Forgettable performance for White Sox

BOSTON - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen let another lopsided loss slide Friday night.

But don't expect the trend to continue, especially considering how hard the White Sox have had to battle since the first day of the season to get themselves in playoff position.

"You try to avoid these games," Guillen said after the Red Sox embarrassed the White Sox 8-0 at Fenway Park. "Hopefully, they don't happen often. We're in the situation now where it's a must-win game. We cannot sit here and say, 'This is another game, it's OK.' We have to go as hard as we can.

"We've been fighting for five months, we have one more (month) left where we have to throw the biggest punches we can and hopefully they land and knock somebody out. That's the way we have to approach every day."

Instead, the White Sox have taken consecutive beatings.

Before taking Thursday off and opening a key three-game series Friday in Boston, the White Sox lost to the Orioles 11-3 on Wednesday in Baltimore.

"We have to forget about this one and come back tomorrow," White Sox starter Javier Vazquez said Friday after allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits over 5 innings against the Red Sox. "They're a good team, but we're a good team also. We can't worry about anybody else. First of all, Minnesota's not going away. We just have to win, that's the bottom line. We can't worry about anybody else."

The White Sox scratched out just 2 hits in 8 innings against Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka before reliever Mike Timlin mopped up in the ninth.

The White Sox advanced only one runner to second base - Alexei Ramirez in the third inning.

"When you only get one guy to second base, you're probably going to lose that game unless you get a lot of solo homers," Paul Konerko said. "Just crumple this one up and throw it away. We've been swinging the bats pretty well; maybe the off day stumped us. It's over. Just throw it out. We can still take two out of three."

The White Sox seemingly caught a break when Boston ace Josh Beckett was scratched from Friday's start and placed on the disabled list with a strained elbow.

"I don't like to see anybody get hurt, but thank you Josh," Guillen said before the game. "To me, he's one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher, in the game. I'd rather face anybody else than face him."

Maybe Matsuzaka heard the comments before the game. Regardless, the right-hander was dazzling while running his record to 16-2.

"When you've got the numbers he's got heading into September, you're not just lucky," Konerko said. "He's one of the best guys in the league this year."

Guillen expects the White Sox to start playing like one of the best teams in the league.

"It was not a pretty game," Guillen said. "If you're in a pennant race, you have to show up and play better. That's going to happen for the next month. We have to show up every day and push as hard as we can. We didn't do anything right to win the game today."

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