White Sox bullpen providing little relief
NEW YORK - While losing for the fifth time in eight games Monday night, the White Sox hardly resembled a team that looked interested in advancing into the playoffs.
If there is one silver lining, the second-place Minnesota have appeared to become equally disinterested while losing 8 of 13.
So much for a heavyweight battle to decide the AL Central champion.
"My policy is we have to win," manager Ozzie Guillen said after the bullpen sprung another leak in a 4-2 loss at Yankee Stadium. The Twins lost to the Indians 3-1 at Cleveland.
"We don't have to hope for somebody to beat Minnesota," Guillen added. "Those little piranhas, they're out of teeth now. I know. I have the feeling they don't have anymore teeth left. They've been grinding and fighting all year, they should have little teeth now.
"It's time for us to pull them out and win it."
Guillen might want to grab a pair of pliers and pull some of the struggling relief pitchers out of his bullpen.
The unit has been aching since July 1, and the Yankees inflicted more pain on two unproven arms Guillen was forced to use Monday - Ehren Wassermann and Horacio Ramirez.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the seventh, Wassermann relieved starter Mark Buehrle and got ahead of leadoff man Xavier Nady 0-2 before issuing a walk.
After Cody Ransom sacrificed Nady to second, Ramirez entered and promptly served up an RBI double to Wilson Betemit. Later in the seventh, Ramirez gave up a run-scoring single to Johnny Damon.
"My first goal is to get the first hitter out," said Wassermann, who spent most of the season with Class AAA Charlotte. "I get ahead 0-2 and tried to pick on the next few pitches. I should have taken a shot or two and gone right back at him."
That seemed to be Ramirez's strategy, but the ineffective lefty was hit hard.
With only Matt Thornton stepping up and doing his job during this key juncture of the season, Guillen isn't quite sure whom to call on for relief.
"There's no doubt we have to get better," Guillen said. "Especially when we go with a four-man rotation, we're going to see a lot of guys out of there. There's one thing about it, when you walk a guy - if you give up a home run, that's part of the game.
"But when you're walking people and stuff, you're going to get yourself in trouble. The bullpen, obviously, they know they have to get better. If they don't get better, a lot of white hair is going to come out of my head."
The Sox' offense wasn't much better Monday. Dewayne Wise, who hit a grand slam to defeat Detroit on Sunday night, followed up with a 2-run shot off Yankees rookie starter Alfredo Aceves. And that was it.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=235186">Guillen looks for bullpen as he knows it <span class="date">[9/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=235187">Konerko expects to play tonight <span class="date">[9/16/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>