Miguel Tejada.Tejada carried a lifetime .538 batting average against Garland coming into the game.He ended up striking out Tejada on a changeup in the dirt to end the inning.

The Sox got thier runs on solo homers by AJ Pierzynski in the 3rd,and Juan Uribe in the 4th.Later in that inning,Aaron Rowand's double scored Tadahito Iguchi from 1st.

Dustin Hermansen pitched a perfect 9th for his 7th save.

BAL 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0- 2 8 0
SOX 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 x- 3 6 0

WP- Jon Garland(7-0)
LP- Bruce Chen(4-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(7)

HR-SOX;Pierzynski(3),Uribe(4)

T- 2:21
Att- 29,031
Game time weather- Overcast,53 degrees

SOX YARNS; Tadahito Iguchi was 2-4 with a run scored.

Garland threw 103 pitches in his 8 innins of work.

The Sox extend thier ML record for consecutive games in which they have led at the start of the season to 35.

Dustin Hermansen extends his scoreles innings streak to start the season to 17 1/3

White Sox record; 26-9,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle became the second White sox pitcher to win 6 games,and Paul Konerko's broken bat,2-run bleeder in the 7th inning lifetd the White Sox to a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles this evening.

Buehrle went 8 innings,allowing 3 runs,all in the 4th inning,on 5 hits to raise his record to 6-1 on the year.He retired the last 13 men he faced after the 4th inning.Dustin Hermansen retired Melvin Mora,Miguel Tejada,and Javy Lopez in order for his 8th save.

The White Sox now raise thier record to an amazing 27-9 on the season.

Baltimore opened the scoring in the 4th inning,when BJ Surhoff singled home Tejada,and moving Javy Lopez to 2nd.Later in the inning,Chris gomez doubled into the left field corner,scoring Lopez and Surhoff for a 3-0 O's lead.

The Sox began to chip away in the 5th,when after Scott Podsednik singled and stole 2nd,Tadahito Iguchi doubled home Podsednik to make it 3-1 Baltimore.

In the Sox half of the 6th,Paul Konerko singled,then after Jermaine Dye struck out,AJ Pierzynski singles,putting runners on 1st and 2nd.Then after Joe Crede popped out,DH Willie Harris singled up the middle to score Konerko from 2nd to amke it a 3-2 game.

In the 7th,the White Sox loaded the bases with 0 out.Podsednik led off with a ground rule double,then after Todd Williams replaces strarter Rodrigo Lopez,Iguchi reached on an error by 1B Rafael Palmeiro,putting runners at the corners.Aaron Rowand would load the bases with a walk.

That would set the stage for Konerko,who on an 0-2 pitch,hit a broken bat bleeder up the middle scoring Podsednik and Iguchi to give the Sox the lead for the 36th consecutive game to start the season at 4-3.

Later in the inning,PH Carl Everett singled up the middle scoring Konerko,Jermaine Dye,who reached earlier on a fielder's choice was gunned down at the plate.But the damage was done as the Sox went on to win 5-3.

BAL 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0- 3 5 2
SOX 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 x- 5 12 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(6-1)
LP- Todd Williams(3-3)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(8)

T- 2:29
Att- 28,188
Game time weather- Cloudy,57 degrees

WIZARDS OF OZZ; Scott Podsednik went 3-5 with a double,2 runs scored,and his AL leading 18th stolen base.

Willie Harris was tonight's DH.It was then 1st time in his career that Harris was the DH.

White Sox record; 27-9,1st place,6 games ahead of Minesota

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia struggled with his control Saturday night and also became the 1st White Sox starter to drop 2 straght decisions as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the White Sox 9-6 in front of 37,311 at The Cell on Fireworks night.

Garcia(3-3) gave up 7 runs on 10 hits in 6+ innings of work.He allowed single tallies in the 1st and 2nd innings,before giving up 3 in the 4th when he gave up back-to-back solo shots to BJ Surhoff and Jay Gibbons.

The O's scored 4 more times in the 7th,once off Garcia,on Miguel Tejada's RBI double scoring Melvin Mora.They scored 3 more off Neal Cotts to finish the scoring.

The Sox got on board inn the 1st after Scott Podsednik singled,stole 2nd and 3rd,Aaron Rowand broght him home with a ground out to tie the game at 1.

The Sox scored 3 in the 2nd on RBI doubles by Juan Uribe and Tadahito Iguchi,plus an RBI single by Joe Crede scoring Podsednik,after Pods swiped 2 more bases,tying the team record that he last set on May 7th.

Joe Crede's RBI single in the 3rd made it a 5-2 game at that point,but they would not score until the 8th on AJ Pierzynski's 4th homer of the year.A solo blast to make it 9-6 O's.

BAL 1 1 0 3 0 0 4 0 0- 9 15 0
SOX 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0- 6 9 1

WP- Daniel Cabrera(3-2)
LP- Freddy Garcia(3-3)
Save- BJ Ryan(10)

HR-BAL;Surhoff(3),Gibbons(5)-SOX;Pierzynski(4)

T- 3:14
Att- 37,311
Game time weather- Cloudy,58 degrees

NOTES; Scott Podsednik stole 4 bases in the game.He becomes the 1st White Sox player to have two 4-stolen base games.He stole 4 bases in Toronto on May 7th.

White Sox record; 27-10,1st place,6 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Baltimore starting pitcher Erik Bedard held the White Sox offense in check for 7+ innings as he led the visiting Orioles to a 6-2 win over the White Sox,salvaging a split in this 4-game set.

This game was notable as the White Sox season opening streak of 37 consecutive games in which they have had a lead was finally snapped.

Jose Contreras went 6 1/3 innings in the game in the loss.His record drops to 1-1.He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits,although he just flat ran out of gas as he was charged with 3 runs in the 7th inning.He also gave up solo shots to Sal Fasano in the 3rd,and David Newhan in the 6th.

Carl Everett and Jeramine Dye hit back-to-back solo shots in the 7th inning.

BAL 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 1 0- 6 11 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0- 2 5 1

WP- Erik Bedard(4-1)
LP- Jose Contreras(1-1)

HR-BAL;Fasano(1),Newhan(1)-SOX;Everett(5),Dye(6)

T- 3:00
Att- 34,030
Game time weather- Overcast,47 degrees

NOTES; Scott Podsednik went 2-4 with a stolen base in the game,his league leading 23rd of the year.

White Sox record; 27-11,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

"El duque" Orlando Hernandez had his worst outing of the year as he was tagged for 6 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 2 2/3 innings as the Texas Rangers handed the White Sox thier 3rd straight loss by a 7-6 margin.

Rangers LF Kevin Mench bookended his night with solo homers in the 1st and 9th innings.his 9th inning blast off losing pitcher Damaso Marte(2-3) broke up a 6-6 tie.

AJ Pierzynski hit a grand slam in the 1st inning off Chan Ho Park to give the Sox a 4-1 lead.But things went south quickly for El Duque.An RBI triple by Laynce Nix and an RBI single by David Dellucci broght the Rangers back to 4-3.

Texas took the lead in the 3rd inning on an RBI double by Hank Blalock,and RBI single by Alfonso Soriano,scoring Blalock,and an RBI single by Rod Barajas,scoring Soriano making it a 6-4 Ranger lead.

The Sox scored a run in the 5th when after Scott Podsednik singled,Aaron Rowand broght him home with a 2-bagger to cut the deficit to 6-5.

Tadahito Iguchi tied the game with a solo homer in into the Bullpen Sports Bar the bottom of the 8th for a 6-6 tie.

But Marte couldn't hold the Rangers as Mench's 2nd solo homer of the game gave Texas a 7-6 lead,and the win.

Francsico Cordero retired the Sox in order in the 9th for his 13th save of the year.

TEX 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1- 7 11 0
SOX 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0- 6 7 0

WP- Nick Regilio(1-1)
LP- Damaso Marte(2-3)
Save Francisco Cordero(13)

HR-TEX;Mench 2(6)-SOX; Pierzynski(5,grand slam),Iguchi(3)

T- 3:01
Att- 26,889
Game time weather-Clear,51 degrees

ODDS AND ENDS; Aaron Rowand went 3-4 in the game with an RBI

El Duque threw 70 pitches in his 2 2/3 inning stint.38 of those were strikes

The bullpen of Luis Vizcaino(2 1.3 innings),Cliff Politte(2 inn.) and Shingo Takatsu(1 inn.) combined to give up only 2 hits,and walking 2(Politte and Vizcaino)

White Sox record; 27-12,1st place, 4 1/2 ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland pitched his way out of a huge jam in the 6th inning as he became baseball's first 8 game winner as the White Sox snapped a 3 game skid by defeating the Texas Rangers 5-2 at The Cell.

With the Sox leading 2-0 in the 6th inning,the Rangers had already scored once to make it 2-1 wih 0 out,then C AJ Pierzynski went to the mound to have a "chat' with Garland.Whatever AJ said worked.With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 out,Garland proceeded to strike out Hank Blalock and Alfonso Soriano,before getting Kevin Mench to pop out weakly to end the inning,with both runners stranded.

It is that kind of pitching that has defined Garland this season as he has become the stopper of this talented staff.

The Sox scored 2 in the 1st inning on an RBi double by Aaron rowand,and an RBI groundout by Paul Konerko.

The Sox added one in the 5ty on Tadahito Iguchi's RBI single scori9ng Scott Podsednik.

After the Rangers scored in the 6th for a 3-2 Sox lead,AJ Pierzynski clubbed his 6th homer of the season,a 2-run job,his 4th in 5 games to give the Sox a 5-2 lead.

Garland went 7 innings,allowing 2 runs on 5 hits,walking 2 and striking out 4.
Dustin Hermansen picked up the save,his 9th.

TEX 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0- 2 6 1
SOX 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 x- 5 9 0

WP- Jon Garland(8-0)
LP- Pedro Astacio(1-5)
Save -Dustin Hermansen(9)

HR-SOX;Pierzynski(6)

Ejections;TEX;3rd base coach Steve Smith(1st)

T- 2:22
Att- 18,533
Game time weather-cloudy,56 degrees

STOPPERS;Podsednik and Rowand each had 2 hits in the game.

Mark Teixiera went 3-4 for Texas in the game.

White Sox record; 28-12,1st place,5 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle was psectacular a usual,and the offense showed plenty of life as the Sox took 2 of 3 from the visiting Texas Rangers Wednesday afternoon with a 7-0 win.

Buehrle went 7 1/3 innings,allowing 9 hits in the game.5 of those hits came in the 1st 2 innings.

The Rangers best scoring chance came with the bases loaded,but Michael Young popped out to end the inning.

The Sox scored 4 times in the 4th inning,when with the bases loaded,Jermaine Dye doubled to left,scoring Aaron Rowand and Paul Konerko for a 2-0 lead.After Carl Everett was intentionall walked,Juan Uribe singled to score AJ Pierzynski and Dye to make it 4-0.

Paul Konerko hit a solo shot in the 6th to make it 5-0.It was Paulie's team leading 10th homer.AJ Pierzynski continued his home run tear in the 7th with a 2-run shot.His 7th of the year,and his 4th in as many games.

TEX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 9 0
SOX 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 0 x- 7 11 1

WP- Mark Buehrle(7-1)
LP- Ryan Drese(3-4)

HR-SOX;Konerko(10),Pierzynski(7)

T- 2:24
Att- 16,255
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,61 degrees

GET AWAY NOTES; Jermaine Dye went 3-4 with 3 doubles on the afternoon.

Paul Konerko went 3-4 to raise his average back over .200 at .211

AJ Pierzynski was moved up to 5th in the order this afternoon.

STAT OF THE DAY; Mark Buehrle is now 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA in day games.

White Sox record; 29-12,1st place,5 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Knick9]

I'm simply impressed with this ball club, very great start by them. :clapping

I only wonder how they'll be when Frank gets back.

[misfitz69]

I'm simply impressed with this ball club, very great start by them. :clapping

I only wonder how they'll be when Frank gets back.


You wonder eh ? They will be even better. So far we have an unstoppable force in the Sox this year. Hopefully we will keep it up. Plus we easily took 2 from the north sider Cubbies. After tomorrow, we get to goto Anaheim and Texas. Should be a good road trip.


PS, anyone going to the games in Texas ? I know I am.

[Chisox73]

You wonder eh ? They will be even better. So far we have an unstoppable force in the Sox this year. Hopefully we will keep it up. Plus we easily took 2 from the north sider Cubbies. After tomorrow, we get to goto Anaheim and Texas. Should be a good road trip.


PS, anyone going to the games in Texas ? I know I am.

This trip gets interesting now with 4 at Angel Staduim,where the Sox are and anemic 13-37 since 1995.

I'll be thrilled to death if the Sox split with the Angels,even though they're ripe for the picking right now with both Vlad and Garret Anderson on the shelf.

Enjoy you're trip to Arlington this weekend mizfitz. :clapping Let us know how it went.

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES,VERSION 9.1

Freddy Garcia rebounded very nicely from his recent funk as he pitched 7 strong innings as the White Sox took Game 1 of the Red Line Series with a 5-1 win at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.

Garcia only gave up a run on 5 hits in his 7 innings of work to up his record to 4-3.

The Sox jumped out in front in the 3rd on a Scott Podsednik infield single scoring Joe Crede for a 1-0 lead.

Crede homered in the 5th for a 2-0 lead,then Paul Konerko and AJ Pierzynski each got RBI singles off losing pitcher Greg Maddux(2-2) for a 4-0 lead.

After the Cubs scored in the 7th,the Sox got that run back in the 8th on a Jermaine Dye blast onto Waveland Ave. for a 5-1 lead.

SOX 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 0- 5 10 1
CUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 1 6 1

WP- Freddy Garcia(4-3)
LP- Greg Maddux(2-2)

HR- SOX;Crede(4),Dye(7)

T- 2:28
Att- 38,988(sell out)
Game time weather- Sunny,62 degrees

OPENING SALVOS; AJ Pierzynski was 3-4 in the game.

4 of the 5 Sox runs came with 2 outs.

Freddy Garcia's record in interleague play is now 13-6 with a 2.14 ERA in 23 interleague starts.Only Seattle's Joel Piniero has a lower ERA in interleague play with a 1.97 ERA.

White Sox record; 30-12,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES,VERSION 9.2

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano pitched 7 innings of 1-hit ball,but the Cubs bullpen imploded again as the Sox took advantage with a 4-run 8th inning to take Game 2 at Wrigley by a 5-3 count.

Zambrano went 5 2/3 innings without giving up a single hit until Paul Konerko singled to center to break up thr no-no.

The White Sox finally broke through in the 8th with Michael Wuertz on the hill.With 1 out,Scott Podsednik singled,then stole 2nd.1 out later,Aaron rowand singled,putting runners at the corners with 2 out.That set the stage for Konerko.Paulie hit a sinking fly ball to a charging Corey Patterson in center field.The ball bounced off a diving Patterson's glove,and Podsednik and Rowand both scored to give the sox a 2-1 lead.

They were not done yet.After Will Ohman replaced Wuertz,hot hitting AJ Pierzynski singled,moving Konerko to 2nd,then the next batter,Carl Everett lined a double into the gap in right center scoring both Konerko and AJ to make it 4-1.

The Cubs came back to score 2 in the bottom half of the 8th on an RBI double by Jery Hairston,Jr.,and an RBI single by Derrek Lee to make it 4-3.

But the Sox put it away when Jermaine Dye launched a solo bomb off LaTroy Hawkins to make it a 5-3 lead.

Dustin Hermansen pitched a scoreless 9th for his 10th save of the season.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1- 5 9 0
CUB 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0- 3 8 0

WP- Jose Conteras(2-1)
LP- Michael Wuertz(2-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(10)

HR;SOX-Dye(8)

T- 3:09
Att- 39,461(sell out)
Game time weather- Partly Cloudy,55 degrees

TWICE AS NICE; Jose Contreras went 7 innings for the Sox,giving up a run on 4 hits in the game.

Zambrano hit 2 batters in the 4th inning,the 2nd one to AJ Pierzynski got HP ump Marvin Hudson to issue warnings to both benches.This was the 2nd straight game in which warnings were issued.

Dustin Hermansen extended his season opening scoreless streak to a club record 20 1/3 innings.

White Sox record; 31-12,6 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES,VERSION 9.3

The highly anticipated pitching matchup between Mark Prior and White Sox rookie phenom Brandon McCarthy lived up to its billing at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon.

McCarthy matched Prior pitch-for-pitch,and leaft he agme in the 6th inning with a 2-1 lead.But Cubs rookie LF Jason DuBois' 3-run hiomer off reliever Luis Vizcaino in the 6th was the difference as the Cubs salvaged the finale of the 3-game set with a 4-3 win.

Mark Prior went the distance in the game,showing his brilliance on the mound,allowing 3 runs(all solo homers) on 6 hits,while striking out 7 batters.

McCarthy got a no-decision in the game,while being charged with 2 runs on 4 hits,striking out 6 in 5 1/3 innings in his debut.He threw 78 pitches in the game.

He was lifted in the 6th inning with 1 out and after Derrek Lee led off then 6th by getting hit by a pitch.McCarthy worked inside and was not afraid to mix his pitches,in showing glimpses of a future star in the making.

McCarthy left to a standing ovation by both Cubs and Sox fans for his outing,a very nice gesture from the Wrigley faithful.

The Sox' only runbs came via the longball.Solo homers by Tadahito Iguchi in the 4th,Jermaine Dye in the 5th,and Paul konerko in the 9th were the only offensive highlights in the game.

SOX 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1- 3 6 0
CUB 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 x- 4 8 0

WP- Mark Prior(4-1)
LP- Luis Vizcaino(2-2)

HR-SOX;Iguchi(4),Dye(9),Konerko(11)-CUBS;Blanco(2),DuBois(5)

T- 2:16
Att- 39,334
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,66 degrees

2 OUT Of 3 AIN'T BAD; Jermaine Dye homered for the 3rd straight game at Wrigley.

As part of his official rookie hazing,Brandon McCarthy had to wear an orange blouse and a blue and white skirt on the flight to Anaheim.

White Sox record; 31-13,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

22-year-old Angels rookie pitcher Ervin Santana pitched more like Johan Santana as he rendered the White sox offense useless in only his 2nd ML start as he racked up a 4-0 win over Jon Garland and the White Sox at Angel Stadium on Monday night.

The rookie upstaged Garland,who dropped his 1st game of the year,after starting out 8-0.Garland went 7 innings,allowing 3 runs on 11 hits,walking 1 and striking out 4.

Santana(1-1) went the distance for the 1st time,allowing only a walk on 5 hits,while striking out 7.

The Halos scored twice in the 2nd on a 2-run double by Adam Kennedy.They added another in the 6th on a Bengie Molina single,scoring Steve Finley.Molina would strike again in the 8th with a solo homer off reliever Luis Vizcaino.

Tadahito Iguchi and Paul Konerko had 2 hits each for the Sox in the game.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 5 1
LAA 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 x- 4 13 1

HR-LA;BMolina(3)

T- 2:18
Att- 40,991
Game time weather- Clear,67 degrees

SEEING RED; Jon Garland had not lost since September 16,2004 at Minnesota.He had won 10 in a row before the game.He was one of 6 pitchers since 1969 to win thier first 8 games of the season.

The White Sox are 13-38 at Angel Stadium since 1995.

White Sox record; 31-14,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

It was a good old fashioned pitchers duel at Angel Stadiumm Tuesday night as Mark Buehrle and Bartolo Colon squared off.But it was the bat of Tadahito Iguchi that lifted the White Sox to a 2-1,11 inning win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Buehrle went 9 innings,allowing a run on 4 hits,walking 2 while striking out 6 Angles.Damaso Marte was equally as stellar,pitching 2 perfect innings for the win.

The Sox got on board in the 2nd on Carl Everett's 6th homer of the year for a 1-0 Sox lead.

Garret Anderson doubled home Chone Figgans to tie the game at 1 in the 3rd.

It would stay that way until the 11th inning,when with Joe Crede on 3rd,Tadahito Iguchi laced a double to left off reliever Esteban Yan(0-1) scoring Crede.

SOX 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 2 5 0
LAA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 4 1

WP- Damaso Marte(3-3)
LP- Esteban Yan(0-1)

HR-SOX;Everett(6)

T- 2:50
Att- 35,182
Game time weather- Clear,69 degrees

WORKING OVERTIME; Mark Buehrle extended his streak of pitching at least 6 innings per start to 38 straight starts,the longest in baseball since Curt Schilling went 39 straight starts from 2001 to 2003.

He also threw 120 pitches.80 of those were strikes.25 of his first 30 pitches in the game were strikes.

With the Sox now 32-14,that ties the franchise mark for the best start after 46 games set by the 1951 and 1957 clubs.

White Sox record; 32-14,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Paul Konerko's 3-run homer in the 1st inning help lead the White Sox to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Wednseday night.

Freddy Garcia picked up the win for the Sox as he went 7 innings,allowing 2 runs on 3 hits in another stellar outing for his 5th win against 3 losses.

The Sox scored 3 in the 1st on Konerko's 3-run shot off Angels starter Jarrod Washburn(3-3),his 13th of the year.Chris Widger added a solo shot in the 2nd for a 4-0 lead.

The Angels scored single runs in the 3rd and 8th innings on RBI doubles by Adam Kennedy and Darin Erstad respectively.

Dustin Hermansen pitched the final 2/3 inning for his 1th save.

SOX 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 7 0
LAA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0- 2 8 0

WP- Freddy Garcia(5-3)
LP- Jarrod Washburn(3-3)

HR-SOX;Konerko(12),Widger(2)

T- 2:30
Att- 42,716
Game time weather- Clear,73 degrees

SOX NUGGETS; Chris Widger went 3-4 in the game.It was his 1st start since May 15th.

The 33-14 record is thier best start after 47 games since 1951.

White Sox record; 33-14,1st place,6 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Angels 3B Dallas McPherson's 2-run homer off Jose Contreras was the difference as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took a 3-2 win over the White Sox at Angel Stadium,salvaging a split in the 4-game series.

Contreras(2-2) was cruising along nicely through the first 6 innings,but in the 7th with Garret Anderson aboard,Contreras's "lone mistake" to McPherson with 2 outs was the difference in the game.

Jose pitched well,allowing the 3 runs on only 4 hits,walikg 1 and striking out 9 in the process.

The Halos scored in the 1st inning when after Chone Figgans hit a lead off triple,he scored on a groundout by Darin Erstad for a 1-0 Angel lead.

The Sox tied it in the 4th on an RBI single by Tadahito Iguchi.They took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 7th on a Scott Podsednik RBI single.It was a short-lived lead until McPherson's blast in the bottom of the inning.

The Sox had plenty of scoring opportunities in the game,but had runners gunned down at the plate in the 4th and 6th innings.

SOX 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0- 2 6 0
LAA 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 x- 3 5 0

WP- John Lackey(5-2)
LP- Jose Contreras(2-2)
Save- Scot Shields(6)

HR-LAA;McPherson(2)

T- 2:29
Att- 39,128
Game time weather- Clear,68 degrees

NOT GOING TO DISNEYLAND; With the 4-game split,the Sox are 15-39 at Angel Stadium since 1995.

With the loss,the White Sox are now 313-314 all time vs. the Angels.

Joe Crede was 0-3 in the game,and is a horrific 4 for his last 45(.088)

White Sox record; 33-15,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Brandon McCarthy was torched for 4 homers from a pwerful Texas Rangers lineup as the Sox dropped the 1st of a 3-game set at Arlington by a 6-2 count.

McCarthy(0-1) went 5 innings,allowing all 6 runs on 6 hits,walkig 3 and striking out 4.He fell behind hitters early and often in the game.

All 6 Rangers runs came via the long ball.Mark Teixeria hit a solo homer with 1 out in the 1st.Alfonso Soriano hit a solo shot in the 2nd.Michael Young hit a 2-run shot in the 5th to make it a 4-0 lead,then Soriano followed up with a 2-run job of his own,his 2nd of the game.

Paul Konerko hit a solo shot for the Sox in the 8th.It was his 13th of the year.They added another in the 9th inning before Francisco Cordero slammed the door for his 16th save.

Curt Young went 8 innings for the win

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1- 2 9 0
TEX 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 x- 6 9 0

WP- Curt Young(5-2)
LP- Brandon McCarthy(0-1)
Save- Francisco Cordero(16)

HR-TEX;Teixeira(12),Soriano 2(16),MYoung(6)-SOX;Konerko(13)

T- 2:30
Att- 31,149
Game time weather-Overcast,82 degrees

TEXAS TOAST; McCarthy was optioned to AAA-Charlotte after the game.Orlando Hernandez is expected to come off the DL in time for his next start against Los Angeles on Wednesday.

White Sox record;33-16,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox game at Texas was rained out after waiting close to 3 hours for play to start.

Jon Garland was supposed to go for te Sox in the game,trying to become the AL's first 9-game winner.

The game will be made up on their next trip to Texas on August 29-31.

[misfitz69]

I had the luxury of sitting thru that lovely display of weather. It was a constant tease. The rain would be drizzling, then pour torrentially, then stop completely, for a bit and the pour some more. It even fooled the grounds crew one time, when they pulled of the tarp, then it poured again. And then like you said, about 3 hours into waiting they cancelled the game. Good news is, that all tix from the game were good for 1 ticket to any other Rangers home game, or good for 2 tickets for any other Sox game, like todays or the series in August, which I took full advantage of. Today was free, and I now have tix for the August series free of charge. :D . Today's game was a dissapointment, but you can't win em all. Thats why there are 162 in a season. Overall I did enjoy the trip though. Got Buerhle's sig and a few others. I got a lot in Tampa when they were there. I'm working on getting 2 balls signed by everyone and a bat signed by everyone. Hopefully I can complete the task this year. For now its a few days in TexAss, and then the lovely 26 hour drive home. I might make it up to Chi-Town this year for a few, hopefully. Thats all for now. Good news is......Frank is back as is El Duque.

[Chisox73]

I had the luxury of sitting thru that lovely display of weather. It was a constant tease. The rain would be drizzling, then pour torrentially, then stop completely, for a bit and the pour some more. It even fooled the grounds crew one time, when they pulled of the tarp, then it poured again. And then like you said, about 3 hours into waiting they cancelled the game. Good news is, that all tix from the game were good for 1 ticket to any other Rangers home game, or good for 2 tickets for any other Sox game, like todays or the series in August, which I took full advantage of. Today was free, and I now have tix for the August series free of charge. :D . Today's game was a dissapointment, but you can't win em all. Thats why there are 162 in a season. Overall I did enjoy the trip though. Got Buerhle's sig and a few others. I got a lot in Tampa when they were there. I'm working on getting 2 balls signed by everyone and a bat signed by everyone. Hopefully I can complete the task this year. For now its a few days in TexAss, and then the lovely 26 hour drive home. I might make it up to Chi-Town this year for a few, hopefully. Thats all for now. Good news is......Frank is back as is El Duque.

Don't feel bad misfitz,I once sat through a7 1/2 hour rain delay against the Rangers in Chicago in September of 1990.They had to wait it out because the Sox were fighting for the division,and it was Texas' last game in Chicago that season.

Ultimately,the game was rainde out,and it had to be made up in Texas,costing the Sox a home game.

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland was cruising along nicely until getting smoked in the 6th inning as the Texas Rangers took the finale of this abbreviated 2-game set in Arlington with a 12-4 spanking of the White Sox.

Sox killer Kevin Mench highlighted a 6-run uprising in that 6th inning with a 3-run homer to turn a 3-2 White Sox lead into a 5-3 deficit.By the time the inning was over,the Rangers,who trailed 3-1 were up 7-3.

They added a single run in the 8th and 4 more in the 9th on a 3-run bomb by Mark Teixeira,and a solo jack by Hank Blalock,both off Shingo Takatsu.

The Sox offense was highlighted by AJ Pierzynski's solo shot in the 4rd,his 8th of the year.They added 2 more in that frame on a Joe Crede sac fly,scoring Jermaine Dye,and an RBI single by Juan Uribe,scoring Aaron Rowand.

Uribe would drive home Rowand again in the 8th inning.

Jon Garland went 6 innings,allowing 7 runs on 9 hits for the loss,dropping him to 8-2 on the year.

SOX 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0-4 9 0
TEX 0 1 0 0 0 6 1 4 x-12 16 0

WP-Chan Ho Park(5-1)
LP- Jon Garland(8-2)

HR-SOX;Pierzynski(8)-TEX;Mench(8),Teixeira(13),Blalock(9)

T- 2:53
Att- 36,265
Game time weather- Cloudy,73 degrees

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS; The Sox left 11 men on in the game.5 of those were left in scoring position.

White Sox record; 33-17,1st place,3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Timo Perez' 2-run single with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning lifted the White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this afternoon.

Perez' heroics came after the Angels scored 2 runs in the top of the inning,after Tadahito Iguchi's error on a sutre game-ending double play kept the inning alive for the Halos.

Wit the bases loaded,Robb Quinlan singled home the tying run off Damaso Marte,then Marte walked home the go-ahead run for a 4-3 Angels lead.

After PH Willie Harris and Joe Crede walked to open the 9th,Scott Podsednik bunted over both runners.Carl Everett struck out for the 2nd out before Timo Perez lined a Scot Shields pitch into left field scoring both runners for the White Sox winner.

Frank Thomas made his 2005 debutm to a huge standing ovation from the 38,685 in attendance.Thomas was 0-2 with a walk and a run scored.He left with a mild strain of his right hip flexor.

Sox starter Mark Buehrle went 8 1/3 innings for a no-decision,allowing 4 runs,3 earned on 9 hits,walkig 1 and striking out 2.

The Sox got on the board in the 2nd on a Juan Uribe sac fly with the bases loaded.Then in the 3rd,Aaron Rowand's 2-run double scored Iguchi and Thomas.

Steve Finley homered for the Angels in the 4th to make it a 3-1 Sox lead,then in the 6th,Orlando Cabrera singled home Finley.

LAA 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2- 4 10 0
SOX 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2- 5 10 2
2 out when winning run scored

WP- Cliff Politte(1-0)
LP- Scot Shields(4-2)

HR- LAA;Finley(7)

T- 2:49
Att- 38,685
Game time weather- Sunny,62 degrees

WALKING ON SUNSHINE; The Sox left 8 men stranded in the game.

This was the 2nd straight start that Buehrle has gotten a no-decision.He went 9 innings at Angels Stadium last week in an 11-inning win.

White Sox record; 34-17,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jermaine Dye's walk-off blast in the bottom of the 9th lifted the White Sox to a 5-4 win at US Cellular Field against the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem.

Dye's solo shot came off Brendan Donelly on a 1-1 pitch leading off the inning for his 10th homer of the year.

The Halos scored in the 1st inning when Darin Erstad drove inb Chone figgans for a 1-0 Angel lead.But the sox would answer back with 2 of thier own in the bottom of the inning.

Tadahito Iguchi's triple scored Scott Podsednik to tie it at 1.He would then score on Aaron Rowand's single for a 2-1 Sox lead.

The 2 teams each scored in the 4th inning.The Angels scoring on an RBI single by Bengie Molina.The Sox answered abck on AJ Pierzynski's sac fly,scoring Carl Everett.

Joe Crede hit a solo shot in the 5th to make it a 4-2 lead.Garet Anderson's solo blast made it 4-3 in the 6th.

The Angels tied it up in the 8th on Anderson's RBI single off Damaso Marte.

It would stay that way until the Dye job in the 9th inning.

Sox starter Freddy Garcia went 5 1/3 innings before leaving the game with a cramp in his left leg.He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in his stint.

Cliff Politte pitched 1 2/3 innings for his 1st win of the year.

LAA 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0- 4 9 1
SOX 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1- 5 11 0
0 out when winning run scored

WP- Cliff Politte(1-0)
LP- Brendan Donelly(2-1)

HR-SOX;Crede(5),Dye(10)-LAA;Anderson(6)

T- 2:40
Att- 19,864
Game time weather- Clear,62 degrees

THIS AND THAT; Dye's walk-off job was the 28th game ending homer in the 15 year history of Comiskey Park II/US Cellular Field.

Of Dye's 10 homers this season,9 have been of the solo variety.

The Sox finish May at 18-10.They are 17-7 in 1-run games.They won thier 13th series of the year.They are 13-2-2 in that department.7-0-1 at home.

White Sox record; 35-17,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox bullpen suffered a rare collapse in thier game as they allowed 6 runs in the last 3 innings,and nearly pulled the game out.But Juan Uribe struck out with the bases loaded as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hung on for a 10-7 win.

It was another see-saw affair between the 2 teams as the Sox took a 2-0 lead in the 1st on Aaron Rowand's 2-run shot.The Angels tied it in the 4th on Dallas McPherson's 2-run blast off Jose Contreras.They aded 2 more in the inning on Orlando Cabreras' RBI double and Adam Kennedy's single scoring Cabrera to make it 4-2 Halos.

Carl Everett hit a solo homer in the 5th,then drove in 2 more to give the Sox a 5-4 lead in the 6th.

The Angels exploded for 4 runs in the 7th inning off Kevin Walker and Luis Vizcaino.Joe Crede hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 7th to make it 8-6 LA.

They added 2 more in the 9th on RBI singles by Cabrera and Kennedy to make it 10-6.The runs were off Dustin Hermansen.Those are the 1st runs given up by Hermansen this season,snapping a string of 21 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.A White Sox record to start a season.

Frank Thomas walked with the bases loaded in the 9th inning to make it a 10-7 game,but after Juan Uribe put a charge into a pitch that just went foul by a matter of feet,he struck out to end the game.

LAA 0 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 2- 10 13 0
SOX 2 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 1- 7 8 2

WP- Paul Byrd(5-4)
LP- Kevin Walker(0-1)

HR-SOX;Rowand(4),Everett(7),Crede(6)-LAA;McPherson(5)

T- 3:15
Att- 19,393
Game time weather- Clear,68 degrees

SO CLOSE,YET SO FAR; Jose Contreras went 6 innings,allowing 4 runs,2 earned on 5 hits,walking 3 and striking out 4,while throwing 102 pitches.

Kevin Walker was torched for 4 runs on 3 hits in 1/3 of an inning.He was optioned to AAA-Charlotte after the game.

Offensively,Carl Everett was 3-4 with a double and a home run.

Timo Perez made his 1st start at 1st base since 1999,when he played in Japan.

White Sox record; 35-18,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Carl Everett drove in 2 runs,including the go-ahead run in the 6th inning as the White Sox took the opener of a 3-gae set against Centreal division rival Cleveland with a 6-4 win at US Cellular Field.

The Sox opened up the scoring in a big way,putting up 4 runs in the 1st inning against Tribe starter Jake Westbrook.

Aaron Rowand,Carl Everett,Jermaine Dye,and Juan Uribe all had RBI singles in the 1st inning for a quick 4-0 lead.

However,that comfortable lead would not last long,as the Indians scored 4 of thier own in the 3rd inning,against starter Orlando Hernandez.The big blow in that inning was a 3-run,game tying homer off El Duque by Coco Crisp.

The Sox came back in the 6th,taking the lead for good on Carl Everett's sac fly,scoring Aaron Rowand,and Jermaine Dye's single scoring Paul Konerko to make it 6-4.

El Duque went 6 innings,allowing all 4 Cleveland runs on 6 hits in raising his record to 6-1 on the year.Neal Cotts pitched 2 innings,and Dustin Hermansen pitched the 9th inning for his 12th save of the year.

CLE 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 7 0
SOX 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 x- 6 11 0

WP- Orlando Hernandez(6-1)
LP- Jake Westbrook(2-8)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(12)

HR-CLE;Crisp(5)

T- 2:27
Att- 23,132
Game time weather- Cloudy,63 degrees

ON THE WARPATH; With the win,the Sox are now 18-7 at home,5-2 against Cleveland,and 19-4 against the Al Central.

Jermaine Dye was 3-4 with 2 RBIs in the game.

White Sox record; 36-18,1st place,3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The 3rd time was the charm for Jon Garland as he finally picked up his 9th win of the year as the Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-5 at US Cellular Field.

Garland went 6 2/3 innings for the win,allowing 4 runs on 9 hits.He ran his pitchn count high early in the game,throwing 106 pitches in his outing.Despite that,Garland raises his record to 9-2.

After Cleveland scored once in the 1st inning,the Sox came back withn thier usual 1st inning shenanigans,scoring twice,on Aaron Rowand's 2-run double to make it a 2-1 Sox lead.

Scott Podsednik's sac fly scored Juan Uribe in the 2nd for a 3-1 lead.

After a Grady Sizemore RBI single in the 5th to cut the White Sox lead to 3-2,Paul Konerko got that run back in the bottom of the inning with a solo blast off starter Jason Davis for a 4-2 lead.

Victor Martinez homered in the 6th to keep the Tribe close at 4-3.But joe Crede's 2-run shot in the bottom of the 6th gave the Sox a 3-run cushion at 6-3.

The Indians scored single runs in the 7th and 9th innings,but would get no closer.

CLE 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1- 5 12 0
SOX 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 x- 6 10 0

WP- Jon Garland(9-2)
LP- Jason Davis(2-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(13)

HR-CLE;VMartinez(6)-SOX;Konerko(14),Crede(7)

T- 2:53(:15 delay,rain)
Att- 26,365
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,70 degrees

WET N' WILD; The start of the game was delayed 15 minutes because of a storm that passed through the area.

Every starter in the Sox lineup,except for Scott Podsednik got at least 1 hit.

Aaron Rowand has now hit safely in 9 straight games.He went 2-3 in the game.He's hitting .438(14-32) during his streak.

White Sox record; 37-18,1st place,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Frank Thomas hit his 1st homer of the season,but a throwing error by closer Dustin Hermansen in the 12th inning helped the Cleveland Indians to a 6-4,12-inning win over the White Sox at US Cellular Field.

Thomas' blast was a game tying shot in the 10th inning off Indians closer Bob Wickman.But in the 12th,the Indians had 2 men reach base on walks off Hermansen.The next batter Victor Martinez bunted the ball at Hermansen.He then threw wildly past 3B Joe Crede,allowing thew go-ahead run to score.

The Sox never led in the game,but tied it twice.Tadahito Iguchi's 2-run blast got starter Mark Buherle off the hook in the 7th inning,and Thomas tied it at 4 in the 10th with 1 swing.

Buehrle went 6 1/3 innings,allowing 3 runs on 9 hits,striking out 7 in the game.

CLE 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2- 6 12 0
SOX 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0- 4 11 2

WP- David Riske(2-2)
LP- Dustin Hermansen(0-1)

HR-CLE;Crisp(6),Hafner(6)-SOX;Iguchi(5),Thomas(1)

T- 4:11
Att- 26,146
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,82 degrees

GETAWAY NOTES; This was Buehrle's 3rd straight no-decision.He was in line for his 1st loss since April 10th when Iguchi's 2-run homer tokk him off the hook.

Thomas' home run was his 1st homer since June 22,2004.That homer came against the Tribe.His homer off Wickman was his 3rd career homer off him.

White Sox record; 37-19,1st place, 3 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia struggled through the 1st inning,then settled down to retire the next 22 in a row as the White Sox took a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Garcia went 8 innings,allowing 3 runs on only 2 hits,and hitting a batter,all in the 1st inning.He also struck out 10 in the thin air to up his record to 6-3.

The sox got on the board in the 1st when Paul konerko hit a 2-run homer,his 15th of the season.The Rox got 3 back in that bottom of the 1st when Brad Hawpe launched a 3-run shot off Garcia.That would be all the Rox would get the rest of the night.

Colorado would not get another baserunner until the 9th inning,when Desi Relaford drew a walk from Shingo Takatsu.

