Another tough night for White Sox vs. Tigers
For the most part, numbers don’t lie in baseball.
Take Adam Dunn’s .162 batting average and 160 strikeouts — please.
Actually, Dunn had nothing to do with the latest White Sox crunching, this one a 14-4 loss to red-hot Detroit on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
The Sox (73-73) are back at the .500 mark while the Tigers (85-62) won their 10th straight, the franchise’s longest streak since 1968.
Detroit now leads the White Sox by 11½ games in the AL Central while lowering its magic number to 5.
“It’s a good team going good,” Sox starter John Danks said after allowing 8 runs (7 earned) on 11 hits in 5 innings.
The Tigers have been especially good against the White Sox at the most important time of the season.
Dating to the fifth inning of a stunning come-from-behind win at Comerica Park on Sept. 3, Detroit has outscored the Sox 40-6.
“Right now they’re swinging the bats real well,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. “They’re on fire.”
As for Danks, he was burned again.
The left-hander has faced the Tigers two times in his last 3 starts and is 0-2 with a 14.90 ERA. Overall, Danks is 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA.
“I have pride,” Danks said. “I’m competitive. I didn’t have fun today. I didn’t have fun at all. I’m as frustrated as I’ve ever been. I want to finish strong and have a good taste in my mouth heading into the off-season. At the rate I’m going over my past 3 starts, it’s not good.”
Finally, here’s one more number to ponder. Detroit starter Justin Verlander has 22 wins, the most in the majors. He pitches against the Sox on Tuesday night.
Taking a hit:Hitting coach Greg Walker#146;s job status is an ongoing topic, and it came up again before the Sox#146; loss Monday night.Walker was on the fence about returning last winter before deciding to come back for his eighth full season.This could very well be Walker#146;s final year, considering the Sox entered Monday ranked eighth in the American League with 138 home runs, 11th in batting average with runners in scoring position at .245, 11th in slugging percentage at .390 and 12th in runs scored with 587.Manager Ozzie Guillen #8212; no sure thing himself to be back in 2012 #8212; again came to Walker#146;s defense.#147;The thing that gets me, it#146;s Greg Walker#146;s fault because he#146;s the hitting coach,#148; Guillen said. #147;But nobody says how much he helps (Paul) Konerko, how much he helps (Alexei) Ramirez. He#146;s got more hitters than that, but he doesn#146;t get any credit.#147;No, everything is about how bad (Adam) Dunn and (Alex) Rios and (Gordon) Beckham are. But that#146;s why we coach. That#146;s why we take the hit because everything that goes wrong in baseball, football, they blame the coaches and the manager.#148;Quentin returns:Carlos Quentin came off the disabled list Monday after missing over three weeks with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.Quentin was not in the starting lineup, but he pinch hit for designated hitter Alex Rios in the seventh inning and swung at the first pitch, grounding out to second base.Quentin struck out in the eighth.With Dayan Viciedo getting a chance to play in right field, manager Ozzie Guillen is not sure how much he#146;s going to use Quentin the rest of the way.Castro sighting:Ramon Castro is back in uniform, and the White Sox#146; backup catcher said he#146;d like to play after being sidelined the past two months with a broken right hand.#147;I feel better,#148; Castro said. #147;But I don#146;t know if I#146;m going to play or not.#148;The Sox have three other catchers on the roster in A.J. Pierzynski, Tyler Flowers and Donny Lucy.Considering the long layoff, Castro might not have enough time to get back in playing shape.sgregor@dailyherald.com