Sox can't keep line moving in 6-2 ALDS loss
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Keep the line moving.
That's been the No. 1 goal of the White Sox' offense this season, and the strategy was working to perfection Friday night in Game 2 of the American League division series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
Leading off the game, Orlando Cabrera was hit by a Scott Kazmir pitch. Nick Swisher followed with a walk. Jermaine Dye singled to load the bases.
"We've got Kazmir on the ropes," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said, "and we let him go."
The White Sox did push 2 runs across the plate to take the early lead, but it could have been so much more.
It wasn't, though, and that's why the Sox are dangerously close to the end of the line after losing to 6-2 to the Rays while falling behind 2-0 in the ALDS.
The Sox managed 8 hits and 2 walks off Kazmir, who exited with one out in the sixth inning after throwing 98 pitches.
They had 12 hits for the game, all singles, and left a dozen runners on base while going 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
"Anytime you get a guy on the ropes in the first inning and he's one or two pitches away from coming out of that ballgame ...," Dye said. "It boils down to not getting those runners across."
As was the case the entire season, the White Sox' offense was doomed in a dome.
"It's White Sox baseball," Guillen said. "You know, we have 12 hits, we got 2 runs, and the 2 runs were in the first inning. And we left 12 people on base. You're not going to win that many games like that.
"They had 12 hits and they scored 6 runs. That means they got clutch hitting."
Akinori Iwamura delivered the biggest clutch hit, a 2-run homer in the fifth inning off Sox starter Mark Buehrle that put the Rays in front 3-2.
Tampa Bay added 3 runs in the eighth inning to put the game away.
"We could have had 5 or 6 in the first inning but fell short," Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Then we had first and second the next inning. It seemed like we had first and second every inning. We had a lot of chances.
"You've got to find a way to get that hit. We had a lot of singles, but never got the big extra-base hit to put them away. Mark pitched great. He deserves a lot more credit by the way he threw the ball, by the way he kept us in that game. He probably deserved the win."
Earlier this week the White Sox had to win three straight games to get into the playoffs, beating the Indians, Tigers and Twins on consecutive days at U.S. Cellular Field.
Now, they're in a similar situation.
"We've had our backs against the wall recently," Konerko said. "Within the last week we've played three or four games where we knew if we lost, our season was over. That's about the only positive I can say. It's not like we have to wonder what if in the clubhouse on Sunday or what we're going to be feeling in the dugout before the game.
"We had that feeling four times in row going back to (last) weekend. We'll feel a little bit better prepared for that, and it's the same situation. If we get beat, no one's going to die; it's not the end of the world. But we're going to try to prolong it and come back here for Game 5."
If the Sox manage to win at the Cell on Sunday and Monday, Game 5 would be at Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
"You don't see too many games turn out where a team has that many hits, that many chances with guys on base, and you can't sweep them across," Dye said.
"What are you going to do? We've been in this situation before, just the other day. We know what we've got to do. We've got to win three in a row. If not, we go home."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=240400"><b>BARRY ROZNER:</b> Sox in trouble? Nothing new there<span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240399"><b>BILL MELTON:</b> White Sox should have buried Kazmir<span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240401">Rays remind Buehrle of '05 Sox<span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240409">Domes of doom<span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240390">Richard could get the ball if it goes 5<span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240306">It's back to the basics for these Cubs and Sox fans<span class="date">[10/4/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240311">That was then: A look back at 1906<span class="date"> [10/4/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=240389">Sox by the numbers <span class="date"> [10/3/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>