The Sox scored 3 times in the 5th,on an RBI single by Juan Uribe and a 2-run double by Aj Pierzynski.They added 1 more in the 6th on a 2-run double by Jermaine Dye to make it 8-3.Then,a Scott Podsednik RBI double in the 7th made it 9-3.

SOX 2 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0- 9 15 0
COL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 2 0

WP- Freddy Garcia(6-3)
LP- Joe Kennedy(3-6)

HR-SOX;Konerko(15)-COL;Hawpe(6)

T- 2:31
Att- 25,030
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,79 degrees

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH; The 2 hits allowed by Sox pitching was the fewest number of hits allowed at Coors Field during Interleague play.The 1998 Rangers and 2001 Angels each gave up 5 hits to the Rockies at Coors.

The 15-hit attack was a season high for the White Sox.

QUOTABLES; When asked whether Garcia's performance at Coors was one of the best he's ever seen,Rockies 1B Todd Helton said,"It ranks right up there."

Sox C AJ Pierzynski said," I told (Aaron) Rowand that's one of the best pitched games I've seen anywhere."

White Sox record; 38-19,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

In one of the rare feats in baseball,there was a bonafide puitchers duel at Coors Field,as Jose Contreras outdueled Byung-Hyun Kim to the tune of a 2-1 White Sox win.

Both pitchers went 6 innings in the game.Contreras allowed a run on 5 hits to raise his record to 3-2.Neal Cotts pitched 2 innings,and Dustin Hermansen pitched the 9th for his 14th save.

The Sox got both runs in the 4th inning on RBI singles by Jermaine Dye and AJ Pierzynski.

Colorado got thier only run in the 4th on an RBI double by Garrett Atkins.

SOX 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 2 5 1
COL 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1

WP- Jose Conteras(3-2)
LP- Byung-Hyun Kim(0-5)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(14)

T- 2:37
Att- 21,576
Game time weather- Patly cloudy,79 degrees

RAREFIED AIR; Paul Konerko picked up his 1,000th career hit leading off the 4th inning.He wopuld eventually score the 1st run of the inning.

The White Sox are 20 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2000 Division winning season.

White Sox record; 39-19,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox needed an insurance run or two to protect a 5-4 lead going into the 8th inning.Their bats took full advantage of the Colorado air as they ripped the Colorado riockies by a 15-5 scored at Coors Field to complete that 3 game sweep.

Sox batters pounded out a season high 22 hits in the rout.They scored 6 in the 8th,and 4 in the 9th to turn a close game into a laugher.

The Sox had the first 8 men reach base in the 8th inning.The highlight was Cliff Politte's RBI single after faking a bunt.Frank Thomas hit a pich-hit homer in the 9th inning.His 1st PH blast since 2000.Joe Crede kniocked a 2-run shot, in that same inning.

Sox starter Orlando Hernadez gave up 4 runs in the 1st 2 innings.But settled down to retire 12 of the next 13 men he faced.

The Sox scored in the 1st on a 2-RBI single by Carl Everett and an RBI single by Jermaine Dye for a quick 3-0 lead.

The Rox fought back with 1 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd before El duque kept them at bay.

El Duque went 6 innings,allowing 4 runs on 7 hits,striking out 4 in the process raising his record to 7-1 on the year.

SOX 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 4- 15 22 2
COL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 5 8 1

WP- Orlando Hernandez(7-1)
LP- Jeff Francis(5-3)

HR-SOX;Crede(8),Thomas(2)-COL;Closser(2)

T- 3:26
Att- 23,268
Game time weather- Cloudy,73 degrees

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH; The 22 hits were a season high,eclpising the prevoius high of 15 hits set Monday night.

Rockies starter Jeff Francis allowed 5 runs on 12 hits in 6 inning work.

Pablo Ozuna,Jermaine Dye,Aaron Rowand,and Carl Everett each had 3 hits in the game.

Cliff Politte picked up his 3rd career RBI in the 6 run 8th inning.

With that 6-run 8th,the Sox became the last team in baseball this year to score at least 5 runs in a single inning.They also become the 1st team this year to win 40 games.

White Sox record; 40-19,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland pitched 7 solid innings to become the American League's first 10 game winner as the White Sox defeated the San Diego Padres 4-1 in thier 1st game ever in San Diego.

Garland(10-2) helped himself with the bat also with an RBI single in a 2-run 2nd inning.It was Garland's second career hit and 1st career RBI.On the mound,he gave up a run on 6 hits while striking out 4 Padres.

After the Sox scored 2 in the 2nd,they added another run in the 7th on a solo home run by AJ Pierzynski off losing pitcher Woody Willimas(2-4),the Pads got 4 straight hits off Garland,starting with a Brian Giles homer leading off the 7th.If not for a questionable call going the White Sox' way in that inning,things would have gone a lot differently.

The call in question happened when with Phil Nevin on first,Ramon Hernandez dropped a single that briefly got past Aaron Rowand in center,Rowand then picked up the ball,and fired to 3rd base where Nevin was called out on the play.Nevin argued that 3B Joe Crede had mised the tag,TV replays may have backed up Nevin's beef.

The Sox threw some serious leather around in the late innings,as Rowand's sliding grab of a sinking liner by Khalil Greene in that inning with runners at the corners ended the inning.

Joe Crede came up with 2 web gems in the 9th,despite the Pads scoring an unearned run in that inning off Dustin Hermansen.He pitched the 9th for his 15th save.

SOX 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0- 4 9 1
SD 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1- 2 7 0

WP- Jon Garland(10-2)
LP- Woody Williams(2-4)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(15)

HR-SOX;Pierzynski(9)-SD;Giles(9)

Ejections-SD;Mgr. Bruce Bochy,7th inning by 3rd base ump Marty Foster

T- 2:19
Att- 38,126
Game time weather- Cloudy,65 degrees

ANOTHER DAY AT THE BEACH; Garland threw 108 pitches in his outing.

Aaron Rowand went hitless in 4 at-bats,snapping his career high 13 game hitting strak.

3 of the 4 Sox runs came with 2 out.

White Sox record; 41-19,1st place, 5 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Damian Jackson's base hit scored Sean Burroghs with the game winning run in the bottom of the 9th to lift the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 win over the White Sox at Petco Park tonight.

With the Sox up 1-0 going into the bottom of the 9th,closer dustin Hermansen gave up a 1 out solo homer to Ramon Hernandez to tie the game at 1.After the next batter Sean Burroughs singled,PH robert fick lined a single to right,sending Burroghs to 3rd.the next batter,PH Mark Sweeney was walked on purpose to set up the DP.With the infield drawn in,Damian Jackson lined a shot past Joe Crede fopr the Padre win.

Sox starter Mark Buehrle was spectacular in his outing,going 7 2/3 innings,allowing 0 runs on 7 hits,striking out 6.

Padres rookie starter Tim Stauffer pretty much matched Buehrle pitch for pitch in the game.He went 7 innings,allowing a run on 3 hits,striking out 7.

The only Sox run came in the 1st inning,when Tadahito Iguchi's double scored Scott Podsednik.

They had a threat in the 8th inning.With runners at the corners with 0 out,Padres reliever Akinori Otsuka proceeded to strike out the side.

The Sox had another threat in the 9th when AJ Pierzynski doubled into the left field corner.Paul Konerko was thrown out on a very close play at the plate.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0
SD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2- 2 11 0
1 out when winning run scored

WP- Scott Linebrink(3-1)
LP- Dustin Hermansen(0-2)

HR-SD;RHernandez(7)

T- 2:23
Att- 41,020
Game time weather- Cloudy,66 degrees

CALIFORNIA BREEZE; White Sox batters struck out 12 times in the game.

This was Dustin Hermansen's 1st blown save of the year.He had been perfect in his first 15 save opportunities.

White Sox record; 41-20,1st place,4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox shook off a devastating loss the previous night by coming back in the late innings to take 2 of 3 games from the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Aaron Rowand's 3-run bomb off future HOFer Trevor Hoffman in the 10th inning lifted the Sox to an 8-5 win.His blast went into the 3rd floor of the Western Supply Building.

Carl Everett got things going for the sox in the 1st inning with a solo blast.But the Pads answered back against Freddy garcia when Phil Nevin cranked out a 3-run homer for a 3-1 Padres lead.

Joe Crede hit a solo shot in the 4th to make it 3-2 Pads,then Everett singled home Scott Podsednik with the tying run in the 5th.

The Pads then added 2 more in the 6th for a 5-3 lead.

The Sox then scored the game-tying runs in the 8th inning on an RBI single by Paul Konerko,and a bases loaded walk by Juan Uribe.

It stayed that way until the 10th when Rowand hit his 3-run bomb.

Cliff Politte picked up the win for the Sox pitching 2 scoreless innings in relief.Trevor Hoffman suffered the loss for the Padres.

SOX 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 3-8 13 1
SD 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 5 10 1

WP- Cliff Politte(3-0)
LP- Trevor Hoffman(0-3)

HR-SOX;Everett(8),Crede(9),Rowand(5)-SD;Nevin(9)

T- 3:22
Att- 38,306
Game time weather-Cloudy,66 degrees

SHAKIN',SHAKIN',SHAKIN'; The Sox got an early morning surprise as they were jolted out of bed by a moderate earthquake that registered 5.6 on the Richter scale.The epicenter was located some 20 miles south of Palm Springs,and 62 miles northeast of San Diego.

Many of the players just slept through the quake.

Freddy Garcia went 6 innings,giving up 5 runs on 10 hits.

White Sox record; 42-20,1st place,5 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jose Contreras was torched for 7 runs in the first 2 innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks ripped the White Sox 8-1 at US Cellular Field.

Conteras(3-3) gave up 4 home runs in the game,including 3 in a 6-run Arizona 2nd inning.

Chris Snyder led off the 2nd with a homer,while later in the inning,Luis Gonzalez hit a 3-run shot,and Troy Glaus followed with a solo blst of his own.

The only run that the Sox got was a Frank Thomas homer in the 4th inning.It was his 3rd of the year.

ARZ 1 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 8 11 0
SOX 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 8 0

WP- Shawn Estes(5-4)
LP- Jose Contreras(3-3)

HR-ARZ;Snyder(3),LGonzalez(10),Glaus(15),Green(8)-SOX;Thomas(3)

T- 2:33
Att- 32,952
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,78 degrees

SNAKE BIT; Shawn Estes went the distance giving up a run on 8 hits,walking none and striking out 5.

Contreras went 6 innings,allowing all 8 runs on 9 hits,walking 3 abd striking out 4 on 118 pitches.

White Sox record; 42-21,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

It was just too much of Javier Vazquez as the visitong Arizona diamondbacks took thier 2nd straight against the White Sox with a 10-4 win.

Things looked promising rather early as the Sox put up 2 runs in the 2nd inning on 1 swing.That was a 2-run shot by Jermaine Dye,his 11th of the year.

The Snakes took a 3-2 lead in the 3rd inning on a solo bomb by Troy Glaus and a 2-run double by ex-Sox SS Royce Clayton.

After Paul Konerko hit a solo homer in the 4th inning to tie it at 3,the D-Backs took the lead for good with 3 in the 5th,and 1 in the 6th.They added 3 more in the 8th inning to seal the game.

The Sox added another run in the bottom of the 9th on a Carl Everett solo homer.

Orlando Hernandez went 4 2/3 innings for the loss,dropping his record to 7-2 on the year.He allowed 6 runs on 8 hits,walking 3 and striking out 3.

ARZ 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 3 0-10 13 2
SOX 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 4 8 1

WP- Javier Vazquez(7-4)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(7-2)

HR-ARZ;Glaus(16),Green(9)-SOX;Dye(11),Konerko(16),Everett(9)

T- 2:49
Att- 24,831
Game time weather- Clear,69 degrees

SNAKE BIT AGAIN; This loss was El Duque's 1st since April 14th against Cleveland.He threw 95 pitches in his 4 2/3 innings.

Scott Podsednik stole his 32nd base of the year.

White Sox record;42-22,1st place,4 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

The White Sox erased a 6-2 deficit in the 6th inning by exploding for 10 runs to give the Sox a 12-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a 3-game set at US Cellular Field.

Jon Garland picked up his 11th win of the year,thanks to the White sox offense,who bailed him out.He looked good until getting rocked in the 5th inning,when he gave up 5 runs to put the Sox in a 6-2 hole.

Then came the 6th inning.Here's how it went down;

- Tadahito Iguchi grounds out to short,1 out

- Frank Thomas homers-AZ 6,SOX 3

- Paul Konerko walks

- Aaron Rowand singles,advancing Konerko to 2nd

- Jermaine Dye singles to left.Konerko scores,Rowand to 2nd;AX 6,SOX 4

- AJ Pierzynski reaches on force attempt.Throwing error by SS.Rowand scores,Dye to 3rd,Pierzynski to 2nd;AZ 6,SOX 5

- Joe Crede reaches on fielders choice,Dye scores; AX 6,SOX 5

- Juan Uribe homers.Peirzynski scores,Crede scores; SOX 8,AZ 6

- Pitching change:Claudio Vargas replaces Russ Ortiz

- Scott Podsednik grounds out 1-3,2 out

- Iguchi triples

- Thomas walks

- Konerko homers,Iguchi and Thomas score;SOX 12,AZ 6

- Rowand flies out to right,3 out

ARZ 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 0- 6 7 2
SOX 0 1 0 0 1(10) 0 0 x- 12 10 0

WP- Jon Garland (11-2)
LP- Russ Ortiz(4-6)

HR-AZ;Tracy(7),Stinnett(2),Clark(11)-SOX;Dye(12),Thomas(4),Uribe(5),Konerko(17)

T- 2:43
Att- 24,499
Game time weather- Clear,64 degrees

WHAT SMALL BALL? The 10-run 6th innig was the biggest inning for the Sox since they put up 11 in the 4th inning at Seattle on April 18,2000.

Garland becomes the first AL pitcher to win 11 games.

White Sox record; 43-22,1st place,5 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle tossed a complete game shutout as the White Sox spoiled the LA Dodgers' 1st trip to 35th and Shields since the 1959 World Series with a 6-0 win.

Buehrle scattered 8 hits to run his record to 8-1 on the year.

The Sox got on the board in the 1st inning on a 2-run single by Paul Konerko.They added another in the 3rd on a single by Tadahito Iguchi,scoring Scott Podsednik.Iguchi went to 2nd on a throwng error by RF Jason Repko to make it 3-0.

Jermaine dye hit a solo shot in the 4th inning to make it 4-0,then in the 7th,Frank Thomas went yard for a 2-run blast to make it 6-0.

Buehrle, was in criuse control the entire night as he struck out 6 in the outing.It was his 17th complete game of his carerr,and 6th career shutout.

Only 1 Dodger reached 2nd base the entire game.

LAD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 8 1
SOX 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 x- 6 6 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(8-1)
LP- DJ Houlton(2-1)

HR-SOX;Dye(13),Thomas(5)

T- 2:24
Att- 28,870
Game time weather- Clear,60 degrees

STREAKIN': Scott Podsednik stole 3 bases in the game to give him a league leading 35 on the season.

This is Buehrle's 42nd consecutive start in which he's gone at least 6 innings.The longest streak by a White Sox pitcher since Jack McDowell went 48 starts from July 4,1992 to September 9,1993.

White Sox record; 44-22,1st place,5 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/images/2005/06/18/Kk9OAbzo.jpg

In what may have been the watershed moment of the season,AJ Pierzynski hit a game-winning 2-run homer off Dodgers closer Yhency Brazoban to cap a 2-out come from behind comeback as the White Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 at US Cellular Field.

With the Sox trailing 3-1 with 2 out in the 9th,Carl Everett singled off Brazoban to scotre Tadahito Iguchi.Everett was lifted for pinch-runner Willie Harris.Harris then stole 2nd base to keep the rally alive.

Then Aaron Rowand hit a bleeder up the middle to score Harris from 2nd with the tying run.

The next batter AJ Pierzynski,drove a 3-2 pitch over the wall in deep left center to send the 36,000 fans into a state of joy.It was AJs 10th of the year,and his 1st career walk-off blast.

Sox starter Freddy Garcia struggled with his control early on,walking 6 batters in the game,and throwing 3 wild pitches.He threw 40 pitches in the 1st inning alone,walking 4 and giving up 2 runs.

He eventually went 8 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits.Cliff Politte picked up the win as he pitched a scoreless 9th inning for the Sox.

LAD 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 3 7 1
SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4- 5 6 0
2 out when winning run scored

WP- Cliff Politte(4-0)
LP- Yhency Brazoban(2-2)

HR-LA;Kent(14)-SOX;Pierzynski(10)

T- 2:34
Att- 36,067
Game time weather- Clear,64 degrees

1959 REVISITED; 11 members of the 1959 AL Champion White Sox were on hand while both the Sox and Dodgers wore 1959 jerseys for the game.

Garcia threw a season high 120 pitches in the game.

White Sox record; 45-22,1st place,6 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Aaron Rowand's 2-RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning capped off another White Sox come from behind winner as they swept the LA Dodgers out of Chicago with a 4-3 win on Sunday Night Baseball.

LA scored a run in the 4th,and 2 in the 5th for a 3-0 lead against starter Jose Contreras.

The Sox began to come back by scoring 2 in the 6th inning on a Willie Harris single,and a Paul Konerko RBI groundout.

In the 8th,after Frank Thomas walked.He was lifted for a PR(Pablo Ozuna).Scott Podsednik then reached on a sac bunt and a throwing error by catcher Jason Phillips.Then Willie Harris advanced both runners into scoring position on a sac bunt.

Next batter,Aaron Rowand then laced a single down the left field line,scoring both Ozuna and Podsednik to give the Sox the 4-3 lead,and the eventual win.

Dustin Hermansen pitched a scoreless 9th for his 16th save,while Cliff Politte picked up his 2nd win in as many nights to up his record to 5-0.

LAD 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0- 3 7 3
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 x- 4 6 0

WP- Cliff Politte(5-0)
LP- Duaner Sanchez(1-3)

T- 2:48
Att- 27,350
Game time weather- Clear,69 degrees

SWEPT AWAY; The sweep by the Sox gives LA thier 6th straight loss.

This was the 21st come from behind win for the Sox this season.

Jose Contreras went 6 2/3 innings,allowing 3 runs on 6 hits,walking 4 and striking out 3.

The 46-22 mark is the best mark for a White Sox team after 68 games since 1915.

White Sox record; 46-22,1st place,7 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Joshua9]

Whoa. It's going to be some good games in August. White Sox vs. Yankees, Red Sox, they were also vs. the O's. I think they took 2 out of 3 of the O's right?

[Chisox73]

Whoa. It's going to be some good games in August. White Sox vs. Yankees, Red Sox, they were also vs. the O's. I think they took 2 out of 3 of the O's right?

Welcome aboard Joshua9. :clapping

We did indeed take 2 of 3 from the O's this year. But this 15-game stretch with the Yankees,Red Sox,and Twins will be good litmus tests for the White sox,regardless how big our lead is.

[Chisox73]

In a wild offensive game monday night,the White Sox pounded out 17 hits en route to an 11-8 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals at US Cellular Field.

Rookie starter Brandon McCarthy made his White Sox home debut in this game.He went 4 2/3 innings,allowing 6 runs on 7 hits,walking 4 and not striking out a batter.He threw 103 pitches in the game.

The Sox got things going in a hurry in the 1st inning when Paul Konerko cranked out his 18th homer of the season.a 3-run shot off KC starter Jose Lima.

After KC scored once in the 2nd,the Sox came up with 2 in the 3rd on a solo **** by Frank Thomas,and an RBI single by Jermaine Dye to make it a 5-1 game.

Both teams scored twice in the 4th.The Royals on a Mark Teaghan 2-RBI double,and in the Sox half of the inning,a run scoring sac fly by Thomas,and an RBI double by Konerko to make it 7-3.

But McCarthy got into big trouble in the 5th inning.The scoring started when with Matt Stairs batting with the bases loaded,McCarthy balked home Angel Berroa to make it 7-4.

Stairs would then double to score 2 runs to cut the Sox lead to 7-6 before McCarthy was pulled.

Jermaine Dye cranked out a solo homer in the bottom of the 5th to give the Sox an 8-6 lead.But reliever Luis Vizcaino promptly gave up the tying runs in the 6th on back-to-back homers from John Buck and Ruben Gotay.

But the Sox would have the last word in the bottom of the 6th when AJ Pierzynski's bloop scored Iguchi and Konerko to regain the lead for the Sox at 10-8.Joe Crede would then drive home Dye with a single to make it 11-8.

Neal Cotts and Dustin Hermansen shut down the Royals the rest of the way.Cotts picked up the win to up his record to 2-0,while Hermansen picked up his 17th save.

KCR 0 1 0 2 3 2 0 0 0- 8 10 0
SOX 3 0 2 2 1 3 0 0 x-11 17 0

WP- Neal Cotts(2-0)
LP- Ryan Jensen(3-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(17)

HR-KC;Buck(6),Gotay(5)-SOX;Konerko(18),Thomas(6)Dye(14)

T- 3:16
Att- 34,345
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,72 degrees

SOX MUSINGS; With his homer tonight,Frank Thomas ties Dave Kingman for 29th place on the all-time home run list with 442 career homers.

Ropyals starter Jose Lima was torched for 7 runs on 10 hits in 4+ innings.

Iguchi,konerko,and Pierzynski each had 3 hits in the game.

The 17 hits were the most hits at home this season for the White Sox.

The Sox have won 8 straight against the Royals since 2004.

White Sox record; 47-22,1st place,8 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jon Garland became baseball's first 12 game winner for 2005 as he barely broke a sweat for 8 1/3 innings as the White Sox crowned the Kansas City Royals 5-1 at US Cellular Field.

Garland was spectacular tonight,allowing a run on 4 hits,throwing 102 pitches.He only allowed a Terrence Long homer in the 9th.Damaso Marte pitched the final 2/3 inning.

The Sox scored twice in the 5th on an RBI groundout by Pablo Ozuna,and an RBI single by Scott Podsednik.

They added 3 more in the 6th on a fielders choince ground out by AJ Pierzynski,and RBI singles by Joe Crede and Pablo Ozuna to make it 5-0.

Only Long's homer in the 9th prevented Garland from a complete game shutout.

KCR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 4 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 x- 5 10 0

WP- Jon Garland(12-2)
LP- Zack Grienke(1-8)

HR-KC;Long(3)

T- 2:23
Att- 28,206
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,70 degrees

ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN'; Last year it took Garland 33 starts for hime to win 12 games.This year,he's done it in his 14th start.

He has only issued 18 walks in 100 2/3 innings pitched.

Scott Podsednik had 3 hits in the game,and Pablo Ozuna had 2 RBIs.

White Sox record; 48-22,1st place,9 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

It was like a walk in the park for Mark Buehrle this afternoon as he hurled 8 innings of 5-hit ball as the White Sox swept the visiting Kansas City Royals for thier 7th win in a row by a 5-1 score.

Buehrle only allowed an unearned run in the 8th inning on a single by Ruben Gotay,scoring Mark Teahen.Other than that,it was all White sox in this game.

The Sox got on the board in the 3rd inning on RBI doubles by Tadahito Iguchi and Frank Thomas.Carl Everett's 3-run bomb in the 5th inning put the game out of reach.

Buehrle has now gone his last 43 starts in which he's gone at least 6 innings.That is the longest such streak sinnce Curt Schilling went 43 starts betweeen June 2,1998 to July 18,1999.

KCR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 5 1
SOX 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 x- 5 8 1

WP- Mark Buehrle(9-1)
LP- JP Howell (1-2)

HR-SOX;Everett(10)

T- 2:04
Att- 24,544
Game time weather- Sunny,70 degrees

ROYAL FLUSH; The Sox scored all 5 runs in the game with 2 out and nobody on to start thier innings.

Mark Buehrle has a home record of 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA.He's 11-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his last 18 afternoon starts.

Paul Konerko had 3 hits in the game,including 2 doubles.

The Sox are now 9-0 against the Royals this season,anbd have won 10 straight against KC dating back to 2004.

White Sox record; 49-22,1st place,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES;VERSION 9.4

On a blistering hot sunny 95 degree Friday afternoon in Chicago,it was the visiting Chicago Cubs who ended up getting sun burned as the White Sox cruised to a 12-2 romp over the Cubs at US Cellular Field for thier 8th straight win.The Sox now become the first team this year to win 50 games this season.

Freddy Garcia ws the latest Sox starter to cruise merrily along as he went 7 innings,allowing only a run on 3 hits,while striking out 8 to run his record to 7-3.

The Sox got on the board in the 1st inning against Cubs starter Sergio Mitre(2-3) on Frank Thomas' laser shot to make it 1-0.

The Cubs tied it in the 3rd on todd Hollandswoth's solo blast.

But it would be all Sox from that point on.They scored 2 in the bottom of the 3rd on a sac fly by Pablo Ozuna,and a wild pitch by Mitre with the bases loaded,scoring Scott Podsednik.

They put up a big crooked number in the 5th inning when they scored 5 times.The big blow in the inning was a 2-run homer by AJ Pierzynski,after a run scoring wild pitch by Todd Wellemeyer.

Pierzynski would double home Aaron Rowand in the 7th inning before Joe Crede launched a 3-run blast off Wellemeyer for a 12-1 lead.

Jason DuBois hit a solo homer for the Cubs in the 8th to close the scoring.

CUB 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0- 2 5 0
SOX 1 0 2 0 5 0 4 0 x-12 13 0

WP- Freddy Garcia(7-3)
LP- Sergio Mitre(2-3)

HR;CUBS;Hollandsworth(3),DuBois(7)-SOX;Thomas(7),Pierzynski(11),Crede(10)

T- 2:42
Att- 39,610(sellout)
Game time weather- Sunny,95 degrees

FEELIN' HOT,HOT,HOT; Scott Podsednik reached base 4 timne today,3 times he walked,and he stole 2 bases to raise his ML total to 38.He also scored twice and was picked off in the 1st inning.

Freddy Garcia is 2-0 against the Cubs this season with an 0.64 ERA.He's 15-6 in Interleague play with a 2.38 ERA.He is 12-1 with a 2.59 ERA in his last 17 afternoon starts.

Pierzynski and Crede each had 3 RBIs for the Sox in the game.

White Sox record; 50-22,1st place,10 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[misfitz69]

This was a beautiful game, and it never seemed as the Sox weren't in control of the game. Freddy's pitching was phenominal. I believe he finished the 5th inning with his 7th K, finishing with 8 over 7 innings, which is fantastic pitching. I think Freddy is really coming into "the zone" if you will, like he's shaken off the rust from earlier. He, combined with Mark and Jon, have a record of 28-6. Very impressive. Throw El Duque in the mix and thats what 35-8 ?!?!? And even with Contreras the Sox are 38-11, still impressive. I'd like to see many other teams have that kind of winning record from their starters. Our bullpen is also amazing. Look at Pollitte, Cotts, and Hermanson. All phenominal this year. Pollitte has been the main surprise, for me anyways. I didn't think he would be this good. 5-0, 1.32 ERA, 30Ks in 27.1 innings. Thats good relief. I hate to sound like a fanboy or anything like that, but This team is really impressing me. How about the rest of you ?

[Chisox73]

How could you not be impressed by what you see so far? :D

Honestly,where would this team be without this starting pitching? The offense is doing exactly what I expected them to do.The bullpen is doing as well as I thought it would do.

All that translates to what could very well be a cakewalk in the Central.

[misfitz69]

Where's the updates at bro ? LOL.........Ya gotta like the sweep of the D Rays, to put us at 31 games over 500. Very Impressive, I think. Lets just keep it up and finish the first half on a good note, with the As in town, maybe Jon can make it to 14-3 for the 1st half. :cool:

[Chisox73]

I'm going to get this thing caught up by the end of the weekend.

Had too many things on the table recently.Sorry about the delay there. :(

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES;VERSION 9.5

Jose Contreras dug himself a huge hole in the 1st inning,and never recovered as Aramis Ramirez' grand slam helped lift the Cubs to a 6-2 win at US Cellular Field to snap the White Sox' 8-game winning streak

The only Sox runs came in the 2nd inning on back-to-back shots by Carl Everett and Jermaine Dye.

The turning point of the game came later in the inning with a man on,Joe Crede hit what could have been the tying home run,but Cubs LF Todd Hollandsworth reached over the wall to take it away.

Contreras(3-4) went 6 1/3 innings,allowing all 6 runs on 8 hits,walking 2 and striking out 3.

CUB 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0- 6 10 2
SOX 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 5 0

WP- Greg Maddux(7-4)
LP- Jose Contreras(3-4)

HR-CUBS;ARamirez(17,grand slam)-SOX;Everett(11),Dye(15)

T- 2:51
Att- 39,241
Game time weather-Sunny,89 degrees

NOT SO HOT; This was the 3rd time that the Sox had had an 8-game winning streak snapped.

After Crede was robbed of a home run in the 2nd,the Sox only had 1 baserunner the rest of the game.

White Sox record; 50-23,1st place,10 1/2 ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

RED LINE SERIES;VERSION 9.6

Jon Garland pitched a real fine game,but his counterpart Mark Prior was near flawless on the hill as he pitched 1-hit ball throgh 6 innings to help lead the Cubs to a 2-0 win to take 2 of 3 from the Sox and even the season series at 3 games apiece.

Prior was making his first start in a month after getting hit in the elbow with a line drive off Colorado's Brad Hawpe.

The game was scoreless going into the 6th inning when Corey Paterson hit a solo homer for a 1-0 Cub lead,they would add another in the 7th to finish the scoring.

Garland went 7 1/3 innings,allowing 2 runs on 4 hits as he lost for only the 3rd time this year.

CUB 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0- 2 5 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 1 1

WP- Mark Prior(5-1)
LP- Jon Garland(12-3)
Save- Ryan Dempster(11)

HR-CUBS;Patterson(11)

T- 2:14
Att- 39,143(sellout)
Game time weather-Sunny,90 degrees

NOTES; Prior threw 71 pitches in his 6 innings,50 of those were strikes.

White Sox record; 50-24,1st place,9 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Mark Buehrle won his 10th game of the year as the White sox edged the Detroit Tigers 2-1 at Comerica Park.

Buehrle went 6 2/3 innings,allowing a run on 8 hits,striking out 6 batters to raise his record to 10-1 on the year.

The Sox scored in the 5th on a sac fly by Scott Podsednik scoring Juan Uribe to tie the game at 1.Jermaine dye gave the Sox the winning margin the following inning with his 16th homer of the year.

Dustin Hermansen picked up his 18th save for the Sox.It wasn't easy though,as Ivan Rodriguez led off the 9th with a triple,but was left stranded to end the game.

SOX 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0- 2 6 1
DET 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 9 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(10-1)
LP- Nate Robertson(3-6)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(18)

HR-SOX;Dye(16)

T- 2:29
Att- 23,602
Game time weather-Cloudy,79 degrees

TIGER TAMING; This is the 44th straight start for Buehrle that he's gone at least 6 innings.That is the longest since Toronto's Pat Hentgen went 47 in a row in 1996-97.

The Sox are now 21-8 in 1-run games,and 24-5 against division opponents.

White Sox record; 51-24,1st place,9 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Frank Thomas launched a solo shot in the top of the 13th inning to give the White Sox a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Clutch defense and timely pitching by Luis Vizcaino and Shingo Takatsu in the late innings held the Tigers at bay until Thomas' balst in the 13th.

The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Joe Cred,and a wild pitch by Tigers starter Jason Johnson.The tigers would tie it in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run blast by Chris Shelton off starter Brandon McCarthy.

Paul Konerko's 19th homer of the season in the 3rd regained the lead for the Sox at 3-2.

Detroit tied it in the 7th on a sac fly by Rondell White,scoring Shelton.It would stay tied until the 13th.

The tigers had plenty of chances to win it late,They had runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out,when Placido Polanco hit a grounder deep in the hole at short.Juan Uribe snagged the ball,and threw a strike to Konerko to just barely nail a sliding Polanco to sent the game to extra innings.

Shingo Takatsu worked a career high 2 2/3 innings for the win.It was his first outing since June 21 against Kansas City.He worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 13th inning to preserve the win.

SOX 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 4 12 0
DET 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 15 0

WP- Shingo Takatsu(1-2)
LP- Fernando Rodney(1-1)

HR- DET;Shelton(4)-SOX;Konerko(19),Thomas(8)

T- 3:59
Att- 19,931
Game time weather- Overcast,80 degrees

OHHH...AHHHH....; There was a spectacular fireworks display in downtown Detroit that started in the 11th inning,and lasting until the 12th.

Brandon McCarthy went 6 1/3 innings,allowing 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5.

Frank Thomas set a new franchise mark for runs scored with his 13th inning blast.He now has scored 1,320 runs,eclipsing the old standard held by Luke Appling.His homer was his 444th of his career.

White Sox record; 52-24,1st place,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Southlake CubsFan]

how many more times do you guys play the twins?

[Chisox73]

We have 12 games left with the Twins,in August and September.Hopefully,they won't mean anything to us by then.

[Southlake CubsFan]

so far it doesnt seem like it will, you guys are just cruising along

[Southlake CubsFan]

how many are at home?

[Chisox73]

I hope by the time we play them,they will be the ones sweating out their Wild Card hopes

[Chisox73]

how many are at home?
6 at home,6 on the road.

We're 5-1 against them so far.

[Southlake CubsFan]

i dont see anything stopping you guys, unless your pitching falls apart which i doubt it will, and your offense seems to be getting hot right?

[Chisox73]

i dont see anything stopping you guys, unless your pitching falls apart which i doubt it will, and your offense seems to be getting hot right?

The offense is up and down,like always.tonight,we couldn't hit Barry Zito for anything in our 10-1 loss.

[Southlake CubsFan]

oh, but whos offense isnt? but hasnt your offense been relativly good as of late?

[Chisox73]

Yeah it has.Thing is,the sox don't have a .300 hitter on the team.Podsednik was hitting .290 coming into Saturday nights game.

[misfitz69]

Its what i like to call a "blue collar" offense and team for that matter. Everyone is doing good. No real stand outs besides Jon and Mark, but no one is doing bad either. Its like theiy're churning along quietly. Nothing to complain about when you're 29 games over .500 :D

[Southlake CubsFan]

Yeah it has.Thing is,the sox don't have a .300 hitter on the team.Podsednik was hitting .290 coming into Saturday nights game.
:eek: wow whats about frank whats he hitting?

[Chisox73]

With Thomas,it's a home run or nothing.Of his 17 hits this season,11 of those have left the yard.He's hitting around .250

[Southlake CubsFan]

how many at bats does he have? not to many right wasnt he injured for a while?

[Chisox73]

Frank has 76 at-bats,and is hitting .239,with 11 homers and 22 RBIs

[misfitz69]

he has like 78 ABs. he missed 50+ games due to injury. 17 hits 11 of those HRs and i believe 3 2Bs.

[Southlake CubsFan]

Frank has 76 at-bats,and is hitting .239,with 11 homers and 22 RBIs
oh alrihgt htanks man, thats insane though, of 17 hits, 11 hrs

[misfitz69]

I stand corrected :rolleyes:

[Chisox73]

He has 18 hits and 2 doubles.

[Southlake CubsFan]

I stand corrected :rolleyes:
you were pretty close, just 2 ab's off

[Chisox73]

And all this since Memorial Day.

[misfitz69]

Seriously, if you walked into the GMs office and sed, "in 26 games, I will hit 11 HRs, 2 2Bs, and 22 RB". They would say how much do you want ? Whats that a 6.9 AB per HR ratio. Who would throw that out of bed ?

[Southlake CubsFan]

no idea, and like ESPN isnt really focusing on his hot streak as much as he deserves it, their to caught up with Boston/New York stuff, its starting to get rather annoying ya know?

[misfitz69]

Ya, I am really tired of the lack of respect that Frank/ChiSox in general are getting or not getting I should say. I mean even in the papers whatever the Cubs do is apparently more news worthy that the Sox. Now tell that that makes sense.

[Chisox73]

no idea, and like ESPN isnt really focusing on his hot streak as much as he deserves it, their to caught up with Boston/New York stuff, its starting to get rather annoying ya know?

I don't even bother with them,I just concern myself with what's going on here.

[Southlake CubsFan]

i dont know about the newspaper things since i live in texas, but when i did live up there i got the tribune and i just figured they would press the cubs more, but your right about how the sox deserve more press than the cubs, the better team earns it and that would be you guys since you guys are 1st place

[misfitz69]

exactly. The Sox have been the best in baseball all season long, and still get no respect and a bunch of "when will the wheels fall off" from jackasses like mariotti and Rome and the rest. I like when we keep proving them all wrong.

[Southlake CubsFan]

exactly. The Sox have been the best in baseball all season long, and still get no respect and a bunch of "when will the wheels fall off" from jackasses like mariotti and Rome and the rest. I like when we keep proving them all wrong.
speaking of mariottie and rome where are they? they havent been on their shows in a while

[misfitz69]

we're all saddened by this too. LOL. I guess on vacation. maybe together. hehehe

[Chisox73]

speaking of mariottie and rome where are they? they havent been on their shows in a while
Let them stay away. :laugh

[Southlake CubsFan]

i think marioiti is hillarious on ATH, him and woody paige, but im going to go so i'll talk to you guys later, nice chat btw

[Chisox73]

ok,take care now. :waving

[Southlake CubsFan]

haha alrihgt later, wow this is weird a cubs fan and two sox fans getting along. who would have thunk it? :laugh

[misfitz69]

Yup. Very entertaining. Well Im off to bed too. Later guys, hopefully Sox can pull it out tomorrow.

[Chisox73]

haha alrihgt later, wow this is weird a cubs fan and two sox fans getting along. who would have thunk it? :laugh

That's what makes this game so great.We'll be the ones in the next XM commercials

[Chisox73]

Freddy Garcia continued his daylight mastery as he went the distance against the Detroit Tigers to complete a 3-game sweep with a 6-1 win at Comerica Park.

Garcia(8-3) allowed only a 2nd inning run,and giving up only 5 hits in the game,walking 1 and striking out 8.

The Sox got the offense going in the 5th when Joe Crede's 3-run blast off losing pitcher Mike Maroth(5-9) put the Sox ahead 3-1.Carl Everett aded a 2-run shot in the 6th inning,and they tacked on another in the 8th on a Jermaine Dye double.

SOX 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 0- 6 9 1
DET 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1

WP- Freddy Garcia(8-3)
LP- Mike Maroth(5-9)

HR-SOX;Crede(11),Everett(12)

T- 2:08(2:04 rain delay)
Att- 23,447
Game time weather; Rain,70 degrees

SWEEPING AWAY; The Sox are 5-0 at Comerica this season,and 7-1 overall against Detroit this year.They are 26-5 against Central division foes.

Garcia improves to 13-2 in his last 17 road starts and 13-1 in his last 18 afternoon starts.

The Sox finished with an 18-7 record for the month of June.

White Sox record; 53-24,1st place,9 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jose Contreras struggled with his control as the Sox dropped the 1st of a 3-game set to the surging Oakland A's by a 6-2 margin at the McAfee Coliseum.

Contreras(3-5) walked 7 batters in 4 1/3 innings of work.He alowed 4 runs on 4 hits in his outing.

The Sox put up 2 runs in the 1st inning on a throwing error by A's 1B Dan Johnson,allowing Scott Poodsednik to score,and Carl Everett doubled home Aaron Rowand to make it 2-0.That would be all the offense the Sox would get.

