Vazquez wants ball again, but he's not likely to get it

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Javier Vazquez is not giving up.

All evidence to the contrary.

"I'm not quitting,'' Vazquez said Thursday, after the media horde departed for less depressing lockers. "I want the ball again.''

Even later this series, in a possible Game 5 right here?

"I would love to get the ball again, to get another chance,'' Vazquez said quietly. "All of us here are competing for the same goal, to win the World Series, and I want to do my part.''

But the reality is there's no chance Vazquez will get the ball again in this series, or maybe even the next, unless someone gets hurt.

"I don't know,'' said manager Ozzie Guillen. "He just can't get it done.''

If there is a Game 5 here next Wednesday, Mark Buehrle can start on four days' rest, after he tries to tie the series at 1-1 in his outing at Tropicana Field today.

The White Sox find themselves down a game almost entirely because Vazquez was awful again Thursday, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings of the Sox' 6-4 loss to the Rays.

But if you told him he's been brutal in his last 4 appearances, since he defeated Detroit on Sept. 14, you'd hardly be telling him anything he didn't already know.

"This is by far the worst stretch of my career,'' Vazquez said. "I wish I could explain it, but I don't have any answers. It's been like this for a few games.''

Because of what Guillen said a few weeks ago, the oversimplification will be that Vazquez can't pitch in big games, and that he's choking.

And that's wrong.

He's had very few big-game starts before the last few, and his career has been filled with stretches like this when he has simply lost his confidence, and the ability to locate.

If not for that, he would have won 20 games several times, and the Sox never would have had the opportunity to acquire him.

"We've tried everything,'' said catcher A.J. Pierzynski. "We've tried talking to him and boosting his confidence, and all kinds of things.''

Pierzynski has even tried publicly embarrassing Vazquez on the mound, begging him to compete and locate.

"The bottom line is,'' Pierzynski said, "we have to make better pitches.''

There were none worse than the ones Vazquez made in the bottom of the third after the Sox had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning.

He gave up a single and a triple, and then with a man still on third, one out and the infield in, Vazquez threw a 1-1 fastball away to Willy Aybar, who produced only his second sacrifice fly of 2008 in 325 at-bats, tying the game at 3-3, in his first career postseason plate appearance.

"The ball was supposed to be down but he got it up,'' Pierzynski said. "Location. Story of the day.''

The next batter was Evan Longoria, who blasted his second homer in as many at-bats. The Rays had the lead and never looked back.

"After he threw me a fastball the first time up, I figured he might try something off-speed,'' Longoria said. "I guessed right.''

The fact that it was a hanging curveball was a factor.

"That was a terrible pitch,'' Vazquez said. "He's too good of a hitter to miss that.''

So Vazquez is the villain in the hearts of Sox fans today, and he's responsible for Thursday's loss.

But it's not as though he doesn't care, or that he's not suffering. He's human, and on top of it a decent guy who stands up after games and takes his medicine.

He looked Thursday like a man who wanted to cry. He also sounded desperately lost, and emotionally spent.

It would be easy for Guillen to feel sorry for Vazquez if not for the other 24 guys in the room, his ownership, and millions of fans.

Guillen has a responsibility and this is not the time of year for holding hands.

Javier Vazquez would kill for another chance to pitch this October.

But even that might not be drastic enough to get him a chance.

Of Sox and Cubs

It did not escape the attention of White Sox personnel that their first two contests were early starts, while the first three Cubs postseason games were all slated for prime time.

There was some serious grumbling about the Cubs' media bias, but Ozzie Guillen, of all people, was diplomatic.

"The people that pay us from TV make the decisions and that's OK with me. They spend a lot of money to have that control,'' Guillen said. "A lot of people want to watch the Cubs. It doesn't make any difference to me.''

Viking Quest

The old people's dome offers some of the hokiest manufactured noise promotion of any place in baseball, much of it involving cowbells.

But in all fairness, it did offer one very cool moment.

After the Rays won, and as the players spilled out onto the field to congratulate each other, a few Rays looked up at the board, raised their arms, stopped, and waited for the vision of Johnny Drama at the Grand Canyon, yelling, "Victory!''

Then, they joined the rest of the entourage in handshakes.

Best at-bat

Paul Konerko saw 11 pitches and homered off Tampa closer Dan Wheeler leading off the ninth.

Worst at-bat

Orlando Cabrera, with the bases loaded and the Sox down 6-3, did not see one good pitch or take one good hack, while striking out to end the seventh.

Best quote

Paul Konerko: "This ballclub has had its back against the wall so many times this year I lost count. I wouldn't say the series is over after one game.''

And finally ...

A.J. Pierzynski, on the dust-up that nearly started a brawl: "I didn't say a word. No one said anything to me. You guys are going to have to blame someone else this time.''

brozner@dailyherald.com