Wednesday night saw the Sox take a 1-0 lead only to soon give up a bunch of runs before rallying back late and losing a close one. The Tigers have now won 2 0ut of the first 3 of this 4-game set at US Cellular Field, as the last game will be held Thursday night at 7:10 CT.
Youk’s 2 homers highlighted the Sox’ offense. Credit: MLB.com
Gavin Floyd made his first start since being placed on the DL in late August and looked great through the first four innings. Then he looked to hit a wall in the 5th as the Tigers took a 3-1 lead. After some poor bullpen work, the lead was up to 8-1 for Detroit. The Sox scored 4 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th but their comeback effort came up short.
This game has left many Sox fans frustrated, as the Tigers again have our Sox in a series hole as the AL Central lead is now back to only 1 game in favor of the pale hose. But why many fans are upset is because of the state of the Sox’ pitching staff as a whole.
Okay, I know Gavin Floyd has pitched well against Detroit in his career and no other options have done well against them this year … but if a pitcher isn’t fully ready to come back, he shouldn’t be rushed. Plus, Hector Santiago was brought in as the “long man” to relieve Floyd in the 5th. So now it seems that instead of Santiago, Francisco Liriano will be the guy to start the game in Minnesota on Friday. Either way some Sox fans would be upset … but it really seems that Robin Ventura and Don Cooper are just having to throw scraps together right now to put together a staff on a contender.
When you have to bring in guys like Brian Omogrosso and Leyson Septimo on a regular basis while others such as Matt Thornton (& other veterans) rest, you may have a problem. The team has evaded so many problems that everyone was predicting they’d have, but it seems the late season-bug may indeed be an obstacle they can’t completely overcome.
Now don’t get me wrong – recent strong performances from the likes of Chris Sale, Jake Peavy, and Chris Sale are very encouraging and could indeed help cover up the Sox scuffling pitching staff. Plus, this team has been so resilient all year long. It’s when you don’t expect it that they strike.
So look out, Tigers!