The A's scored twice in the 4th,and 2 more in the 5th on bases loaded walks by Kevin Walker and Luis Vizcaino.They would add 2 more in the 8th when Scott Hatteberg drove in 2 with a single.

SOX 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 4 0
OAK 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 x- 6 7 1

WP- Rich Harden(5-3)
LP- Jose Contreras(3-5)

HR-none

T- 3:08
Att- 15,293
Game time weather- Clear,63 degrees

CHAMBER OF HORRORS; Contreras threw 97 pitches in 4 1/3 innings,50 of those were strikes.

Sox pitchers walked 10 A's batters in the game.

The Sox are now 3-20 at Oakland since 2001

OZZIE QUOTE OF THE DAY; Maybe next year,they should move the games against us to SBC Park in SF.It couldn't get any worse.

White Sox record; 53-25; 1st place,9 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Forgive me while I jump for joy here,but the Sox accomplished a rare feat this evening.They won a baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum.Something they have only done 3 times previously since 2001.

Jon Garland became the 1st 13-game winner in the majors this year.

The Sox got on the board first in the 2nd inning on RBI singles by Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede.But the A's tied it in the 4th on an RBI double by Bobby Crosby,and an RBI single by Eric Chavez.

Frank Thomas made it a 3-2 Sox lead in the 6th when he drove in Willie Harris from 2nd.But the A's tied it again in the bottom of the frame when Chavez hit a sac fly woth the bases loaded,scoring Jason Kendall.

But the big blow came in the 7th when Joe Crede hit a solo homer off losing pitcher Kirk Saarloos(4-5) to give the Sox the lead for good.They added an insurance run in the 9th when Timo Perez doubled home AJ Pierzynski to make it a 5-3 game.

Cliff Politte pitched a scoreless 8th and Dustin Hermanse puitched a scoreless 9th for his 19th save of the year.

SOX 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1- 5 10 1
OAK 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0- 3 5 0

WP- Jon Garland(13-3)
LP- Kirk Saarloos(4-5)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(19)

HR-SOX;Crede(12)

T- 2:13
Att- 45,712(sellout)
Game time weather-Clear,65 degrees

SEEING GREEN; Garland picked up his 13th win in 16 starts.his 13 wins represent a career high for him.He becomes the 3rd White Sox pitcher since 1975 to win at least 13 games before the All-Star Break.The others were Jim Kaat(1975) and Jack McDowell(1993).

Garland went 7 innings,allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in the game.

Joe Crede was 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBIs in the game,and was walked intentionally in the 9th to load the bases after Perez' RBI double.

White Sox record; 54-25,1st place,9 1/2 games ahea of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Things returned to normal at Oakland Sunday afternoon as the White Sox dropped the finale of a 3-game set by a 7-2 score.

Mark Buehrle's thorwing error in the 6th inning opened up the flood gates as the A's erased a 2-0 Sox lead.

The Sox scored their only runs on solo homers by Frank Thomas in the 4th,and Jermaine Dye in the 5th off starter Barry Zito.

Zito was in command the whole game,but then again,so was Buehrle.That is until the 6th.With runners on 1st and second and 0 out,Eric Byrnes hit what should have been a sure double play ball to Buehrle.He had trouble fielding the ball,and threw wildly past Pablo Ozuna,who was covering 2nd,allowing Eric Chavez to score.

Later,Keith Ginter got an infield hit scoring Bobby Kielty to tie the game at 2.Jason Kendall then hit an RBI single and Mark Kotsay hit an RBI double to make it a 4-2 game.

The A's added 3 more in the 7th inning to put the game away.

For the game,Buehrle(10-2) went 6 1/3 innings,giving up 7 runs,4 earned on a career-high 14 hits.This was his first loss since April 10th,snapping a career-high 9 game winning streak.

SOX 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0- 2 6 1
OAK 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 x- 7 16 0

WP- Barry Zito(5-8)
LP- Mark Buehrle(10-2)

HR-SOX; Thomas(9),Dye(17)

T- 2:20
Att- 22,596
Game time weather- Sunny,67 degrees

LET'S GET OUT OF TOWN; The Sox have now dropped 20 of the last 24 in Oakland since 2001.It was thier last game at the Coliseum this season,unless they meet up in the playoffs.

Mark Buehrle was named to the AL All-Star Game,along with Paul Konerko and Jon Garland.

White Sox record;54-26,1st place,8 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

It was not a Star Spangled Night for starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Hideo Nomo as the White Sox jumped out to a huge lead early,only to hang on to defeat the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-8 at US Cellular Field.

The Sox got things going early as Paul Konerko singled home Scott Podsednik in the 1st inning.Later in the inning,Jermaine Dye hit a grand slam to make it a seemiongly safe 5-0 lead.

The teams traded solo homers in the 2nd inning.Nick Green for the Rays,and Juan Uribe for the Sox.

In the 3rd innig,McCarthy got into trouble as Aubrey Huff cranked out a 3-run homer to make it a 6-4 game.McCarthy did not make it past the 4th when the D-Rays scored another run to cut the lead to 6-5.

Luis Vizcaino pitched 2 innings of scoreless ball for the win,as he was stellar in relieving McCarthy.

The Sox put up a crooked number on the board in the 5th inning when Dye drove in 2 more with a single,then Juan Uribe hit a sac fly to score Aaron Rowand,then later,Podsednik drove in Dye with a single.

Tampa came back with 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 8th to make it 10-8,but that would be as close as they would get.

Dustin Hermansen pitched a scoreless 9th for his 20th save.

TAM 0 1 3 1 0 2 0 1 0- 8 14 0
SOX 5 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 x- 10 11 0

WP- Luis Vizcaino(3-2)
LP- Hideo Nomo(5-7)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(20)

HR- TB;Green(4),Huff(7),Crawford(8)-SOX;Dye(18),Uribe(6)

T- 3:11(2:09 rain delay)
Att- 37,351
Game time weather- Cloudy,72 degrees

4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS; Brandon McCarthy went 3+ innings,allowing 5 runs on 8 hits,walking 2 and striking out 2.He was optioned to AAA Charlotte after the game.

Tampa starter Hideo Nomo did not fare much better.He was torched for 8 runs on 8 hits in 4+ innings.

Jermaine Dye was 2-3 with 2 runs scored and 6 RBIs in the game,a career-high.His slam in the 1st inning was his 5th career grand slam.

White Sox record; 55-26,1st place,8 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Frank Thomas' 3-run blast in the 8th inning lifted the White Sox to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at The Cell.

This was Thomas' 10th home run since coming off the DL on May 30th.

The Rays scored in the 1st inning on a Carl Crawford solo homer off starter Freddy Garcia.

Jermaine Dye belted his 2nd homer in as many nights to tie the game at 1 in the 2nd.

After Nick Green singled home Aubrey Huff to make it a 2-1 Rays lead,the Sox tied it again on an infield hit by Juan Uribe,scoring Dye.

The Rays put up 2 in the 6th on a ground-rule double by Damon hollins,and a fielder's choice by Green.

The Sox then scored a run on Pablo Ozuna's grounder into center field,scoring Aaron Rowand in the 7th.

Then in the 8th,after Podsednik doubled,and Tadahito Iguchi singled,Frank Thomas came up and drilled a 1-0 pitch 418-feet away off Lance Carter to give the Sox the lead.

Cliff Politte picked up the win in relief,pitching only 1/3 inning and raising his record to 6-0.Dustin Hermansen picked up his 21st save of the season.

TAM 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0- 4 8 0
SOX 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 x- 6 12 0

WP- Cliff Politte(6-0)
LP- Lance Carter(1-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(21)

HR-TB;Crawford(9)-SOX;Dye(19),Thomas(10)

T- 2:29
Att- 21,555
Game time weather- Cloudy,75 degrees

FLYIN' HIGH; The Sox with the win are now 30 games over .500 on the season.

Thomas has 17 hits in 69 at-bats,10 of those hits left the premises.

Freddy Garcia went 7 innings,alloowing 4 runs on 8 hits,walking 2 and striking out 4 in a no-decision.

White Sox record; 56-26,1st place,9 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Jose Contreras pitched 6 solid innings as the Sox completed a 3-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with a 7-2 win at US Cellular Field.

The Rays jumped on the board in the 1st inning on Aubrey Huff's 8th homer of the year,a solo shot.

But from there,it was all Sox.In the 3rd inning,Tadahito Iguchi singled home Pablo Ozuna to tie it at 1.Then Carl Everett singled home Scott Podsednik and Iguchi scored on an error by Joey Gathright to make it 3-1 Sox.

In the 4th,Juan Uribe hits a sac fly to score Jermaine Dye.Pablo Ozuna was thrown out advancing to 2nd.

Then the very next inning,Frank Thomas hit his second 3-run bomb in as many nights to put it away at 7-1.

Jorge Cantu hit a solo shot in the 7th to complete the scoring.

TAM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0-2 7 1
SOX 0 0 3 1 3 0 0 0 x- 7 12 0

WP- Jose Contreras(4-5)
LP- Casey Fossum(3-7)

HR- TB;Huff(8),Cantu(14)-SOX;Thomas(11)

T- 2:37
Att- 24,773
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,72 degrees

SWEPT AWAY; Bobby6 Jenks made his sox debut in the game.He was called up after Brandon McCarthy was ent down.He has been clocked at 100mph,and has an 86 mph curve ball.

Jenks pitched a scoreless 9th inning,walking 1 and striking out 2.

White Sox record; 57-26,1st place,10 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Yankee Pride]

I get aggrevated when I see El Duque pitch a gem and he doesn't get any run support. Oh well , hopefully he will do the same next start and the Sox will score for him .

I hope Contreras can overcome the "red sox own him" mentality , I think he couldn't handle it when he was on the Yankees , hopefull he can dominate like the pitcher he is.

[Chisox73]

The thing about Contreras was that he always had trouble at Fenway.He has a career ERA of 13 in Boston.

He may have an advantage this afternoon in Chicago as the temperature is supposed to be 100 degrees this afternoon.He may be able to handle it better than Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo.

[JohnnysGhost]

Well The last 2 weeks are upon us,and i look at the standings,and see the White Sox lead down to 3.5,with Cleveland coming in for 3,this week.Earlier in the summer,i asked how Chi-town,was embracing the Sox,Most of the feed-back was a quiet,condidence.(who wouldnt be with a 15 game lead on Aug.1st?)But Cleveland has been on-fire,while the Sox seem to be rather,medza-medza for a month and a half.As an outsider,What happened?This "collapse",Is almost Worthy of The Cubs, :grouchy ,

[SantaFeJim]

CHISOX73 -

Please don't forget to update the SOX Schedule. The most important games aka the World Series games.
:gt
Thank you.

[Chisox73]

I'm going to start updating this week.Everything should be updated within the next couple of weeks or so.

Thanks.:D

[Chisox73]

Garland drops final first-half start
High pitch count limits starter to shortest outing
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
CHICAGO -- After working his shortest stint during 17 first-half starts Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field, the last thing Jon Garland wanted to talk about was starting the 76th All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Detroit.
The right-hander still was focused on Oakland's 4-2 victory before 33,623, dropping Garland to 13-4 over the best three-month stretch of his Major League career. Garland allowed three runs on eight hits, but seemed to be quite a bit more bothered by the 111 pitches that limited him to five innings on the mound.

"To me, I didn't do my job," said Garland of working five innings, marking just the second time in 2005 that he hasn't lasted at least six. "I at least want to go seven, eight [innings] and stick around for a true win or loss and I didn't do that.

"We had to go to the bullpen early, and it hurt us," Garland added.

While Garland's line wasn't nearly as impressive as most of his previous stellar work for the 57-27 White Sox, the A's (42-43) deserve a great deal of the credit. They improved to 5-2 against the South Siders this season by following a very patient approach, fouling off 35 pitches against the All-Star hurler.

The A's scored two in the third on four hits, although none of them were especially well stroked. Bobby Crosby brought home the second tally with a perfectly placed grounder just inside the first-base bag. They added a run in the fifth, when shortstop Juan Uribe made a spectacular stop on Mark Kotsay's grounder up the middle but couldn't throw him out at first, allowing Marco Scutaro to race home.

"They made him work," said manager Ozzie Guillen of the A's against Garland. "When you face the Oakland A's, those guys are going to get you deep in the count. They don't swing the bat at bad pitches. They will try to get the pitch count up."

"I put my team in a hole early, put us down two runs," Garland added. "We had some chances early, and it didn't happen for us. That's my big thing this year is I'm trying to let us score first, and it didn't happen tonight."

If Garland's night could be considered disappointing, then Willie Harris' body of work would be classified as completely forgettable. That classification came from Harris himself.

Harris earned a rare start at second in place of Tadahito Iguchi, who joined Aaron Rowand and Frank Thomas on the bench, and finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Harris left five runners on base, before Thomas struck out as a ninth-inning pinch-hitter for Harris against Huston Street to end the game with Uribe on base.

It was one of those rare occasions this season where the American League Central leaders couldn't muster a memorable comeback.

"We are known for coming back in the eighth and ninth, but we aren't going to win every game," said Harris, who was part of a 1-for-18 effort from the Nos. 2-6 hitters. "They held us down tonight.

"This was a terrible night," added Harris of his own showing. "I'm not going to sit around and be upset because I didn't have a great night. I can do a better job than what I showed. It's embarrassing to me, but it's part of the game. You won't get three hits every time you play."

Kirk Saarloos improved to 5-5 by allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. Justin Duchscherer pitched two scoreless innings, setting up Street, who is proving to be one of the few All-Star pitchers who have produced successful efforts since last Sunday's announcement.

In fact, on Friday night, Garland and Dontrelle Willis became the fifth and sixth All-Stars to lose this week. Garland performed pretty well, in comparison to some of the other line scores.

Willis, who also failed to become the Majors' first 14-game winner, gave up eight runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs. Baltimore closer B.J. Ryan allowed four earned runs on three hits during two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the Yankees, while the Angels' Bartolo Colon was roughed up for seven runs in six innings Thursday by the Mariners.

Even Roy Halladay was hit hard, literally and figuratively. Texas knocked out two home runs against the Toronto ace Friday, before Halladay left in the third after taking a line drive off of his left ankle.

That injury could open the door for Garland to get the American League starting nod, a well-deserved honor for a pitcher who already has set a single-season high in victories. But Garland wasn't thinking about Detroit on Friday.

Guillen's only thought was to have a well-rested Garland for his first second-half start next Saturday in Cleveland.

"I'm not even worried about that," said Garland of the All-Star start. "I'm still thinking about this game. I gave my team some chances, and we went out and have been playing good ball. As long as we continue playing the way we've been playing, we'll be all right."

"I hope Garland doesn't even pitch," added Guillen with a smile, pointing out that Garland already earned a $15,000 bonus simply by being selected. "[AL manager Terry] Francona is a pro and knows what he has to do with pitchers. Hopefully, he takes care of mine. I don't make the lineup so I can't put my nose in there."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

OAK 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0- 4 13 0
SOX 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0- 2 9 0

WP- Kirk Saarloos(5-5)
LP- Jon Garland(13-4)
Save- Huston Street(5)

HR- none

T- 2:55
Att- 33,623
Game time weather-Clear,77 degrees

NOTES;Jon Garland threw 11 pitches in 5 innings of work.He gave up 3 runs on 8 hits.

Scott Podsednik was 2-3 in the game with 2 stolen bases,upping his AL lead to 43.

Every Oakland starter in the lineup got at least 1 hit,except for 1B Dan Johnson.

White Sox record;57-27,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Bad Luck Continues for Buehrle
Guillen points to a lack of effort as first half closes
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Ozzie Guillen proved on Saturday night that important lessons can be learned even during a 10-1 shellacking, administered by Oakland before 38,318 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Guillen also showed that behind the infinitely entertaining stand-up routine known as his daily pregame interview session with the media and his special bond with the players lies a focused man in charge, with a definitive plan for success.

Juan Uribe led off the eighth inning of this disaster, played before the seventh sellout of the season on the South Side, with a towering fly ball to left. Eric Byrnes quickly moved over on a ball that looked as if it would reach the stands, but camped under it at the last second to record the first out in fair territory.

Even if Byrnes didn't make the play, there's a good chance Uribe wouldn't have reached second base. The usually hard-working Uribe never moved more than two steps out of the batter's box. Willie Harris replaced Uribe at shortstop for the top of the ninth inning, and Uribe met briefly with Guillen in his office after the team's second straight loss at home to Oakland to discuss the mental hiccup.

A very direct and no-nonsense Guillen explained after the game that camaraderie shouldn't be confused with a lack of concern for his players' actions. Guillen felt that Uribe and the rest of the team violated one of his very few rules -- always play hard.

"I don't want to embarrass Uribe and take him out at that particular time," Guillen said. "I just talked to him in my office. He knows he didn't run. I'm going to show my players that I'm here for real.

"Because we are friends or because we get along real well, I'm going to let the players do what they want to do? They got the wrong man."

After a momentary pause, Guillen quickly added that maybe Barry Zito (6-8) was the reason for the White Sox's lackadaisical night. The left-hander allowed one run on two hits over seven strong innings, improving to 4-0 with a 2.94 ERA in five career starts at U.S. Cellular.

Zito also improve to 7-2 with a 3.18 ERA lifetime against the White Sox. His only trouble came in the sixth, when Scott Podsednik singled and Tadahito Iguchi walked to lead off the frame, and then pulled off a double steal. But the White Sox could only cut a 2-0 deficit in half, by virtue of Frank Thomas' long sacrifice fly to center.

With Iguchi on third base and one out, Paul Konerko popped out to third baseman Eric Chavez. Aaron Rowand followed with his third strikeout of the night, ending the inning. It was Zito's second win over the White Sox in the same week, both coming with Mark Buehrle (10-3) on the mound for the South Siders.

"I thought they said he was struggling, but he seems to be the Barry I know of old," said Thomas of Zito. "We had opportunities, but he made pitches and we just didn't come through.

"This team has been used to situations happening for us all year, and we didn't come through at times that were a big letdown in the game," Thomas added.

Buehrle, who could earn a starting job for the American League All-Stars on Tuesday, has allowed 19 runs over three starts against Oakland this season. He has given up 30 during his other 14 efforts. The left-hander deserved a much better fate Saturday, but instead fell to 2-8 in his career against the A's and suffered his first home loss of 2005 in eight decisions.

Oakland touched Buehrle for five runs on six hits over seven innings, the 46th straight start that the left-hander has pitched at least six innings. But three of those runs were unearned due to Pablo Ozuna's second of two errors committed at third base. Ozuna started for Joe Crede, who was sidelined once again by tightness in his lower back.

Ozuna misplayed Nick Swisher's grounder leading off the seventh, with the White Sox trailing by a 2-1 margin. Buehrle retired the next two hitters, which would have ended a scoreless inning, before giving up Jason Kendall's bloop single to center. On a 1-2 pitch to Mark Kotsay, the left-handed-hitting center fielder crushed his seventh home run to right.

Despite the miscues, Buehrle certainly didn't lay the loss on Ozuna's glove.

"Ozuna has been there for us all year. He's made some outstanding plays," Buehrle said. "He's had one bad game, and I've had three or four of them this year.

"As the starting pitcher, that is just when you have to step up and make a pitch to get out of it. I left a hanging changeup, and [Kotsay] took advantage of it."

The White Sox currently have a 2-6 record against Oakland (43-43) in 2005, not to mention an 11-33 mark when facing the A's since 2001. They are 55-22 against the rest of baseball.

Saturday marked only the team's third series dropped at home, and they have to win Sunday to avoid their first three-game sweep. But Guillen isn't concerned about the Oakland hex, as much as he wants to see a better overall team effort going into the All-Star break.

"If they feel comfortable, I'm not," said Guillen of his team's 10-game lead in the American League Central. "If we think we are that good, we are not.

"I know my team better than anyone and I was a little disappointed in the way we played today. As a team, this was a really weak effort. We have played better than that."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

OAK 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 2- 10 11 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 3 2

WP- Barry Zito(6-8)
LP- Mark Buehrle(10-3)

HR-OAK;Kotsay(7),Chavez(12)

T- 2:39
Att- 38,318(sellout)
Game time weather- Clear,78 degrees

GREEN WITH ENVY;The Sox had 1 runner reach 3rd base in the game.After Tadahito Iguchi doubled in the 1st,he went to 3rd on a wild pitch by Barry Zito.

Zito went 7 innings,giving up a run on 2 hits.Buehrle went 6 innings,allowing 5 runs,2 earned on 6 hits.

Scott Podsednik stole his 44th base of the season in the game.

White Sox record;57-28,1st place,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox Limp Into All-Star Break
South Siders swept for the first time in 2005
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050710&content_id=1124355&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The best news for the White Sox at the All-Star break is not that they have a nine-game lead over Minnesota in the American League Central.
It's not that Paul Konerko, Scott Podsednik, Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland will be representing the organization at the 76th All-Star Game on Tuesday in Detroit. And it's not that the White Sox's 57-29 record stands as the best in all of baseball.

Ozzie Guillen and his charges should truly celebrate that Sunday was their last game against Oakland in 2005. The season series ended in the manner it played out during much of the past five years, with Oakland claiming a 9-8 victory in 11 innings before 33,221 at U.S. Cellular Field.

Oakland (44-43) completed the first three-game sweep of the White Sox this season and the first at home since Boston did the job from Aug. 20-22, 2004. The White Sox fell to 11-34 when facing Oakland since 2001, including a final 2-7 mark in 2005. That record would hold up, unless they meet again in the postseason.

Simply put, the A's beat the White Sox at their own game. They stuck to their game plan against the South Siders' top hitters, with Frank Thomas joking in astonishment that he saw 13 consecutive sliders over three straight at-bats Sunday. They put the ball in play, moved the runners over and did everything that White Sox fans have admired so much about their team in 2005.

"It seemed like everyone [on Oakland] was bubbling at the same time," said Thomas, who had two hits and drove in one run Sunday, but was also thrown out at the plate in the first inning.

"I give credit to the team we faced," Guillen added. "I know what happened in the game, and those guys did what they were supposed to do."

While Oakland survived for its 13th victory in 16 games, Guillen was pleased to see the fight return to his squad. Trailing by an 8-6 margin in the bottom of the ninth against Oakland closer Huston Street and his 1.36 ERA over 34 games, the White Sox rallied to force extra innings.

Konerko started the comeback with his 20th home run, a line drive off the left-field foul pole. Konerko entered the game hitting .238, but with four singles and his late-inning blast, the first baseman exited at .249 and with a new single-game high for hits. It would have been a bit more enjoyable for the All-Star if the White Sox could have pushed across one more in the ninth.

"There's some luck involved. I didn't hit all of those balls hard, but they dropped in," Konerko said of his five hits. "You can't figure it out. I'll enjoy it as much as I can, even though we lost the game. But you can't celebrate it as much in defeat."

Carl Everett, who hit his 13th home run earlier to give the White Sox a one-run lead, followed with an infield single, and he moved to second on Aaron Rowand's sacrifice. A.J. Pierzynski took a called third strike for the inning's second out, but the game was delayed for nearly 10 minutes after home-plate umpire Marty Foster ejected Pierzynski for flipping his bat in the air upon leave the batter's box.

Guillen came out to argue, claiming he was just trying to protect Pierzynski, whose intent wasn't to show up the umpire. In the process, he iced the rookie on the mound, who gave up Timo Perez's game-tying double two pitches later.

"I think [Guillen's] just a competitor, and he might have had a problem with the pitch [to Pierzynski], which I thought was a good one," Street said. "But if he had ulterior motives, that's probably smart, too."

"Ozzie prolonged it as long as he wanted to," Oakland manager Ken Macha added. "Somebody could have stopped it if he wanted to, but apparently his beef was a good one."

Nick Swisher gave Oakland the lead with a run-scoring double in the top of the 11th off Luis Vizcaino (3-3), the fourth hurler to follow starter Freddy Garcia and his 102 pitches over six innings to the mound. The White Sox moved pinch-runner Jermaine Dye as far as second in the bottom of the inning, but Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez made a diving stop of Chris Widger's ground ball and threw out the reserve catcher by one step at first to end the 3-hour, 47-minute affair.

"We really wanted that win, and they found a way to suck it out of us," Thomas said. "They beat us, playing total team baseball. That's what you saw from [our] team in the first half."

White Sox players scattered quickly after the defeat, some trying to catch flights to get home to see their respective families. Guillen was headed back to Florida, to watch his youngest son play baseball, among other things, while maybe catching a little of the All-Star Game.

But he doesn't intend on watching much television during the break. He doesn't want to hear how the three-game sweep shows his team as mere mortals, a mini-slide many skeptics expected to come most of the first half.

It's a fresh start, though, come Thursday in Cleveland, and Oakland won't be part of that second-half schedule.

"We lose everything today. We lost the game. We lost our flights. I hope my wife is still there at home," said Guillen, drawing a big laugh from the media. "Now, we have a chance to win the division. Oakland is leaving."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

OAK 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 1- 9 15 3
SOX 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 0- 8 17 1

WP- Huston Street(3-1)
LP- Luis Vizcaino(3-3)

HR-OAK;Johnson(4),Kotsay(8),Swisher(11)-SOX;Everett(13),Konerko(20)

T- 3:47
Att- 33,221
Game time weather- Sunny,85 degrees

HEADING FOR THE BREAK; Paul Konerko went 5-6 in the game with a homer and 3 runs scored.

Starter Freddy Garcia went 6 innings,allowing 4 runs on 9 hits,walking 3 and striking out 4.

Podsednik,Thomas,Rowand,Everett,and Pierzynski each had 2 hits for the Sox in the game.

White Sox record at the All-Star Beark;57-29,1st place,9 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Contreras in control as White Sox Win
Righty tosses seven shutout innings in Cleveland
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050714&content_id=1131232&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CLEVELAND -- Jose Contreras started the second half in the same manner that he finished the first, producing a very stingy quality start.
The White Sox opened action after the All-Star break with the same exact 1-0 victory in which they began this spectacular 2005 campaign. Both wins came against the Indians, only Thursday's whitewash took place at Jacobs Field.

Then again, if the White Sox and Indians are battling, there's a good chance the game is going to be tight. The South Siders hold a 7-3 advantage over Cleveland (47-42) this season, with six wins coming by one run and the seventh coming by a two-run differential.

"It's like that every time we play," said catcher A.J. Pierzynski of the highly competitive rivalry with the third-place Indians. "You don't see too many 1-0 games, especially in this park."

Thursday's shutout, the sixth of the season for the White Sox (58-29), pretty much followed the blueprint laid out by the team during the first 86 games. Solid starting pitching, leading to flawless bullpen work, coupled with just enough offense, produces victories more often than not.

Contreras (5-5) had been one of the few factors to work outside of that successful equation, although manager Ozzie Guillen mentioned that most of the doubt surrounding the right-hander came from rough starts against Arizona on June 13 and at Oakland on July 1. Before the break, Contreras stated that he physically felt great and hadn't lost an ounce of confidence. He also planned for the second half to almost serve as a new season.

Contreras allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out one Cleveland hitter in every frame while walking three.

Nonetheless, he pitched out of tight situations with runners in scoring position during the third, fourth and fifth. Contreras settled down before exiting, retiring eight of the final nine hitters he faced. His split-finger was as good as it has been since coming to the White Sox in a deal with the Yankees at the trade deadline last year, but the split-finger was set up by his ability to locate the fastball.

This recent resurgence, in which the right-hander has allowed nine hits and two runs over the last 13 innings, has nothing to do with trade rumors involving his name swirling around.

"Those rumors come because the numbers that were there were not numbers pitchers should have on a wining team," said Contreras through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. "I wasn't throwing the ball like I thought. Now, I can be more aggressive, and it's a different half. As long as I win, I'm confident I'll have my job."

"If this kid continues to throw the way he has during the last two starts, watch out," added Guillen, who mentioned that Contreras pitched through cramps, caused by fluid loss, in the sixth and seventh. "This kid has the chance to be outstanding, but he also has the chance to be real bad."

Frank Thomas' RBI double, just out of the reach of Coco Crisp's leaping effort in left field in the first inning, brought home Tadahito Iguchi with the game's only run. The White Sox had a chance to blow the game open early against Kevin Millwood (3-8), but Jermaine Dye struck out swinging and Pierzynski grounded out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta to end a bases-loaded, one-out threat.

The White Sox swiped four bases against Millwood and Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez, led by three from Scott Podsednik, giving him a Major League-best 47 for the season. Podsednik stole two bases in the eighth after a swinging bunt single, putting him on third with one out. Millwood struck out Iguchi and Thomas to end the threat.

Cliff Politte, Damaso Marte and Dustin Hermanson worked the final two innings, and Hermanson collected his 22nd save. The relief corps struck out four straight over the eighth and ninth. Marte, who came off the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game, made his first appearance since June 26, and he picked up three of those four strikeouts.

"That's the hardest I've seen him throw this year," said Pierzynski of Marte, who regularly hits 95 or 96 mph on the speed gun.

For the fourth time this season, Chicago avoided a four-game losing streak. The White Sox lost three straight to the A's before the All-Star break. Their lead moved back to double digits at 10 games, thanks to the Angels' 3-2 victory at Minnesota.

Cleveland currently sits 12 games behind the White Sox and basically has just the Wild Card to focus on in terms of postseason aspirations. But the White Sox aren't concerned about putting away the Indians during this four-game series.

They simply want to play the same winning brand of baseball they put forth during the first half and focus on what they need to do to move closer to their first goal -- reaching the postseason.

"I don't think we are trying to look at who we are playing," said Hermanson of the White Sox, who now own a 23-9 record in one-run games and a 27-5 mark against the American League Central. "We are just trying to win games.

"We don't care what other teams think, whether they are giving up or not. Our job is to get as far away from everyone as we can. The season is still far, far from over."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 7 0
CLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 0

WP- Jose Contreras(5-5)
LP- Kevin Millwood(3-8)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(22)

HR-none

T- 2:56(:11 rain delay)
Att- 21,472
Game time weather- Overcast,78 degrees

SHOOTING BLANKS;Contreras went 7 innings,giving up 3 hits and striking out 7 Indian batters.

Scott Podsednik stole 3 bases in the game to extend his league lead to 47 on the season.

White Sox record; 58-29,1st place,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Opportunistic Sox Beat Up Tribe
Garcia wins ninth, unbeaten in last 11 starts
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050715&content_id=1132164&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CLEVELAND -- The Chicago White Sox 2005 juggernaut seems to be somewhat comparable to dealing with a petulant young child.
If you give him or her an inch of wiggle room, the youngster is certain to take far greater advantage of the situation.

That sort of approach was on display Friday from the most skillfully opportunistic team in all of baseball, during a 7-1 beating of the Indians (47-43), before 29,684 at Jacobs Field. The White Sox finished with two extra-base hits among their 11, some of which barely reached the outfield grass, but they didn't need any more offense with their perfect execution.

In fact, the White Sox pushed four across in the first inning with the benefit of only two hits and one gigantic Cleveland mistake. After C.C. Sabathia (6-6) retired Pablo Ozuna on a seven-pitch ground out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta and fanned Tadahito Iguchi to start the game, he issued eight straight pitches out of the strike zone to Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko.

Sabathia appeared to strike out Carl Everett, escaping any damage, but his wild pitch got past catcher Victor Martinez and loaded the bases. The big left-hander jumped ahead with two quick strikes against Jermaine Dye, only to eventually walk him and force home the game's first run. He followed the same pattern against Aaron Rowand, who blooped a 3-2 pitch in front of center fielder Grady Sizemore to score two more. Chris Widger completed the rally with an RBI single to right.

Not only did the White Sox provide a significant early cushion for Freddy Garcia (9-3), but they also forced Sabathia to throw 43 pitches. He was out of the game after five innings, with a pitch count of 119. That particular total was driven up by nine Sabathia strikeouts, but the patient White Sox hitters also had a hand in his early exit.

"It was huge," said Widger of the White Sox's first-inning outburst. "To get that start, against a guy like that, with only two hits in the first inning. ... Aaron and I had the hits, but it was those guys in the beginning who got everything going. That's what we are trying to do in the second half."

"My first at-bat was the most important," added Ozuna, whose leadoff trip to the plate was the only time he was retired, eventually setting a career high with four hits. "I saw a bunch of pitches off of C.C. and the team got runs after that."

Garcia recorded his sixth straight victory, matching a career-best stretch of success, and has not lost since May 14 against Baltimore. That streak covers 11 consecutive starts. The right-hander worked at least six innings in his eighth straight trip to the mound, giving up six hits over seven innings, while striking out four. He produced the strong effort, despite pitching in humid conditions brought on by a pregame thunderstorm.

Leading by three, the White Sox (59-29) tacked on two more in the sixth against relievers Matt Miller and David Riske via small ball. Widger singled and moved to third one out later on Ozuna's single to right. Ozuna broke for second on the next pitch, and when Martinez's throw bounced past Ron Belliard into center field, Widger scored easily.

Ozuna wound up on third base and came home on Iguchi's suicide squeeze. It was Iguchi's second successfully executed squeeze this season. He had one squeeze bunt during his entire eight-year career in Japan.

The victory increased the White Sox's lead in the American League Central to a season-high 11 games over the Twins and reduced their magic number to 64. It's still a long way to the finish line, but the White Sox have now reached a position where they only have to worry about themselves.

"When you are ahead , you have to take advantage of that situation," Everett said. "Everyone has to catch up to us. We don't have to worry about looking over our shoulders. Collectively, we have done that and not worried about what's behind us."

"One thing I can say about this team is that we play together," Garcia added. "We come here every day and try to make it happen."

During the series opener Thursday, the White Sox swiped four bases. They tacked on three more Friday.

Jose Contreras pitched out of three jams Thursday. Garcia found himself in trouble during the first, second and seventh Friday, but limited the damage to one run.

Some refer to the White Sox's success as fortunate. Others even have called it downright lucky. But the Indians just couldn't capitalize like the American League Central leaders.

When opportunity knocks, the White Sox don't have to listen anymore. They seem to share the same address.

"We've heard that we are lucky, but I think you make your own luck," said Widger, whose team leads the American League in stolen bases and sacrifice bunts.

"I believe with the lineup we have, we have a chance to score runs," manager Ozzie Guillen added. "When we get people on base, we are going to make things happen because we have pretty good hitters in the lineup. It seems like our hitters have more concentration and better at-bats with guys on base."

[I]Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0- 7 11 0
CLE 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1

WP- Freddy Garcia(9-3)
LP- CC Sabathia(6-6)

HR- none

T- 3:01
Att- 29,684
Game time weather- Overcast,80 degrees

BEHIND THE SCALPING;Freddy Garcia went 7 innings,giving up arun on 6 hits,walking 3 and striking out 4 in throwing 103 pitches.

3B Pablo Ozuna went 4-5 with a double and 2 stolen bases hitting from the lead-off spot in the game.

White Sox record;59-29,1st place,11 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox,Buehrle Burn Indians
Chicago continues to dominate Cleveland with third straight win
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050716&content_id=1133318&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CLEVELAND -- It should have been a laugher for the White Sox, even with a steady downpour in the ninth inning on Saturday at Jacobs Field threatening to delay a third straight win over the Indians for another 30 or 40 minutes.

But with two outs, nobody on base and Shingo Takatsu baffling Cleveland (47-44) while protecting a five-run lead, it looked as if five or six more pitches would finish off the action. Six batters later, Coco Crisp was facing reliever Damaso Marte as the game's potential winning run.

Marte induced a ground ball to shortstop Juan Uribe, with a slick pick from first baseman Paul Konerko putting a wet lid on the White Sox's 7-5 victory before 27,114. Equaling a season best of 31 games over .500 presented a bit more precarious challenge than Ozzie Guillen and his charges originally thought.

Takatsu, who last pitched on July 9, walked Casey Blake and Ron Belliard after two outs, before allowing Aaron Boone's RBI single. Luis Vizcaino replaced Takatsu and walked pinch-hitter Victor Martinez to load the bases.

Guillen signaled for the left-handed Marte, with the left-handed-hitting Grady Sizemore standing as the tying run. Sizemore dumped a single in front of Aaron Rowand, scoring two more, before Marte cut short the improbable rally.

"You have to throw strikes," said Guillen of the Indians' comeback attempt. "That's the main thing about this game. You throw strikes, you're going to have less problems. It's a good thing I had the bullpen ready to go. Those guys have a good lineup, and the game is not over until it's over, I guess."

The third save for Marte and 33rd for the White Sox made a winner of Mark Buehrle, who improved to 11-3 by allowing three hits and two earned runs over seven innings. Buehrle fanned six and didn't walk an Indians hitter, but he did hit his first two opposing hitters of 2005. The initial hit batsman caused a brief controversy between the two teams.

After retiring Sizemore and Crisp rather easily to open the game, Buehrle let a sinker get away when facing Travis Hafner. The first pitch struck Hafner in the right check, causing him to exit the game with a facial contusion.

One inning later, Jake Westbrook (6-12) retaliated by hitting Jermaine Dye in the left calf with two outs. Dye quickly got even by stealing second base and scoring on Joe Crede's double. The White Sox scored five of their seven runs after two had been retired.

"We've scored a lot of runs after two outs, and that's the way you take stuff," Guillen said. "You get hit ... You want to do something? Do something. If not, just go to first base, steal a base and make something happen."

Home-plate umpire Bruce Dreckman warned both sides after Westbrook hit Dye. Buehrle was told after the game that Kevin Kennedy, a FOX television analyst, said his pitch to Hafner looked intentional.

Buehrle said nothing could be further from the truth. It was simply a sinker, meant to move inside on the left-handed hitter, which stayed a little too high and tight.

"If I'm going to try to hit somebody intentionally, it's not going to be going for the head," Buehrle said. "That's just plain dirty, and I'm not that way. It just slipped out of my hand. I hope he's all right."

"As soon as he let it go, it was like, 'Heads up. Look out,'" added catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who drove in two runs. "You never want to see anyone get anywhere up there. You don't want to see that. That's not good."

Dye seemed slightly miffed in regards to getting hit. He also expected the pitch to come at some point during the inning.

"If you know baseball, and if something is going to happen, it's going to happen right away and be done with it," Dye said. "It's just part of the game. You do your job and go to first base and hopefully try to score a run for your team."

Rowand led the White Sox's offense with three singles and three runs scored. His seventh-inning stolen base also was the ninth of the four-game series for the White Sox and their Major League-leading 100th as a team. Carl Everett and Paul Konerko added two hits apiece, including RBI doubles.

Buehrle worked at least six innings for the 47th consecutive start, despite not having pinpoint location or functioning usage of his sinker. He matched Pat Hentgen's run with Toronto during the 1996 and '97 seasons, and it's the longest streak of such a nature by a White Sox pitcher since Jack McDowell's stretch of 48 starts from July 4, 1992, to Sept. 6, 1993.

A close eye was kept on the left-hander, limiting him to 101 pitches, after Buehrle pitched two innings to earn the victory during Tuesday's All-Star Game. For a while in the ninth inning, it looked as if the White Sox needed Buehrle back in again to hang on.

But just as the White Sox were the first team to 10 victories, 20 victories, and for that matter, 30, 40 and 50, they became the first team to 60 wins Saturday. That total stands up pretty well against only 29 losses.

"Everybody's attitude is to go out there and win any way we can," Dye said. "Put your numbers aside, whatever your goals were for the year, and put the team first. Do whatever we can to help the team win."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 1 2 0 3 0 1 0 0- 7 11 0
CLE 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3- 5 6 1

WP- Mark Buehrle(11-3)
LP- Jake Westbrook(6-12)

HR- none

T- 2:46(:30 rain delay)
Att- 27,114
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,90 degrees

ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN';Aaron Rownad went 3-5 in the game with 3 runs scored and a stolen base in the game.

