James to the rescue: Game 144 recap

(Editor's Note: Since Jeeves can't seem to be torn away from his excessive stint as a drunken lampshade, I figure I'll lend a hand. Just kidding, Jeeves. If Buehrle were pitching this past Sunday my post would have resembled something of a lost greek romantic tragedy.)

Sox Win 3-2!

Let's just call this game Shades of 2005. A quick look inside some numbers and you'll see what I mean...

• The Count reverted to his pre-DL, post 2005 All-Star break form. One run surrendered on 6 hits, 1 walk and 8 strike outs in eight innings. Yes he was helped by two line-drive DPs, but as they say, "That's why they play the games." He threw more change-ups than any previous start and his forkball was devastating. When I watch Jose pitch I always cringe when I see him drop down and throw sidearm, but last night he vaired his pitches with command and had the Nomadic Heavenly Entities off balance all night. (One "shade" of 2006, the opponent scored a run, yes, the 6th inning.)
• Bobby Jenks was once again the unknown commodity he was last season. What were we to expect from someone who'd blown his last two saves, who was returning from an injury, who's pitching obviously suffered from the lay off? He started the first two hitters (Vlad and Garrett Anderson) 0-2 only to surrender hits. The next batter promptly GIDPed, and all of Soxdom sighed in relief. For good measure, Jenks struck out the next batter. I say Jenks just needed a confidence booster, and hopefully the ending of the 9th provided it.
• Here is a crazy stat: Last night's game was the first win for the White Sox when only scoring 3 runs or less since May 24. (Thanks Cheat.)
• For most of the game the Sox hitters resembled that of the face only a mother could love, John Lackey. In other words, U-G-L-Y! The Sox got only 4 hits all night long. Luckily 3 of those 4 were bunched together with a walk and a sac-fly in the 5th when the Sox would score all the runs they needed -- 3.
• AJ Pierzynski is becoming clutch again, hitting a ball about an inch off home plate for an RBI double.
• The defense was pretty damn good. Paulie turned a line drive into a DP on a tougher-than it looked shot off the bat of Orlando Cabrera. And Joey Clutch also turned a DP. (Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent play by Adam Kennedy snagging a missle of a deflected line drive off the bat of JD. It crushed a potential rally and made plays of the day on highlight shows everywhere.)
• What a great time to revert to 2005 winning ways as the Twins show no sign of slowing down beating a very hot Frank Thomas-led Oakland team.
  

Awards time---------------------------------

Bad Ozzie Move of the Game: Didn't I say this before: consistencey is the hobgoblin of stupidity. Mack started in CF, Pods in LF. (It didn't bite us in the ass tonight as Jose was masterful, but I have a feeling we may soon see a play in CF that kills the whole season not unlike the lost-in-the-sun fly ball by Cleveland in KC last year.)

Good Ozzie Move of the Game: Resting Mikey MacD and Thornton knowing they will DEFINITELY be used in the next two games. (Buehrle and Garcia start the next two.)

Play of the Game: Can't argue with the LAA DP in the 9th. Everyone from Ozzie to Bobby to Mayor Daley to myself to Jeeves in his drunken stupor felt a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. (And most of us had no direct impact on the game.)

Big Ups of the Game: I'm gonna go with Jim Thome a.k.a. the walk machine since he got the rally started, and Bobby for finding his groove again.

And my White Sox Player of the Game is.........





Jose Contreras (9)





White Sox Record: 83-61...only 3 back of the Tiggers but still 1.5 back of the Twinkies in the WC.