Poor offense irks Guillen as Sox fall to Orioles again

Posted August 23, 2009 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

The Orioles' Nolan Reimold rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer off Mark Buehrle. Associated Press

After losing efforts this season against lesser starters such as Cleveland's David Huff (twice), Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie (twice), Texas' Matt Harrison, Toronto's Jesse Carlson and Oakland's Vin Mazzaro, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen somehow mustered up kind words for the opposing pitchers and moved on.

Not so with the Orioles' Jason Berken on Sunday.

Coming in with a 2-11 record and 6.72 ERA, the rookie right-hander looked like an easy target for the Sox' offense.

Inexplicably, Berken came away with a rare win as Baltimore held off the Sox 5-4 at U.S. Cellular Field.

"Today was a very, very, very disappointing game for me," Guillen said after the White Sox lost 2 of 3 to the last-place Orioles and went 3-3 on a homestand that opened against the last-place Kansas City Royals.

"We faced a guy that's 2-11 with a 6-point ERA," Guillen continued. "With all due respect to this kid, he pitched well, but I think offensively we show up in the ninth. And if you score 3 runs in eight innings, it's going to be tough to score 3 runs in one."

The Sox did rally for a run in the ninth inning against Baltimore closer Jim Johnson, and they had the tying run on second base before pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay struck out to end the game.

But Guillen was not happy after watching his hitters scratch out just 3 runs (2 earned) off Berken in 52/3 innings.

"I always talk about pitching and defense," Guillen said. "With the offense we have, we're better than this. We have a month and a half to go, and if our offense continues like that, good luck. It's going to be hard for us to be there in the end.

"I wish I knew what was going on. Every time we got a thing going, a double-play ball. We got people in scoring position and struck out. So many bad things happened out there. It was a little exciting for the fans in the end. It was, but I think we have a better offense than what we showed, and that better start showing pretty soon."

As for the homestand, Guillen was equally irritated.

"I always say beat the crap out of teams under .500 and compete against the good ones, and we're not doing that," Guillen said. "We do the opposite. I'm not saying we're not trying. I'm not saying we don't work hard enough. But if we're trying, quit trying. If we work too hard, quit working. Because that (stuff) doesn't work."

Sox starter Mark Buehrle (11-7) lasted just 51/3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 11 hits. The left-hander is still winless since his July 23 perfect game.

"I pitched like (bleep) again," Buehrle said. "It seems like lately I'm making some pitches and they're finding some holes, and then when you make a mistake they're hitting the ball hard. It's just one of those little funks I'm in. Obviously, I need to come out of it sooner than later."

As they embark on a challenging 11-game road trip that ends at Wrigley Field with a Sept. 3 makeup game, the White Sox (63-61) somehow remain within striking distance of the first-place Detroit Tigers.

"I don't mind getting beat, but I don't see any enthusiasm," Guillen said. "When you're not hitting, you're not going to get excited. But I don't see anything today. Like I said last week, I said I will be in the pennant with this bunch of guys. I don't see it today."

The Orioles' Nolan Reimold launches a two-run home run off Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. Associated Press

Second baseman Brent Lillibridge, top, doubles up Baltimore Orioles' Matt Wieters at second and Chad Moeller at first during the fourth inning. Associated Press

Scot Gregor's game tracker Sunday's grade: F. Yes, the Sox almost pulled it out in the bottom of the ninth inning, but they should have teed off much earlier on Orioles starter Jason Berken, who came in with a 2-11 record. Off the Mark: White Sox starter Mark Buehrle took the loss after allowing 5 runs on 11 hits in 51/3 innings. Since his July 23 perfect game, Buehrle is 0-4 with a 6.21 ERA in 6 starts, and he has given up 54 hits in 372/3 innings. Blame it on Rios? Alex Rios was 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts Sunday, and he is 8-for-37 (.216) since joining the Sox. White Sox scouting report White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park TV: Channel 26 Monday; Comcast SportsNet Tuesday-Thursday Radio: WSCR 670-AM Pitching matchups: The White Sox' Jose Contreras (5-11) vs. Clay Buchholz (2-3) Monday; Freddy Garcia (0-1) vs. Jon Lester (10-7) Tuesday; Gavin Floyd (10-8) vs. Tim Wakefield (11-3) Wednesday; John Danks (11-8) vs. Junichi Tazawa (2-2) Thursday. All games start at 6:05 p.m. At a glance: The White Sox start a potential make-or-break trip with four games at Boston before heading to New York, Minnesota and Wrigley Field for a makeup game on Sept. 3. The White Sox meet the Red Sox for the first time this season. They were 3-4 vs. Boston last year. The Red Sox went 54-34 before the all-star break, but they were 16-18 in the second half heading into Sunday night's game against the Yankees. White Sox rookie of the year favorite Gordon Beckham is batting .372 (42-for-113) on the road. Next: New York Yankees, Friday-Sunday at Yankeee Stadium