Sox close book on brutal April

The average major league offense produces 4.3 runs per game this year.

The White Sox have eclipsed that average exactly once in the last 17 games — a spectacular drought that includes their 6-2 loss to Baltimore on Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

Not only did the Sox set a franchise record for losses in April (18), they remained tied with Minnesota for the worst record in the American League at 8 games below .500.

The preceding paragraph is for the benefit of Sox cleanup hitter Paul Konerko, who said he hasn't been tracking the standings.

“Right now, I don't even look at the record,” Konerko said. “If you do look at the record, it's pretty simple: You just try to get to .500.

“You've got to try and look big picture. Let's just say we play the whole month of May and we're a .500 team. You wouldn't count a .500 team at the end of May.”

What's it going to take for the Sox to pull off a 19-10 or 18-11 record in May?

For starters, the rest of the team's starters need to catch up with No. 5 man Phil Humber.

Fresh from his 7-inning, 1-hit performance Monday at Yankee Stadium, Humber allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs over 7 innings to the Orioles.

After surrendering a leadoff homer to light-hitting shortstop Robert Andino in the third, Humber retired 15 of the last 17 batters he faced but still took the loss.

“I wish I could take one pitch back,” said Humber, who dropped his ERA to a rotation-low 3.20. “The one to Andino was kind of a hanging fastball there. Other than that, I threw the ball pretty good.”

The other bright spot? With the Sox down 6-1 in the ninth, Alex Rios tagged Koji Uehara for his first homer (and sixth RBI) of the year.

As for the rest of the night, it was more of the same nonsense and the Sox fans didn't enjoy it.

They booed Adam Dunn for striking out in the ninth... Matt Thornton for retiring 1 out of 6 batters in the eighth... A.J. Pierzynski for a passed ball and E-2 on a Brian Roberts strikeout in the eighth when Andino scored from second and Roberts reached base.

Let's focus on the pitching and defense and give the unproductive offense a break.

The Sox piled up 3 wild pitches and 1 passed ball on the night and Pierzynski saved Thornton from 2 more wild pitches. Two Orioles reached base on mishandled third strikes.

The Sox handed out 17 unearned runs in April, which ranked second in the American League to Oakland. The defense's largesse helped the Sox lead the American League in runs allowed (143).

And the bullpen? Thornton's 4 earned runs in the eighth mean Sox relievers have surrendered 42 earned runs in 73 innings. That's a 5.18 ERA.

But, hey, May's another month, right? How could it be worse than April?

“The small picture is we've got to get a win tomorrow,” Konerko said with a forced chuckle. “Got to get out here and turn the tide a little bit.”