Richard does his job, but not Sox
NEW YORK - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen caught some heat for taking starting pitcher Mark Buehrle out of Monday night's game against the Yankees.
Buehrle threw 101 pitches over 6 innings and left with the score tied at 2-2. New York promptly scored 2 runs in the seventh off relievers Ehren Wassermann and Horacio Ramirez and won 4-2.
On Wednesday night, Guillen couldn't be blamed for sticking too long with rookie starter Clayton Richard during the Sox' 5-1 loss. The left-hander came of age at Yankee Stadium, taking a shutout into the seventh inning while yielding just 3 hits.
"He did a tremendous job," Guillen said. "That's the reason I left him in the game. Our bullpen's struggling right now and that's why I'm trying to leave the starters in as long as I can."
Richard struck out Bobby Abreu to open the seventh, but he walked Alex Rodriguez and looked to be in pretty good shape after Jason Giambi grounded out.
"It was definitely a step in the right direction, individually," Richard said. "But late in the game I just didn't get the job done."
Neither did the bullpen - again.
After Giambi grounded out, Xavier Nady reached down to get Richard's changeup for a single to tie the game at 1-1. Richard stayed in for one more batter, a double by Robinson Cano that moved Nady up to third base.
"If you asked us before the game if we'd take that, we'd say yes in a heartbeat," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said of Richard's outing.
Guillen went to the bullpen after Cano's double, and the results were predictably discouraging.
Instead of keeping the game tied at 1-1, Mike MacDougal sent a 1-2 fastball sailing past Ivan Rodriguez to the backstop, allowing Nady to score on the wild pitch.
In the eighth, Scott Linebrink served up a 2-run homer to Johnny Damon and a solo shot to Rodriguez. Both pitches were straight fastballs, and Linebrink has now allowed 5 runs in 3 innings since coming off the disabled list.
Despite the loss, the Sox' magic number for clinching the AL Central title was reduced to 9 after the Twins fell 6-4 at Cleveland.
Outside of Matt Thornton, the White Sox' entire bullpen is struggling.
"It makes it tough," Guillen said. "We scratch our heads, because I can't use Thornton every day. We have to be better out of the bullpen if we want to win."
Being a little more consistent with the bats wouldn't hurt, either.
Making his first start since April 29, Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes labored through 4 innings while throwing 88 pitches.
That was the strategy going in, but the Sox scored just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks against Hughes before being shut down by four relievers.
"We didn't hit well or execute well," Guillen said. "We just didn't help (Richard). We got (Hughes) out of the game early, but their bullpen did an excellent job."
Guillen only wishes he could say the same about his relievers.
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