– It just took a little while for the Sox to heat up tonight, as they went on a 9-0 run in the last three innings after being down 4-2. The Minnesota Twins are by no means a great pitching staff, but it’s great to see this offense put together two great performances after struggling for two weeks.
– With the Tigers losing tonight to the Indians, the White Sox are now tied with Detroit for first place in the AL Central. So much for the Tigers never relinquishing the division lead, huh? It’s only been two games since the weekend series and just one for Detroit, I know, but I really anticipate this being tight down the stretch.
– Pitching wise, Quintana didn’t have his great stuff tonight, but finally the Sox gave him a few runs and took him off the hook for the loss. For Q, it’s simple: if he keeps the ball down, he will be very effective. Tonight he just left too many pitches up and out over the plate. The bullpen did do a nice job, however, and it was good to see Brett Myers get in his first full inning of work.
Now, to the offense…
– What a difference a few days make for Paul Konerko. Two days ago, we were talking here in GSB! about potentially moving him down in the order. Now, he’s got seven hits in his last eight at-bats with two home runs and four RBI. It begs the question: does Paulie read Grab Some Bench for motivation?…
– Adam Dunn seems to have bounced back from a short slump too, as he too has homered in two straight games. He now leads all of baseball with 30 home runs. Guys who hit near .220 don’t usually win Comeback Player of the Year awards, but he certainly has a chance. However, he may be battling Jake Peavy and Alex Rios to get it!
– Speaking of Rios, he, Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo all had multi-hit games and at least one RBI tonight. For Tank and Alexei, this comes after the two of them both went 0-fer last night. Heck, Alexei even hit a home run! Who would have thought that would be so rare this season? Anyways, as long as Tank and Alexei drive in runs, than they are doing their job offensively. With their free-swinging approaches, being run producers definitely must be their main role in the order even if they hit towards the bottom of the order.
Adam Dunn hit his MLB-leading 30th home run tonight (photo via Washington Post).
– However, the one member of the lineup who is still struggling is Gordon Beckham. After tonight’s game, he’s now hitting .125 since the All-Star break (just 5-for-40). It seems like he’s hitting almost everything weak to right field. Ironically, the one time you wanted him to do that tonight with one out and the bases loaded, he hits a double play ball to short. We know Beckham is prone to long slumps, as he’s been in one for virtually about 75 percent of the time since 2010. That’s why I’m more than just a bit concerned. However, as long as everyone else carries their weight in this order and he continues playing great defense, you can live with him struggling.
– On a lighter note, it was funny to see Hawk almost implode after the bad call on De Aza flyball to right field in the seventh. He obviously was using every ounce of his energy to not verbally attack the umpire. Hey, at least he’s trying now haha. Oh, and is “It’s all good!” his new catch phrase? If it is, I am not a fan of it.
Tomorrow it’s the “Jakemeister” opposing 2008 Twins Blackout game starter Nick Blackburn. Blackburn is long since removed from that stellar performance though, and the Sox hit the pitcher with a 7.46 ERA really well back in June. A sweep, even against the Twins, would be huge for this team’s confidence, and they have a very good chance at it tomorrow given the pitching matchup.