Cust hits 2 homers in A's win over Sox 10-2

Posted July 23, 2010 11:00 pm

By Lindsey Wilhite

Judging by manager Ozzie Guillen's thought processes, the White Sox won't be able to add a pennant-run piece within the next six days without surrendering an important building block.

As rumors continue to churn about the team's pursuit of left-handed sluggers Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder, Guillen has been kept abreast of the latest trade entreaties by general manager Ken Williams.

"To be honest with you, I think all of those general managers out there, they're crazy. For what they ask," Guillen said prior to his team's 10-2 loss Saturday afternoon at Oakland. "That's my opinion."

Guillen always states publicly that he prefers to stand pat.

But his take Saturday seemed to be more about other teams' overly high trade demands than Guillen's always high degree of loyalty to his players.

"It took us a little while to put Gordon (Beckham) and The Missile (Alexei Ramirez), Carlos Quentin, (Alex) Rios," Guillen said. "It took us like three or four years to put this team together. All of a sudden we're going to bring one guy or two guys to help - to hope - we get there. All of a sudden we don't, then you lose what you have done in the past."

The White Sox control Beckham through 2015. Rookie infielder Dayan Viciedo and Daniel Hudson, Sunday's starting pitcher, can be with the Sox through 2016 before hitting free agency.

"You're going to bring somebody to this ballclub (in a trade), but you're going to take somebody away from this ballclub," Guillen said. "Then I don't think we do the right thing. That's my opinion. That's my opinion because what we have, I think, is good for a little while.

"What, we should destroy everything just for one guy? Or two guys or three guys or, I don't know what exactly it is."

The Sox needed about 25 new guys based on Saturday's rare subpar effort.

Starting pitcher Freddy Garcia, who hadn't lost a game in two months, allowed 6 hits and 3 walks before getting yanked with one out in the second.

Garcia needed 45 pitches to get through the first inning as he battled with plate umpire Laz Diaz and suffered through Omar Vizquel's rare issues at third.

Garcia, who walked two of the first four batters he faced, openly questioned Diaz' tight zone after some off-speed offerings.

Meanwhile, Vizquel lost a foul popup in the sun off Gabe Gross' bat that could've ended the first inning with just 1 run scoring.

Then Gross nubbed a squibber to Vizquel that he failed to pick up with his bare hand for an RBI single.

But to blame any single Sox for Saturday's blowout would be silly.

Considering White Sox starting pitchers entered the game with 32 quality starts in their last 39 games - and a collective 2.41 ERA over that stretch - this contest felt like one big aberration.

"Coming from Freddy, we'll take that," Guillen said. "He's been pitching so great for us all year. That's one of those kind of games you just try to erase and move on."

Lindsey Willhite's game tracker

Oakland 10, White Sox 2

Unsteady Freddy: Veteran Freddy Garcia suffered through the shortest outing of his 292-start career. The 35-year-old allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and 5 earned runs in 11/3 innings.

Powerful Castro: Lightly-used catcher Ramon Castro gave the Sox a brief 2-2 tie with a 2-run homer in the second. That made 3 homers in his last 31 at-bats, though they've been spread out over the last eight weeks.

Cust's crushes: Oakland cleanup man Jack Cust bludgeoned solo homers in excess of 400 feet off relievers Tony Pena and Scott Linebrink.