The White Sox did alot of little things right in this game, then they did alot of little things wrong. They ran the bases well and worked the count well, but defensively they dropped the ball. Literally. It seemed as though they choked. Clement pitched decently. Not as good as I'd like, but good enough to give us a chance to win. Schilling made a few mistakes in the 8th but in the 9th he was lights out with 2 Ks.
The Man of the Game is Edgar Renteria who went 3 for 4 with walk. He had a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI. At the outset of the game, he was the only hitter that looked good consistently against Clement.
The Angels came back to beat the Yankees so we're up 1.5 games. Randy Johnson tweaked his bat, and Tom Gordon's arm fatigue is close to putting him on the DL.
Game 2 Preview:
Tim Wakefield vs. Jon Garland
Garland is somewhat like Buehrle in that he is putting up great numbers depsite being a contact pitcher. He is 14-4 with a 3.21 ERA and a WHIP of 1.10. He's only striking out 4 batters every 9 innings but he doesn't allow many walks. He's also stayed away from the HR ball which helps alot in US Cellular Field.
Like Buehrle, some of the Sox have hit him well while others have struggled mightily. Damon is 6 for 12, Ortiz is 4 for 12 with 2 HRs, Manny is 7 for 11 with 2 doubles and 2 homers. Olerud is 1 for 11, Nixon is 0 for 6, and Tek is 2 for 8. Tek probably won't play with Wakefield pitching. Mirabelli is 0 for 2 off Garland.
Garland, like Buehrle, has benefited from playing against AL Central teams. His last start was decent. He went 6 scoreless innings. His last start was 5 innings allowing 3 runs. The Red Sox should be able to get to him.
Wakefield has been off and on and has struggled with the Homerun ball. This will probably come back to bite him in this game against the White Sox who have some good homerun hitters. The key will be how many runners are on base when the White Sox hit those HRs.
Only Carl Everett and Aaron Rowand have good numbers against Wakefield. Everett is 6 for 10, Rowand is 6 for 8 with a pair of homeruns. Overrall, the White Sox are batting .248 against Wakefield, but this number is skewed by players on Chicago that are on the DL such as Dye.
Wakefield has gone deep into his games recently, but has given up too many runs and homeruns for those games to be considered great performances. He's pitched 24 innings his last 3 starts, but has allowed 13 runs and 6 homers.
This game should be a good one. Wakefield will probably have a start like Clement had last night and I think Garland will be just as hittable as Buehrle. This one might come down to the bullpens.
IN OTHER NEWS...
Hockey is coming back. With rule changes and a salary cap. The game should flow better with the possibility of the red line being eliminated. They still need to widen the net and/or reduce the padding a goalie can wear. With a salary cap essentially already in place for the Boston Bruins, they should be able to do very well in the new NHL. The Bruins have focused on player devleopment and getting value out of low salary players. They should be poised to contend for the Stanley Cup now.
Tedy Bruschi is not going to play this year. I think this is the right decision on his part. He's got 3 rings, a Pro Bowl, and millions of fans. He's got a family too. Why risk what could be a crippling or even fatal injury just to try to get Super Bowl ring #4? I'm sure he'll stick aorund the team in some capacity though which is a good thing.
Terrell Owens' antics makes me appreciate guys like Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and Marvin Harrison.