Mark Buehrle went 7 inning giving up 2 runs on 3 hits.Shingo Takatsu was torched for 3 runs in 2/3 inning in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Sox become the 1st team in baseball to reach 60 wins.

White Sox record; 60-29,1st place,11 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Garland Posts Win No.14
Starter records six shutout frames to complete sweep
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050717&content_id=1134576&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws


CLEVELAND -- During the fifth inning of Sunday's 4-0 White Sox whitewash of the Indians, a few firecrackers were set off out behind the left-center-field boundaries at Jacobs Field.

It certainly didn't resemble anything close to a Fourth of July spectacular, with the noise startling the peaceful fans more than anything else. But the quick charge of explosions still drew a brief round of applause from the 24,548 in attendance.

You couldn't blame the Indians' faithful for getting a little worked up over something so minute. Aside from the ninth-inning rally Saturday and Kevin Millwood's starting performance Thursday, it was a complete and thorough domination by the White Sox over four games to begin the second half of the 2005 season. Loud outbursts belonging to the Indians were few and far between, as the White Sox completed their first four-game sweep in Cleveland since late August of 1963.

The White Sox outscored Cleveland (47-45) by a combined 19-6 margin, with the starting pitchers picking up all four victories. The quartet of Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland combined to work 27 innings, allowing three earned runs on 19 hits, while striking out 19 and walking eight.

While manager Ozzie Guillen was pleased with all of his pitchers, from Buehrle right on down to the last man in the bullpen, he singled out Contreras for setting the tone to this important series.

"We win that game, 1-0, and then we come back and win Friday, and we know we will leave Cleveland the same way we came in," Guillen said. "Then, we have our two bullets in Buehrle and Garland to finish the series."

Garland shut down the Indians on seven hits over six innings, becoming the first 14-game winner in the American League at 14-4 and joining St. Louis' Chris Carpenter as the only pitchers at that victory plateau in the Majors. He walked two and struck out two, throwing 106 pitches.

Although he put runners on base in every inning, aside from a perfect second, Garland used two double plays to keep Cleveland off the board. He has now worked at least six innings in all but two of his 18 starts and has given up three runs or fewer during 13 of those trips to the mound. That consistency stems, in part, from his ability to avoid the big inning.

"I had a couple of good double plays behind me, and [shortstop] Juan [Uribe] made some great plays," Garland said. "There were some hard-hit balls, but we seemed to have a guy in the right place at the right time.

"Their hitters bared down and started battling once they had two strikes because I was getting ahead of the guys pretty good. It made me bare down a little bit more and make pitches and try to get them out."

Scott Podsednik doubled over Coco Crisp's outstretched dive in left to open the action in the first and moved to third on Tadahito Iguchi's fly ball to center. Frank Thomas' ground ball to Aaron Boone at third scored Podsednik, almost as if it was drawn up to play out that exact same way before the game. Even with just a 1-0 lead, it already seemed as if the White Sox were in control.

Podsednik added a bunt single in the fifth and his Major League-leading 48th stolen base. The combination of Podsednik and Pablo Ozuna finished 9-for-18 from the leadoff spot over the four victories, with six stolen bases. The White Sox swiped 10 bases in 11 attempts against the Indians.

"Maybe the three-day break helped out a little bit and freshened up the legs," said Podsednik with a smile. "If we get guys at the top on base, we will have success. We have guys capable of driving in runs, but we have to have the guys on base at the top."

A.J. Pierzynski provided the White Sox with a little cushion on his 12th home run in the second. The 417-foot, two-run shot off Scott Elarton (6-4) set a single-season career high in long balls for the catcher. Iguchi added his sixth home run in the third, another prodigious clout of 408 feet.

The White Sox return to Chicago for a seven-game homestand beginning Monday at a new season high of 32 games over .500. Guillen's 61-29 crew has to deal with Detroit and the return of Magglio Ordonez to the South Side. But it doesn't figure to send the White Sox into a frenzy, not with a 30-5 record against the American League Central and a 30-15 mark at home.

If the Indians pointed to this four-game series against baseball's best as a barometer for their postseason chances, if nothing else, then they have some work to do. As for the White Sox, Guillen's biggest concern was how his team would respond after the three-day All-Star break.

That worry was slightly heightened by the three-game sweep administered by Oakland in Chicago prior to the break. The White Sox players eased their manager's mind, and in the process, sent another message to the rest of the American League.

With the Twins the closest team to the White Sox at 12 games back, the Central Division might have stopped listening.

"For us to accomplish what we want to accomplish, you have to put two solid halves together," Podsednik said. "We wanted to come out and set the tone."

"The least you want to do is split with them so the standings don't go anywhere," Garland added. "But a series like this one takes the air out of the other team."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 8 0
CLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 8 0

WP- Jon Garland(14-4)
LP- Scott Elarton(6-4)

HR-SOX; Pierzynski(12),Iguchi(6)

T- 2:42(:37 rain delay)
Att- 24,548
Game time weather- Overcast,86 degrees

SWEEP DREAMS;Scott Podsednik was 2-4 with a stolen base in the game.It is his 48th of the season.

This was the 1st 4 game sweep by the Sox at Cleveland since May,1963.

Cliff Politte worked 1 2/3 inning of shutout ball to drop his ERA to 0.96

The 61-29 record is the best record after the first 90 games in White Sox history.

White Sox record;61-29,1st place,12 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox ride long balls past Detroit
Four homers carry South Siders to fifth straight win
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050718&content_id=1135941&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws


CHICAGO -- Talk surrounding Joe Crede always begins with the White Sox third baseman's virtually unparalleled defense at the hot corner.
Actually, that talk began and ended with his flawless play in the field, until recent news of the two herniated discs in his lower back was revealed in Cleveland. Simply put, Crede is known for his glove, and not nearly as much for his bat.

But during Monday's 7-5 victory over Detroit before the eighth sellout of the season at U.S. Cellular Field, Crede proved that he's more than diving stops, cat-like leaps in the air and strong, accurate throws to Paul Konerko at first base. Crede's three-run home run with one out in the seventh was the crowning blow of a five-run rally against reliever Chris Spurling (2-1) and moved the White Sox to 62-29 for the season.

It's the high-water mark for the team since ending its American League West championship campaign in 1983 at 99-63. For those still keeping track, Minnesota dropped 13 games behind the South Siders in the American League Central by virtue of its extra-inning loss at home to Baltimore. Maybe the magic number is more apropos at this point, with it standing at 59 entering Tuesday's action.

As for Crede, his goal in the seventh was to get the ball in the air and cut the Tigers' 4-2 lead to one. His at-bat followed Konerko's 21st home run leading off the inning, Jermaine Dye's double one out later and A.J. Pierzynski's single to right. A hanging slider on Spurling's 2-2 offering left Crede with more than he bargained for, producing his 13th drive to clear the fences.

"With the wind blowing out, I knew I had it," said Crede, who is hitting .381 with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs. "It felt good right off the bat. It seems like I want to be the guy up there in that situation. My concentration is a little bit higher."

"He's a gamer," added Konerko of Crede. "He's playing winning baseball and doing things that don't always show up in the stats. If anyone has a problem with that, you don't know the game."

Crede's go-ahead drive was followed by Juan Uribe's seventh home run, snapping an 0-for-23 funk for the shortstop. Frank Thomas' 12th home run in the eighth off Franklyn German, in a matchup between two of the more physically imposing specimens in all of baseball, capped off the scoring.

Orlando Hernandez made his first start since June 14 against Arizona and was so impressive that he earned a "wow" from manager Ozzie Guillen during his postgame talk concerning the right-hander. Hernandez allowed four runs on six hits over six innings, but still left the game trailing Detroit (44-47) and starter Sean Douglass by a 4-1 margin. Hernandez gave the White Sox pretty much everything he had with 96 pitches.

"Duque was great, and he threw better than what we thought," Guillen said. "We were concerned about how he was going to show up after missing that many days. He left a couple of pitches up in the strike zone, but we expected that. His velocity was good."

"I'm happy to be out there pitching, and most of all, I'm happy the team won," said Hernandez through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr.

The news was not quite perfect for the White Sox, as Dustin Hermanson was unavailable to close out the victory for reliever Luis Vizcaino (4-3) due to soreness in his back, according to Guillen. ESPN Radio 1000, the White Sox's flagship station, reported late Monday that Hermanson had a clean MRI earlier in the day.

Cliff Politte picked up his first save, although Ivan Rodriguez's ninth-inning home run snapped his 20-game scoreless string, covering 19 2/3 innings. Guillen presently can opt for Politte (1.17 ERA) or Damaso Marte (2.67 ERA) in the last inning but sounded as if a decision would be made soon on Hermanson, if he was unable to return in the short term.

"If he's not ready, someone else will be ready," said Guillen of Hermanson. "I can't wait that long. If he can't help us, we will try to figure out how we get someone here to help us."

The thrilling victory came before 37,556 in attendance, some of whom welcomed back Magglio Ordonez to Chicago in their own special way. Ordonez finished with two hits in a rather uneventful evening, but even the Detroit right fielder can appreciate the success achieved by his former team.

Guillen felt as if it was important to send this big crowd away happy, especially after Oakland closed out the home portion of the White Sox's first-half schedule with a three-game sweep. Konerko talked about comeback wins being more detrimental to the team losing the lead, meaning the White Sox have a chance to take control Tuesday if they jump out quickly.

Crede, who extended his errorless string to 46 games at third, just seemed proud of being part of this special group of players.

"It's been a lot of fun in the clubhouse," Crede said. "I look forward to going to the field every day, as I'm sure everyone else does. I think winning takes care of a lot of things, whether you are doing bad personally or anything off the field."

"This team has a lot of will, but things have to go your way," Konerko added. "There is some luck involved. We are trying to ride it, with some good momentum and good vibes going on."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

DET 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1- 5 7 0
SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 x- 7 10 0

WP- Luis Vizcaino(4-3)
LP- Chris Spurling(2-1)
Save- Cliff Politte(1)

HR-DET;Inge(8),IRodriguez(8)-SOX;Konerko(21),Crede(13),Uribe(7),Thomas(12)

T- 2:52
Att- 37,556
Game time weather- Clear,86 degrees

TIGER TAMERS;Tigers OF Magglio Ordonez went 2-3 with a walk and 2 singles in his 1st game back in Chicago.He missed the 1st part of the season beacause of injury.

Aaron Rowand was 2-4 in the game.Tadahito Iguchi was the only sox starter who failed to get a hit in the game.

Starter Orlando Hernandez went 6 innings,giving up 4 runs on 6 hits,walking 3 and strking out 3.

White Sox record;62-29,1st place,13 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox see perfect second half cease
Contreras hit hard as team's five-game win streak ends
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050719&content_id=1137473&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- So, the White Sox aren't perfect, and for that matter, won't be perfect during the second half of the 2005 season.
With Detroit's 7-1 victory over the South Siders before 31,008 at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday night, the White Sox suffered a rare setback vs. an American League Central squad, slipping to 31-6 within the division. This game simply was a case of Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman being too good and White Sox starter Jose Contreras getting knocked down by two critical lapses.

Those Contreras' foul-ups came with two outs, on a night when the right-hander said that he felt better than any of his previous 18 starts this season.

"That's the most frustrating thing," said Contreras, through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. "My slider, changeup and fastball were all there. It wasn't a lack of concentration.

"Those runs that came after two outs, the pitches stayed right in the heart of the plate. I couldn't throw to the corners, and that's when I got hurt."

Tuesday's loss was not all of Contreras' doing. It was a scoreless game in the second, with Magglio Ordonez on first and two outs, when Craig Monroe's hard-hit grounder took a funny hop past usually sure-handed third baseman Joe Crede. The shot was ruled a base hit, keeping Crede's 48-game errorless streak intact.

But Omar Infante made the White Sox pay, lining Contreras' 1-2 offering into the left-field stands for his sixth home run and a 3-0 lead. Contreras certainly wasn't about to point a finger at Crede, pointing out that the Gold Glove-caliber infielder has saved numerous runs previously in 2005.

"It's part of baseball, and things happen," Contreras said. "I had control of the ball and the pitch just stayed in the zone."

"That ball took a bad hop on Joe, on a play he usually makes," catcher A.J. Pierzynski added. "That happens and then he hung one to Infante and he hit it out. Other than that, Jose was pretty good."

Ozzie Guillen agreed with Pierzynski, pointing out that Contreras' problems usually come from a loss of command within the strike zone. The White Sox manager is more than happy with an aggressive pitcher who makes the opposing hitters swing the bat, as Contreras finished with four strikeouts and without a walk for the first time this season.

But there's no denying Contreras has been the most inconsistent starter in the White Sox rotation. He entered Tuesday having allowed two earned runs on nine hits over his last 13 innings, posting victories over Tampa Bay and Cleveland during those starts. Against Detroit, Contreras (5-6) gave up seven runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.

His night ended with a four-run sixth, when the Tigers (45-47) knocked out five straight hits after the first two hitters were retired easily. Ordonez (three hits), Ivan Rodriguez and Craig Monroe all produced RBI doubles.

Another point of frustration for Contreras was that fatigue did not emerge as a factor, despite the oppressive humidity.

"When you are tired and pitches stay on the heart, that's part of the game," Contreras said. "But I wasn't tired, so I don't know why the pitches weren't there."

"He needs to put guys away a little better," added Pierzynski of Contreras' propensity to give up two-strike hits.

With Contreras in the clubhouse and Dustin Hermanson sidelined by a sore back, Guillen got an extended look at hard-throwing rookie Bobby Jenks. He worked a career-high 2 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, but fanning five.

In fact, Jenks struck out four of the first five hitters he faced in relief of Contreras, before loading the bases with nobody out on three straight singles in the eighth. Guillen tested Jenks' character, leaving him in to work out of the jam.

Jenks battled back to strike out Monroe looking, retire Infante on a fly ball to center and end the inning on Nook Logan's line out to Uribe. The final play was punctuated by Jenks' fist pump as he came off the mound.

"It was exciting and it felt good because I was just trying to keep our team as close as I could," Jenks said. "It showed I can get out of those jams."

"At this level, you take the ball away in tough situations and you don't know what you really have," Guillen added. "I was really excited to see how this kid pitched. He did a tremendous job, and we found out what kind of pitcher we have."

The only run for the White Sox scored in the fifth, when Uribe's grounder brought home Pierzynski, who reached on a leadoff double. Guillen's crew had other chances against Bonderman (12-6), getting Tadahito Iguchi to third with one out in the first and putting the first two runners on base in the third. They didn't score in either inning.

They finished with three hits over eight innings against Bonderman, who Guillen termed the best starter in the Tigers' rotation. The loss snapped the White Sox's five-game winning streak and was their fourth defeat in the last five games at home.

Even with perfection temporarily ruined, the White Sox (62-30) still sit 12 games ahead of the Twins in the American League Central. It just might be tough for them to figure out how to react to a loss.

"You just shrug it off and try to get them tomorrow," Pierzynski said. "We have an early game, so we have to move on fast and get ready."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

DET 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0- 7 12 1
SOX 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 3 0

WP- Jeremy Bonderman(12-6)
LP- Jose Contreras(5-6)

HR- DET;Infante(6)

T- 2:35
Att- 31,008
Game time weather- clear,79 degrees

CAN'T WIN 'EM ALL;Joe Crede had 2 of the 3 Sox hits in the game.AJ Pierzynski had the other one.

Contreras went 5 2/3 innings,allowing 7 runs,all earned on 8 hits.

White Sox record;62-30,1st place,12 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox's spirits dampened in finale
Garcia suffers first defeat in last 12 outings
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050720&content_id=1138487&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The champagne corks almost could be heard popping around Chicago when the White Sox topped the Tigers on Monday during the opener of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field, giving Ozzie Guillen's crew five straight wins to open the second half and a 13-game lead over Minnesota in the American League Central.
Two straight losses to Detroit haven't exactly sent the White Sox into a deep depression. But following the Tigers' 8-6 victory Wednesday afternoon, before the ninth home sellout of the season, Mark Buehrle pretty much spoke for his teammates by urging division-clinching parties to be put on hold for a little while.

"We can't say we've won the division already. We can't think like that," said Buehrle, who starts Thursday's opener of a four-game series against Boston. "Detroit, especially with getting Magglio [Ordonez] back, as well as Cleveland and Minnesota, they aren't going anywhere.

"I don't see this being over until the end of the season. If we are going to clinch this thing, it won't be until the middle of September."

Buehrle didn't figure to play any sort of significant role Wednesday, but he joined Willie Harris as marquee entertainment during the one-hour, 11-minute rain delay with his second tarp dive of 2005. The crowd of 39,146 also reveled in Sammy Sosa striking out with two on and two out in the ninth inning against Minnesota closer Joe Nathan, with the game having been put up on the Jumbotron.

But when the action resumed, the actual game was all about Detroit's starting pitching once again. Nate Robertson (5-7) allowed three runs on four hits over seven innings, including Tadahito Iguchi's seventh home run and Chris Widger's third. Robertson also struck out six and walked just two. The starting trio of Sean Douglass, Jeremy Bonderman and Robertson gave up just five earned runs and 10 hits over 21 combined innings.

Freddy Garcia (9-4) went through his usual first-inning struggles, touched by Chris Shelton for a long home run to left, but kept the Tigers within one run into the ninth inning. Garcia cruised through the eighth on only nine pitches, bringing his total to 105, leading Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper to send him back out for the final frame after talking with their starter.

But Omar Infante launched an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for his seventh home run leading off the ninth, sparking a four-run Tigers' rally against Garcia, Cliff Politte and Neal Cotts. Garcia bent over in frustration after the pitch, just as he kicked at the dirt in the sixth, after wild-pitching home Ivan Rodriguez with two outs and two strikes on Nook Logan.

Garcia lost his first decision since May 14 against Baltimore, snapping his career-high six-game winning streak. He also slipped to 5-9 with a 4.92 ERA over his last 22 home games and lost for just the second time during his last 19 afternoon starts. But the big right-hander managed to maintain his sense of humor.

"Maybe with the rain delay, it got kind of dark so it looked like a night game," said a smiling Garcia, who allowed a season-high 12 hits over eight-plus innings. "In these kinds of days, you have to battle and maybe the guys can come back and get a couple of runs for me."

There weren't many scoring chances against Robertson and Fernando Rodney, but Kyle Farnsworth became the latest ninth-inning victim of the White Sox's amazing comeback mentality. The Detroit closer didn't help his cause by walking Paul Konerko and Carl Everett to open the inning, and then issued a two-out walk to Widger after Aaron Rowand's ground ball to third cut the lead to 8-4.

Juan Uribe delivered a two-strike single, scoring both Widger and Everett, and Joe Crede followed with a single to left to bring Iguchi to the plate as the game-winning run. But Craig Dingman replaced Farnsworth and induced Iguchi's ground ball back to the mound for the final out.

"We gave ourselves a chance at the end, but it was too little, too late," Widger said. "We made too many mistakes early in the game to give them the lead they had. But the Tigers played really well and seemed to get the big hits."

One of those Tigers, Ordonez, punctuated his return to Chicago with seven hits in 10 at-bats and three walks against White Sox pitching. He helped Detroit (46-47) become the first American League Central team to take a series from Chicago (62-31) this season.

With Jacque Jones' walk-off home run at the Metrodome, the Twins cut the White Sox's lead back to 11 games. Guillen mentioned that the home clubhouse was a little bit down, but Widger added that it was more about the way the team played on this particular day than anything else.

Guillen cautioned that it was just one loss and said that a two-game losing streak is nothing to cause great concern -- not when his team hasn't lost more than three in a row all season. With Boston coming to town Thursday night, the White Sox have to focus on the daily job at hand and not the specter of an early playoff battle with the defending World Series champions.

"We need to calm ourselves down and take a step back, like we did before the Cubs series," Widger said. "This is a series where we won't make the playoffs, whether we win or lose against Boston. It's not do or die."

"My team is the type of team to bounce back when they are down," Guillen added. "They get up and fight."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

DET 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 4- 8 15 0
SOX 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3- 6 6 1

WP- Nate Robertson(5-7)
LP- Freddy Garcia(9-4)
Save- Craig Dingman(1)

HR- DET;Shelton(9),Infante(7)

T- 2:56(1:11 rain delay)
Att- 39,146(sellout)
Game time weather- Cloudy,89 degrees

NOTES;The series loss to Detroit was the 4th series loss in the last 7 for the Sox.

Freddy Garcia went 8+ innings,giving up 6 runs on 12 hits,walking 3 and striking out 5.

Juan Uribe went 2-4 for the Sox in the game with 3 RBIs.

White Sox record; 62-31,1st place,11 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Crede's late error costs White Sox
Before fielding miscue, third baseman tied game in eighth
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050721&content_id=1140011&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- As he watched Manny Ramirez's ninth-inning home run sail over the left-field wall, Joe Crede kicked the dirt and then pounded his mitt in frustration.

That's because he knew that Ramirez shouldn't have even had the chance to hit. On the previous pitch, the reliable White Sox third baseman dropped a catchable popup in foul territory by Ramirez, giving the All-Star slugger new life.

Instead of there being two outs, Ramirez snapped a 5-5 deadlock to give the Red Sox a 6-5 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday.

And it wasn't only Crede that knew it was big trouble when he allowed one of the best hitters in baseball to get another crack at the ball. Manager Ozzie Guillen knew it, too.

"Everybody did, everybody in the ballpark did," Guillen said. "I think the way Manny swings the bat, you think the ball is going to be out of the ballpark.

"This guy has 80 something hits and 89 RBIs. That's amazing, he has almost as many hits as RBIs. He is one of the best hitters in baseball the last 10 years. Every time this guy is at the plate they have the chance to score."

The most surprising part was that Crede made the error at all. Crede had gone 49 consecutive games without an error.

"That's a play I have to make," Crede said. "It was a tough play, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it."

The most frustrating part of Ramirez's 26th home run of the year is it came after the White Sox had tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth. Crede hit a double to right that brought Aaron Rowand home and knotted the game at 5.

The White Sox rally came after earlier defensive miscues. Crede's error was one of three on the night committed by the White Sox that allowed Boston to win a game that Chicago looked to have a strong hold on in the early goings.

The White Sox (62-32) had jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, thanks to the help of three long bombs. Carl Everett hit his 14th homer of the year, a two-run blast to right, in the first that put Chicago on the board. Paul Konerko and Rowand added to the lead with solo dingers in the fourth. Rowand's home run was his first since June 12, when he hit a three-run bomb off Trevor Hoffman.

But momentum swung toward the Red Sox (53-42) in the top of the seventh with Chicago nursing a one-run lead, 4-3. Mark Buehrle gave up a single to Johnny Damon and walked Edgar Renteria to begin the inning. Tadahito Iguchi then committed two errors, one fielding and one throwing, on a hard hit ball by David Ortiz that allowed the tying run to score. With no outs and the bases loaded after an intentional walk, Cliff Politte replaced Buehrle and gave up one run off a sacrifice fly by Kevin Millar.

Iguchi's errors, like the one with Crede, came on a tough play.

"It was a hard hit ball and I thought I could knock it down," Iguchi said. "I got to it, and I thought I could get the guy at home."

Though the errors played a big factor in the game for Buehrle, the most frustrating part wasn't the defensive miscues behind him but what the Red Sox were able to do offensively.

"Our defense wasn't there, but just the most frustrating for me was that I make some good pitches and they get bloop hits," Buehrle said. "Sometimes you miss your spot and they foul it off, take it for a strike. But when you make quality pitches and they just find holes, it's frustrating."

Buehrle pitched six-plus innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on 10 hits. Though Buehrle did not have one of his better outings, it was the 48th consecutive start that he has lasted at least six innings, matching White Sox pitcher Jack McDowell's streak from 1992-93.

The irony of the game is how the play of Crede once again mirrored the story of the White Sox. Looking at how Crede has fared so far in 2005 is like viewing the White Sox's season in a nutshell.

While Crede's offense has struggled, it's been his outstanding defensive plays that have kept the Sox in games. But unfortunately for the White Sox on Thursday, it was again Crede that symbolized the problems faced by Chicago in the loss -- a lack of defensive execution.

"Our defense, obviously, wasn't how we play all year long," Guillen said. "Joe has been playing great for us all year. It wasn't an easy play, with [the catch] on the rail. The thing happened. I'm not going to criticize my players when they make mistakes, only criticize when [they] make mental mistakes. They will make mistakes when they're on the field."

The loss is the third straight for Chicago and matches its longest losing streak of the season. But the solution to get back on the winning track is simple, according to Buehrle.

"We've got to get back to playing our kind of baseball," Buehrle said. "The past few games we've had a couple errors, haven't been hitting the ball, we haven't been pitching, and we haven't been playing the type of White Sox baseball we did at the beginning of the season."

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BOS 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 1- 6 14 0
SOX 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0- 5 9 3

WP- Curt Schilling(2-3)
LP- Luis Vizcaino(4-4)

HR-BOS;MRamirez(26)-SOX;Everett(14),Konerko(22),Rowand(6)

T- 3:17
Att- 36,784
Game time weather-Cloudy,78 degrees

SEEING RED;Aaron Rowand went 3-4 witrh 2 runs scored in the game.

Mark Buehrle went 6+ innings,giving up 5 runs on 10 hits.He pitched to 4 batters in the 7th inning.

Tadahito Iguchi had 2 of the 3 errors for the Sox in the game.

Red Sox starter Matt Clement went 6 innings,giving up 4 runs on 6 hits,walking 3 and striking out 5.

White Sox record;62-32,1st place,10 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Six-spot snaps three-game skid
Pair of three-run homers in sixth give Garland 15th victory
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050722&content_id=1140747&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws


CHICAGO -- Three, it's a magic number for the White Sox. Or tragic number, depending on who is doing the counting.
Maybe it should just be considered the White Sox's breaking point.

On five different occasions during the 2005 campaign, the South Siders have suffered through three-game losing streaks. The latest of those backward runs was produced by two losses to Detroit at the close of that particular three-game series earlier this week and a ninth-inning setback to Boston during Thursday night's series opener.

But those first four streaks never reached a fourth game, and the song remained the same Friday night before 37,511 at U.S. Cellular Field. Jon Garland battled through 6 2/3 innings, pitching out of significant jams in the fourth and fifth, and A.J. Pierzynski launched the go-ahead home run off of Tim Wakefield in a six-run sixth during the White Sox's 8-4 victory.

The win also stopped a run of three straight days in which Minnesota made up ground on the American League Central leaders, as the White Sox (63-32) pushed their lead back to 11 games over the Twins and 15 over the Indians. That advantage could stick in double digits for the foreseeable future, with the South Siders' propensity to avoid prolonged runs of defeat.

And what does the team see as the reason for the streak avoidance? Pitching, pitching and more pitching.

"It's going to be tough for us to go, knock on wood, on a long losing streak with the pitching we have," said center fielder Aaron Rowand, who homered for the second straight game and for the third time in 11 career at-bats against Wakefield (8-9). " Every fifth day you have a [Jon] Garland, a [Mark] Buehrle or a [Freddy] Garcia, Jose Contreras, [Orlando Hernandez], whatever, and every day they give you a chance to win."

"You have five quality starters and a bullpen like we have," Pierzynski added. "Someone is going to step up and end [a losing streak]."

Garland (15-4) did the honors against Boston (53-43), allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out five. As Wakefield held the White Sox hitless until Rowand's one-out home run in the fourth, and Garland watched the wild swings against Wakefield's dancing knuckler, he quickly understood it was on his right arm to match the opposing hurler pitch-for-pitch.

Kevin Millar's two-out single in the fourth scored Manny Ramirez with the game's first run, but Garland stranded two runners when he struck out Doug Mirabelli to end the inning. The game's most telling moment came in the fifth, when Bill Mueller and Tony Graffanino opened the frame with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and third for the top of one of baseball's best orders.

Johnny Damon, Edgar Renteria and David Ortiz stood in front of Garland, and his first thought was to give up one run in exchange for a couple of quick outs. But Damon and Renteria both popped out on the infield, and Ortiz flied deep to Rowand, allowing Garland to emerge unscathed.

The Majors' first 15-game winner, and the third White Sox starter in history to win 15 in 19 starts or less, was reminded after the game that pitching out of jams has become his trademark this season. He quickly pointed out that he would rather have a different signature depicting his success.

"That's not a good signature," said Garland, who threw a season-high 117 pitches. "I'm not trying to put guys on. But I made some good pitches , jammed guys and popped them out. It worked in my favor."

"Biggest point of the game," added Pierzynski of the fifth. "He got out of that with Johnny, Renteria and Ortiz coming up and deserves a lot of credit."

Pierzynski deserves credit for fouling off three of Wakefield's zigzagging pitches in the bottom of the sixth, with Rowand and Paul Konerko on base, before depositing a knuckleball over the right-field fence for his 13th home run. Juan Uribe hit his eighth home run, following singles by Joe Crede and Timo Perez, putting the game out of reach.

When Pierzynski's drive landed in the stands, he joked there was a collective sigh of relief that went up from the crowd after the White Sox won that particular battle. Pierzynski tried to describe what it's like to face Wakefield, but said that it had to be experienced to be understood.

"It's amazing, because the ball moves one way or another every time," Pierzynski said. "You hope he makes a mistake and you can somehow hit it. I fouled off some tough ones and he made a mistake, and luckily for me, I hit it in the right spot."

Scott Podsednik's 50th stolen base, coming in the seventh, stood as the only other moment of note for the White Sox. But simply ending another three-game skid was news enough on this particular night.

Manager Ozzie Guillen agreed with Rowand and Pierzynski's assessment of good pitching not only beating good hitting, but also keeping teams consistently successful. The White Sox manager also pointed to his team's grit and determination as another reason why his team's true magic number sits at 57.

"Pitching has a lot to do with it," Guillen said. "The five guys that start the game for us have done a tremendous job.

"Besides that, it's the way we bounce back. Believe in yourself and bounce back, play the game good the next day. When we are down, we get up quick and play good baseball."

Make that winning baseball. The White Sox have produced winning streaks of eight, four, two and five after their first four three-game droughts.

[I]Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BOS 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2- 4 9 2
SOX 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 0 x- 8 10 0

WP- Jon Garland(15-4)
LP- Tim Wakefield(8-9)

HR-BOS;Damon(6),Stern(1)-SOX;Rowand(7),Pierzynski(13),Uribe(8)

T- 2:49
Att- 37,511
Game time weather- Clear,79 degrees

BACK ON TRACK;Scott Podsednik stole his 50th base of the season in the ball game.

White Sox record;63-32,1st place,11 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Duque lone bright spot in loss
Starter delivers quality outing, but offense held in check
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050723&content_id=1142049&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The final score read 3-0 in favor of Boston on Saturday night before a franchise record-tying 10th sellout of the season at U.S. Cellular Field, a disappointing outcome for the White Sox considering the countless scoring opportunities they had early on against Wade Miller.
But a silver lining was definitely produced from this temporary dark cloud, hovering above the second largest crowd of 2005, at 39,408.

Orlando Hernandez (7-3), making his second start since returning from a second trip to the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, turned in his strongest effort since two starts in early April against Minnesota. The right-hander allowed only two runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings, his third longest effort of the season, and featured close to pinpoint control with velocity in the low 90s.

In fact, Hernandez made one mistake in the first inning, which resulted in Manny Ramirez's 27th home run and a 2-0 deficit, and was pretty much on target from that point on. Even the pitch to Ramirez was just a shade off, location-wise, but Hernandez gave most of the credit to the Red Sox slugger.

"There are good hitters all over Boston's lineup," Hernandez said. "But the third and fourth [hitters, David Ortiz and Ramirez] in the lineup are unbelievable. I throw a little bit of a mistake, and he hit it good."

"Other than that, he was flawless," added left fielder Scott Podsednik of Hernandez. "He will feed off that performance and probably gain some momentum."

The White Sox (63-33) had a chance to build some offensive momentum against Miller (3-4), starting with Podsednik's leadoff single in the opening inning. But Podsednik was ruled out by second-base umpire Paul Nauert on a stolen-base attempt, when he took his hand off the base and was immediately tagged after successfully swiping it.

Tadahito Iguchi reached on a walk, but Miller picked him off first base. The White Sox couldn't push across a run against a pitcher who entered the game with a 9.69 ERA in the first inning.

But the scoring chance that really got away took place in the third, when Joe Crede's single and walks to Podsednik and Iguchi loaded the bases with one out. Miller battled back to strike out Carl Everett on four pitches and retired Paul Konerko on a 3-1 fly ball to right fielder Trot Nixon.

Jon Garland escaped a fifth-inning jam Friday with runners on second and third and nobody out, giving the South Siders a push to victory. That little boost worked for the Red Sox (54-43) on Saturday.

"That was the difference in the ballgame," said Konerko of the third inning. "You don't know if it's going to turn out to be the ballgame or not. Last night it was, in a good way, but tonight, it was the reason in a bad way."

"We got opportunities early in the game, and we didn't take advantage and did not do what we're suppose to do," added manager Ozzie Guillen, who mentioned that he had two of his best run producers up in that situation. "When we let them off the hook early in the game, obviously they are going to feel better and throw the ball a lot better."

Miller gave up five hits and four walks over seven innings, before giving way to Mike Myers and Mike Timlin in the eighth. Curt Schilling came in for the ninth and was promptly greeted by Konerko's single off the left-field wall and A.J. Pierzynski's bloop single over third.

Aaron Rowand hit the next pitch hard up the middle, only to have Schilling glove the grounder and turn the double play, with the help of second baseman Alex Cora and first baseman John Olerud. Timo Perez ended the game with a deep drive to left, caught by Ramirez on the run, just one or two steps from the wall.

"He throws a lot of strikes and comes after you," said Rowand of facing Schilling, who picked up his second save. "We got him. We just hit them to the wrong person. Not much you can do. We had some chances, but didn't get some hits at the right time."

"It's one of those nights where we didn't get the big hit," Podsednik added. "We are one swing of the bat away from tying it up or perhaps making a ball game of it. We just didn't get it done tonight."

The second loss in three games to the defending World Series champions, coupled with Minnesota's split of a doubleheader in Detroit, cut the White Sox lead in the American League Central to a still sizable 10 1/2 games. Jose Contreras opposes Bronson Arroyo and an expected 115-degree heat index Sunday, with the South Siders trying to avoid their third straight series loss at home.

It was the third shutout of the White Sox this season, another true call to swing the bats better collectively as a team. But it was hard for Guillen's crew to be completely disappointed with the effort from Hernandez, his first quality start since May 11 at Tampa Bay.

Just don't ask Hernandez if this start was proof he can consistently help this first-place team, as trade winds continue to churn in regards to adding a starter.

"I don't want to talk about trades," Hernandez said. "I don't have control of that situation. I work every day in the morning and the afternoon here. Ask me about my work and that's it."

"This is the best I've see him in a long time," Guillen added. "He threw unbelievably great against a pretty good hitting team."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 5 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 7 0

WP- Wade Miller(3-4)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(7-3)
Save- Curt Schilling(2)

HR-BOS;MRamirez(27),Varitek(17)

T- 2:39
Att- 39,408(sellout)
Game time weather-Clear,81 degrees

DRAWING BLANKS;El Duque went 6 2/3 innings,giving up 2 runs on 4 hits,walking 3 and whiffing 3.

Paul Konerko and AJ Pierzynski each had 2 hits for the Sox in the game.

White Sox record;63-33,1st place,10 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox escape heat with split
Iguchi homers, drives in three; Contreras earns win
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050724&content_id=1143200&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws


CHICAGO -- Manager Ozzie Guillen tries to give Tadahito Iguchi a day off every now and then, since the former Japanese star isn't used to playing a 162-game schedule.
Sunday was one of those days where Guillen thought about sitting Iguchi, with really hot weather expected in Chicago and a day game after a long night one.

Boy is he glad he changed his mind.

Iguchi went 3-for-4 in Sunday's game with a home run and three RBIs, helping spark the White Sox to a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

"I was going to give him a day off because it was going to be so hot," Guillen said. "Thank God somebody told me to give him a chance."

Hot it was for Iguchi and his teammates as temperatures soared to the 100-degree mark when the first pitch was thrown. It was the hottest game at U.S. Cellular Field since 1994.

Iguchi may have had to suffer through the heat to play, but he was a key part of the offensive resurgence for the White Sox. The Sox struggled on Saturday night to get runs in but Sunday was a different story. Chicago went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position and scored four of its runs with two outs.

"We got some big hits in some key situations, got some baserunners on, and matched them in hits," Scott Podsednik said. "It was nice to get the offense going after struggling last night."

Podsednik, along with Iguchi, was one of the key performers in the game. Podsednik tallied three hits on the day including two doubles. He scored two runs in the game, thanks to hits by Iguchi, but helped set the pace by getting on base with two outs in both situations.

Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the first off a two-run double by Paul Konerko.

Boston (54-44) tied up the score in the second on a sacrifice fly by Alex Cora, but Iguchi added two more runs in the bottom of the inning with his 351-foot homer to right, his eighth of the year. Ross Gload recorded his first double of the season in the third to score a run for the White Sox, and Iguchi finished off the scoring for the White Sox with an RBI single in the seventh.

Though it was the top of the order that helped the White Sox build an early lead, Jose Contreras did his part as well to keep his team in the game. Contreras (6-6) worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, while striking out six. In one of his more controlled outings of the season against a tough Red Sox lineup, Contreras limited his walks to only two.

"He was one pitch away from doing what I wanted," Guillen said of Contreras' performance. "I was happy with what I saw. He was facing a pretty good lineup and I thought he threw the ball real well today."

After Contreras left the game in the sixth, the White Sox bullpen did its part in shutting down Boston. Neal Cotts added to his streak of scoreless outings, tallying his eighth straight with his 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Cotts was replaced by Cliff Politte, who gave up only one hit and struck out one in an inning of work.

"Those two kids are the most underrated players on my roster," Guillen said of Cotts and Politte. "They did a tremendous job, especially Cotts. He went out there and learned a lot and now he's a big league pitcher. They do a tremendous job for us and one of the biggest reasons we are where we are is because of their tremendous pitching."

The win wasn't quite so easy though, as Boston made a run at tying up the game in the ninth. Guillen brought Damaso Marte in to start the ninth but pulled him after he walked the first two batters and faced the tying run at the plate. Dustin Hermanson then came in and gave up a hit that scored one run for Boston. He got the next two batters to fly out and ground out to pick up his 23rd save of the season.

The victory gave the South Siders a split of the four-game series with the Red Sox and brought their lead over the Minnesota Twins back to 11 1/2 games.

The players were happy after the game to pick up victory No. 64 of the season, but seemed even happier to have survived the heat wave.

"It was very hot out there. It was nice there was a little breeze, but it was a warm breeze," Cotts said laughing.

And though Iguchi had to play through the heat with Guillen's decision to start him, he didn't seem to mind too much. The Sox second baseman didn't know of Guillen's consideration about keeping him out of the game, but when he heard of it after the game, Iguchi chuckled.

"Maybe I'll get a day off tomorrow now," Iguchi said through his interpreter.

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BOS 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1- 4 10 0
SOX 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 x- 6 10 0

WP- Jose Contreras(6-6)
LP- Bronson Arroyo(6-8)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(23)

HR-BOS;Ortiz(24),Varitek(15)-SOX;Iguchi(8)

T- 3:16
Att- 37,168
Game time weather- Real,real hot,101 degrees

SUNBURNT;The 101 degree game time temperature was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the 15 year history of US Cellular Field.

Jose Contreras threw 116 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work.He gave up 3 runs on 8 hits,walking 2 and striking out 6.

