Just like 1-2-3, Sox’ momentum goes poof

CLEVELAND — You really didn’t think the White Sox were going to go 162-0, did you?

Granted, they looked like world-beaters in their first 2 wins of the season, specifically the offense.

But it was only a matter of time before the Sox slipped into the inevitable ranks of the beaten, and the alarm went off on Sunday at rainy, empty Progressive Field.

The frustrating thing for the White Sox is the 7-1 loss could have been avoided.

Looking terrific in his first start of the season, John Danks was breezing early and some big run support was in the works in the fourth inning.

Leading 1-0, Carlos Quentin draw a leadoff walk and A.J. Pierzynski followed with a single to put runners on first and second.

Alexei Ramirez came to the plate with orders to bunt, and he popped up a Justin Masterson pitch that first baseman Carlos Santana, a catcher by trade, dove and caught.

With Quentin and Pierzynski running on the play, the Indians turned an easy 3-4-6 triple play.

Just like that, the momentum shifted and the Sox exited Cleveland sans a three-game sweep.

“I think the game changed, totally changed, with the bunt,” said manager Ozzie Guillen, who was wearing his “Ozzie Mows Wrigley Field: T-shirt after the game. “I think if we put the ball down with the bunt, maybe, I not going to say it’s not going to come up this way, but I think it was a different ballgame.”

In Saturday’s 8-3 win over the Indians, rookie third baseman Brent Morel also failed to put down a good bunt.

Is it time to just scrap the small-ball stuff?

“Well, we are 0-for-2 bunting and that’s not good,” Guillen said. “We are going to hit with this lineup, but those little things we have to ... I don’t think we are going to be perfect because it’s impossible to go perfect.

“I expect better things where our little game has to be better. It’s only two games, but I expect to do better with the little things.”

Reliever Will Ohman wound up delivering his second straight dud outing which allowed the Indians to break open the game late, but Danks was blaming himself for letting Cleveland take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning.

Seemingly in complete control with two outs, Danks was yelling at himself on the mound after yielding a two-out single to Travis Hafner on an 0-2 pitch.

“I had him in the hole and gave him a pitch that was too good to hit,” Danks said. “We were trying to go fastball up. We talked about it before the inning. It was exactly what I wanted to do, and I just didn’t get it up enough. It was a pretty hittable pitch. He’s a good hitter and he hit it.”

Next up was former teammate Orlando Cabrera, and Danks said he was simply trying to get ahead in the count when he grooved an 88-mph fastball on his first pitch.

Cabrera pounced on it and drove a 2-run homer to left.

“It was just a bad pitch and OC hit it pretty well,” said Danks, who was pitching after taking medication for a sore tooth.

With a day off Monday, the White Sox have time to regroup before opening a two-game series at Kansas City.

“We don’t want to lose,” Danks said. “We want to win every game. But on a personal standpoint, I felt great out there. It felt like I had pretty good command. I was able to throw all of my pitches for strikes and really dictate most of the counts.”

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