Sox' offense breaks loose in 17-3 rout of Angels
When last seen on the road, the White Sox were getting swept in a four-game series at Toronto.
Just as bad, the Sox scored just 8 total runs against the Blue Jays, again placing hitting coach Greg Walker in an uncomfortable position.
In the opener of a three-game series against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Monday night, Chris Getz scored on Alexei Ramirez's single to put the White Sox in front 8-3.
That was the third inning.
Breaking out of a season-long offensive slump, the Sox continued piling on the hits and runs in a 17-3 victory over Los Angeles.
The top of the White Sox' lineup was particularly impressive.
Leadoff man Scott Podsednik had 4 hits and scored a pair of runs, and Ramirez had 4 hits, scored 3 runs and drove in another 3. The Sox' next two hitters, Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome, each had 2 hits, including 3-run homers.
The White Sox pounded out 24 hits against starter Ervin Santana and the Angels' bullpen.
Every starter except Paul Konerko (1-for-4) had 2 or more hits, and that includes left fielder Brian Anderson, who came on when Carlos Quentin exited with a sore left foot after doubling in the first inning.
Is the lineup finally starting to click? Podsednik continues doing damage at the top and Ramirez is looking more and more comfortable batting second.
"With Dye and Thome behind him, they're going to come right at Alexei," acting manager Joey Cora told reporters before the game. "And with Pods on base, I don't think they're going to mess around with him."
Being surrounded by Podsednik, Dye and Thome means Ramirez should be seeing more fastballs, and that's a pitch the shortstop can handle.
If he continues to succeed batting second, look for the White Sox' offense to pick up the pace.
"Our goal is to get one lineup and stay with it," Cora said. "But until we get some consistency, we'll keep playing around with it until we find that magical lineup we can stick with. This is one we like right now."
Scot Gregor's game tracker
Monday's grade: A. The White Sox' offense finally erupted. The Sox came in with the lowest batting average (.244) in the American League.
Second best: Alexei Ramirez was one of many Sox hitters who teed off on the Angels in the series opener. It's been only three games, but it already looks like Ramirez has found a home in the No. 2 hole.
Ozzie update: Manager Ozzie Guillen, who returned to Venezuela after Friday's game to visit his ailing father-in-law, is expected to rejoin the White Sox today.
On tap: Angels left-hander Joe Saunders was 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA (3 earned runs in 152/3 innings) against the Sox last season.
Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, who slammed into the fence at Dodger Stadium catching a drive by Matt Kemp in Sunday's 10-6 win and left that game two innings later with tightness in his right leg, was back in the lineup. He spent the night back in his hometown of Pine Bluff, Ark., so that he could attend the funeral of his 94-year-old grandmother, Zelma Louise Hunter.
Santana's first 21 pitches resulted in three runs and five hits during the opening inning. Dye and Thome had RBI singles and Carlos Quentin added a run-scoring double to center field over Hunter's head. But Quentin felt some irritation in his left foot the way to first base -- a recurrence of plantar fasciitis -- and had to leave the game for a pinch-runner.
The Angels tied it in the bottom half. Hunter hit a two-run single, then stole second and third before Robb Quinlan drove him in with a single. Chone Figgins started the rally with a single that extended his hitting streak to 13 games, one shy of his career best.
Chicago regained the lead with four runs in the second, including Dye's homer into the upper tier of the double-decker bullpen in left field. The White Sox tacked on four more in the third, including Thome's three-run shot to right field on a 2-1 pitch from Rafael Rodriguez. Luckily for Thome, a disgusted Angels fan threw the milestone baseball ball back onto the field.
Konerko added his seventh homer in the fifth against Jason Bulger.
Notes:@ Thome and Schmidt both hit 30 or more home runs in nine consecutive seasons. Thome's streak is still alive.
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