The top 3 in the order of Podsednik,Iguchi and Everett combined to go 8-12 with 5 runs scored.

White Sox record;64-33,1st place,10 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Dye leads White Sox past Royals
Outfielder drives in four runs, turns in defensive gem
By Matt LaWell / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050725&content_id=1144526&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

KANSAS CITY -- Maybe that spider that bit Jermaine Dye last week was the same one that bit Peter Parker.
You know, Spider-Man?

It looked that way, at least, because Dye played the part of a superhero on Monday night during the White Sox's 14-6 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He knocked a single in each of his first three at-bats, drove in four runs and assured himself a spot on the evening highlight reel when he robbed his old teammate, Mike Sweeney, of a hit by making a leaping catch at the right-field wall.

About the only thing he couldn't do, it seemed, was sling webs from his wrists.

"They were teasing me earlier about Spider-Man and all that crazy stuff," Dye said. "Then I made that play on the wall, so they made more jokes about it."

Less than a week ago, of course, nobody wasn't making any sort of joke about Dye's spider bites, not with lymph nodes popping up, and all sorts of IVs and antibiotics being pumped into his body.

But Dye regained his health -- and his spot in the Sox lineup -- and turned the tables a bit during his team's Major League-best 65th win when he wound up biting the Royals.

"I came early today, got in the cage and did some work," Dye said. "I got back to my usual program, felt good in the cage and just took it into the game and came up with some big hits early for us."

The first of those big hits came in the first inning, when he rapped a single to center that drove in two runs that increased the Sox's early lead to 3-0.

The lead swelled to 5-0 before Royals starter Zack Greinke wiggled his way out of the inning, but not before the Sox collected six hits and batted around.

Dye singled again in the third, one of only two innings during which the Sox didn't score a run. In the fourth, though, Dye's third single drove in two more runs. That built the lead to 8-3.

Three at-bats, three hits, four RBIs. Not bad. Oh, and he scored a run, too.

"He had a great comeback," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He came back ... after four or five days, and swung the bat real well. He was swinging pretty good before he got hurt, too. He's playing great for us.

"Hopefully, he stays hot."

Dye did cool off a bit at the plate -- he flied out three times during his final three at-bats -- but his glove sizzled.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Royals were chipping away at the Sox's lead, which was at 8-5 after Terrence Long hit a two-run homer off Sox starter Freddy Garcia. With Sweeney at the plate and the crowd of 15,515 cheering loudly against the Sox, Sweeney drove a ball to right that looked like another homer.

Only Dye followed the ball to the wall, jumped and snagged it in his glove.

"When he first hit it, I thought it was going to be a home run," Dye said. "I kept gaining ground and just wanted to go up and give a good effort, and I came up with the ball."

That catch all but slammed shut the door on any thought of a rally, and the Sox rolled to the win, tallying single runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings, and two in the eighth.

It's a good thing the Sox scored all those runs, too, because the Royals pounded almost as many balls and threatened to draw a little closer several times against Garcia, who allowed a season-high 12 hits for the second outing in a row.

"He was real rusty today," Guillen said of Garcia, who notched his 10th win of the season. "I don't think he was as sharp ... he was behind on a lot of hitters. I don't think it was the Freddy we've seen in the last four or five outings."

Of course, Garcia still had his command -- he struck out seven and didn't walk a batter over six innings of work -- and was more than good enough to get the win.

After that first inning, though, there was little doubt in anybody's mind as to which team would come out on top. Garcia was just fortunate to finally benefit from a few runs.

"It's a good thing it happened tonight," Garcia said. "I wasn't really getting people out. I made a couple of mistakes and they hit the ball well. I had a bad day, so I have to go try make a better pitch.

"We won, that's all that matters. The next day in the paper, they'll just say whether you won or you lost."

Matt LaWell is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 5 0 0 3 1 1 1 2 1- 14 22 0
KCR 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0- 6 16 2

WP- Freddy Garcia(10-4)
LP- Zack Greinke(3-12)

HR-SOX;Uribe(9),Pierzynski(14)-KC;Long (4)

T- 3:28
Att- 15,515
Game time weather- Clear,94 degrees

HIT MEN;6 different Whitre sox each had 3 hits in the game as part of the teams' 22-hit attack.Those players were Scott Podsednik,Aaron Rowand,AJ Pierzynski,Jermaine Dye,Willie Harris,and Juan Uribe.

Garcia went 6 innings,giving up 5 runs on 12 hits,striking out 7.

Podsednik stole his league leading 51st base of the year in the game.His 3-6 game raises his batting average to .302

White Sox record; 65-33,1st place,12 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox drop first to Royals
Buehrle extends durability streak with costly sixth
By Matt LaWell / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050727&content_id=1146197&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

KANSAS CITY -- Mark Buehrle turned in another six innings Tuesday night. What a surprise.
Buehrle, after all, had worked at least that long in each of his previous 48 starts. This was No. 49.

What should raise a few eyebrows, though, is the fact that Buehrle gave up seven runs, all earned, on eight hits during those six innings. The result of those unsightly numbers was a 7-1 White Sox loss at the hands of the Royals, a team the Sox had beaten 11 straight times.

The team's winning streak, of course, died unceremoniously at Kauffman Stadium. Buehrle's streak, meanwhile, lived on, though he doesn't really care about it.

"It's not that big of a deal to me," he said. "If it ends and we win, it's not that big of a deal. ... It's going to have to end one of these days.

"I'd rather go five innings and win than have what happened today."

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Buehrle found himself locked tight in a 1-1 pitchers' duel with Royals starter Jose Lima. The two pitchers had matched each other nearly pitch for pitch, and Buehrle was working on a three-hitter.

It all fell apart rather quickly.

Buehrle opened the inning by digging Royals rookie outfielder Chip Ambres into an 0-2 hole. Perfect setup for a strikeout, or maybe a grounder to second, right? Sure, only Ambres lined a single to left. One on, no out.

Next up, Mike Sweeney, the Royals' lone All-Star representative and a slugger, to be sure. On the first pitch, though, he laid down a sacrifice bunt. Only it wasn't a sacrifice bunt because Pablo Ozuna's throw across the diamond drew Paul Konerko off first base. Two on, no out, the tide already shifted, at least in manager Ozzie Guillen's mind.

"I think that created the rally," Guillen said "That was amazing. That shows you what kind of team they have now, that their best player goes to the plate in a close game and bunts."

Indeed, but it was just of the beginning of the turmoil for Buehrle and the best team in baseball. Next came an Emil Brown double that drove home a run and wiped away the tie game. The Sox, now trailing, 2-1, never led again.

Working with runners at second and third, Buehrle induced Matt Stairs to ground to short. The play should have scored one run, but the Sox would have gladly traded a run for the inning's first out.

Instead, with catcher A.J. Pierzynski pointing to first base, shortstop Juan Uribe threw the ball home -- and right over Pierzynski's head. Another run scored.

The inning's biggest blow came after Buehrle intentionally walked Royals shortstop Angel Berroa to load the bases.

That blow, not more than a bloop, was Mark Teahen's 90-foot hit that squeaked past Konerko, rolled down the right-field line and cleared the bases. Teahen came around to score, too, after a throwing error by second baseman Willie Harris.

Now thoroughly deflated, the Sox trailed, 7-1. They never recovered.

"It was one of those games where you just have a bad game," Buehrle said. "We haven't had too many of them this year."

No, they haven't. They've had fewer still that were as sloppy as this one.

"This wasn't the best ball we've played," Guillen said. "When you play lousy like we did today, obviously you don't have the right to win the game."

During that disastrous sixth inning, Guillen said he thought about going out to the mound and turning the game over to the bullpen -- thus ending Buehrle's streak -- but decided against it.

"He was throwing a lot of pitches but we just left him in there," Guillen said. "We didn't have anything to lose. Plus it was another inning I didn't have to use the bullpen."

Buehrle left after working his way out of the sixth, and while his streak remained intact, he couldn't help but wonder what might have happened had he taken that walk to the dugout before notching 18 outs.

"If it would have kept the game closer," he said, "by bringing somebody else in to get out of that inning ..."

The thought tailed off, but everybody surrounding him could have completed his sentence: He would have come out of the game.

Instead, Buehrle will try to notch No. 50 his next time out. As for the Sox's now-defunct 11-game winning streak against the Royals, well, they'll just start over Wednesday and try to do it again.

Matt LaWell is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 8 3
KCR 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 0 x- 7 8 0

WP- Jose Lima(4-8)
LP- Mark Buehrle(11-4)

HR- none

T- 2:24(1:10 rain delay)
Att- 19,175
Game time weather- Overcast,66 degrees

ROYAL PAIN;Mike Sweeney continued his hot hitting against the White Sox as he went 2-3 with 2 runs scored.

Juan Uribe committed 2 errors in the game,and Willie Harris had the other.

White Sox record;65-34,1st place,12 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox drop extra-inning finale
Early five-run lead vanishes under errors, homers
By Matt LaWell / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050727&content_id=1146773&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

KANSAS CITY -- Thirteen has always been a lucky number for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen -- look no further than the back of his jersey -- but maybe it isn't so lucky for his team.
That's because Guillen's White Sox labored through 13 innings of blown leads and botched balls Wednesday afternoon at sun-drenched Kauffman Stadium, and wound up losing their second straight game to the last-place Royals, this time by a slim 6-5 margin.

The loss dropped the Sox's record in extra-inning games to 5-5 -- one of very few areas where they've played below their expected level of performance this season -- and it marked their first series loss to the Royals in nearly a year.

"We didn't do the little things we always do," Guillen said. "We just played poorly all weekend."

So poorly, in fact, that the skipper seemed to have lost track of the calendar. That, however, was the least of the Sox's problems.

They committed two errors -- and five during the last two games -- that led to three unearned runs. They batted .167 (1-for-6) with runners in scoring position. They called on six relievers to work 5 1/3 innings. Problems, indeed.

Until the sixth inning, though, everything seemed keen. The Sox had manufactured a run in the fifth, and Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede had each homered in the sixth for a 5-0 lead. Jon Garland, meanwhile, was sailing along, headed for his 16th win.

Then everything soured for the Sox. After Garland retired the first two batters in the seventh, Royals left fielder Terrence Long reached on an error when second baseman Tadahito Iguchi bobbled the ball. Mike Sweeney homered to left on the next pitch. All of a sudden, the lead was down to three runs.

Garland got out of the sixth without further damage, then retired the side in the seventh. He came out for the eighth, but was lifted after Royals center fielder David DeJesus led off the inning with a single to center. Even from the bench, though, Garland wasn't worried.

"The way this bullpen's pitched," he said, "I'll turn it over to them every time."

And that thought seemed like a good one -- until Long smashed a ball towards first that skipped right through first baseman Ross Gload's legs, the game's second error.

Gload said after the game that if the ball was hit to him now, he'd probably catch it.

"But that doesn't help us right now," Gload said. "I play every other week and today I cost a ballgame."

The only reason Gload might even be thinking that is because four pitches later, Sweeney homered again, this time off right-hander Cliff Politte. That three-run shot wiped away the Sox's lead. Thanks to Sweeney, they never led again.

"He's a tremendous hitter," Guillen said of the Royals' lone All-Star representative. "He's killed the White Sox for a lot of years, no matter who's pitching, and it wasn't any different today."

The teams traded zeroes until the 13th. Royals relievers, in fact, held the Sox scoreless on three hits over the final seven innings. Damaso Marte, Dustin Hermanson and Bobby Jenks did the same to the Royals.

The game reached its climax in the 13th, just before Guillen protested to the umpires because Royals reliever Shawn Camp wasn't on the lineup card -- he later said it was "no big deal," -- and just after he summoned Luis Vizcaino from the bullpen.

Vizcaino, working for the third straight day, promptly allowed a leadoff single to DeJesus. Then he gave up a single to Chip Ambres. Then he gave up a single to Sweeney. And, after he struck out Joe McEwing with the bases loaded, he gave up a single to Emil Brown that landed in left field and scored DeJesus from third.

And that was that. Four singles ended a long, and ugly, afternoon of baseball for the White Sox.

"We've been playing good defense all year long," Garland said. "People thought we were playing out of our minds, but it happens to the best of us. Hopefully, we can bounce back after the day off."

And in the end, that off-day is the silver lining. A day for the Sox to rest, regroup and put this rather unlucky game behind them.

Matt LaWell is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 5 8 2
KCR 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 1- 6 12 1
1 out when winning run scored

WP- Shawn Camp(1-2)
LP- Luis Vizcaino(4-5)

HR- SOX;Dye(20),Crede(14)-KC;Sweeney 2(15)

T- 4:25
Att- 17,378
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,74 degrees

WORKING OVERTIME;DH Carl Everett was ejected by home plate umpire Tim Timmons in thew 2nd inning for arguing balls and strikes.

Sox starter Jon Garland went 7 innings,giving up 3 runs on 5 hits.His ERA drops to 3.09

Cliff Politte suffered his 1st blown save of the year when Mike Sweeney homered to tie the game in the 8th inning.

Sweeney was 3-7 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in the game.so far this season,Sweeney is hitting .412(14-34) with 5 homers and 12 RBIs against Sox pitching.He has an .882 slugging pct. against White Sox pitching.

White Sox record;65-35,1st place,11 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox snag first game vs. O's
Hernandez puts together second straight solid outing
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050729&content_id=1149994&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws


BALTIMORE -- Friday was not exactly the best day to be a frontline player on either of the top two teams in the American League Central.
Frank Thomas, possibly the greatest hitter in White Sox history, was declared all but out of the season early in the afternoon, after a new fracture was found through the navicular in his left foot. Later in the evening, Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter tore a tendon in his left foot trying to plant and leap for a David Ortiz fly ball during a game at Fenway Park.

But aside from the matching pair of superstar injuries, the White Sox and Twins don't seem to have too much else in common. As the Twins dropped their third game in four outings played against the Yankees and Red Sox this week, the South Siders cruised to a 7-2 victory over Baltimore before a sellout crowd of 45,267 at Camden Yards.

The victory improved the White Sox's Major-League best record to 66-35 and raised their Central lead to 12 1/2 games. Their magic number to clinch a division crown for the first time since 2000 dropped to 49, which is an impressively low total as August approaches Monday. Ozzie Guillen's crew has maintained its lofty perch despite a fairly average 13-11 month of July with two games remaining.

In fact, the White Sox were coming off two sub-par efforts in losses to the Royals, before putting together a solid six innings from Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez and a burst of power Friday night in Baltimore.

"We need this one," Guillen said. "We played real poorly in Kansas City, and I think to come out with the first win here hopefully sets the tone for a good series."

Hernandez broke a personal two-game losing streak and a stretch of three straight starts without a victory, allowing just two runs on seven hits over his six innings, striking out three. Hernandez improved to 8-3 overall, and has given up 11 hits and four earned runs over 12 2/3 innings during his last two starts against Boston and the Orioles (51-51).

It's a mere coincidence, according to Hernandez, that his two strong efforts have come against teams that he has familiarity with from his Yankees' days.

"You are never just comfortable when pitching against Boston and Baltimore. Not with their lineups," said Hernandez through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr.

Baltimore put at least two runners on base in three of the first five innings but Hernandez only allowed one run in the first and one in the fifth. Hernandez's biggest pitch came in the third, with the White Sox leading 4-1, and Sammy Sosa at the plate with two runners on base.

Sosa pulled a 3-2 pitch deep down the left-field line, with the distance for a game-tying home run, but it curved foul at the last moment. Hernandez came back to strike out Sosa on the next pitch.

"He made a couple of mistakes," said Guillen of Hernandez. "When you make mistakes, you get hurt. But he made big pitches. His last two performances he threw real well."

A three-run blast from Paul Konerko off of Erik Bedard (5-3) in the third broke a 1-1 deadlock, and Carl Everett's two-run shot in the seventh off of reliever Todd Williams sealed the deal. It was Everett's 15th home run and Konerko's 23rd.

The first baseman's game-deciding blast came off of a 3-2 pitch at his knees, in a stretch when the White Sox drove up Bedard's pitch count to 94 over three innings. But the long ball was the last thing on Konerko's mind at the time.

"I was trying to get a base hit and drive in a run," said Konerko, who joined Everett and A.J. Pierzynski with two hits, while Tadahito Iguchi led the way with three. "I was just not going to take a third strike. I was being aggressive and not being too selective."

Most of the White Sox players, and even Guillen, saw tape of Hunter's injury on television. Konerko referred to it as "kind of gruesome," while Guillen said that he sympathized with manager Ron Gardenhire and holds a great deal of respect for the way Hunter and the Twins play the game.

But the White Sox did not need Hunter's six-week absence to cement in their minds the idea that the American League Central was their division to lose. That concept has been with them since Spring Training but came into much sharper focus when they first built up a double-digit lead in late June.

It's the same principle involving Thomas' unfortunate injury. It didn't take the Big Hurt's setback to have the rest of the White Sox offense step up and be counted.

"Everyone knows he's one of the best players in White Sox history, but when the game started we had to forget about it and do what we are supposed to do," said Guillen of Thomas. "But with the situation we are in right now, this division was ours to lose no matter if Hunter was there. If we don't go to playoffs, I blame myself."

"What is it, 12 1/2 [games] now?" Konerko added of his team's lead. "That's a pretty good spot to be in with [61] games to go. Teams rally when guys go down some times, and crazier things have happened after an injury. But if we take care of business, we feel good about where we are at."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 1 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 0- 7 12 1
BAL 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 2 9 0

WP- Orlando Hernandez(9-3)
LP- Erik Bedard(5-3)

HR- SOX;Konerko(23),Everett(15)

T- 3:25
Att- 45,267
Game time weather- cloudy,80 degrees

BIRD HUNTING;Tadahito Iguchi was 3-5 in the game with 2 runs scored.

El Duque went 6 innings,giving up 2 runs on 7 hits,striking out 3 O's.

Baltimore SS Miguel Tejada went 4-4 with 2 doubles in the game.

White Sox record;66-35,1st place,12 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox send O's off Pier
Pierzynski, Dye homer in decisive eighth-inning rally
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050730&content_id=1150578&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

BALTIMORE -- There was a time during the offseason when it looked as if A.J. Pierzynski would be catching for just about any team but the White Sox.
General manager Ken Williams knew of his availability, but Williams also thought the gritty backstop would not be the right fit for the cohesive unit he was trying to build. To the credit of Williams and the White Sox organization, they did their due diligence in regards to Pierzynski and found their initial beliefs to be incorrect.

If there was any small, lingering doubt remaining after signing Pierzynski to a one-year, $2.25 million free agent deal, they were quickly erased once he arrived and went to work in Spring Training. Those original worries now have transformed into supreme praise for a player Ozzie Guillen calls "one of the best things we did in the offseason."

Pierzynski has worked diligently to handle five White Sox starters who all feature different styles and has been a perfect fit in the easy-going clubhouse. He even has added an unexpected power element, on display Saturday at Camden Yards during the White Sox's 9-6 victory over Baltimore (51-52) before 40,100.

With the White Sox trailing, 6-4, and Tadahito Iguchi and pinch-runner Ross Gload on base, Pierzynski launched an 0-1 pitch from right-handed reliever Chris Ray (0-3) into right-center stands for his 15th home run of the season and the eventual one-out game-winner. Pierzynski, who has 10 hits on the current road trip, still is at a loss to explain his career high in home runs.

Baltimore could have opted for left-handed closer B.J. Ryan to face Pierzynski to record the final five outs. But when Pierzynski didn't see Ryan warming up as he approached the plate, he knew there would be no worries about trying to break an 0-for-6 head-to-head drought against Ryan.

"I know one thing. If they would have brought in B.J. Ryan, I wasn't going to hit," said Pierzynski, who has struck out in five of six at-bats against Ryan.

Jermaine Dye followed Pierzynski's dramatic drive with his 21st home run of the season, a prodigious clout covering 420 feet. It marked the seventh time this season White Sox hitters have gone back-to-back and was the team's third home run Saturday, as Joe Crede hit No. 15 off Bruce Chen in the fifth.

The White Sox added an insurance run in the ninth inning, with Dustin Hermanson (24th save) closing out the South Siders' 67th victory in 102 games. A Minnesota loss to Boston on Saturday night would give the White Sox their biggest Central Division lead of the season at 13 1/2 games.

Iguchi provided the ninth-inning insurance with a run-scoring single back up the middle, capping off his second straight three-hit effort. It also put a point of finality on the team's 30th comeback win of the season, a sign of a championship-caliber unit that Iguchi witnessed while playing for Fukuoka in Japan.

"Everyone believes in that kind of come-back-from-behind feeling," said Iguchi through a translator. "People have the confidence that they can come back from a deficit. A team can gain some confidence from them.

"That's the reason why this team has come as far as it has. They have been able to take advantage of those situations and pull off the comeback victories."

This latest late-inning rally made a winner of Neal Cotts (3-0), in relief of starter Jose Contreras. The big right-hander allowed six runs on six hits over six innings, but was done in primarily by a four-run third inning and Rafael Palmeiro's two-run home run in the sixth, coming just moments after pitching Don Cooper finished a mound talk with Contreras.

Palmeiro's drive could have been the difference-maker, but instead that honor went to Pierzynski. In the long run, that moniker could be bestowed upon Pierzynski for his collective body of work in 2005.

The talented player with the questionable clubhouse demeanor, talked about last year while he was in San Francisco, no longer exists. This is the same Pierzynski, who along with his wife Lisa, gave bottles of Dom Perignon to each of the four White Sox All-Stars before the break.

It's also the same Pierzynski who is winning games with his bat, as much as with his handling of the staff.

"When we do the search and research around the league, people said this kid is going to show up every day and play," Guillen said of Pierzynski. "Our concern was how he was going to be in the clubhouse. He has a past reputation. I wasn't concerned because if he wasn't doing what we wanted, he's not going to be here.

"This kid has done a tremendous job behind the plate. He has big hits for us and is swinging the bat a lot better now. He's a competitor and comes to play every day."

Guillen admitted that when Pierzynski starts to struggle, he also starts "to talk and stuff," but the team has not had a problem with that part of his personality.

Maybe it's a credit to his teammates and the coaches, for making Pierzynski feel at home. Maybe it's simply a case of Pierzynski finding a perfect fit as part of a winner.

"In Spring Training, we thought we had a chance to be pretty good and compete for the division," Pierzynski said. "But if you would have asked anybody if we'd be playing this well and have everyone on the team doing as well as they've done, everyone would have said you're crazy."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 4 1- 9 13 0
BAL 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0- 6 8 0

WP- Neal Cotts(3-0)
LP- Chris Ray(0-3)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(24)

HR- SOX;Crede(15),Pierzynski(15),Dye(21)-BAL;Palmeiro(18)

T- 3:15
Att- 40,100
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,86 degrees

FLYING HIGH;Tadahito Iguchi and AJ Pierzynski each went 3-4 in the game.

Sox starter Jose Contreras went 6 innings,giving up 6 runs on 6 hits,walking 3 and striking out 3.

White Sox record;67-35,1st place,13 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota

[Chisox73]

Sox, Garcia sock it to Orioles
Right-hander picks up his 11th win of the season
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050731&content_id=1153358&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

BALTIMORE -- Don't look for Ozzie Guillen to search out Baltimore pitcher Todd Williams before Monday afternoon's series finale and praise him for the solid job the right-hander did in relief during the White Sox's 9-4 victory at Camden Yards Sunday night.

In fact, an angry Guillen was ready to have Williams sent back to the Minor Leagues or tossed completely out of baseball after what the White Sox manager perceived as an intentional pitch thrown at Tadahito Iguchi with two outs in the third inning. Guillen's post-game tirade might have been indirectly aimed at Rodrigo Lopez (9-6), the Orioles' starter who allowed eight runs on seven hits over just 1 1/3 innings.

It was Lopez who threw high and tight to Iguchi in his second at-bat, after the White Sox sent 10 men to the plate in the first inning and scored five runs, before walking Iguchi. Williams' pitch, which hit Iguchi in the left hip and caused an early exit from the game for the second baseman, also could have been a sign of frustration from the Orioles (51-53), who have been thoroughly outplayed during the White Sox's first three victories in this four-game set.

Whatever the explanation, Guillen wasn't ready to forgive and forget. He also wasn't buying the fact that the pitch was unintentional.

"There is no doubt in my mind they hit him on purpose. Ain't nobody going to tell me [different]," Guillen said. "That was right behind the kid. But when you're horse , that's what you do. You know what I mean.

"I don't respect that kind of game. Get people out. Get people out to be here. That's unnecessary. That's not baseball. You come here, this is the big leagues. This is not Little League or Triple-A or Double-A, where they can do whatever they want. People have to respect players.

"That's chicken [bleep] what they did," Guillen added. "I think good pitchers win games and horse [bleep] pitchers hit people. You're going to hit somebody? It's not anybody's fault you got a [butt] kicking. Throw strikes and get people out. You can get somebody hurt."

Iguchi already was going to be given the day off for Monday afternoon's series finale, with new acquisition Geoff Blum getting his first start. Through his translator, Iguchi said that he could have stayed in the game Sunday night after suffering the contusion but Guillen was worried about him and didn't want to take any chances.

There was a mild disagreement about the situation from Iguchi's point of view, providing an answer of "No" when asked if he thought Williams' pitch was intentional. Nonetheless, Iguchi appreciated Guillen's animated defense of a player he refers to as the team Most Valuable Player.

"I'm very happy. It feels like I'm taken care of," Iguchi said of Guillen's support.

"It happens," added Iguchi of getting hit for the fourth time this season. "When it comes, it comes. I wasn't thinking too much about it."

Although Guillen claimed after the victory that he respects baseball too much to have had Freddy Garcia retaliate later in Sunday's game, homeplate umpire Joe West might have taken care of those thoughts with an unofficial warning to the White Sox bench. It was more an admonishment of Guillen to quiet down, according to West, after the White Sox manager continued to yell at Williams.

There was some actual baseball that took place before 31,982 at Camden Yards. Juan Uribe led the 13-hit attack with three hits, while Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede knocked out two apiece. Dye also drove in three runs.

The nine runs scored for Garcia seem to be the norm, rather than the exception, of late. The South Siders have put up 23 runs during Garcia's last two starts and 36 over his last four.

That run support has been a needed thing for the big right-hander, who improved to 11-4. He has given up double-digit hits in each of his last three starts, and 40 over his last four. The Orioles actually cut an eight-run deficit to five in the seventh, on back-to-back home runs from Brian Roberts and Eric Byrnes, and had two runners on base with one out.

But Garcia struck out Sammy Sosa swinging and induced an inning ending ground out to Crede at third off of the bat of Javy Lopez.

"It was a great performance," said Guillen of Garcia. "He gave up the hits later on in the game. I left him in another hitter to see if he came out of the struggle good and he made big pitches when he had to. I think it's the best he's thrown in the last couple of outings."

Sunday's domination helped the White Sox equal a season-high of 33 games over .500, at 68-35. It also moved the South Siders to a high-water mark of 14 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota and Cleveland in the American League Central.

Yet, Guillen sounded for too angry to be the man managing the team sporting the best record in all of baseball. Then again, Guillen's fire and intense support of his players is one of the main reasons the White Sox find themselves at the top.

"I should feel mad because I respect this game," Guillen said. "People do that thing because they are under the ground. When you do that, I hate it.

"That thing was unprofessional. Pitch good. Just don't hit people. And if they tell me they no hit , they're full of [bleep] too. They did it. On purpose."

[I]Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 5 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 9 13 1
BAL 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0- 4 12 0

WP- Freddy Garcia(11-4)
LP- Rodrigo Lopez(9-6)

HR-BAL;roberts(16),Byrnes(8)

T- 3:27
Att- 31,982
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,80 degrees

[B]JULY NOTES;The White Sox finish the month of July at 15-11.They gain 4 games in the standings over slumping Minnesota.

Juan Uribe had 3 hits for the Sox in the game.

Garcia went 7 innings,giving up 4 runs,3 earned on 10 hits,walking 2 and striking out 4.

White Sox record;68-35,1st place,14 1/2 games over Cleveland and Minnesota

[Chisox73]

White Sox complete sweep over O's
Buehrle ejected after allowing one unearned run over 5 2/3 innings
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050801&content_id=1153686&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

BALTIMORE -- They are called defining moments for a clear-cut reason.
Maybe it's throwing a fastball by the opposing team's best hitter with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning or launching a walk-off home run to take down a heated rival. That moment also can extend to an entire game, or in the White Sox's situation, this weekend in Baltimore, cover a four-game series.

Already entering with the best record in baseball, the White Sox took apart the fading Orioles and recorded their second four-game sweep of the season. That quartet of victories was capped off on Monday afternoon, with the South Siders claiming a 6-3 victory before a sellout crowd of 47,823 at Camden Yards.

But it was the way in which the final two games of the series played out that truly might signal out the end of July and beginning of August as a special point to circle within this amazing 2005 campaign. Mark Buehrle entered Monday's game riding a streak of 49 straight games in which he has worked at least six innings.

That streak came to a close with two outs in the sixth Monday, Sammy Sosa on first base and the White Sox clinging to a 2-1 lead. Buehrle hit B.J. Surhoff near the left shoulder as he tried to turn away from a sinker that got away inside on the left-handed hitter.

Homeplate umpire Brian Gorman took a step toward the mound and immediately ejected Buehrle, the first of his career, without issuing a warning. The pitch delivered by the White Sox ace came after A.J. Pierzynski was struck just above the right elbow by Daniel Cabrera (8-9) in the top of the inning and one day after manager Ozzie Guillen believes Tadahito Iguchi was hit intentionally by reliever Todd Williams.

Buehrle and Pierzynski claimed it wouldn't make sense to intentionally hit someone during a one-run game. Surhoff had two hits earlier when Buehrle worked him outside, so the lefty moved in during his third at-bat. But Buehrle's lack of denial sort of spoke for itself.

"We had a guy hit yesterday and then A.J. gets hit," Buehrle said. "Their catcher sets up away and the pitcher comes up and in and hits [Pierzynski].

"Obviously, you guys were out there and you've seen the game. People who know baseball know what happened. I can't comment on that, but I was surprised I got tossed."

That surprise might have explained why Buehrle hit Surhoff, with the streak just one out away from being extended to 50 games. But the pitch from Buehrle was a sign of team unity, with personal statistics being pushed aside.

It's the way the White Sox have played all season, moving to 34 games over .500 at 69-35, and raising their lead in the American League Central to 15 games with Minnesota playing Monday night against Oakland. Those are the numbers that really mean something to Guillen and his team.

"We don't care about the streak," said Guillen of Buehrle's run coming to an end. "If Buehrle don't make the Hall of Fame because of that, then blame it on me, the team or the umpire. We are not here to break records. Our record is to win games and everyone in that room knows that."

"Would I have liked to have kept it going? Yeah," Buehrle added. "It was fun while it lasted and unfortunate the way it ended. But we won the game, and I'll just start up another one."

Buehrle improved to 12-4, despite the ejection, by holding the Orioles to one earned run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. The relief combination of Luis Vizcaino, Neal Cotts, Cliff Politte, Damaso Marte and Dustin Hermanson (25th save) closed out the Orioles (51-54), but it was the offense that gave the bullpen an opportunity.

Jermaine Dye knocked out three hits, including the go-ahead single after Pierzynski was hit in the sixth, and Pablo Ozuna doubled home two runs during a three-run eighth to give the White Sox a 6-1 advantage. Pierzynski added his 16th home run in the eighth inning off of reliever Jorge Julio, a drive that would seem to be a bit more special blast after what happened earlier in the game.

"You said it, not me," said Pierzynski when asked about the home run's meaning. "It always feels good when you hit a home run."

"My team showed what kind of people we have once again," Guillen added. "They come back and win that one for Buehrle."

The White Sox battled through a "subpar" 15-11 month of July but still managed to raise their lead in the American League Central from 10 1/2 games to where it currently stands. They shredded the Orioles for four days and now return home, with the same goal in mind against the Blue Jays and the Mariners.

In 2000, the last time the White Sox won a division title, a bench-clearing brawl in April with Detroit galvanized the team. In 2004, it was Minnesota's Torii Hunter running over catcher Jamie Burke at homeplate on a simple sacrifice fly that seemed to turn the momentum toward the Twins.

And in 2005, it could be a beanball war in Baltimore that Guillen refused to engage in and an All-Star putting aside his own personal accolades that truly tells the story of success.

"You cannot go out and start hitting people just because," Guillen said. "Maybe Cabrera didn't try to hit A.J., but I know for a fact that last night they hit Iguchi on purpose. But I didn't come here to drill people. We came here to win."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0- 6 11 1
BAL 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0- 3 10 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(12-4)
LP- Daniel Cabrera(8-9)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(25)

EJECTIONS;Mark Buehrle by HP umpire Brian gorman in the 6th inning

HR-SOX;Pierzynski(16)

T- 3:09
Att- 47,823
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,87 degrees

NOW IN CRUISE CONTROL;The Sox now have a 15 game lead in the AL Central division,thier largest since winning the AL West by 20 games in 1983.

This was the 1st time that the Sox have swept a 4-game set in Baltimore since August 17-19,1954.It was the Orioles' 1st season in Baltimore after leaving St.Louis.

Buehrle went 5 2/3 innings before getting tossed,giving up a run on 5 hits.

Prior to today's game.Orioles 1B Rafael Palmeiro was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball for violating the substance abuse policy.He tested positive for steriods.

White Sox record;69-35,1st place,15 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Garland suffers rare defeat in opener
Right-hander allows seven runs over six innings
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050802&content_id=1155178&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- During the last three games, the White Sox have become human piñatas for opposing pitchers.
Try five hit batsmen over that time period. Toronto hurlers Josh Towers and Justin Speier hit two more in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 7-3 victory over the White Sox before 32,162 at U.S. Cellular Field.

While both of those pitches appeared to be offerings that simply got away, the White Sox are ready to take on all comers if they continue to remain as prime targets.

"One thing about this team, we're not in the place we are at -- first place, 14 games up -- because we don't have each other's backs," said first baseman Paul Konerko, whose 24th home run gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the first inning. "You don't do that with teams not together.

"It's never going to continue with this team. It's got too good of character."

With the Blue Jays (54-51) holding a 7-3 lead with two outs in the eighth, Towers (8-8) hit A.J. Pierzynski with a pitch just above the right elbow. Towers was replaced by Speier, who hit Jermaine Dye, the first batter he faced. Dye quickly fell to the ground after being struck in the right shoulder, but he stayed in the game and pronounced himself swollen but healthy after the defeat.

Manager Ozzie Guillen and his players didn't think the pitches were thrown intentionally, something that Guillen still doesn't believe was the case with Baltimore this past weekend. But the players on the White Sox (69-36) still take care of their own business.

Jon Adkins, making his first appearance since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte, hit Russ Adams with two outs and nobody on base in the top of the ninth. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson simply warned both benches, without issuing any ejections like the quick hook received by Mark Buehrle on Monday afternoon, earning strong support from Guillen.

"That's the way it should be," said Guillen of Nelson. "The umpire has to control the game with the warning."

"If you're going to retaliate, that's what you do: You pick a guy, and Russ just happened to get up with two outs," added Towers, who mentioned that neither hit batsmen were intentionally done. "Two outs, nobody on -- that's a great time to hit somebody, and it just happened to be Russ. It's good for his on-base percentage."

Adkins worked a scoreless ninth, following two innings of hitless relief from Bobby Jenks. Adkins followed Towers' lead and claimed he was just trying to pitch inside, something that has made the White Sox staff infinitely successful this season.

"It's not like I'm going to try to hit someone in that situation," Adkins said. "I'm going to try to save the bullpen."

Guillen observed the histrionics of the final two innings from the clubhouse. In fact, the White Sox manager was asked to leave by Nelson in the fourth inning after the first pitch from Towers to Dye with one out. Guillen's ejection for arguing balls and strikes was the fourth of his career and second this season.

Although Guillen was the one who engaged in the animated argument with Nelson, he was far from the only individual on the White Sox who had problems with the strike zone. But the players chalked up the inconsistency to just one of those nights for Nelson, and not a situation where the best team in baseball is starting to become marked by the men in blue.

"I don't think so. It hasn't been bad at all," Dye said. "Umpires are human, just like we are. They have tough nights, too. Hopefully, tonight was just a tough night."

"If I'm laid back, they got me. If I go and argue, they have me also," Guillen added. "It's hard for me because I don't know how to treat them. It's not a winning situation for any manager. We have a job to do and they have a job to do, and I have to protect my players in that situation."

Toronto countered the two-run first with seven straight hits against Jon Garland (15-5) in the second inning, scoring five runs. The Blue Jays launched three home runs off of the right-hander, with two coming from Adams and a two-run shot delivered by Orlando Hudson to cap off the second.

Garland has turned in a near perfect 2005 campaign, with the exception of facing the Blue Jays. He has allowed 55 earned runs this season, and nearly one-fourth of them (13) have come in two starts against Toronto. Garland won his first effort against the Blue Jays on May 6 at the Rogers Centre, but he wasn't so lucky on Tuesday, as the White Sox saw their four-game winning streak come to a close.

"It was a case of [not pitching well] tonight is what it was," said Garland, who allowed a career-high 13 hits over six innings, along with seven runs. "I made some good pitches, and they hit them. I made some bad pitches, and they hit them.

"Some nights you make some good ones and some bad ones and get away with stuff. Tonight, they had the best scouting report in the world or they are the best guessers. Every guy in that lineup hit me and hit me hard, too."

Suffering a nose bleed coming in from the bullpen was a bad early sign for Garland, and it only got worse from there. As for any bloodshed between the two teams over the next two games, Guillen doesn't believe the late action on Tuesday will carry over.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TOR 0 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 0- 7 13 1
SOX 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 3 8 1

WP- Josh Towers(8-8)
LP- Jon Garland(15-5)

Ejections: Ozzie Guillen by HP umpire Jeff Nelson in the 4th inning(Arguing balls and strikes)

HR-TOR;Hudson(8),Adams 2(8)-SOX;Konerko(24)

T- 2:28
Att- 32,162
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,88 degrees

NOTES;With Konerko's 24th homer,he ties Magglio Ordonez for 4th place on the White Sox All-time home run list with 187.

The Sox left 8 men stranded in the game.

Konerko and Pierzynski each had 2 hits for the Sox.

White Sox record;69-36,1st place,14 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

White Sox edged by Blue Jays
After four-run first, Chicago unable to come back
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050803&content_id=1156684&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- Moving the runner over, getting clutch hits and driving in runs is what the White Sox have done all season to win.
On Wednesday night, though, the team showed what happens when all the little things don't go right.

Going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine runners on base, the White Sox picked up their second straight loss to the Blue Jays, 4-3, at U.S. Cellular Field.

Manager Ozzie Guillen understands that his team is built to win by doing the little things, and when that doesn't happen, it spells trouble.

"We have to," Guillen said. "That's what I keep saying, we have to do the little things. We're not that kind of team that's going to score 20 runs in an inning, and we expect that. The guys take advantage of mistakes and play the game the way it should be played, and we just didn't do it today."

The missed chances were numerous. Three times the White Sox had a runner on third base with two outs and were unable to score. Twice a Chicago batter led off the inning with a double and the Sox didn't tally a run. And the three Sox runs all came off home runs.

Not exactly your typical White Sox performance.

"We lost this game with no fundamentals," Carl Everett said. "We all collectively get the fundamentals down, and we win this ballgame.

"We just need to be ourselves and play as we have always been. It was just that tonight it didn't happen."

