Sports
Sox Streaking, but Twins Refuse to Blink
Sweep of the Red Sox pushes win streak to six, but Konerko's stiff back is now a concern.
You can be frustrated that the Sox's latest surge hasn't gotten them any closer to the first-place Twins.
Or you can look at it like this: If the Sox hadn't gotten so hot (winning 8 of their last 10), their playoff hopes would be toast by now.
Some very bad baseball was played Sunday in Boston, and the White Sox should feel fortunate to have come away with a 7-5 win. It looked like Ozzie's boneheaded decision to stick with a gassed Mark Buehrle in the seventh inning was going to be mighty costly. Honestly, if you couldn't sense a Victor Martinez home run about to happen at that moment, you weren't paying attention.
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But Boston suffered a momentous meltdown in the top of the ninth, allowing
five walks, a couple of hits and a base left uncovered on a critical play. Sure, it seemed to take about two hours to play that half inning, but watching a 5-3 White Sox deficit turn into a 7-5 lead was a hoot and a half.
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And how great was it to see Matt Thornton back on the hill, mowing down the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save? Fair to say that Bobby Jenks earned the day off, after notching a save in each game of Saturday's doubleheader.
The biggest concern coming out of Sunday's game was with Paul Konerko's stiff back. Andruw Jones had to pinch hit for Konerko in the ninth. Come on, Herm — work your magic. I'm not sure I'm up for a scenario in which Paulie is sidelined for a significant stretch and Manny Ramirez rides to the rescue.
The three-game sweep in Boston (the White Sox's first since 1999) would have been so much sweeter if the Twins had only remembered to blink. But no, they remained 3 ½ games ahead of the Sox thanks to their own sweep, of AL West-leading Texas.
And, yes, the Sox were 3 ½ game behind the Twins on Aug. 26, before they won 8 of 10. The Twins simply matched the Sox's 8-2 run, winning several of those games in ways just as improbable as the Sox won theirs Sunday.
The Twins' next six games are against Kansas City and Cleveland. The Sox visit Detroit for four games and host K.C. for three. And then it's Twins-Sox at the Cell.
Think that series is going to be big?
