LEAVING MEN ON-BASE
Twelve, that’s how many runners the White Sox stranded tonight. Sure, these games happen and the Sox have been great with runners in scoring position all season, as they are first in the big leagues. However, you would figure they’d be more amped up to hit in the clutch in this game. It certainly was the most frustrating part about this one: that and the fact that Detroit gave them a ton of chances with walks and blunders in the field. We get the bases loaded and one out? All we get is a run on a hit batsmen. They get bases loaded and no one out? Delmon Young clears the bases. That’s the difference in the ballgame right there.
PASSIVE AT THE PLATE
We took a TON of good, first pitch strikes today. What did Detroit do in those situations? Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta both homered on the first pitch. Sure, there are times to make the pitcher work and try to tire him out a bit more, but most times it’s very good to have aggressiveness. What do pitchers want to do to every hitter? Get ahead. What is usually the pitch they have the best command with? A fastball. So, you know that a lot of times, a first pitch fastball for a strike is coming. Why not jump all over it if it’s there? Maybe I just have a different philosophy than most, but I just don’t get it.
Miguel Cabrera had a big night at the plate (credit: Zimbio).
BUNT?
With the way Miguel Cabrera looks at third base with the ankle injury, I cannot believe that we didn’t take advantage of that with bunts more than we did. We bunted just once, with Gordon Beckham, and it worked exactly the way we needed it to. I don’t understand why we didn’t go to that more often.
TWO VERY DUMB PITCHES
Tonight, I saw probably the two dumbest pitches I’ve seen any of our pitchers throw all season long. The first one was Jake Peavy in the first inning to Miguel Cabrera. Sorry, but an 87mph floater right down the middle on the first pitch is not a very good idea. I have no idea what he was thinking on that one.
Matt Thornton has taken a ton of heat this season, and a lot of times unwarranted. Tonight, however, is certainly a night where he deserves some criticism. As Steve Stone said, Delmon Young likes the ball down and in. Thornton and Pierzynski have faced Young many, many times and should know that.
THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW
Well, at least for now there is, and we will trot out Francisco Liriano to face Max Scherzer. Liriano has been great, but Scherzer has been the Tigers best pitcher over the past few months, even better than Justin Verlander. The Sox need to jump on him early tomorrow if they want to win that ballgame.