Calling the performance by his team "flat," Guillen was unsure of exactly what caused his team to look so down -- a cold that had him feeling under the weather or the fact that his team was tired.

What could have had an impact on the Sox was an early four-run deficit that would be all the Blue Jays would need to clinch the victory.

Orlando Hernandez (8-4) got the White Sox in an early hole with a rough first inning. Two walks and a hit batter by "El Duque" loaded the bases with two outs. Catcher Gregg Zaun hit a double to deep right field that scored three runs for the Blue Jays (55-51). The next batter, Eric Hinske, singled to right, scoring Zaun. However, Hinske was caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.

The first inning would be the only glare, though, on Hernandez's outing, as he went seven innings, allowing only the four runs in the first on five hits while striking out five.

Guillen seemed happy with Hernandez's performance after that inning, but his starter realized that something about the strong performance was missing.

"It came too late," Hernandez said.

Though unable to capitalize on many scoring chances, the Sox did manage a few impressive runs.

Everett put the White Sox (69-37) on the board in the bottom of the first when he blasted his 16th home run of the year, a 460-foot shot to the concourse in right field.

Two more runs scored in the fifth on a Paul Konerko dinger. It was home run No. 25 of the season for Konerko.

With his team struggling to come back from the early deficit, Guillen didn't know if he would have to shake things up to get his team jump-started again.

Although the club is 12-8 since the All-Star break, the team has struggled to a 3-6 record at home. After seeing another slow performance, Guillen was asked if he would rest some players for Thursday's afternoon game.

"I don't know," Guillen said. "I'll have to look at the lineup and think about it."

Though Guillen was worried about his team being flat, Aaron Rowand felt it was more just of a game where things just didn't go the Sox's way.

"You know, you're not going to be perfect all the time, but it wasn't for a lack of effort," Rowand said. "Guys were trying to get the job done today, and it didn't happen for us. Just one of those things, you have to take it for what it is today and come back tomorrow and play."

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TOR 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 5 0
SOX 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 3 9 0

WP- Dave Bush(2-5)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(8-4)
Save- Miguel Batista(18)

HR- SOX;Everett(16),Konerko(25)

T- 2:52
Att- 28,116
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,87 degrees

NOTES;With his homer in the game,Paul Konerko passes Magglio Ordonez for 4th on the all-time White Sox career home run list with his 188th career homer.

Of the 9 men left stranded in the game,7 were left in scoring position with 2 out.

White Sox record;69-37,1st place,13 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Iguchi's blast powers Sox past Jays
Solo shot in eighth puts Chicago on top for good
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050804&content_id=1157402&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- When White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was asked last week who was the MVP of his club, his pick of Tadahito Iguchi raised more than a few eyebrows.
On a club filled with All-Star pitchers such as Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland, a leadoff man that leads the league in stolen bases in Scott Podsednik and a closer with 26 saves in Dustin Hermanson, it seemed a little shocking to pick a player that doesn't stand out in any one category.

But if Iguchi keeps coming up with clutch hits like he did on Thursday, Guillen's pick may no longer seem so surprising.

This time it was a leadoff home run by Iguchi in the bottom of the eighth that propelled the White Sox to victory No. 70 on the season, a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays at U.S. Cellular Field.

"This kid is underrated because he's playing with a couple of pretty good ballplayers," Guillen said. " I think one of the biggest reasons why we are where we are is because of him. I think he plays real solid baseball, clutch hitting, moving the guy over for the team. He's a great team player."

The fact that this time it was a home run by Iguchi that sparked a Sox win is just one example of the versatility the second baseman has brought to the club. A power hitter in Japan, Iguchi has become so much more for Chicago with his ability to do the little things to help win that he's earned the respect of all those in the clubhouse -- even if they can't speak his language.

"He understands the game as good as anybody else in our clubhouse and knows what it means to move a runner, how important that is or to get a guy in from third base," Aaron Rowand said. "There is no shortage of compliments that come to him in the dugout and in the clubhouse from everybody on the team so I think it's pretty easy for him to feel at home and feel well appreciated."

Iguchi's blast was definitely valued since it came after the White Sox (70-37) blew an early 4-0 lead. Paul Konerko hit an RBI single and Rowand hit a three-run bomb to center in the first that put the Sox ahead.

The big lead would last until the fourth when Toronto went on a scoring run. Jose Contreras walked a batter and gave up a single to put two men on base with one out. Alex Rios hit a ground ball to third baseman Joe Crede that he misplayed. A throwing error by Crede allowed one run to score and Rios to plate without Toronto notching an out. Two more runs would follow off a groundout and a triple before Reed Johnson struck out to end the inning.

None of the runs were charged to Contreras. The right-hander didn't allow an earned run over five innings, giving up five hits, walking four and striking out four.

Guillen wasn't happy that he had to go to his bullpen early once again, but was not too upset with what he saw from his starter.

"I think Jose was throwing the ball real well and we didn't make the play on the field and obviously they didn't just score one run," Guillen said. "All of a sudden he had to throw another 25 pitches in one inning. Really, it wasn't his fault. I think if we make the play the way we make the plays every day, I think Jose has a better outing."

Contreras would not receive a decision because the Blue Jays tied the game up in the top of the eighth on a double by Russ Adams off Damaso Marte.

An opportunity was there for the Blue Jays to take the lead later that inning. With the go-ahead run at third and only one out, Vernon Wells hit a blooper to shallow center field, but a running catch and strong throw home by Rowand prevented the runner from heading home. Shea Hillenbrand then popped out to Chris Widger to end the inning.

Hermanson came in to close the ninth for the Sox and struck out three straight batters to pick up his 26th save of the season and secure the Sox victory.

"It was actually one of those days in the pen you don't' feel too hot and then you go in the game and you're locked in," Hermanson said.

The game wasn't all good news for the Sox. Designated hitter Carl Everett left the game in the fifth with a mild strain to his left groin. He is expected to miss two or three days. Everett suffered the injury when he was caught trying to steal second base but said that he tripped over his shoelace and was forced to slide while retreating to first where he pulled the muscle.

Guillen said that he expects to keep Everett out of the lineup until he is 100 percent but doesn't expect it to take too long.

"I think it's a mild groin injury," Guillen said. "We need him but we're not in a hurry. To me, I think it's more important to get back on the field 100 percent and don't take the risk to get hurt again."

With Everett out, the Sox will have to rely on other players to pick up the missing hits. This doesn't seem like much of a problem to Guillen's MVP who seems to want to take on more responsibility for the club, even if the rest of the team feels like he's doing more than his share.

"I'm still not satisfied with my performance," Iguchi said. "I'd still like to improve and contribute more."

If that performance is to improve any more, the rookie may be earning more awards than just Guillen's MVP.

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TOR 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0- 4 8 0
SOX 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x- 5 7 1

WP- Luis Vizcaino(5-5)
LP- Justin Speier(1-2)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(26)

HR-SOX;Rowand(8),Iguchi(9)

T- 3:13
Att- 32,027
Game time weather- Cloudy,85 degrees

BACK ON TRACK;The Sox become the 1st team in baseball to reach 70 wins in 2005.

Ozzie guillen raised a few eyebrows last week when he stated that Tadahito Iguchi was the team MVP.

Iguchi was 2-3 in the game with 2 runs scored.

Sox starter Jose Contreras went 5 innings,giving up 3 runs on 5 hits,walikng 4 and striking out 4 in 102 pitches.

White Sox record;70-37,1st place,14 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Garcia falls to former mates
Rowand, Pierzynski deliver solo home runs
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050805&content_id=1159014&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- Their 70-38 overall record currently places the White Sox with an eight-game lead over their next closest challenger for the top spot in the American League. And if Ozzie Guillen and his charges had their way, the South Siders would finish with 124 victories and riding a 54-game winning streak into the postseason.
But following Seattle's 4-2 victory on Friday before a raucous crowd of 39,165 at U.S. Cellular Field for Elvis Night, the sarcastic White Sox manager briefly rethought the benefits of home-field advantage. His team now features a 4-10 record over its last 14 games played in Chicago.

"If we go to the playoffs, I hope we don't have the best record and we start somewhere else," said Guillen, with a shred of honesty peaking through his tongue-in-cheek comments. "That's the truth.

"Most of the teams play good at home and we don't. We have bad games here. Even the games we win here, they are usually late in the games. We should be doing better here."

Following a theory somewhat akin to a famous line from the movie "Field of Dreams," the White Sox have proven that if they win games, the fans will come. Friday night's sellout marked the team's 11th of 2005, setting a single-season franchise record. The 2.1 million tickets already sold for the current campaign are the franchise's sixth-highest total and marks the first time it has surpassed 2 million tickets since 1993.

Unfortunately, the home team's record during those 11 sellouts has been an underwhelming 5-6. The White Sox have lost three straight sellouts and four of their last five.

Freddy Garcia, who fell to 11-5 on Friday, despite keeping the White Sox close over seven innings, stands as a perfect example of the home-road disadvantage. The right-hander is 9-1 away from U.S. Cellular and 2-4 with a 5.01 ERA pitching with the comforts of home. He was at a loss to explain his struggles or those found by his team.

"Maybe you are more relaxed on the road?" said Garcia, who struck out four and walked three, while allowing seven hits and four earned runs. "A couple of guys are playing good here. The other 90 percent play better on the road, and I don't know why."

"It's tough and frustrating, but we just hit a bump," added third baseman Joe Crede, who had one of the team's eight hits. "It's the game of baseball and stuff like this happens."

Aaron Rowand's ninth home run, coming on the first pitch he saw from Joel Pineiro (4-7) in the first inning, and A.J. Pierzynski's 17th in the fourth were the only two runs the White Sox could muster against five Seattle pitchers. Scott Podsednik doubled and Tadahito Iguchi was hit in the head with one out in the third, but Rowand grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Geoff Blum and Juan Uribe knocked out back-to-back singles with one out in the seventh. But reliever George Sherrill struck out Podsednik, and Iguchi's line drive off Jeff Nelson was snared by first baseman Richie Sexson. Pineiro, one of Garcia's closest friends, won his first decision since July 7.

During the White Sox's 1-3 start to this six-game homestand against the Blue Jays and Mariners, it has been the long ball or nothing in terms of offensive production. Eleven of their 13 runs scored have come via the long ball.

"It's certainly not that we are trying to hit home rums," said first baseman Paul Konerko, whose single was one of the six non-home runs on Friday. "I've been having success by going up the middle and staying the other way.

"The best thing to do is not think about it. We don't change approaches on hitting every day. If we bang out 15 or 20 hits one night, don't think a game like tonight we tried something different. We tried the same thing. If we could figure it out, then we would make sure we never have bad games."

J.J. Putz and Eddie Guardado (26th save) retired the final six White Sox hitters on 20 combined pitches. There were three weakly hit groundouts, a popup to shortstop and pinch-hitter Pablo Ozuna's strikeout to end the game.

That first-pitch-swinging effort left Guillen a bit disappointed, pushing for his team to improve its overall approach and to get more runners on the basepaths for the frequently hit home runs. The finish also sent home a large throng of disappointed fans, with big crowds expected for the final two games of the series.

Konerko didn't tie in the team's slump at home with the huge fan support. In fact, he thought Thursday afternoon's win over Toronto would send the White Sox back on their winning ways. But the team needs to get out of its offensive funk in Chicago and avoid its second streak of four losses in five games this season.

The first such run came from July 19-23, and also took place at U.S. Cellular Field.

"Right now, it just feels like we are going through the motions," Guillen said. "That's the way I feel. I don't know how they feel. When you play a long season like that, that thing can happen. We just need better at-bats."

"You try to win every game and win every game for every person that comes out," Konerko added. "Some nights you wish you could give the fans what they want, on a big packed house weekend night. I just think we look a little tired. We have to get out of it as quickly as we can."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SEA 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0- 4 7 0
SOX 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 2 8 0

WP- Joel Piniero(4-7)
LP- Freddy Garcia(11-5)
Save- Eddie Guardado(26)

HR-SEA;Sexson(27)-SOX;Rowand(9),Pierzynski(17)

T- 2:37
Att- 39,165(sellout)
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,77 degrees

SEA SICK;The Sox hit into 2 double plays in the game tonight.

Everyone in the starting lineup for the Sox had 1 hit,except Jermaine Dye,who was held hitless in 4 at-bats.

Prior to the game,Mark Buehrle joked with the media about trying to get Ichiro benched for Saturday's game where he will pitch.Ichiro is hitting .500 lifetime against Buehrle(12-24).

White Sox players and staff are helping out conditionong coach Allen Thomas to rebuild his home in north Carolina after it was completely destroyed by an explosion caused by a gas leak.There were no injuries in the explosion,as the family was not in town at the time.

White Sox record;70-38,1st place,13 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Quick start powers White Sox
Konerko's homer, Buehrle's arm too much for Mariners
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050806&content_id=1160161&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- A signed baseball sat on a shelf in Mark Buehrle's locker, one of the many the left-hander used during the White Sox's 4-2 victory over Seattle on Saturday during the single-season franchise record 12th sellout at U.S. Cellular Field.
The baseball represented a significant moment from his seven-inning effort, which pushed Buehrle to 13-4 on the season. But it really wasn't an instance directly tied to the game's final outcome.

Ichiro Suzuki tapped a grounder back to Buehrle, leading off the top of the third, with the White Sox (71-38) holding a 3-0 advantage. Buehrle grabbed the two-hopper and fired to first baseman Paul Konerko for the out, marking the second time this season Buehrle retired Seattle's All-Star hitter.

As soon as first-base umpire C.B. Bucknor made the official call, Buehrle signaled to Konerko that he wanted to keep the baseball. Buehrle threw the ball into the White Sox dugout, and the game picked up where it had left off.

"He's always talking about that guy wearing him out," said Konerko of Buehrle facing Ichiro, who entered Saturday in a career-worst 0-for-22 slide. "If you only got like one guy who wears you out, you can make a joke out of it."

"It was weird to see him in the dugout after he comes up to the plate," added Buehrle with a smile.

Ichiro didn't leave empty-handed against Buehrle, knocking out two hits in four at-bats, raising his career head-to-head totals to 14-for-28. But when the game was on the line in the seventh, with runners on first and second, two outs and the White Sox leading by one, Buehrle was up to the challenge against his nemesis. Ichiro hit a hard grounder to second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, ending the threat.

Buehrle actually held down three scoring chances from the Mariners (47-62), starting in the first inning, when Ichiro and Willie Bloomquist opened with singles. Raul Ibanez advanced the runners with a slow grounder to shortstop Juan Uribe, but Buehrle caught Richie Sexson looking for the second out and retired Adrian Beltre on a fly ball to center.

"To me, that was the crux of the game," said Seattle manager Mike Hargrove of Sexson's called strikeout.

Seattle scored its only run off Buehrle in the sixth on Ibanez's ground out. With Bloomquist on third and one out, Buehrle knocked down Sexson's line shot up the middle with his glove, held the runner and threw out the big first baseman. Moyer (9-4) called Buehrle's reaction a great self-defense play.

"It sounds good to me," said Buehrle, who added X-rays of his right hand came back negative. "It's a little scary whenever the ball comes at you. But when you get a ball back up the middle, I try to knock it down and keep it on the infield."

Most of the White Sox scoring came during a three-run first. With one run already in and Aaron Rowand on first, Konerko launched his 26th home run to left on a 1-2 pitch, victimizing Moyer's lone bad offering. It raised the White Sox's first-inning scoring advantage to 99-48 and marked the 50th time in 109 games that the South Siders have pushed a run across in the opening frame.

The early run production was crucial because Moyer allowed one hit out of the infield over the next seven innings. That hit just happened to be Iguchi's run-scoring single in the eighth, providing insurance for closer Dustin Hermanson (27th save in 28 chances), and scoring Scott Podsednik.

Prior to Saturday's game, manager Ozzie Guillen had called his team "boring to watch" during Friday's loss to the Mariners. Hid didn't call for a team meeting, despite his disappointment, as that action would have shown a lack of team control on his part, according to Guillen.

Instead, Guillen talked to a few players individually, preaching better at-bats, a few more baserunners and playing hard, regardless of the outcome. It's amazing how that plan comes to fruition when Podsednik, mired in a 4-for-35 slump, gets on base.

"He's our most important offensive player this year," said Guillen of Podsednik, who scored two runs Saturday after reaching via a walk and an error. "When this kid gets on base, the team plays better. Between him and Iguchi, they get things going."

"I felt like we are back to ourselves now," Konerko added with a wry smile. "No hitting, great pitching and great defense."

Guillen admitted that he laughed at himself when making out Saturday's lineup, with his offense in such a deep funk that he used Joe Crede and his .248 average as a designated hitter for the first time in his career. The move was designed to get both Konerko and newcomer Geoff Blum on the field defensively.

But the lineup doesn't matter as much with the inherent comfort zone produced by Buehrle. He started a new streak of starts in which he has worked at least six innings, allowing seven hits and striking out three. Buehrle has given up two runs and 10 hits over 16 innings pitched against Seattle this season, fanning 15.

Five of those 10 hits have come off of Ichiro's bat. While the victory was important to give the White Sox a chance at a .500 homestand, the individual battle won by Buehrle was just as memorable. Athletic trainer Herm Schneider provided an inscription on the baseball so Buehrle never will forget.

"It says something like, 'On this day in history, I finally got Ichiro out,'" Buehrle said. "I figured this was a perfect time for him to get hot."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SEA 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0- 2 9 1
SOX 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x- 4 4 0

WP- Mark Buehrle(13-4)
LP- Jamie Moyer(9-4)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(27)

HR- SOX;Konerko(26)

T- 2:19
Att- 37,529
Game time weather- Clear,79 degrees

NOTES;This season,Mark Buehrle has allowed 2 earned runs in 16 innings pitched vs. Seattle.

Ichiro was 2-4 in the game against Buehrle,keeping his lifetime agerage at .500(14-28) against the Sox lefty.

The 3 run 1s tinning for the sox was the 50th time this season that they have scored in the 1st inning.

Scott Podsednik stole 2 bases,raising his total to 54 on the season.

White Sox record;71-38,1st place,13 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Garland posts Sweet 16
Righty ups AL-leading win total; Konerko, Crede homer
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050807&content_id=1161369&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- It seemed only fitting that the White Sox picked up win No. 72 Sunday afternoon, during the same day a life-sized sculpture of Carlton Fisk was unveiled on the U.S. Cellular Field concourse in left-center field

The manner in which the White Sox claimed a 3-1 victory over the Mariners (47-63) before 35,706 would have made the Hall of Fame catcher proud. The team's third win of the six-game homestand started with Jon Garland, who became the American League's first 16-game winner and joined St. Louis' Chris Carpenter as the Majors' only hurlers to reach that milestone.

Garland (16-5) allowed just one run on five hits over 7 1/3 innings, bouncing back from a six-inning shellacking administered by Toronto on Tuesday. The right-hander kept his pitch count down, exiting in the eighth with a total of 89, and kept his pitches down in the strike zone, retiring nine Seattle hitters via ground balls.

But it was the White Sox's defense that helped the best team in baseball improve to 18-8 during games decided by two runs. Dave Hansen and Ichiro Suzuki singled to open the eighth inning, with the Mariners trailing by two, but first baseman Paul Konerko made a nice play to snare Willie Bloomquist's line drive for the first out. Damaso Marte replaced Garland and retired Raul Ibanez on a routine fly ball to center, bringing in right-hander Cliff Politte to face right-handed-hitting slugger Richie Sexson.

Politte threw just one pitch to Sexson, who blasted it to center. But Aaron Rowand raced back and made the catch, grabbing the drive three-quarters up the center-field wall. The talented defender actually hit the wall first and then hauled in the baseball.

"At least you don't have any time to think about it," said Rowand of hitting the wall first. "It's done when you catch the ball."

"This kid, he's going to have a chance to win the Gold Glove," manager Ozzie Guillen added. "He plays center field better than anybody I've ever seen. And I've seen pretty good ones."

Sexson threw his batting helmet to the ground after the catch, and then stopped a few steps past first base to watch the replay of Rowand's game-saving play on the center-field scoreboard. Sexson finished 3-for-12 in the series, but the White Sox hurlers managed to minimize the cleanup hitter's damage.

"It's frustrating for a guy like that to hit a ball that well and be out, because I thought for sure it was going to score a run or go out," Politte said. "I'm just excited that Row made one [heck] of a catch and we won."

Dustin Hermanson closed out the contest and the homestand with a perfect ninth inning, his 28th save in 29 opportunities. It was early home run power, flashed against rookie Jeff Harris (0-1), which put Hermanson in position to finish things.

After the Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead on Ichiro's run-scoring single in the third, Paul Konerko went deep in the fourth with one out and Rowand on base for his 27th home run of the season. It was Konerko's fourth home run and ninth RBI of the homestand.

Joe Crede added his 16th home run, a solo blast leading off the fifth. The White Sox stranded two runners in the second and fifth innings, while leaving the bases loaded in the sixth. Despite their apparent reliance on home runs, with 10 coming during the homestand, Konerko reiterated that the team's success is based first on other factors.

"We go into games and don't plan on hitting home runs, because we are not built on hitting home runs," Konerko said. "We have some guys who can do it, but that's not our style of play and hasn't been all year. I don't think we won because of the home runs today. We won because of the pitching."

The pitching and defense, of course, and the pressure of winning one for Fisk. Guillen laughed at the last suggestion but mentioned that it was a good feeling to enter the upcoming six-game road trip to New York and Boston with a couple of home victories under their belts.

Konerko added that if you are going to struggle on a homestand, as the White Sox did during this week, it's better to exit on a high note. Rowand was surprised to hear that taking two out of three from the Mariners was the first home series victory since sweeping three from Tampa Bay, beginning on the Fourth of July.

"In a month? I didn't know that," Rowand said. "It's nice to get that streak out of the way."

"It just feels good to win one at home," Garland added. "It seems we've had a bad slide here at home. It just feels good to put up a quality start for my team and give us a chance."

The White Sox (72-38) maintained their 13-game lead over Cleveland in the American League Central, and their magic number dropped to 39. They leave Chicago with a little momentum, a 16-game winner and a new honoree cast in bronze.

They also have a center fielder, who sacrificed his body once again for the good of the team.

"You have to try to go get the ball," Rowand said. "If you are worried about hitting the wall, you probably aren't going to catch it.

"They aren't moving," added Rowand with a smile of the walls. "I ran into them enough times and they still end up in the same place. Thanks to Jerry [Reinsdorf] for putting up more padding in the center-field wall for me."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SEA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1
SOX 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 x- 3 5 0

WP- Jon Garland(16-5)
LP- Jeff Harris(0-1)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(28)

HR- SOX;Konerko(27),Crede(16)

T- 2:29
Att- 35,706
Game time weather- Sunny,83 degrees

SWEET 16;Jon Garland becomes the American League's 1st 16-game winner.He went 7 1/3 innings,giving up a run on 5 hits.

Aaron Rowand had 2 of the 5 Sox hits in the game.

White Sox record;72-38,1st place,13 games ahead of Cleveland

[Chisox73]

Duque falls in Bronx opener
Former Yankee delivers quality outing in losing effort
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050808&content_id=1162642&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

NEW YORK -- Moments after speaking to the media following his team's 3-2 loss before 54,871 at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had a quick question for the handful of remaining Chicago reporters.

"What was our record against Boston?" asked Guillen with a mischievous smile, referring to a four-game series two weeks ago at U.S. Cellular Field that ended in a split.

"Two and two?" Guillen repeated. "Well, I guess that makes us 2-3 against the Major League teams on our schedule."

Guillen sarcastically was referring to the overriding but inaccurate opinion that the White Sox's 2005 season begins and ends with their contests against the American League East powers. This theory basically came into play as the White Sox amassed the best record in baseball without playing either the Red Sox or Yankees until the end of July.

It would seem to be an aggravating sort of thought for a team with a 72-39 record, a 12 1/2-game lead in the American League Central and a magic number of 39 to clinch its first division crown since 2000. Along the way, they have defeated the good, the bad and the exceptional.

But after coming up short during Monday's fiercely contested series opener, the White Sox seemed to be more amused than annoyed over setting some sort of tone for a possible playoff matchup with games being played the second week of August.

"I actually think it's funny," said catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. "We can't control who we play and don't play.

"You would think Boston and New York are the only two teams we've played. The last time I checked, Minnesota is pretty good, Cleveland is pretty good, [the Los Angeles Angels] are pretty good. Oakland is doing all right. There are a lot of other good teams out there, but that's the way it is and how it always will be."

Even with the Yankees' benchmark theory pushed aside, there's no denying Monday's game featured a little something extra for the visitors in their first trip to the Bronx. If there was any doubt to the game's meaning, then Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez slamming his toiletry bag in disgust into his locker before talking to reporters answered all questions.

Hernandez made his first career start against the Yankees (60-50), after posting a 61-40 record for New York from 1998-2004. Hernandez also was the definition of a big-game pitcher, with a 9-3 postseason record.

The Yankees let El Duque walk in the offseason, with some lingering doubts remaining about the health of his shoulder. But Hernandez (8-5) was greeted warmly by everyone from the stadium workers to Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre before taking to the mound.

His former teammates weren't so accommodating. Alex Rodriguez's 32nd home run, a two-run shot in the first, gave the Yankees an early advantage, and they added a third run in the second on Derek Jeter's run-scoring ground out. Hernandez settled down from that point on, allowing four hits over six innings, while striking out four and walking three in his 116-pitch effort.

But Hernandez obviously wasn't satisfied, a point he made clear when asked if he still was upset over the loss.

"What do you think?" said Hernandez, without use of a translator.

"Regardless of where I'm pitching, I'm mad when I lose," Hernandez continued, through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. "If you aren't out there to win, what's the point of pitching?"

It was Hernandez's fourth loss in his last five decisions, with the first-inning blues getting him down in each of those setbacks.

"But he found a way to get it going after that first inning," Pierzynski said. "He pitched well. Three runs, four hits in six innings? I'll take that every time out of him."

The early deficit could have been far greater if not for Aaron Rowand's first-inning defense. Jeter opened the game with a long drive to left-center, which Rowand ran down and caught as he leaped parallel to the warning track. Rowand then chased down a drive in right-center off the bat of Robinson Cano on the ensuing hitter.

"I've never had back-to-back plays like that," said Rowand, who also doubled home a run. "The scouting reports had me playing on one side and both times, they hit it the other way."

Jermaine Dye also took extra bases away from Rodriguez in the fifth, leaping against the wall to haul in his long drive with Gary Sheffield on first. The White Sox looked to have Sheffield doubled off, but the throw back to the infield hit Rodriguez and allowed Sheffield to return safely.

The White Sox pushed for an interference call, claiming Rodriguez intentionally stayed in the path of the throw. But home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ruled Rodriguez's actions were unintentional and allowed the call to stand.

Relievers Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera (30th save) made six innings and 122 pitches from Mike Mussina (11-7) stand up for the victory. The South Siders' two-game winning streak came to an end and their six-game road trip to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park started on the wrong end of the ledger.

A road trip that apparently signals the White Sox's first foray into Major League competition, according to Guillen.

"We win 72 games and this is like Opening Day for us," Guillen said. "To us, it's another game against a quality team."

"When you go up against good teams, it's whoever gets the bigger hit," Rowand added. "Tonight, we didn't get that hit."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 2 9 0
NYY 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x- 3 4 0

WP- Mike Mussina(11-7)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(8-5)
Save- Mariano Rivera(30)

HR-NYY;ARodriguez(32)

T- 2:58
Att- 54,871
Game time weather- Cloudy,82 degrees

BRONX BUMMERS;The Sox left 5 men stranded in the game.2 in scoring position.

Paul Konerko and DH Timo Perez both had 2 hits for the Sox in the game.

White Sox record;72-39,1st place,12 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.
White Sox Magic Number:39

[Chisox73]

Konerko's homer difference against Yanks
Iguchi also goes deep as White Sox hold off New York
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050809&content_id=1163805&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

NEW YORK -- There was only one way for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to describe the last two innings of his team's 2-1 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday night.
"That's New York," Guillen said. "Anything can happen."

Guillen's assessment spoke more to a shocking development with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Scott Harper, an 18-year-old fan from Armonk, N.Y., jumped 40 feet from the upper deck into the protective netting over the seats behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, according to police. But Guillen could have been referring to the South Siders' wild ride during the Yankees' last trip to the plate.

Carrying a 2-0 lead into the ninth, Alex Rodriguez opened the frame with a first-pitch home run against reliever Cliff Politte. Rodriguez's 33rd home run came at the start of Politte's second inning of work because Guillen was trying to stay away from using closer Dustin Hermanson.

Hermanson worked three of the last four games during the White Sox's previous six-game homestand but also returned to his workout program during that stretch. He was trying to do what was "right for himself," staying strong for the final two months of the season, but instead caused stiffness in his problematic lower back.

"I might have taken a little step back, instead of forward," Hermanson said after the victory.

"There's no doubt I would have started the inning with him," Guillen added of Hermanson. "But I tried to stay away from Hermie because he wasn't ready to go."

With four left-handers and one switch-hitter following Rodriguez, Guillen turned to Damaso Marte to close out the game. Marte retired Hideki Matsui on a line drive to right fielder Jermaine Dye, and then struck out Jorge Posada swinging after Jason Giambi walked.

But Tino Martinez kept the inning alive with a single to center, sending pinch-runner Bubba Crosby scrambling to third base. Guillen had no choice but to go to Hermanson, who made quick work of pinch-hitter Bernie Williams.

It was one pitch, to be exact, which Williams lined to Geoff Blum, a defensive replacement for Paul Konerko at first base.

"I was trying to run a slider in and bring it in on his hands," said Hermanson of facing Williams, who is now 5-for-7 in his career against the right-hander. "I thought it was first on the inner third, but it looked like it was on the corner and he opened up on it.

"Blum thinks it might have gone foul, but I'm glad he was there to catch it. I had a short day and somehow got it done."

The 29th save for Hermanson in 30 chances made a winner of Jose Contreras (7-6). The big right-hander followed up his Cuban countryman Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez's solid six innings of work Monday with seven-plus innings of pure brilliance against the team that traded him away at the non-waiver trade deadline last July.

Contreras equaled his season high with the innings pitched and equaled a season low by allowing just three hits. Contreras was as sharp as he's been since carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the 2004 season finale at Kansas City. He struck six, but more importantly, walked only two. He pitched out of a one-out, runner-on-third situation in the fourth by striking out Giambi and inducing Posada to ground back to the mound. He kept the Yankees at bay by relying more on his changeup and staying ahead in the count.

Guillen called Contreras' effort his best while wearing a White Sox uniform.

"That's not just the best game I've ever pitched as a White Sox, but maybe in Major League baseball since I've been here in the states," said Contreras through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. "All my pitches were working. I felt strong, and I got results."

"Not only was that the best performance by him," catcher A.J. Pierzynski added of Contreras, "that was probably the best performance by anyone [on the White Sox] all year."

Tadahito Iguchi's 10th home run, coming with one out in the fourth, stood as the White Sox's lone tally off of Yankees' starter Shawn Chacon (0-1) over seven innings. Iguchi's power stroke has been primarily to right field this season, and he took advantage of the 314-foot distance to the corner at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

But Konerko provided the margin of victory with his 28th home run, leading off the ninth against Alan Embree. It helped the White Sox (73-39) equal a season high of 34 games over .500 and stay 12 1/2 games ahead of the Indians, who scored 11 runs in the ninth at Kansas City to claim a 13-7 victory.

Reducing their magic number to 38 sent a sellout crowd of 53,946 home disappointed, but certainly entertained by this strange and yet exciting finish. Even with the Yankees (60-51) fighting for a late-inning rally, the crowd erupted in cheers as the young man who jumped in the eighth crawled along the net, back to the second deck, while play was halted.

"I didn't see him fall. But I looked up and he was bouncing. I saw him bouncing on the net," Hermanson said. "That was crazy. I don't know what he did, but he's lucky he landed on the net rather than somewhere else. Just think about those people sitting below the net and what could have happened."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 2 6 0
NYY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 5 0

WP- Jose Contreras(7-6)
LP- Shawn Chacon(1-80
Save- Dustin Hermansen(29)

HR-SOX;Iguchi(10),Konerko(28)-NY;ARodriguez(33)

T- 3:20
Att- 53,946
Game time weather-Cloudy,81 degrees

PRIME TIME;Scott Podsednik was 2-3 in the game.Konerko was 1-2 with 2 walks and a big homer in the 9th inning.

Contreras went 7+ innings,giving up only 3 hits,walking 2 and striking out 6.

White Sox record;73-39,1st place,12 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.
White Sox magic number:38

[Chisox73]

White Sox slide past Yanks
Uribe beats throw home in the 10th for game-winner
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050810&content_id=1164968&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

NEW YORK -- If there was any doubt concerning the 2005 White Sox being a championship-caliber team, then Wednesday afternoon's 2-1 victory in 10 innings over the Yankees should have silenced that final handful of critics.

It's not about the White Sox taking two of three from the Yankees, before crowds of close to 54,000 every day in the Bronx. At 74-39, and a new season-high 35 games over .500, the South Siders simply are the better of the two teams.

But their one-run victory Wednesday, improving the White Sox to 26-13 during games decided by the slimmest of margins, not only was a textbook effort for this first-place squad but also done in the manner in which many teams find success in the playoffs.

Freddy Garcia became the third straight White Sox starter to shut down the powerful Yankees (60-52), joining Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras in limiting Joe Torre's crew to three earned runs and 13 hits over 21 innings. The team with an American League-best 157 home runs cleared the fences only twice, both coming off the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

Derek Jeter finished 1-for-12 in the series, and the one hit was a questionable infield single. Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi had one hit in nine at-bats apiece.

The White Sox didn't exactly mash the baseball off the Yankees' hurlers, winning the series by a combined total of 6-5. They did what they had to do, though, with the game on the line.

With the game tied at 1 in the top of the 10th and closer Mariano Rivera (5-3) in his second inning of work, Juan Uribe launched a one-out triple over the head of center fielder Bernie Williams. Scott Podsednik made an attempt to squeeze home Uribe, and barely kept the at-bat alive by fouling off the Rivera pitch tailing away.

After Rivera didn't get a call from home plate umpire Bruce Froemming on a pitch inches off the outside corner, Podsednik grounded the next offering to second baseman Robinson Cano, who was drawn in to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. Cano's throw and catcher Jorge Posada's blocking of home plate were both just a split-second late to stop the sliding Uribe.

"We find a way to win and don't score any more than you have to," said White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand with a smile over his team's paltry, but successful, offensive output.

The 10th-inning rally was made even more impressive by the fact that both Uribe and Podsednik struck out three times apiece earlier in the game against Yankees starter Aaron Small. Uribe also committed an error on Jeter's first-inning ground ball in the hole that led to an unearned run, the only run Garcia allowed over eight innings.

"I was trying to do something for the team," said Uribe through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. of his ninth-inning at-bat against Rivera. "I was just trying to make contact, trying to get on base to help the team get a victory."

"It's crazy because Uribe can't hit a guy who throws junk. All of a sudden he gets to the best pitcher in the big leagues," added Guillen, with a smile of disbelief in regards to Uribe. "That's the reason I squeezed, because I think that's the only chance we get against Rivera. This guy has been outstanding."

So has Dustin Hermanson, Guillen's closer. In fact, Hermanson matched Rivera with his 30th save on Wednesday, making a winner out of Neal Cotts (4-0). The bottom of the 10th started with Cotts retiring Posada, but the left-hander exited after walking pinch-hitter Tino Martinez.

Hermanson, whose back was more than ready for action in a second straight game, struck out Jeter and induced a long fly ball from Cano to Rowand. The drive caused Rowand to move back about four or five steps on the run, but to quote White Sox television play-by-play announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, it was a mere "can of corn" for this stellar defender.

For three games, Rowand ran down everything hit from gap to gap at Yankee Stadium, including a drive from Hideki Matsui to right-center to end the sixth.

"A lot of opportunities, you know," Rowand said. "It's nice when you get balls hit in areas you can actually catch them. There's a lot of room out there in the gaps in this park to run."

When Guillen was asked if Rowand could have caught the ball hit by Uribe over Williams' head, Guillen at first deferred to his friendship with Williams. When pressed, Guillen pointed out that Uribe's ball was crushed in the right spot.

"I'll say yes because I want my guy to win the Gold Glove," said Guillen with a laugh.

Chicago's magic number continues to dwindle closer and closer to an American League Central-clinching party, sitting at 37 with the Indians playing Wednesday night. The White Sox also improved to 6-1 during extra-inning games played on the road and a Major League-best 38-17 away from home.

Still not convinced by the White Sox's play? How about this little nugget of information? The White Sox scored off Rivera for the first time since June 24, 2000, the last time the South Siders reached the playoffs.

"Great baseball," said Guillen of the overall series in New York. "Poor hitting on our part. We didn't execute a couple of times that we should, and we've been doing that all year long.

"But our pitching staff did a great job, their pitching staff did a tremendous job. Whoever watched these games, this was baseball. This was exciting baseball."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 2 5 1
NYY 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 7 0

WP- Neal Cotts(4-0)
LP- Mariano Rivera(5-3)

HR- none

T- 2:58
Att- 54,635
Game time weather- Partly Cloudy,86 degrees

YANKEE MYSTIQUE;Since 2000,the White Sox are 13-8 at Yankee Stadium.They haven't lost a series there since going 0-3 in 2001.

Jermaine Dye went 2-4 in the game.

Starter Freddy Garcia went 8 innings,giving up a run on 6 hits,striking out 5.

White Sox record;74-39,1st place,12 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:37

[Chisox73]

Long balls doom Buehrle, White Sox
Chicago sees three-run rally in ninth inning get snuffed out
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050812&content_id=1167702&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

BOSTON -- The 2005 White Sox starting rotation begins with Mark Buehrle, followed by Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, Jose Contreras and Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez.

It has been a steady, and often times spectacular, group since Buehrle's Opening Day effort at home against Cleveland. But prior to Friday's 9-8 loss to Boston before the 200th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park, Ozzie Guillen stated once again that the playoff rotation might look a little different than the regular season.

He pointed to the 1993 playoffs, where Jack McDowell started the playoff opener against Toronto for a team featuring Guillen as the starting shortstop. The move made sense, after all, as the lanky right-hander would go on to win the American League Cy Young Award. But McDowell struggled against the Blue Jays during that particular season, and the White Sox lost both of his starts and the American League Championship Series.

Simply put, Guillen will go by matchups. The numbers could lead to Hernandez and his 9-3 postseason mark starting Game 1 or it could be Garland. Of course, Buehrle will be right in the mix.

But if the White Sox face the Red Sox in the ALCS, the most-likely matchup for the two American League powers, Guillen might not want to give Buehrle that extra start. Buehrle has pitched two games this season against the best offense in baseball, allowing 22 hits and nine earned runs over 13-plus innings. On Friday, Buehrle (13-5) gave up 12 hits, including his first two home runs over the last 34 innings.

Jason Varitek's blast in the fifth, his 18th, tied the game at 5. David Ortiz made a loser of Buehrle with an opposite-field shot over the Green Monster, leading off the seventh.

Buehrle shrugged his shoulders over a couple of broken-bat hits that fell in or spinning liners that hugged the line and dropped in safely. He tipped his hat to Boston (67-47), though, on delivering solid shots against pitches that were located where he wanted.

"The change to Varitek, I guess it could have been down more," Buehrle said. "And the home run to David, it was a couple of inches outside and I guess he was looking for it.

"One through nine, there's not an easy out vs. these guys. They get on base, and something seems to happen every time."

