Comeback nice, but Konerko expects Sox to finish it off
CLEVELAND -- The White Sox picked up where they left off in 2007, and you know what that means.
It was another loss, and even though the Sox stood up and fought like they rarely did last year before falling to the Indians 10-8 Monday in the season opener at Progressive Field, Paul Konerko wasn't able to completely emerge from the dark side.
"You don't try to be too hard where you're not taking positives out of things," Konerko said. "There's a fine line in our game where you have to take positives because there's always another game it seems like the next day and you have to be ready to go.
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"But at the same time, we're not a rebuilding team. I don't think we're rebuilding. So our sun's got to rise and set with a win or a loss and this was a loss. That's the way I look at it."
Looking back on the opener, it's no wonder the Sox had to juggle mixed emotions in the postgame clubhouse.
On the one hand, they were able to bounce back from a 7-2 deficit in the second inning, mainly because Jim Thome bolstered the offense with a pair of 2-run homers and Nick Masset came out of the bullpen and bailed out ineffective starting pitcher Mark Buehrle.
"We battled and hung in there," said Thome, who hit a 2-run homer off Indians ace C.C. Sabathia in the first inning and again in the third. "From a fan's point of view, what a great game. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done. But coming back like that showed a lot of character and heart. It was a great game."
Despite the ominous beginning, it was a game the Sox should have won.
After tying the score at 7-7 on Konerko's 2-run double in the seventh inning, the White Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth.
"You are facing C.C., down 7-2 in the second inning," A.J. Pierzynski said. "You can fold it up and get ready for Wednesday. We didn't do that. We kept having good at-bats. We kept finding ways to score runs.
"It was a great feeling to get back in the game and tie it and actually have a chance to go up at the end there. It's a shame we didn't win that game, but there's Wednesday. Win the game on Wednesday."
The Sox didn't win Monday because they hit some bad luck in the eighth.
After Joe Crede led off the inning with a double and went to third on Juan Uribe's double, Cleveland reliever Rafael Betancourt intentionally walked Nick Swisher to load the bases.
Orlando Cabrera followed with a groundball to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who went to the plate. Perlata's throw home was off line and Crede clearly appeared to avoid catcher Kelly Shoppach's tag, but home-plate umpire Gerry Davis called him out.
"He never touched me," said Crede, who added he almost passed out after arguing with Davis.
Thome was the Sox' next hitter, and he grounded into an unusual double play. Sliding into second base to break it up, Cabrera and Thome were both called out after Cabrera grabbed for Peralta's leg.
"That's part of the game," Thome said. "Sometimes it goes in your favor and sometimes it doesn't. But we never let down. We have to overcome that and come back here on Wednesday and be focused, and I know we will.
"The vibe around here is we have a good club and we are playing a very good club. We will win a lot of games this year like that."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, new White Sox reliever Octavio Dotel loaded the bases with two outs before Casey Blake delivered a 3-run double to decide the outcome. Blake drilled a 1-2 fastball off the left-field fence.
"(Blake) is a fastball hitter and I wanted to throw my fastball away,'' Dotel said. "If I did, I thought I would have a chance to get him out. This time it was right in the middle. He wins this time.''
Indians 10, White Sox 8
At the plate: Jim Thome hit a pair of 2-run homers off Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia. Coming in, Thome was a career 0-for-11 (7 strikeouts) against the big left-hander. Thome is the first Sox hitter to go deep twice on Opening Day since Sammy Sosa in 1991. Jermaine Dye singled, double and homered, a solo shot in the ninth inning.
On the mound: Mark Buehrle pitched 12/3 innings and allowed 7 runs on 7 hits. It was his shortest start since April 5 last season, when he lasted 11/3 innings against the Tribe. Nick Masset pitched 41
-- Scot Gregor