If Twins win today, Sox must do the same
The White Sox no longer are trying to back their way into the playoffs.
Back-to-back unsightly losses to the Indians at home scrapped that plan, and it can be argued the Sox do not even deserve postseason consideration after falling to Cleveland 12-6 Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
It is quite clear the White Sox are now trying to go underground and tunnel their way up into October.
"It was a disappointing night again, especially knowing the results of the other game," said Paul Konerko, who hit 2 home runs Saturday but needed 3 or 4 more to overcome another dismal effort by the pitching staff.
"There are a lot of ways to break this down and look at it, but I think the best thing is just to say after 160 games we still control our own destiny. If we win, as hard as that is to say because we don't look like a winning team right now, we've just got to try to block that out and try to start as fresh as we can tomorrow."
Well aware first-place Minnesota also lost their second straight to Kansas City earlier in the day, the Sox had yet another golden opportunity to jump back on top in the AL Central.
But with the score tied at 1-1 in the fifth inning, the Indians put up 6 runs against fading starter Javier Vazquez and continued piling on against a White Sox bullpen that now has a 7.68 ERA since Sept. 9.
"When they punched us right in the stomach with 6 runs, that's hard to come back," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "And we did. We fought back; we just were short. The thing is, if our pitching staff holds them down, I think we have a great opportunity in the last inning."
Konerko's 2-run homer in the eighth inning pulled the White Sox to within 8-6, but Scott Linebrink and Matt Thornton were tagged for 4 runs in the ninth.
So now it's down to this - if the Sox lose today and the Twins win, their season is over.
If the White Sox win today and the Twins lose, the Sox have to beat the Tigers in Monday's makeup game to win the division.
If the Sox and Twins both win, the Sox have to beat the Tigers on Monday and beat the Twins in the tiebreaker Tuesday at the Cell.
"With us losing tonight, that brings (Monday) into play," Konerko said. "We're going to have to play (Monday) to get to where we want to go. That's unfortunate, because we could have controlled that part of it.
"But it is what it is. There's 10 teams in both leagues that are either going or could go, and 20 teams that know they're not playing on Monday, that know their season's over."
The White Sox are at least catching a break today because Indians ace Cliff Lee (stiff neck) has been scratched. Bryan Bullington (0-1, 5.59 ERA in 2 games) replaces Lee.
"I don't know how to describe it, lucky or nobody wants to take it," Guillen said. "For us to take it, we have to want it. And we have to fight through it.
"I'm not going to say I don't see that, because I do. I'm seeing that. I'm not going to say we need to get better, because we can't be worse than that, but I want to see us get it done."