Ortiz's home run against Buehrle was far from his last heroic moment of the evening. With two outs in the eighth and Gabe Kapler and Edgar Renteria on base via walks, Guillen left rookie right-hander Bobby Jenks in to face Ortiz. Jenks threw a 96-mph fastball to Ortiz, but the location didn't match the velocity.

The Red Sox slugger launched his second home run of the game to center field. It was his fourth hit, 28th home run on the season and 100th as part of the Red Sox. Ortiz also drove in a career-high six runs.

"If I make that pitch where I wanted to, I might get a fly ball if I elevated it at little bit," Jenks said. "Another day, when he isn't seeing the ball as well he was today, and he was on fire today, maybe he fouls it off.

"Seven out of 10 times he hits that pitch hard and he got it. It was middle down and in, right where his swing is. I served it up to him."

Down, 9-5, in the top of the ninth, closer Curt Schilling quickly and easily dispatched the first two hitters. Those outs were followed by Tadahito Iguchi's 11th home run, Carl Everett's single and Paul Konerko's two-run blast over the Monster. It was Everett's third hit of the night, including his 17th home run, and Konerko's 29th long ball.

Aaron Rowand stood as the White Sox's next great hope to extend the game. He was called out on strikes, ending the comeback attempt one run short.

"He froze me on a breaking ball," Rowand said of facing Schilling. "I wasn't thinking breaking ball in that situation. I was thinking fastball, slider and he throws a breaking ball on the outside corner."

"They got that lead, and then we are down by one run against Schilling," Guillen added. "It means we were doing the same stuff we have been doing all year. We have never given up and fight right to the end."

Friday's game originally appeared to be a pitchers' duel between two old friends, Buehrle and David Wells. Buehrle said that he text messaged Wells on Thursday night and told him, 'Let's get it on.' It was the offenses doing most of the talking Friday.

The loss became that much more disappointing for the White Sox (74-40) because their offense returned, after hitting .212 over their last nine games. They held leads of 4-0 and 5-3, but ultimately couldn't hang on.

Boston ended up being a bad matchup for Buehrle once again, something for Guillen to consider in the postseason. Then again, the Red Sox have done plenty of damage against a number of top pitchers.

"Just give me a 2-1 game," said Guillen, sitting back in his chair in the visiting manager's office, drawing a few laughs with the comment. "Buehrle battled and we battled. Hopefully, we show up tomorrow and continue to battle."

"They've hit me around pretty good this season, so if it comes down [to] the playoffs, hopefully I can get my revenge against them," Buehrle added. "We come out and put up eight runs, and four early. It's kind of embarrassing for the pitching staff. We should have held on to that win."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3- 8 12 0
BOS 0 0 2 1 2 0 1 3 x- 9 13 1

WP- Chad Bradford(1-0)
LP- Mark Buehrle(13-5)

HR-SOX;Everett(17),Iguchi(11),Konerko(29)-BOS;Varitek(18),Ortiz 2(28)

T- 2:57
Att- 35,132
Game time weather- Cloudy,79 degrees

SEEIN' RED;Mark buehrle gave up 6 runs on 12 hits in 7 innings in the game.Red Sox starter David Wells went 6 2/3 innings,giving up 5 runs on 9 hits,striking out 5 batters.

Carl Everett was 3-5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs.

David Ortiz was 4-5 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in the game.

White Sox record;74-40,1st place,12 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:37

[Chisox73]

Garland struggles as White Sox fall
Chicago ace surrenders five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050813&content_id=1169371&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

BOSTON -- To find a difference between the Jon Garland who defeated the Red Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on July 22 and the Jon Garland who came up on the short end of a 7-4 final on Saturday night before the 201st straight sellout at Fenway Park, look no further than the right-hander's pitch count.

On July 22, Garland threw a total of 117 pitches over a gritty 6 2/3 innings, limiting baseball's best offense to two earned runs on seven hits. On Saturday, Garland reached 100 pitches when catcher Doug Mirabelli fouled off a 3-2 offering with one out in the fifth inning. His pitch count was well into the 50s in the second inning.

While Garland (16-6) clearly didn't have his best stuff, the Red Sox certainly know how to make the usually efficient hurler work. The 117 pitches thrown during his previous victorious effort stand as his season-high, and while Garland only walked two Saturday, he didn't have the superb command he's enjoyed this season.

Part of the problem stemmed from Garland once again not feeling as if he had a good breaking ball. But much of the credit goes to the Red Sox's tenacious attack.

"Any team can do that to you, if they have the patience and are having good at-bats," said Garland, who allowed five earned runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. It marked only the third time in 23 starts Garland had failed to work at least six innings. "It so happens every guy in that lineup went up and had good at-bats."

"He threw a couple of close pitches, and they were taking them," added White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen of the Boston hitters. "They made him throw more pitches and made him be around the plate a little more. He couldn't make those pitches. That's the reason they took advantage of it."

Of course, the difference in Garland's two starts against the Red Sox (68-47) also had a little something to do with Tim Wakefield (12-9), who opposed the Cy Young candidate during both outings. In Chicago, Wakefield was tattooed for seven runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings.

His biggest challenge on Saturday was waiting out a 40-minute rain delay, with his knuckler seemingly flattening out upon his return to the mound after six scoreless innings. Paul Konerko homered to open the seventh against Wakefield, marking Konerko's fifth career hit and second career home run against the knuckleballer. It also was Konerko's 200th career home run, coming a little more than two months after he picked up his 1,000th career hit in Colorado.

It was the second straight game in which Konerko has homered, producing his first two career home runs at Fenway Park. Konerko has homered in three games on the road trip and in four of his last six.

Konerko's seventh-inning blast also gave him 30 home runs in 2005.

"It's cool, but there are a lot of guys walking around with more than 200 home runs, so it's not that cool," said the typically low-key Konerko, who has topped 30 home runs in three different seasons. "It's like my seventh year, so it shows consistency getting there."

Aaron Rowand followed Konerko with his 10th home run of the season, marking the eighth time the White Sox have gone back-to-back in 2005. Rowand has faced Wakefield 14 times in his career and has notched 10 hits, including four home runs and eight RBIs.

But even Jermaine Dye's 22nd home run, coming against closer Curt Schilling in the ninth, wasn't enough offense to prevent Wakefield from winning his fourth straight start. The White Sox (74-41) have six home runs over the first two games of the series at Fenway Park, five of them solo shots. They also have two straight losses and are in danger of being swept three straight for the second time this season and first time on the road.

"We're not getting guys on base," said Guillen, whose team's production will be challenged as Scott Podsednik battles a left adductor pull. "The key for us is to be successful with people on base. That's what we've been doing all year."

Roberto Petagine opened the scoring in the second with his first home run since joining the Red Sox, but Boston took control by sending eight men to the plate during a three-run third. Edgar Renteria started the rally with a single, followed by singles from David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Petagine. The last two drove in runs. Bill Mueller's sacrifice fly raised the margin to 4-0.

Boston added another run in the sixth on Tony Graffanino's double and Renteria's run-scoring single to right. Graffanino, the former White Sox utility man, had three hits from the ninth spot in the order and raised his average to .314.

His success points up the balance of this Boston attack, from top to bottom and moving quickly on to the bench. As Konerko pointed out, there's a reason why the Red Sox have those championship rings from 2004. Even against two of the best the American League had to offer, Mark Buehrle on Friday and Garland, Boston's approach was unflappable.

"They don't allow a pitcher to do what they want to do," Konerko said. "Our guys are known for working quick and throwing strikes, and these guys are known for fouling of pitches and getting pitch counts up.

"It's tough to slow that down. [They] can be stopped, but there's a reason why they are in first place in a very tough division. They have so many professional hitters in a row. They are tough outs and hit to the situation well."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1- 4 9 1
BOS 0 1 3 0 0 1 2 0 x- 7 13 1

WP- Tim Wakefield(12-9)
LP- Jon Garland(16-6)

HR-SOX;Konerko(30),Rowand(10),Dye(22)-BOS;Petagine(1)

T- 2:49(:40 rain delay)
Att- 35,055
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,91 degrees

RED ALERT;Roberto Petagine's 2nd inning home run was his 1st ML homer since 1998 when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds.He was Paul Konerko's teammate in Cincinnati that season.

Konerko hit his 200th ML homer in the game.

Garland went 5 2/3 innings,giving up 5 runs on 9 hits.

White Sox record; 74-41,1st place,12 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:36

[Chisox73]

Today's game at Fenway Park has been rained out.No make-up date has been announced.

With Cleveland losing 1-0 this afternoon at home to Tampa Bay,the White Sox magic number in clinching the AL Central title drops to 35

[Chisox73]

One bad inning downs Contreras
Four-run fourth enough for Twins in series opener
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050815&content_id=1171468&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The excuses were numerous and ready-made for the White Sox during their 4-2 loss to Minnesota on Monday before a single-season record 13th sellout at U.S. Cellular Field.

This team had to endure a ridiculously long day of inactivity Sunday in Boston, wading through 4 1/2 hours of rain delays before flying back to Chicago.

It would be hard to match the intensity of the two previous series against the Yankees and Red Sox, with all five games coming in hostile environments. And for the first time in the past four years, a three-game set against a Minnesota team hovering around .500 just didn't bring the same pitch-by-pitch intensity and zest.

Not with the Twins sitting 15 back in the American League Central. Not with the White Sox holding a magic number of 34 to clinch their first division crown since 2000.

Any one of these theories could have been plausibly postured by the White Sox, explaining their lackluster play to open a six-game homestand. But neither Ozzie Guillen nor any player on his roster makes excuses for even the worst of efforts, let alone an off night like Monday.

It was certainly disappointing for the White Sox, especially with this game being played before 39,160. But it was far from devastating.

"The excitement was down, and it took a while to pick it up," said reliever Cliff Politte, who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. "It was true for their guys, too."

"A loss is a loss, whether you play really bad or pretty good," added first baseman Paul Konerko, who finished with one of the team's nine hits. "We're not that bad right now. It's just not going our way."

The enigma that is Jose Contreras (7-7) played out on the mound once again Monday night. After pitching his best game in a White Sox uniform last Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, allowing just three hits in seven innings, the right-hander dominated the Twins (61-57) for 5 2/3 innings Monday.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, Contreras officially worked 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on four hits in the fourth, with Lew Ford and Brent Abernathy each delivering two-run singles.

Guillen credited the Twins with "good at-bats" during that particular rally, while Contreras was a little harder on himself in regards to "losing control of the inning." But the usually affable and calm Contreras seemed a bit miffed when one reporter echoed a familiar refrain by asking if Contreras believed his best pitching still lied ahead.

"Ask a genie for that," said an indignant Contreras, through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr., after striking out five and allowing eight hits. "This is baseball and you can't predict how you will do on your next start. At the end of the year, I'll let you know. Physically and mentally, I feel very strong."

"Contreras had one bad inning," Guillen added. "But overall, he threw good."

The same compliment could not be extended to the White Sox baserunning or offensive efficiency. Geoff Blum, who knocked out two hits during a start in place of Tadahito Iguchi at second base, doubled to lead off the third against Kyle Lohse (8-11). But Joe Crede couldn't move him over, and neither Timo Perez nor Juan Uribe could get him in.

Chicago also had a runner doubled off first base, Crede thrown out at home and Konerko nailed at second to cut down a potential sixth-inning rally before it took off. Konerko lined a shot into the left-field corner, sending Carl Everett to third, but stopped momentarily between first and second and was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double.

Konerko was jammed so badly on the pitch that he didn't immediately pick up where the ball landed. He originally thought left fielder Shannon Stewart was going to second with the throw, but when he went to third, Konerko tried to sneak into second.

Regardless of the official call, Konerko knew he beat the tag.

"I'm out 99 of 100 on every tag play I've ever ... So, I know when I'm safe," Konerko said. "It has a different feeling because all the other ones I'm out.

"It just has a different feeling when I'm safe. It screwed everything up, but what can you do?"

Minnesota also swiped four bases against the White Sox, with three coming from Nick Punto. It was all part of bad baseball at the start, according to Guillen, and that low excitement level described by Politte.

The White Sox played without catalysts Scott Podsednik and Iguchi at the top of the order, another excuse for their poor offensive showing. But even after suffering their third straight loss for the sixth time this season and 11th in 17 games at home since July 8, the players weren't questioning the overall effort.

Maybe rookie Brian Anderson's first Major League start on Tuesday against Brad Radke will give the White Sox a needed infusion of life, help them avoid their first four-game losing streak this season and turn things around at U.S. Cellular.

"I don't know what it is at home, but we just ...," Politte said. "It's not over. We still have [46 games] to go and we need to pick it up, get some wins at home and finish this thing up."

"It's just right now it feels like when a hitter hits the ball hard, it's right at somebody," Konerko added. "We're playing well. We're just not coming up with wins."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MIN 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0- 4 9 1
SOX 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0- 2 9 1

WP- Kyle Lohse(8-11)
LP- Jose Contreras(7-7)
Save- Joe Nathan(30)

HR- none

T- 2:51
Att- 39,160(sellout)
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,77 degrees

NOTES;Twins SS Nick Punto was 3-5 with 3 stolen bases in the game.

Contreras went 6 2/3 innings,giving up 4 runs on 8 hitsd,walking 2 and striking out 5.

White Sox record;74-42,1st place,12 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:34

[Chisox73]

Marathon loss leaves White Sox sliding
Rare blown save by Hermanson opens door for Twins
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050816&content_id=1172982&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Marathon doesn't take place until Oct. 9, but the White Sox and Twins took part in their own version Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

After 16 innings, covering five hours and nine minutes, it was Minnesota that emerged with a 9-4 victory before what was left of a crowd totaling 34,533. It was the longest game, by innings, in the 15-year history of U.S. Cellular and in the even longer and more storied rivalry between these two teams. It was the second-longest contest in the Majors this season, behind Toronto's 2-1 victory over the Angels in 18 innings on July 28.

Of greater significance to the White Sox (74-43) was this setback marked their first four-game losing streak in 2005, having lost three in a row on five previous occasions. All of this information was almost too much to process for manager Ozzie Guillen at 12:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday morning.

"I don't know what to say," said a clearly worn-out Guillen. "You play that long, and you think it's a good game on both sides. But I don't know if I can say it was a good game.

"We have to erase what happened in the last four games and play the way we have played all year and believe in ourselves. We played hard tonight, but didn't have the clutch hit."

This contest actually progressed at a very smooth pace early, as the White Sox carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning. With Dustin Hermanson on the mound and the Twins (62-57) missing offensive forces such as Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones, the South Siders seemed destined to even the three-game series at one apiece.

But Michael Cuddyer played the spoiler role with one out, hitting a 2-2 slider from Hermanson for the game-tying home run. Cuddyer's ninth round-tripper marked Hermanson's first blown save in 16 chances and just his second overall in 32 opportunities. Both blown saves have come via the long ball.

"It was just one bad pitch, but I didn't get away with anything," Hermanson said. "Of course, it's discouraging, but, I mean, I guess sometimes it's going to happen.

"You can't be perfect every time out there. Unfortunately, this was a big game for us. It's disappointing. We fought until the 16th inning, but it should have been over in the ninth."

The White Sox put two runners on base in the 11th and the 13th innings, with Aaron Rowand being issued intentional walks in both situations. But neither Juan Uribe nor Joe Crede could come through in either instance.

Crede actually ripped a two-out shot to Cuddyer in the 11th inning, but the third baseman made a great diving stop and threw out his counterpart at first base. Despite scoring four runs over the first seven innings, the Twins' bullpen shut out the White Sox by allowing five hits over the last nine innings.

Closer Joe Nathan finished the victory in a non-save opportunity by striking out the side in the 16th.

"You have to give credit to their bullpen because they did a tremendous job," Guillen said of the Twins. "They are missing a lot of pieces, but they still have their important pieces."

Neal Cotts, Luis Vizcaino and Bobby Jenks were no slouches either, combining for six scoreless innings of relief. The trio struck out seven, walked one, and allowed six hits.

Jon Adkins (0-1) did not find the same good fortune. He allowed five runs on five hits in just his third appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, with Shannon Stewart's single down the third-base line bringing home Cuddyer with the deciding run.

Cuddyer reached first base when his sacrifice bunt attempt, following Michael Ryan's leadoff single, was fielded by Adkins, who fired to Uribe covering at second for the force. Uribe quickly relayed the throw back to Geoff Blum at first base, but Cuddyer barely beat the strike to keep the rally alive.

The Twins didn't exactly blast Adkins off the mound. The ultimate result felt the same, though, to the right-hander.

"I made decent pitches, but you have to make better pitches and I didn't make them as good as I should have to get the guys out," Adkins said. "Nobody hit the ball hard, but that's still the way you win games.

"Unfortunately, I didn't do the job tonight. But I can't let it bother me because I have to be back ready to go [Wednesday]."

Highlights from Tuesday's 'first game' included Carl Everett's 18th home run and seven strong innings from White Sox starter Freddy Garcia. Minnesota starter Brad Radke also issued his first walk to the White Sox since Aug. 19, 2002, a run covering 12 starts, 83 innings and 345 White Sox plate appearance.

The free pass drawn by Uribe with one out in the seventh led to a two-run rally that erased a 3-2 Minnesota lead. Timo Perez delivered a two-run double, but it was Brian Anderson's first Major League hit that kept the inning going with two outs.

Anderson finished with two hits in seven at-bats, the most plate appearances he's ever had in one game. It will be a memorable night for the rookie, even if it was a forgettable finish for the White Sox.

"That was a load off of my shoulders," said Anderson, who received a standing ovation after his seventh-inning single. "If I went 0-for-7, it would have hurt.

"It was fun, but it was a long game. I think they are going to make me go back down because the game was so long."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MIN 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5- 9 20 0
SOX- 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 5 12 0

WP- JC Romero(3-3)
LP- Jon Adkins(0-1)

HR- MIN;Morneau(17),Cuddyer(9)-SOX;Everett(18)

T- 5:09
Att- 34,533
Game time weather-Clear,78 degrees

INSOMNIAC THEATER;Both teams combined to use 14 pitchers in the game.The sox trotted out 8 pitchers in the game.They were starter Freddy Garcia(7IP)Damaso Marte(8th),Cliff Politte(8th),Dustin Hermansen(9th),Neal Cotts(10th),Luis Vizcaino(11th),Bobby Jenks(13th),and Jon Adkins(16th).

Rookie OF Brian Anderson went 2-7 in his big league debut.

The Sox left 11 men stranded in the marathon.

Shannon Stewart was 3-8 in the game,while Joe Mauer was 3-7 for the Twins.

This was the 1st time all season that the Sox have dropped 4 straight ball games.

White Sox record;74-43,1st place,11 games behind Cleveland
White Sox magic number:34

[Chisox73]

White Sox swept away by Santana
Everett gets Chicago's first hit in seventh inning
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050817&content_id=1174079&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The first-place White Sox currently find themselves in a bit of a "chicken-and-the-egg" situation, where their spectacular 2005 season is concerned.

After Johan Santana manhandled the South Siders during a 5-1 victory Wednesday night before 33,158 at U.S. Cellular Field, manager Ozzie Guillen, starting and losing pitcher Mark Buehrle and catcher Chris Widger all pointed out that this usually loose group just didn't seem to be having fun over the last couple of weeks.

But Paul Konerko stridently pointed out an important fact, where fun and baseball are concerned. If you don't win, it's hard to enjoy yourself.

"I know I've been around long enough, when a team loses five in a row, the clubhouse [stinks]," the seven-year veteran said. "There's no getting around that. You win, you have fun. You lose, you don't have fun. It can't get any simpler than that.

"The only thing you can do is come the next day and try to turn the page and get on a winning streak. Show me a team that loses and has fun, and I'll show you a bad team."

Konerko admitted that the White Sox were a bad team on Wednesday. Of course, numerous diamonds around the country are littered with horrid-looking teams after facing Santana (12-6). The left-hander had a brief hiccup in the first inning, putting runners on base via a hit batsman and a walk, but then held the White Sox (74-44) hitless over the first six innings.

Carl Everett dropped a single in front of right fielder Michael Cuddyer leading off the seventh, breaking up the no-hit bid. But Santana limited the White Sox to six hits over 8 1/3 innings, including Konerko's 31st home run to lead off the ninth, and struck out 10 to improve to 4-0 in his last four starts against Chicago. He is 19-4 with a 2.78 ERA during road starts since 2004.

"He works ahead in the count and throws 93 to 95 mph," said Widger, who singled off Santana. "You put one of the best changeups in all of baseball behind that, and it was tough tonight. When he's on, he's going to shut down lineups."

Santana bested Buehrle (13-6), who fell to 0-5 with a 5.60 ERA in his last five starts against Minnesota, despite fanning seven in seven-plus innings. Matthew LeCroy provided all the needed offense with solo home runs in the second and fourth, but Minnesota (63-57) added three more in the fifth. One run came in on a controversial one-out balk call against Buehrle, who claimed his top-of-the-line pickoff move wasn't altered from the one he has consistently used over the years.

First-base umpire Jerry Layne told Buehrle that he had to come to first base on the pickoff attempt, with runners on first and third, which Buehrle couldn't understand how he didn't.

"That's a big call," Buehrle said. "It goes from 2-0 to 5-0. With a 2-0 game, we had guys on base and we could have bunted them over. It's a whole different ballgame.

"Everybody makes mistakes. Unfortunately, that was a big call against us."

The off-the-field particulars for the White Sox currently look even uglier than the three-game sweep administered by Minnesota, following Oakland's three-game run from July 8-10, as the second sweep of Guillen's crew this season. The White Sox have lost five in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-16, 2004. They hold a 6-13 record in their last 19 home games, with the Yankees coming into town this weekend for a three-game series.

During the three games against Minnesota, the White Sox hit only .233 as a team. They also have nine hits in their last 73 at-bats with runners in scoring position. These offensive struggles caused Guillen to meet with his hitters before the game.

Guillen then met with the entire team after the latest setback. His message was simple: Enjoy Thursday's off-day and get back to business on Friday.

"I don't see the team having any fun," Guillen said. "I see them kind of worried about losing and winning. We just have to go out and worry about playing the game."

"We're not having fun out there anymore," Buehrle added pointedly. "We get down, and it seems like once we start losing, we lose focus and kind of give up. We're not trying the whole nine innings like we were before."

While the answer for Guillen centers on relaxation and enjoyment, the cure-all truly would be winning a few games. Konerko brought up Sunday's washed-away contest at Boston, postponed with the White Sox ahead, as a victory that could have made a loss like Wednesday's a little more palatable.

St. Louis has edged ahead of the South Siders for the best record in baseball, but even with the five straight losses, the White Sox still lead Cleveland by 11 games in the American League Central and Minnesota by 12. Their magic number actually dropped to 33, with the Indians falling at home to Texas.

Guillen believes his team will get through this problem. And he believes this current group will get the job done, without any significant additions.

"We should be enjoying this thing, and we are not," Guillen said. "We have [44] games left and those are the most important [44] games of the season. We have to show up here and spend three hours playing hard."

"If you are going to go down, go down with what you do best," Widger added. "Go out, have fun and play loose."


Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MIN 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0- 5 10 0
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 6 1

WP- Johan Santana(12-60
LP- Mark Buehrle(13-6)

HR- MIN;LeCroy 2(12)-SOX;Konerko(31)

T- 2:34
Att- 33,158
Game time weather- Clear,78 degrees

GOING THE WRONG WAY;Johan Santana struck out 10 White Sox batters in the game.

He is 2-0 this season against the White Sox with an ERA of 1.78 in 15 1/3 innings over 2 starts.He has struck out 21 Sox hitters in that span.

White Sox record;74-44,1st place,11 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:33

[Chisox73]

All news is bad news for White Sox
South Siders drop sixth straight with loss to Yankees
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050819&content_id=1176199&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- The news went from bad to worse to "Pull the covers over my head because I don't want to hear anymore news" for the White Sox on Friday night against the Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field.

Paul Konerko was lost to the South Siders for the night, even before the game began, with soreness in his lower back that sprang up while taking his last few swings during batting practice. He was scratched from the starting lineup and remains day-to-day.

Then, 15 minutes prior to the opening pitch, the White Sox were informed that a correction had been made to the Yankees' pitching probables and Randy Johnson would be starting Sunday's series finale instead of Jaret Wright. Johnson has an 11-3 career record with a 2.79 ERA against the White Sox.

And to finish things off, the White Sox dropped their season-worst sixth straight game with a 3-1 setback to New York before the single-season record 14th sellout of 2005. The crowd of 39,496 was the second largest at U.S. Cellular this season.

Ozzie Guillen's crew could only manage five singles against Mike Mussina (12-7), who combined with Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera (33rd save) to beat the White Sox for the second time in 11 days. Mussina struck out seven over seven innings, including four of the last six outs he recorded.

Geoff Blum was one of the lone remaining position players in the White Sox clubhouse after the setback, and Konerko's replacement at first base gave high marks to the Yankees right-hander. He spotted his fastballs and made big pitches when he had to, according to Blum, especially in the first inning when he retired Jermaine Dye and Aaron Rowand with runners on first and second and the South Siders' lone run already having scored on A.J. Pierzynski's single to right.

But Guillen wasn't about to award the Cy Young to Mussina. He laid the postgame onus of improvement squarely on the shoulders of his offense, despite the absence of its leadoff and cleanup hitters.

"Right now, I feel like it's time for my hitters to step up," Guillen said. "I feel we have a better lineup than we've shown. I think we have better hitters than we've shown the last week and a half. We've really struggled.

"We aren't having bad at-bats, but we aren't having good at-bats either. Right now, we don't have anyone swinging the bats real good. It's hard for everyone. It's hard to make a difference."

The White Sox have scored two runs over their last 27 innings, dating back to Tuesday's 16-inning loss to Minnesota. Jon Garland (16-7) was victimized by Friday's lack of support, losing for the second straight time and third time in four starts. All three of those losses have come against the American League East.

New York hitters showed their veteran presence by consistently working Garland deep into the count, much like the approach featured by Boston last Saturday at Fenway Park. Garland only allowed two earned runs on seven hits over seven innings, but pitched through eight three-ball counts and threw a season-high 120 pitches.

"I think I pitched behind to every guy out there, and I was surprised [Guillen] gave me a shot in the seventh," said Garland, who said he often struggles after a day off. "I fell behind and threw a lot of pitches.

"You can't worry about it," added Garland of the lack of White Sox offense. "If you start worrying about that, the game gets away from you. All you can do is try to shut them down and keep the team in the game."

Gary Sheffield, Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams drove in runs for the Yankees (66-54), with a two-run fifth providing the margin of victory. The White Sox's loss, coupled with the Indians' extra-inning victory over Baltimore on Ben Broussard's walk-off home run, dropped the American League Central lead to 9 1/2 games over the Indians and 10 1/2 over the Twins. It's the first time since July 10 the White Sox advantage has been under 10 games, but still remains one-half game better than the gap at the All-Star break.

While the level of frustration is growing high in the White Sox clubhouse, the confidence remains on Guillen's part for the group currently in place. When asked if he felt that the team needed an offensive infusion, Guillen's first response was, "Who?"

"That's the thing. We try," Guillen continued. "[General manager] Kenny [Williams] tried as hard as he could. Everyone in the organization tried to get this team better.

"It's not easy right now when so many teams still believe they are in the pennant race," Guillen added.

Blum has familiarity with a first-place team enduring some sort of slide. He saw it play out during June for San Diego, his previous employers before a move at the trade deadline brought him to the White Sox.

There are countless reasons for funks like this one for the White Sox, ranging from injuries to facing new teams. But according to Blum, the big thing is to not let the run in the wrong direction get too out of control.

"To keep this at only six or seven would be great," Blum said. "This is a good ballclub, but you start to hit the point when you start reaching as a team a little deeper to turn things around."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

NYY 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0- 3 8 0
SOX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1

WP- Mike Mussina(12-7)
LP- Jon Garland(16-7)
Save- Mariano Rivera(33)

HR-none

T- 2:55
Att- 39,496(sellout)
Game time weather- Partly cloudy,83 degrees

SINGING THE BLUES;1B Pauk Konerko did not play in the game due to a lower back strain.He's listed as day-to-day.

Jon Garland went 7 innings,giving up 3 runs,2 earned on 7 hits,walking 2 and striking out 3 while throwing 120 pitches.

White Sox record;74-45,1st place,9 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:33

[Chisox73]

Bats stay cold in loss to Yankees
Losing streak reaches seven games after Sox shut out
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050820&content_id=1177237&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- A self-proclaimed player's manager, Ozzie Guillen chooses to take most of the blame for whatever struggles his White Sox endure.
But after his team picked up its seventh consecutive loss in a 5-0 shutout against the Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday afternoon without any threat of offense the entire game, Guillen wasn't afraid to let it be known how he felt about his team's effort.

"It's embarrassing," Guillen said. "To me, it's embarrassing. I don't know for my players if it is. But to me, my coaching staff and [general manager] Kenny [Williams] it's embarrassing to watch those guys play that way. Today it was a shame we played the way we did."

The White Sox were shut out for only the fourth time this season and have scored just two runs in their last 36 innings. Guillen isn't the only one bothered by the most recent performance, the players felt their share of frustration, too.

"It is embarrassing," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "We shouldn't be going out like this and losing 5-0 with four hits and no runs. It's a pretty bad game."

Saturday's game may have been the culmination of two weeks of poor play, but it seemed like all the struggles had built up for the players. Tempers seemed to be right on edge for the entire squad, but especially for starter Orlando Hernandez.

Facing his former team for the second time in two weeks, the frustration seemed to escalate for Hernandez when he threw a pitch behind Alex Rodriguez in the second inning and both benches were issued warnings from home plate umpire Larry Vanover. Hernandez went to the plate to argue about the call with Vanover, one of a few times the right-hander had issues with the umpire's calls throughout the game.

"I was very surprised," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "It was a two-seamer and I'm not a machine. I never throw intentional."

Joe Torre had very different thoughts on the pitch.

"I didn't think it was an accident," Torre said. "Duque has too good command. He had a purpose for that, though I'm not sure what it was."

If Hernandez's pitch was to spark a fight and create some emotion for the club that has seemed to lack it in the past two weeks, his teammates would have been right behind him on it, especially Pierzynski. Though the catcher didn't know if it was intentional or not, he does feel that something drastic needs to happen for the White Sox to get back to the team they were earlier in the season.

"We need to find a way to get some energy and get the swagger back," Pierzynski said. "Before we had a swagger and were playing to win every game. Now it's like we're playing the opposite."

The loss of swagger and confidence has seemed to translate not only to struggles at the plate, but in the field as well.

Hernandez picked up two errors in the game, breaking his streak of 109 games without an error. The last time that Hernandez had recorded one was on Aug. 17, 1999, against Kansas City.

Both errors were questionable as to whether they should have been charged to Hernandez. One came on a throwing error to second and another on a 3-1 groundout when the umpire ruled that Hernandez overstepped the bag. Replays showed that Hernandez hit the base by dragging his back foot into it before Hideki Matsui touched the base.

"I think that they took everything a little too personal today," Hernandez said. "Since '98, that's been my patented move. I didn't say anything disrespectful to them, but they should know that that's my move, to step over the bag and cross with other foot."

Only the throwing error proved costly, though, as the Yankees scored their first run in the fourth off it. With men on first and second and no outs, Gary Sheffield grounded back to Hernandez, who chose to throw the ball to second in an attempt at a double play. Instead, the throw sailed just out of the reach of second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and into the outfield, allowing Derek Jeter to score. Two more runs would score in the inning on a double by A-Rod to make it a 3-0 ballgame.

The loss was the third straight for Hernandez despite delivering some quality pitching performances. Guillen was pleased again with the way Hernandez threw the ball and said it was one of the rare bright spots of an otherwise dismal game for the Sox.

The bleak offensive performance was even commented on by New York starter Shawn Chacon. Chacon faced the Sox 11 days earlier at Yankee Stadium and said that he didn't see any adjustments made by the Sox from the last time they faced him.

It's that lack of execution that had Guillen upset, especially his team's inability to put together quality at-bats.

"I hope they show up and give me better at-bats and give me better execution," Guillen said. "When you get there, you're going to put my hitting coach on the spot, Kenny Williams on the spot, put me on the spot and I'm not going to take that. It's not my fault, it's not Kenny's fault, it's not Greg Walker's fault. We just stink at the plate."

The steaming Guillen even went as far to issue a statement to fans that witnessed the beating that the Sox took.

"I apologize to the fans that came here and watched us play or watch on the TV or whatever it is, because I don't think we play the game we're supposed to be playing," Guillen said.

"Everybody had horrible at-bats. I'm not here to criticize my players, but it gets to the point that you get sick in your stomach having to watch the execution."

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

NYY 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0- 5 7 1
SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 2

WP- Shawn Chacon(3-8)
LP- Orlando Hernandez(8-6)

HR- none

T- 3:07
Att- 38,938
Game time weather- Cloudy,78 degrees

DAMN YANKEES;The Yanks are assured of winning a season series at US Cellular Field for only the 2nd time since 1996.They last won a season series in Chicago in 2003 when they took 2 of 3.

Paul Konerko missed his 2nd straight game due to lower back pain.

Timo Perez is hitting .200(7-35) when batting leadoff so far this season.

White Sox record;74-46,1st place,8 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:33

[Chisox73]

Fireworks end White Sox streak
Four-homer, six-run outburst halts seven-game skid
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050821&content_id=1178699&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

CHICAGO -- Is it possible for a team to lose seven games in a row, as the White Sox had done over the past week, but with the root cause of those gut-wrenching struggles stemming from the players trying too hard?

That particular sentiment seemed to be prevailing throughout the White Sox clubhouse Sunday evening, following a 6-2 victory over the Yankees before 39,480 re-enthused supporters at U.S. Cellular Field. The hard-fought win ended the South Siders' longest slide of the season and kept them 8 1/2 games ahead of the Indians and 10 1/2 ahead of the Twins in the American League Central, with a three-game series at the Metrodome beginning Tuesday.

The White Sox's facial expressions ranged from temporary joy to relief, with the atmosphere resembling the camaraderie featured by a team that played .700 baseball for most of the 2005 season. Heck, A.J. Pierzynski, who had Sunday off against hard-throwing left-hander Randy Johnson (11-8), even took a few moments to critique Jon Adkins' interesting wardrobe choice as he was heading out of the clubhouse.

This victory was crucial for the White Sox, even for a team carrying the American League's best record at 75-46. It was brought about by a little group relaxation, according to the key players who helped avoid their third series sweep at home in 2005.

"[The losing streak] certainly wasn't because of a lack of effort," said center fielder Aaron Rowand, who hit his 11th home run during a six-run fourth inning. "We were swinging at some bad pitches, just trying to do a little too much at the plate. Today, was a little different attitude in the clubhouse. We were trying to get loose and have more fun."

"I knew we would eventually bust out," added Paul Konerko, who homered as the designated hitter in his return from a two-game absence due to back soreness. "But the sooner the better. There was good energy on the bench, and guys weren't too concerned about making outs. We stayed aggressive and ran into a few."

Trailing, 1-0, and with Johnson featuring superior stuff entering the fourth, the White Sox appeared headed to an eighth straight setback. The team had not scored against the Yankees (67-55) in 20 straight innings and had two runs in their previous 39, leading manager Ozzie Guillen to joke after the game that he was mentally prepared to tell the media, 'See you in Minnesota.'

But in the course of 18 pitches, the White Sox came back to life. The rally started with Tadahito Iguchi's 12th home run, a 2-0 drive to right field. Rowand made it back-to-back homers, taking a 2-2 pitch over the right-center-field fence, and Konerko completed the trifecta, with his 32nd long ball coming on an 0-2 offering.

For the seventh time in club history, the White Sox hit three consecutive home runs. It was the first time it happened since Jose Valentin, Frank Thomas and Konerko went deep on May 3, 2000, against Toronto.

Iguchi, who has remained the team's steadiest offensive force during this sparse offensive run, said he didn't see his team looking any different at the start of Sunday's season series finale with the Yankees. That attitude changed, according to Iguchi, once the White Sox took control.

"When Rowand hit his, and we took the lead, I felt the team started to relax," said Iguchi through a translator.

Chicago didn't stop with the three home runs, though, as Jermaine Dye followed with a single and Juan Uribe added a hit-and-run single to right. The rally was capped off by Chris Widger's fourth home run, a blast to left on a 1-2, head-high fastball from Johnson, for a 6-1 advantage. The four home runs in an inning, done for the third time, tied a team record.

"Ninety-nine out of 100 times, I swing at that pitch and strike out or pop it up," Widger said. "I hit a pitch I had no business hitting. It wasn't even close to being a strike."

"The ball that Widger hit was literally shoulder-high," added Johnson, who had allowed 12 home runs in 116 1/3 previous career innings against the White Sox. "It wasn't meant to be a strike, it wasn't a strike, and had he not hit it, it would have probably gone to the backstop. In the fourth inning, all [heck] broke loose. I don't have an explanation for it."

Jose Contreras (8-7) made the six-batter outburst hold up, allowing one earned run on 11 hits over eight innings. He improved to 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA against his former team, with the key being his ability to command within the strike zone and not walk a hitter.

Actually, the pitching was not the issue for the White Sox during the six games against the Yankees, who scored just 15 runs and managed only two Alex Rodriguez home runs from their power-packed lineup over that stretch. But on Sunday, the White Sox added timely hitting and solid defense.

That formula has paid huge dividends all season long, but it was the lack of execution of the particular formula that caused the problems. A more relaxed White Sox crew seemed to leave U.S. Cellular with a better outlook, even with a 10-game road trip approaching.

"We didn't doubt the things that have been working. You doubt your ability to do the things that make them work," Widger said. "The system was right and the way we played the game was right. We just weren't executing or playing the game well."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

NYY 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0- 2 11 0
SOX 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0- 6 10 1

WP- Jose Contreras(8-7)
LP- Randy Johnson(11-8)

HR-SOX;Iguchi(12),Rowand(11),Konerko(32),Widger(4)

T- 2:18
Att- 39,480(sellout)
Game time weather- Sunny,78 degrees

THE HIT MEN ARE BACK;The 4 homers in the 4th inning tied a club record last set on May 3,2000 against Toronto.Mark Johnson,Jose Valentin,Frank Thomas,and Paul Konerko all went deep in the 6th inning.They first accomplished this feat on May 26,1996 vs. Milwaukee when Thomas,Harold Baines,Robin Ventura,and Chad Kreuter all launched one in a 12-1 pasting of the Brewers.

Contreras went 8 innings,giving up 2 runs on 11 hits,while striking out 5 of his ex-teammates.

White Sox record;75-46,1st place,8 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:32

[Chisox73]

Garcia, White Sox lose one-hitter
Chicago hurler loses no-hitter in eighth inning
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050823&content_id=1180956&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

MINNEAPOLIS -- With an ice wrap on his right arm, a beverage in hand and a determined look on his face, Freddy Garcia strode to the back of the clubhouse to check out game video following Minnesota's 1-0 victory Tuesday night before 33,572 at the Metrodome.

Garcia had particular interest in one pitch and one pitch alone, a 1-2 curveball to Jacque Jones leading off the eighth inning. The big right-hander had held the Twins hitless up until that point, with only one truly viable chance for a hit during the first seven innings.

But Garcia's place in history was altered in a split second, as Jones took a hanging curve and deposited it 423 feet away over the center-field fence. Jones' 18th home run, and second in his career against Garcia, stood up as the game-winner in support of Johan Santana (13-6) during a pitchers' duel between two of Venezuela's favorite sons that should have fans in their home country and the United States alike buzzing for days to come.

