Beckham's star continues to rise, but Sox fall 8-5

Posted August 02, 2009 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

After hitting his second double off New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia on Sunday, White Sox rookie Gordon Beckham got a quick comment and swat on the backside from star shortstop Derek Jeter as he stood on second base.

"He told me nice job and to keep on swinging," Beckham said. "Pretty cool."

Earlier in the day, on WMVP 1000-AM, Alex Rodriguez compared Beckham to Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

"That's a huge compliment from one of the best in the game," Beckham said after the Sox lost 8-5 at U.S. Cellular Field. "I'm not going to get a big head; I'm not going to change who I am just because of some success right now.

"This game's just way too difficult to get ahead of yourself because one day you're good and the next day you're not.

"But that's a great compliment, and I hope I can be that good one day."

Has that day already arrived?

Probably not, considering the 22-year-old Beckham played in just his 52nd game for the White Sox on Sunday. Jeter, by comparison, played in his 2,084th for New York.

But the more Beckham performs, the more his star potential seems to shine.

The Atlanta native wasn't happy about the loss to the Yankees - the White Sox were trying to sweep the four-game series and couldn't hang on after rallying from a 3-0 deficit and taking a 4-3 lead in the third inning.

But what's not to like about Beckham's eye-opening performance? He was 3-for-5 with 1 RBI Sunday, and he went 7-for-19 in the series. Five of the hits were doubles, and he also drove in 7 runs.

"He's swinging the bat against anybody right now," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's seeing the ball real well, and I think the best thing about it is he's hitting the ball the opposite way. I think that's the key.

"Earlier in the season, when he was struggling, I think he was trying to pull everything. And now he's going to see better pitches because he's batting second. Hopefully he takes advantage of that."

Beckham is doing just that. Since being moved up to the No. 2 spot at Minnesota on Wednesday, he is 9-for-23.

And check out this stat for Beckham, who already is making a strong push for AL Rookie of the Year. In his last 20 games, he is batting .411 (30-for-73) with 11 doubles and 17 RBI.

As Guillen pointed out, hitting the ball the other way has been key for Beckham, who is batting .311 overall. His first double off Sabathia bounced over the right-field fence and his second hopped the fence in right-center.

"I've hit the ball more to right in the big leagues than I think I ever have," said Beckham, who led the University of Georgia to the College World Series last year.

"I think it's a little bit of an adjustment, but it's a good adjustment, and I'm glad I'm doing it because if I can hit it over there, I can pull it. And I can always pull the ball. It's nice to go that way."

It would have been nice to sweep the four-game series against the Yankees, a feat the White Sox haven't accomplished at home since 1964.

But they'll settle for winning three of four, especially after entering the high-profile meeting following a 1-6 road trip to Detroit and Minnesota.

"That's huge," Beckham said. "We're right back to where we want to be. I don't know, did Detroit lose (Sunday)? They lost, so we're close.

"That's right where we want to be. It's going to come down to the end. I've always heard that, and it looks like it's going to be the same way."

New York's Melky Cabrera hits a three-run homer in the second inning. Associated Press

Scot Gregor's game tracker Sunday's grade: C. "Mr. Perfect" didn't have it Sunday. Sox starter Mark Buehrle lasted just 41/3 innings and allowed 7 runs on 12 hits. Grinding the clutch: In their first 3 wins over the Yankees, the White Sox were 15-for-36 with runners in scoring position. Sunday, they were 2-for-13. Go Gordon go: Rookie Gordon Beckham was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI. He's batting .411 over his last 20 games.