Second straight 9-3 loss pushes Sox 8 back in AL Central
If the White Sox needed any further proof, the Twins provided it Wednesday night.
They are the best team in the AL Central, and Minnesota is clearly on its way to winning the division for the sixth time in nine years.
After crushing the Sox in Tuesday's series opener, the Twins inflicted another beating Wednesday by the same 9-3 score.
"I think we were really looking forward to making a move in this series and we find ourselves against the wall," White Sox third baseman Omar Vizquel said. "Right now, we have games left (17), but as long as we keep losing to the first-place team, I don't think we're going to be making any moves."
The White Sox have dropped 8 games off the pace, and Minnesota's magic number is down to 10.
Manager Ozzie Guillen says the Sox are going to fight until they're officially eliminated, but he realizes the knockout blow's already been delivered.
"We're swimming right now against the current, and it keeps raining," Guillen said. "We don't have too much time to pick up spots and like I say, we had to win two out of three. We didn't do it. We're not going to give up. We've got to continue to play.
"I know it's going to be very tough to accomplish what we want to accomplish. But in the meanwhile, we don't have any choice. Just keep fighting. Go out there and continue to do what we're supposed to do and see what happens. You never know in this game, but in the meanwhile, you're knocked down twice."
Much like Tuesday's series opener, the White Sox had some chances to take it to the Twins, but they failed to come up with the big hit.
This time, the Sox had the bases loaded and one out in the second inning and weren't able to score.
Vizquel hit a screaming grounder to third base, but Danny Valencia gloved the drive and threw home to force Paul Konerko. Gordon Beckham flied out to end the inning.
In the fourth, the White Sox had runners on first and third, and Vizquel grounded into a double play.
"We've been struggling to get the hit when we really need it with guys in scoring position and that's really hurt us," Vizquel said. "Against this team, you can't make any mistakes."
Sox starter Gavin Floyd made a big mistake with a slider in the fifth inning, and Joe Mauer deposited the pitch over the right-field fence to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead.
"I think it was just good location, but it didn't move," said Floyd, who allowed 3 more runs in the sixth. "It was a cement mixer. I wanted to throw a slider there and it didn't move. It fell right into his bat path."
Floyd knows the Sox are facing an near impossible road, but he's not ready to call it a season.
"You don't want to count anything out," Floyd said. "We have a great team. We've had a great season. We just keep on pushing and hopefully something happens. If not, be thankful for what happened this year."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Scot Gregor's game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Twins 9, White Sox 3</p>
<p class="News"><b>Home schooled:</b> The Sox have lost 10 of their last 12 games to Minnesota while being outscored 90-41.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Twin killing:</b> White Sox starter Gavin Floyd pitched 51/3 innings and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits. The right-hander is 0-4 with an 8.06 ERA vs. the Twins this season.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Sox killer:</b> Joe Mauer was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI. Minnesota's all-star catcher is batting .455 (30-for-66) against the Sox this season.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Jammed clutch:</b> The Sox were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and they left nine runners on base.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Innings eater:</b> A.J. Pierzynski reached the 1,000 innings caught plateau for the sixth time with the White Sox and ninth time in his career.</p>
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Stories</h2>
<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=408462">Garcia unlikely to go Saturday<span class="date"> [9/15/10]</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>