After looking at the tape, Garcia felt the pitch wasn't in a bad location, but that Jones appeared to know what was coming. Garcia knew what was going to happen after Jones made contact, taking a deep knee bend on the mound, shaking his head and holding his glove up for a new baseball.

"I think he wanted to put it in the dirt, but he got it up," said Jones.

"One pitch ... What can I say?" added Garcia, who threw 95 pitches during the 11th complete game of his career. "At 1-2, I have two more pitches to go, and I should have thrown another changeup. I went to a slow breaking pitch, and that's what happened."

Prior to Jones' home run, the only near-blemish against Garcia came in the sixth inning. Michael Cuddyer reached leading off the inning on Pablo Ozuna's two-base error and moved to third on Brent Abernathy's groundout to second baseman Tadahito Iguchi. Garcia held Cuddyer at third on Michael Ryan's slow roller to Ozuna, setting up Jermaine Dye's right-field heroics.

Nick Punto launched a drive toward the wall in right that looked as if it would be the first Minnesota hit and first run of the game. Dye was playing the light-hitting Punto slightly more shallow than usual and had to race back for the drive at full speed, reaching up over his head and grabbing the ball as he slammed into the wall for the third out.

But the great defense was not reserved for the White Sox (75-47) alone. Left fielder Shannon Stewart took extra bases away from Paul Konerko in the fourth inning with Carl Everett on first, crashing into the wall and injuring his left shoulder in the process. And Lew Ford kept the game scoreless in the top of the eighth with a running grab in left-center on Ozuna's drive, making an outstretched grab and then colliding with the wall.

Ozuna had two of the three White Sox hits against Santana, who struck out seven over eight innings, as he improved to 27-2 in the second half since 2003. Manager Ozzie Guillen and his charges were disappointed with the loss, almost as much for Garcia (11-6) as the team itself, but they felt better with the effort than what was produced last week during a seven-game losing streak.

"In Chicago, we just were abused," Guillen said. "Here, we battled and hit the ball pretty good."

"Our team, believe it or not, got better in that game," Konerko added. "You lose games like that, you didn't lose, you got beat. That loss is a different loss than what happened last week when we were losing some games. Guys went about it the right way. We were swinging the bats well against one of the toughest guys in the league."

The White Sox now have lost eight of their last nine games, scoring 26 runs in total. Their lead in the American League Central has dropped from 15 games on Aug. 1 to seven over Cleveland (nine in the loss column) and 9 1/2 over the Twins (67-58) as of Tuesday night.

Garcia could have thrown the first White Sox no-hitter since Wilson Alvarez did the job as a rookie against Baltimore on Aug. 11, 1991. The White Sox won that game by a 7-0 margin. It also would have been the first no-hitter in the Majors since Randy Johnson's perfect game for Arizona last year at Atlanta on May 18.

Instead, Garcia finished with the 60th one-hitter in franchise history and the first since Aug. 3, 2001, when Mark Buehrle beat Tampa Bay at U.S. Cellular Field. It's the second time in franchise history a White Sox pitcher has lost a one-hitter, with Richard Dotson dropping a 1-0 decision to Baltimore on May 18, 1983, via Dan Ford's home run.

Tuesday's tremendous effort was temporarily lost on Garcia, though. He was more focused on the one bad pitch and another setback for his struggling team.

"It's hard to lose like that, but a loss is a loss," Garcia said. "We are here to win games. You can give up five runs and win the game."

Garcia was on the other side of this situation on April 27, 2002, during his tenure with the Mariners. Garcia, pitching against the Yankees' Ted Lilly, picked up the win by throwing eight shutout, four-hit innings. Lilly walked Dan Wilson in the eighth and Luis Ugueto, who was pinch-running for Wilson, came around to score on Desi Relaford's single, the only hit Lilly would allow.

"Both of those guys pitched their [tails] off, and it's just a shame that someone had to lose that game," A.J. Pierzynski added. "I think Freddy, if he didn't pitch better, he pitched just as well. He made the one mistake. We had chances and they made great plays."

"He was unbelievable. He's a great pitcher," said Santana, who got ninth-inning help from Joe Nathan (32nd save). "Sometimes it just comes down to one mistake, that's all it takes."


Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 3 1
MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x- 1 1 0

WP- Johan Santana(13-6)
LP- Freddy Garcia(11-6)
Save- Joe Nathan(32)

HR-MIN;JJones(18)

T- 2:08
Att- 33,572
Game time weather- Indoors,70 degrees

TOUGH LOSS;The White Sox flat out denied a report in the New York Daily News that they would forfiet a proposed make-up game at Fenway Park in Boston on Labor Day to make-up for the August 14th rain out.Both teams are scheduled to be off on that day.

In 23 2/3 innings this season,Johan Santana is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.16 with 28 strikeouts.

White Sox record;75-47,1st place,7 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:32

[Chisox73]

Buehrle, offense take Game 2
Starter goes eight strong; Everett drives in four
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050824&content_id=1182313&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

MINNEAPOLIS -- It's often difficult for a baseball team to look at a game where it didn't score, and actually only could muster two singles and a double over nine innings, and declare its struggling offense to be moving in the right direction.

But that's just what the White Sox did, from manager Ozzie Guillen right down to the last hitter on the roster, after Johan Santana shut down the South Siders during Minnesota's victory in the series opener on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, the White Sox offense proved that it practices what it preaches.

Chicago (76-47) scored early and somewhat often, pounding out 13 hits against three Minnesota pitchers, during a 6-4 victory before 32,687 at the Metrodome. The game never looked in doubt with Mark Buehrle in control for eight innings, as the left-hander improved to 14-6 and won at least 14 games for his fifth straight season as a starter.

Buehrle allowed six hits, including Matthew LeCroy's 14th home run with two outs in the seventh, but didn't walk a hitter and struck out six. When Minnesota runners occasionally did get on base, Buehrle induced four double plays.

The most spectacular twin-killing came in the sixth. With catcher Mike Redmond on third base and one out, Nick Punto lined a shot to Jermaine Dye in right field. Dye made a leading catch of the rising drive and then threw a strike home to A.J. Pierzynski, nailing the slow-footed Redmond.

"Jermaine is a Gold Glove outfielder," Pierzynski said. "He has a very good arm, and that was a perfect throw. But this was vintage Mark. He threw strikes and got ground balls when he needed them. He changed speeds, and moved the ball in and out and up and down. That's why he's one of the best there is."

Dye's throw, along with a Tadahito Iguchi sacrifice fly in the sixth, loomed large during a furious Minnesota rally in the bottom of the ninth. Nick Punto started the three-run uprising with a two-run home run off Cliff Politte, and when LeCroy doubled home Joe Mauer against closer Dustin Hermanson three batters later, the tying run was coming to the plate with one out.

Hermanson, who hadn't worked since blowing a save in the ninth during a 16-inning loss to Minnesota (67-59) on Aug. 16, retired Lew Ford on a fly ball to center and ended the game on Michael Cuddyer's hump-back liner to Timo Perez in left. Cuddyer just happened to be the man whose homer off Hermanson tied up last Tuesday's contest in Chicago.

"It was beneficial to me because I wanted to make sure I got him out," said Hermanson of retiring Cuddyer with the game on the line, recording save No. 31 and his first since Aug. 10 in New York. "It gives me a little more self drive with him up, as opposed to facing someone else. It was a little extra incentive to win the game."

"We always like to make it interesting in the end," added a smirking Pierzynski.

Scoring early has been the method followed by the White Sox to the best record in the American League. Carl Everett jump-started the offense Wednesday with a two-run home run in the first off Joe Mays (6-9) and added a two-run single during a three-run fifth.

Everett now is 6-for-7 in his career against Mays, with two home runs and six RBIs. Every player in the White Sox lineup had a hit but Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede, and with the run-scoring hits from Everett (3-for-5) and Dye in the fifth, the White Sox ended a 1-for-22 drought with runners in scoring position.

Of course, the White Sox benefited from facing Mays, instead of the defending American League Cy Young Award winner. But the consistent offensive focus from night to night, absent during the recent seven-game losing streak, stood out as the key.

"Our approach against Santana was very good, but it's different when you face Santana instead of somebody else," Guillen said. "When you approach that same way against someone else, you will usually get something out of it.

"That's how I want to see us play. Every time we lose a big game, we come back and play better the next day."

Wednesday's win increased the White Sox's lead in the American League Central to eight games over Cleveland (10 in the loss column), 10 1/2 over the Twins and reduced the White Sox's magic number to 30. It also marked the first day the South Siders have gained ground on both teams in the standings since Aug. 4. The White Sox have a 19-18 ledger since the All-Star break, and are 14-18 in their last 32 games.

But their division lead has dropped only one game since July 10. The instant gravity of losing seven in a row and eight of nine, especially when your team hadn't lost more than three straight all season, put a little extra pressure on the White Sox.

As much as an improved offense to help the stellar pitching is important, the White Sox staying relaxed might be even more crucial to a long run in the postseason.

"Our intention always is to win the series, and without winning today, you can't win the series," said Everett, breaking down Wednesday's effort in a practical manner.

"We've been reading about us choking all year, even when we had a 14-game lead. It's nothing new," Hermanson added. "But if we don't play loose and have fun out there, we aren't going to win games. When we have fun, that's when we play the best."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0- 6 13 0
MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3- 4 10 1

WP- Mark Buehrle(14-6)
LP- Joe Mays(6-9)
Save Dustin Hermansen(31)

HR-SOX;Everett(19)-MIN;LeCroy(14),Punto(3)

T- 2:33
Att- 33,687
Game time weather-Indoors,70 degrees

BOUNCING BACK;Mark Buehrle went 8 innings,giving up a run on 6 hits,striking out 6 Twins.

Carl Everett and AJ Pierzynski both went 3-5 in the game.Everett had 4 RBIs in the game.

The Sox defense turned 4 double plays in the game.

White Sox record;76-47,1st place,8 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:30

[Chisox73]

Redemption for Sox in Minnesota
South Siders get series win with extra-inning victory
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050825&content_id=1183438&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

MINNEAPOLIS -- If creativity, i.e. strangeness, in victories counted at all toward advancement in the postseason, then the White Sox already would have their ticket punched for the World Series.

As catcher A.J. Pierzynski pointed out following Wednesday night's victory over Minnesota, his team likes to make things interesting in the end. More times than not, though, they emerge victoriously.

That sort of bizarre scenario played out again during Thursday afternoon's series finale at the Metrodome, with the White Sox claiming a 2-1 victory over the Twins in 10 innings. The extra frame was necessary only because of an odd play that brought home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth off closer Dustin Hermanson (1-2), who blew his third save in 34 tries, but second in the past nine days against Minnesota.

Yet, the White Sox bounced back up immediately off the canvas, or turf as it were, to push across the winning run on Timo Perez's single to left. The South Siders moved back to 30 games over .500, at 77-47, and increased their lead to 13 games in the loss column over the Twins (67-60).

The finish didn't exactly go as planned. But after losing eight of nine games following Tuesday's setback during Freddy Garcia's one-hitter, the White Sox weren't about to argue style points where their second straight victory was concerned.

"It's not the best habit you want to get into," said White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who singled home the game's only run until the ninth, and then played a major role in the Twins' game-tying situation. "The only thing I can say is we've played some games the last couple of weeks where we played sound and lost.

"I'm not complaining about any type of win and nobody in this clubhouse should be complaining about any type of win we get or how it looks," Konerko added.

The honor of picking up the series win looked as if it would belong to Jon Garland, who allowed six hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. But Garland was denied win No. 17 for the third straight start.

With one out in the ninth, reliever Damaso Marte walked Justin Morneau. Hermanson replaced Marte and retired Matthew LeCroy on a pop up to shortstop Juan Uribe. But with pinch-runner Luis Rodriguez on first, Michael Ryan ripped a line shot right along the first-base line that hit off Konerko's glove on a diving attempt and rolled down the right-field line into foul territory.

Second baseman Geoff Blum picked up the loose ball and fired a strike to Konerko. But Konerko couldn't get a grip on the relay throw and fumbled away a chance to nail the tying run. Konerko argued with first-base umpire Marty Foster that the ball was foul, but replays showed Ryan's third hit was barely inside the line when Konerko touched it.

"I was surprised. I mean, obviously, it's an odd play," said Konerko, who was caught off guard by Blum's throw because he thought Rodriguez already was close to home. "It's not something that happens every day, so I was very surprised when he called it fair. I didn't really get up that quick because I just thought it was foul."

"I've never seen something like that before," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen added. "Hey, that's not our job to make calls. It's a shame, because I wanted Garland to win the game and we wanted to win the game."

Win the game is what the White Sox did in extra innings. Blum opened with a double to right-center off Jesse Crain (9-3) and moved to third when he beat Crain's throw on Pablo Ozuna's sacrifice bunt attempt. Ozuna was only in the game because Joe Crede injured the middle finger on his right hand when trying to bunt two pitches earlier.

X-rays will be taken of Crede's hand Friday in Seattle. The third baseman, mired in a 5-for-55 slump, had his finger get pinched against the bat on Crain's offering. Guillen said that he already had talked to general manager Ken Williams about possible replacement options.

"It's numb right now," Crede said. "My whole hand went numb, and that was it. When you can't feel your hand, you know something's not right."

The throw from Crain to Rodriguez at third beat Blum by two steps. But the veteran utility player had the presence of mind to pull up on the slide and then sneak into the base after the swipe tag clearly missed him.

"To come up with that slide and do it consciously, that's the whole game right there as far as once we got out of the ninth inning," Konerko said.

"When I was going down to slide, he already had the ball," Blum added. "I just took a chance, hesitated a little bit, and fortunately he went for a swipe tag and that let me get in there."

Bobby Jenks closed out the victory for his first Major League save and the ensuing beer shower. He struck out two hitters on offspeed pitches, including Jason Bartlett at the end of an 11-pitch at-bat.

Jenks pumped his fist vigorously a couple of times after Lew Ford took a called third strike to end the game. It was a feeling shared by the whole White Sox team, who outscored Minnesota, 8-6, in this typically unique three-game series for the South Siders.

"It was nice to come back as a ballclub, because that would have been a way to lose it," Blum said.

"When it comes down to the win-loss column, it's one more in the win column," Garland added. "We came up here and took the series, and that's what we were trying to do."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 2 8 0
MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 7 0

WP- Dustin Hermansen(1-2)
LP- Jesse Crain(9-3)

HR- none

T- 2:45
Att- 26,895
Game time weather- Indoors,69 degrees

[B]NOTES;Joe Crede may be headed for the DL after getting hit in the finger by a Jesse Crain pitch in the 10th inning.

White Sox record;77-47,1st place,8 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:29

[Chisox73]

White Sox outlast Mariners
Iguchi's 12th-inning homer decides series opener
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050826&content_id=1184828&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

SEATTLE -- The White Sox had an answer for everything the Mariners threw at them Friday night, and the result was a 5-3 win in 12 innings at Safeco Field.
To combat the Mariners' 19-year-old pitching phenom, Felix Hernandez, the White Sox offered rookie outfielder Brian Anderson, who hit two homers and a double and laid down a key sacrifice bunt.

"He did it all today," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He might be in the lineup tomorrow."

And while the Mariners have their own Japanese superstar in Ichiro Suzuki, the White Sox got a game-winner from Ichiro's competent countryman, rookie second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who hit a two-run home run -- his 13th long ball of the season -- in the 12th inning to power the South Siders to victory in the opener of a three-game set at Safeco Field.

"It was fun just to come to this park," Iguchi said through an interpreter. "It was my first trip to Safeco. Yesterday, Ichiro hit his 13th and today I battled back with my 13th."

Chicago improved its American League-best record to 78-47 and maintained its eight-game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

None of the late-inning histrionics would have been possible without Anderson, the little-known, 23-year-old recent graduate of Triple-A who started in center field in place of injured Aaron Rowand and ended up spoiling the night for the 40,431 fans who came to see Hernandez.

Anderson hit a solo home run off Hernandez in the top of the third inning, blasted a two-run shot off Hernandez over the center-field wall in the seventh, led off the 10th with a double and sacrifice-bunted the go-ahead run to second in the 12th before Iguchi emptied the bases with one swing off Mariners closer Eddie Guardado.

Anderson became the first White Sox player to hit his first two career homers in the same game since Brian Simmons accomplished the feat Sept. 26, 1998, in Kansas City.

During the game, his teammates iced him by giving him the silent treatment after his first homer. After the game, he was given a traditional shaving cream pie as he answered questions from a TV reporter on the field.

For a guy who entered the game with a 2-for-13 slate at the plate against Major League heavyweights like Randy Johnson and Johan Santana, Anderson said it was nice to wake up against another highly touted hurler.

"Obviously it feels good any time you hit a home run," Anderson said. "Then you realize when you get back to the dugout that he's only 19. He'll give up his fair share of homers and he'll have his fair share of strikeouts. ... That guy's got a humongous future ahead of him. [Giving up two homers] is probably not going to happen too many times with how electric his stuff is."

Hernandez certainly had that same stuff Friday, with eight punchouts in seven innings to make it 38 in 36 innings this year. But when it counted, Anderson and Iguchi were the ones making the headlines, at least for one night.

"It's fun," Anderson said, "but I was a million times more excited when Iguchi hit his homer because that was the game."

Iguchi entered the game with a .278 batting average and 49 RBIs, figures that Guillen claimed could be a lot more inflated if not for the fact that the manager has asked his second baseman to power Chicago's new-look situational hitting game.

Guillen estimated that he has asked Iguchi to give up at least 50 at-bats this season to move runners over or sacrifice.

"Igu should be my MVP," Guillen said. "And he should win Rookie of the Year."

And he wasn't the only one getting Guillen's praise.

Guillen made a point of singling out White Sox starter Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who pitched eight innings for the first time this season and kept his team in the game until the eighth, when he made what Guillen called "one bad pitch" and watched the Mariners tie the game on an RBI triple by Willie Bloomquist.

Still, Guillen liked what he saw from the playoff-tested veteran.

"He did a tremendous job," Guillen said. "He knew how bad we needed it and he did it."

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2- 5 13 0
SEA 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 3 7 0

WP- Luis Vizcaino(6-5)
LP- Jeff Nelson(1-3)
Save- Dustin Hermansen(32)

HR-SOX;BAnderson 2(2),Iguchi(13)-SEA;Torrealba(2)

T- 3:36
Att- 40,431
Game time weather- Clear,76 degrees

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE;Aaron Rowand did not play because of a sore left elbow that occured when he was hit there on consecutive days in Minnesota.

X-rays on Friday revealed that Joe Crede has a stress fracture on the tip of his middle finger.He suffered that injury when he was hit by Minnesota's Jesse Crain in the 10th inning in yesterday's game.

LF Brian Anderson was 3-4 with 2 HRs and a double in the game.

Sox starter Orlando Hernandez went 8 solid innings,giving up 3 runs on 7 hits,striking out 4 batters.

White Sox record;78-47,1st place,8 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:28

[Chisox73]

Dye, Contreras pace White Sox
Outfielder goes 4-for-4; right-hander shuts down Mariners
By Chris Hester / Special to MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050827&content_id=1186460&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

SEATTLE -- Jose Contreras continued his dominating August and Jermaine Dye pitched in with four hits, leading the White Sox over the Mariners, 4-3, in front of 37,326 Saturday night at Safeco Field.

Contreras cruised through the first six innings, allowing just one runner on a single to center field by Richie Sexson leading off the bottom of the second inning. Following the Sexson single, the right-hander retired 15 consecutive Seattle hitters before back-to-back singles to open the seventh inning.

The right-hander finished the night allowing three runs on just five hits in seven innings to improve his August record to 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA.

"I think Contreras right now has confidence in the stuff he has," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "When you create confidence in your stuff and the kind of arm that he has, you will see this kind of game. Overall, he threw one bad pitch. Besides that, he threw the ball great. The last four or five outings, he's getting better and better."

"He's been using his fastball more, guys haven't been able to sit on his split too much" Dye added regarding Contreras's August performance. "When you have a 94-mph fastball and as good a split as he has, it's tough to make contact. When he's hitting spots that makes it tough on an offense."

Dye provided Contreras with offensive and defensive support on the evening. The right fielder blasted a two-run home run over the wall in left-center field in the bottom of the second inning off Seattle starter Joel Pineiro. He also doubled and scored in the fourth inning helping stake the Sox to an early 3-0 advantage.

Dye, who came into the game with a .154 batting average in 24 career at-bats against Pineiro, was 3-for-3 off the Seattle right-hander with two doubles, the home run and two runs scored.

"You have to remember how he got you out before and just look for certain pitches," Dye said of his approach against Pineiro. "Today, I won the battle."

He added another hit in the top of the eighth inning off reliever Matt Thornton giving him a career-high-tying four hits on the night. Dye even stole a pair of bases, giving him a career-best 10 thefts on the season. It was the first time in Dye's career that he swiped two bases in a game.

"It was fun out there today," Dye said. "We got out to an early lead and Contreras pitched a great game and we got a win for him."

The right fielder also pitched in with his right arm, saving the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Mariners threatened to tie the game. With two runners on base, Sexson drilled a 101-mph pitch from Bobby Jenks into the right-field corner. Ichiro Suzuki, representing the tying run, tried to score from first base, but was gunned down at the plate as Tadahito Iguchi relayed Dye's throw in time.

"They executed well," Guillen said of the big putout at the plate. "My right fielder threw the ball right to Iguchi. Iguchi made a pretty good throw. When you execute well, you finish up good. They did a tremendous job."

The victory was the White Sox's fourth straight and first series win on the road against a West Coast American League team since August 2000 when they took two of three from the Athletics in Oakland. Even with victories in the first two games of the series in Seattle, the White Sox are still just 16-48 at Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim since 2001.

That trend seems to be changing this season as the Sox have the best road record in the Major Leagues at 41-20.

Chris Hester is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0- 4 9 0
SEA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0-3 7 0

WP- Jose Contreras(9-7)
LP- Joel Pineiro(5-9)
Save- Damaso Marte(4)

HR- Dye(23),Everett(20)

T- 2:53
Att- 37,326
Game time weather- Clear,77 degrees

FINALLY;Jose Contreras has a 2-1 record in the month of August with a 1.69 ERA.

Rookie OF Brian Anderson ws "officially" welcomed to the bigs last night by his teammates.Aftger hitting his 1st ML homer,he was given the silent treatment by teammates.Then during the post-game intrerview on TV,he was the recipient of a face-full of shaving cream pie.

Joe Crede is still considered day-to-day because of his stress fracture of the tip of his middle finger.

White Sox record;79-47,1st place,9 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:26

[Chisox73]

Garcia struggles in Seattle return
Former Mariner lasts 4 1/3 innings; offense misfires in finale
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050828&content_id=1187310&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

SEATTLE -- Freddy Garcia is accustomed to applause while walking off the mound at Safeco Field, but not the kind of claps he heard Sunday afternoon.
Garcia, the White Sox right-hander who played more than five seasons with the Mariners before a June 2004 trade, made his first Seattle start since the trade a forgettable one, lasting a season-low 4 1/3 innings and giving up a season-high eight runs in a 9-2 loss before 36,868.

Garcia exited the mound after an RBI single by Jeremy Reed gave the Mariners an 8-2 lead, and as he walked to the dugout, the Safeco faithful gave him a solid round of cheers, presumably thanking him for his efforts in assuring that the struggling Seattle club would win one of the three games in this weekend set.

Garcia, who said before the game that he wouldn't let feelings about his past get the best of him in his return to the Emerald City, didn't pitch like that was the case.

But his catcher, his manager, and Garcia himself seemed to agree that it wasn't a case of emotions gone awry.

"It was just a bad day," catcher Chris Widger said. "You could try to read a lot of stuff into it because it's his first start in Seattle, but that wasn't it.

"He had trouble with his location and his slider wasn't working for him. It happens."

Manager Ozzie Guillen seconded those theories, saying he and Garcia were able to joke in the dugout about how bad it went.

"This kid loved this city and he did great things for them," Guillen said of Garcia's exploits with the Mariners. "He just got his kicked. That's it. He didn't have it today."

Even Garcia was able to smile about it after the game, which isn't surprising, considering that the White Sox still have an eight-game lead in the American League Central over the Cleveland Indians.

"I was feeling pretty good [physically], and I tried hard, maybe too hard, but that's how it goes," Garcia said. "You have to take it like a man.

"Everything I threw today, it was like they knew what was coming. I just have to continue what I've been doing. This was my worst start of the year. What can I do?"

One start after Garcia gave up one hit in eight innings in a tough-luck loss to Minnesota, the Mariners matched the Twins' offensive output in about a minute and a half.

After the White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Paul Konerko RBI double, Ichiro Suzuki led off the bottom of the frame with a ringing double and Willie Bloomquist singled him in to tie the game. From there, the rout was on.

The Mariners tallied two off Garcia in the first, three in the second and three more in the fifth, when Dave Hansen led off with a solo home run and three of the next four batters singled to chase Garcia, who hadn't given up eight runs in a start since last Aug. 17, when the Detroit Tigers knocked him out by scoring nine in 4 1/3 innings.

"I made a lot of mistakes," Garcia said. "I was all over the place. I wasn't really focused like usual."

Not that the White Sox did much to help their pitcher.

The South Siders continued to scuffle offensively, and they did it this time against 42-year-old lefty Jamie Moyer. The veteran baffled Chicago batters with his arsenal of slow and slower stuff, giving up two runs on six hits in seven innings for his 11th win of the year.

"Same as he always is," Widger said of Moyer. "He tries to frustrate you ... he knows how to pitch."

The good news for the White Sox is that they took two of three in the series and will head to Texas, where they will face a 61-68 Rangers team that has fallen out of contention in the AL West. They'll also get outfielder and leadoff man Scott Podsednik back in the lineup.

Podsednik, who has been out since Aug. 12 with a strained left adductor muscle, went 1-for-4 in his final rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte. He is expected to start Monday's game, the opener of a three-day, four-game swing in Ameriquest Field.

Garcia, for one, is ready to move on to the next stage of the season after putting Sunday's hiccup in the rearview mirror.

"We lost, but we really enjoy what we've been doing this year," Garcia said.

"We have to come back the next day and do better."

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 2 8 0
SEA 2 3 0 0 3 1 0 0 x- 9 14 0

WP- Jamie Moyer(11-5)
LP- Freddy Garcia(11-7)

HR- SEA;Hansen(2)

T- 2:39
Att- 36,868
Game time weather-Partly cloudy,73 degrees

[B]NOTES;Aaron Rowand went 3-4 with an RBI in the game.Pablo Ozuna and Paul konerko each had 2 hits for the Sox.

White Sox record;79-48,1st place,8 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:26

[Chisox73]

White Sox kept under wraps in Texas
Buehrle's tough night not helped by poor defense
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050829&content_id=1188610&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

ARLINGTON -- It has been a tough couple of days for Tadahito Iguchi during a stellar 2005 season that has placed him as the American League Rookie of the Year front-runner.

Iguchi was not charged with an error during Seattle's victory over the White Sox on Sunday afternoon, although he broke the wrong way on one single to right, and then mistimed his jump on Dave Hansen's run-scoring single one inning later. But during Monday's 7-5 loss to the Rangers before 27,819 at Ameriquest Field, Iguchi's trio of errors actually represented one-third of the total he previously committed during his first 106 games played.

The three miscues were the most by a White Sox player since Jose Valentin committed four at shortstop during a contest in Oakland on April 8, 2000. Left-handed pitcher Mike Sirotka committed three in the fifth inning of a game against Kansas City on April 9, 1999.

Trying to reduce the tension from what could have been a tough situation, Iguchi's teammates presented him with a frying pan in representation of Monday's shaky defensive effort, and then taped it to his glove after the White Sox second straight loss. Iguchi found the humor in his team's good-natured concern, but found it even harder to hide his disappointment.

"More than forget about it, I want to make sure this never happens again," said Iguchi through a translator about Monday's action. "I'm trying to make a positive play and it turns out to be a negative play. It's tough to take."

Iguchi's first error came when he dropped Phil Nevin's popup behind first base leading off the fourth, with his team trailing, 3-0. Nevin was erased at second on Hank Blalock's fielder's choice, but Rod Barajas' grounder back to Mark Buehrle should have been the inning's final out.

Instead, Mark DeRosa doubled home a run and Gary Matthews walked. Michael Young hit what looked to be another shot at closing out the inning, but Iguchi dropped Juan Uribe's attempt at a force at second for his second error. Mark Teixeira's single, one of three hits for the first baseman, scored two for a 6-0 Texas lead.

There was no pointing of fingers at Iguchi in the postgame. The reasons for this particular loss went deeper than three unearned runs.

"The best thing we do all year long is pitching and defense, and Buehrle didn't pitch well and our defense didn't help either," said manager Ozzie Guillen, referring also to Iguchi, who was charged with error No. 3 on Young's grounder in the sixth. "But I'm not going to criticize my players because they make errors. That's the reason they are on the field, to make errors and make plays."

"Iguchi would be the first one to tell you he should have had a lot of those plays, but he's made great plays for us all year long," Buehrle added. "He's done his job, so you just throw that one out and come back tomorrow."

Buehrle fell to 14-7 overall but lost for the first time in eight career decisions against the Rangers (62-68). He allowed four earned runs on nine hits, striking out four, but of greatest importance was the 109 pitches he threw over seven innings to save the bullpen for Tuesday's doubleheader.

Although he came out on top in the series finale last Thursday at the Metrodome, allowing one run over eight innings against the Twins, Buehrle felt as if he pitched better on Monday.

"I made pitches in the first couple of innings and they hit them," Buehrle said. "I guess you tip your hat to them."

The White Sox (79-49) fought their way back from a six-run deficit, beginning with Geoff Blum's first home run as a member of the organization in the fifth off of Juan Dominguez (2-3). The blast ended a stretch of 22 consecutive scoreless innings from Texas' starting pitchers.

But as has been their trademark offensively all season long, the South Siders saved their best for last. Juan Uribe's run-scoring single, his third hit of the game, Scott Podsednik's run-scoring groundout, and Iguchi's single to left in the ninth plated three runs off reliever Steve Karsay, bringing Doug Brocail into the game with two outs and the tying run at the plate. Brocail needed three pitches to retire Carl Everett on a ground ball to Teixeira, who had a spectacular defensive game at first base.

"We came back late in the game and made something happen, made them use another pitcher," Guillen said. "That was a good sign. But it's not easy, with the way we play, to come back. They jumped ahead 5-0 before our second at-bat."

Cleveland's 10-8 victory over Detroit cut the White Sox lead to seven games in the American League Central, the closest a second-place team has crept since the South Siders held a 6 1/2-game advantage on June 18. Their magic number to clinch remains at 26.

Monday's game was uncharacteristic of the White Sox 2005 success, just as Iguchi's effort was not in line with his string of steady performances.

It was simply an off night for both, more so than a case of battle fatigue.

"He just had a bad game," said Guillen of Iguchi. "I'm not going to blast him or say something because he's been great all year long."

"I feel good," Iguchi added. "My balance was a bit off today, but I feel fresh."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3- 5 11 4
TEX 2 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 x- 7 10 0

WP- Juan Dominguez(2-3)
LP- Mark Buehrle(14-7)
Save- Doug Brocail(1)

HR-TEX;DeRosa(5),Mench(23)

T- 2:24
Att- 27,819
Game time weather- Clear,90 degrees

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS;Tadahito Iguchi went 2-5 with an RBI in the game.But that performance was offset by his 3 errors.

SS Juan Uribe went 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the game.

Scott Podsednik was 0-5 in his 1st game back from the DL for a strained left adductor.Joe Crede will go on the DL because of the fracture on his middle finger.

The Sox were 5-8 since Podsednik last played on august 12th against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Brian Anderson was sent to AAA-Charlotte to make room for Pods.Meanwhile,Willie Harris was brought up from Charlotte to replace Crede.

White Sox record;79-49,1st place,7 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:26

[Chisox73]

Homers, errors down White Sox
Two miscues by Blum lead to three unearned runs
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050830&content_id=1189724&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

ARLINGTON -- Texas' 8-6 victory over the White Sox during Game 1 of a twinight doubleheader Tuesday left the South Siders with a three-game losing streak and a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League Central over the Indians, who had their contest against Detroit at Jacobs Field postponed.

The setback also left Jon Garland (16-8) to wonder how Mark Teixeira inflicted his offensive damage as a one-man wrecking crew during a four-inning timeframe. Teixeira launched a two-run home run to right in the first inning, erasing a 2-0 White Sox lead, doubled home two runs in the second and hit a two-run homer to left-center in the fourth, giving the Rangers (63-68) a two-run advantage it would not relinquish.

Despite Teixeira entering the nightcap with a .290 average, 34 home runs and 107 RBIs, Garland still was stunned at his production against some of the right-hander's best offerings of the afternoon.

"He hit great pitches," said Garland, who allowed five earned runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings, marking his shortest outing of 2005. "I don't think there's anyone else in the league who hits those two balls out.

"A 3-2 changeup and the guy hits it down the line to right field. If it's that easy to hit here, I would love to be a free agent and play here my whole career. And a sinker down and away? He picked it up off the ground and hit it out. Tip your cap."

Garland has done a great deal of cap tipping during his two starts at Ameriquest Field in 2005, giving up 12 earned runs on 16 hits in 10 1/3 innings. But Tuesday's greatest disappointment stemmed from the team presenting early offense against Joaquin Benoit, and Garland not being able to build on it.

The White Sox (79-50) scored two runs in the first on run-scoring singles from Carl Everett and A.J. Pierzynski and reclaimed the lead in the second on Geoff Blum's run-producing hit. They even managed to draw even against Teixeira, or the Rangers, with two in the third on Aaron Rowand's single to center.

Rowand finished with three hits and three RBIs, giving him seven hits in his last 12 at-bats. But it wasn't enough to hold up with Garland off his game.

"I gave back those runs and it damaged me a little bit," said Garland, who has lost three straight decisions and has one victory in his last six starts. "When I give it right back, I don't take care of my own guys. I have to put up a zero."

"Garland couldn't command, no strikes or no velocity," manager Ozzie Guillen added. "It was one of those days where he didn't have anything with him. I was kind of excited because we got some offense, and we come here with Buehrle and Garland. But we don't get it done."

C.J. Wilson received a very nice parting gift from the Rangers by allowing one run in five innings of relief, picking up his first Major League victory. Wilson, who entered the game with an 0-6 record and a 8.45 ERA, was sent down between games to make room for Edison Volquez to start the nightcap.

The eighth inning was Wilson's only real trouble spot, as he issued two-out walks to pinch-hitter Tadahito Iguchi and Blum. But Wilson struck out Podsednik to end the threat, paving the way for Francisco Cordero to pick up his 29th save.

Since returning from the disabled list Monday, Podsednik has one hit in 10 at-bats.

"He hit the ball a couple of times good," said Guillen of Podsednik. "He swung the bat pretty good. It's just a matter of time."

Garland was victimized by poor defense, much like Mark Buehrle on Monday, with Blum's two errors at third leading to three unearned runs. But it was Garland's head-to-head battles with Teixeira ultimately deciding the final outcome.

Following Monday's loss and prior to the start of Tuesday's doubleheader, a great deal of attention was placed on Buehrle's comments about Texas' exceptional hitting at home. There was even an insinuation by Buehrle in regards to the Rangers employing unethical practices to gain an advantage, by signaling pitches with lights from center field.

Tuesday's opening-game loss didn't make Garland a believer in that theory. But, he didn't exactly refute the concept either.

"I don't know if they do or they don't," said Garland of the Rangers tipping pitches. "If they do, they haven't been caught and they will continue to do it. If they don't, they are a great hitting team at home."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

SOX 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0- 6 12 2
TEX 2 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 x- 8 7 0

WP- CJ Wilson(1-6)
LP- Jon Garland(16-8)
Save- Fransisco Cordero(29)

HR-TEX;Teixiera 2(34)

T- 2:39
Game time weather- Sunny,92 degrees

NOTES;Aaron Rowand went 3-4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs in the game.

Mark Buehrle caused a stir when he stated that Rangers hitters may have an unfair advantage by stealing signs from the office building in center field.Manager Ozie Guillen put aside those notions right away when he stated that Buehrle was just lit up and all his pitches were down the middle.

White Sox record;79-50,1st place,6 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland
White Sox magic number:26

[Chisox73]

McCarthy posts first win in nightcap
Dye homers twice, drives in six to earn split
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050830&content_id=1190252&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

ARLINGTON -- For a team whose success begins and ends with starting pitching, it's easy to understand why the White Sox had floundered over their three previous games heading into the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader at Ameriquest Field.
The trio of Freddy Garcia, Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland, who arguably could be the first three pitchers in a potential White Sox playoff rotation, allowed a combined total of 17 earned runs on 27 hits over 15 2/3 innings, including five home runs. The South Siders dropped all three of those games and looked somewhat akin to a second-division team in the process, as opposed to the squad with the best record in the American League.

But it was a 22-year-old right-hander with an altered pitching delivery who put things back on track for the White Sox (80-50) during an 8-0 whitewash of the Rangers. Brandon McCarthy, who was called up between games and took the roster spot of reliever Jeff Bajenaru, mesmerized one of the best lineups in the game, allowing two harmless hits over 7 2/3 innings and facing one over the minimum through six. McCarthy recorded 10 outs via ground balls and retired the game's first 13 hitters, before allowing Alfonso Soriano's double with one out in the fifth.

So much for the Rangers' tipping of pitches. Maybe they simply turned off the mysterious lights in center field for the rookie, who made his first Major League victory count for more than simply himself in his sixth overall start.

"I realized it was about time I contributed my part," said McCarthy, who struck out two and walked one, while throwing 117 pitches. "I wanted to pick up the slack to where you don't have to wear out the bullpen in a doubleheader and give them quality innings.

"The confidence is there and the ability to pitch well comes from that. I feel like I have myself straightened out a little bit. Just by having my natural stuff back and not being basically half the pitcher I can be leads to more success."

Tuesday's performance stood as quite a contrast for the young hurler as compared to his last outing on May 27 at Ameriquest Field, when McCarthy was touched up for six runs on six hits over five innings, with four of those hits leaving the ballpark. McCarthy returned to Triple-A Charlotte shortly thereafter.

During a third stint with the Knights, after McCarthy was hit hard in his second callup to the White Sox, McCarthy and pitching coach Juan Nieves discovered the right-hander's offerings were flattening out because he was coming too much from the side with his pitches. McCarthy worked on taking advantage of his 6-foot-5 frame and coming more over the top.

This particular change paid huge dividends in the nightcap against the Rangers. Major offensive contributions from Jermaine Dye didn't exactly hurt McCarthy's cause.

Dye homered in the second off Edison Volquez, who lost in his Major League debut, and went deep to right again in the seventh off reliever John Wasdin for his first multihomer game with the White Sox. Dye has 10 multihomer games in his career, with the last three coming against the Rangers (63-69), and now has 25 long balls for the season. Dye finished with three hits and six RBIs, as the White Sox pounded out 26 hits during the doubleheader split.

"Yeah, we came out and swung the bats good in both games," Dye said. "We bounced back in the second game and McCarthy did a good job. We put up runs for him and he pitched a good game."

Of course, a game managed by both Ozzie Guillen and Buck Showalter couldn't end without controversy. That anger-raising moment came in the top of the ninth inning, when junkballer Erasmo Ramirez hit Dye with a pitch in his back side. Home-plate umpire Gerry Davis warned both teams, and Showalter claimed after the game that the beaning was thoroughly unintentional.

Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., who played under Guillen last year, expressed the same sentiment to his former manager. Even Dye pointed out that the Rangers had worked him away all game, and he found success with two opposite-field home runs. So, Ramirez had to come