Sox bend over backward to avoid sweep by Tigers

Posted July 26, 2009 11:00 pm

Mike McGraw

The White Sox may have been roughed up in Detroit this weekend, but at least they left town with momentum.

Spotted a 4-run lead in the first inning, left-hander Clayton Richard turned in his second straight dominant performance and the Sox coasted to a 5-1 win Sunday at Comerica Park. By salvaging the last of the four-game series, the White Sox stayed within 2 games of the first-place Tigers in the AL Central.

Richard (4-3), a former University of Michigan quarterback, threw a career-best 8 innings and allowed just 1 run for the second consecutive start. He was expected to return to the bullpen following Sunday's game to clear a spot in the rotation for Bartolo Colon, but manager Ozzie Guillen thinks a change of plans could be in order.

"I have to sit down with (general manager) Kenny (Williams) and talk about it, see if we have better ideas, if we give him another shot," Guillen told reporters after the game. "The way he's pitched the last couple games, he's been great.

"Right now it seems like we have a six-man rotation. We've got to sit down and talk about exactly what we need. To me, yeah (Richard deserves another start). But we do everything here together. Before tomorrow's batting practice, we should have a better idea."

In the top of the first inning, singles by Scott Podsednik and Alexei Ramirez, then a walk to Jermaine Dye loaded the bases with nobody out. Jim Thome forced Dye at second, but 2 runs scored when shortstop Adam Everett's relay throw to first was wild.

Konerko followed by blasting a 2-run homer deep to left-center field and the White Sox quickly had a 4-0 lead. Gordon Beckham drilled his fourth home run of the season in the second inning to make it 5-0.

The White Sox got their first look at Tigers rookie pitcher Rick Porcello (9-7). The 6-foot-5 right-hander from Morristown, N.J., is just 20 years old and two years removed from being a first-round draft pick.

Porcello got off to a great start, notching his eighth win of the season on June 18. Since then, he has just 1 victory and hasn't thrown more than 51/3 innings in his last 5 starts.

The White Sox now move on to Minnesota, where John Danks returns to the mound tonight after skipping his last start. A blister opened on his left index finger and created circulation concerns. Doctors ran a number of tests to make sure there were no blood clots anywhere, and Danks was cleared to pitch after a bullpen session Saturday.

Danks was bothered by the blister back on July 10 in Minnesota, when he walked the first four batters he faced and gave up 4 first-inning runs. The Sox eventually lost that game 6-4 with Danks getting no decision.

In other news, Freddy Garcia got his first minor-league start for Class A Kannapolis on Sunday. The former Sox pitcher tossed 3 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk.

Clayton Richard was solid, allowing only a run on five hits over eight innings. Associated Press

Mike McGraw's game tracker Red-hot Richard: Left-hander Clayton Richard went 8 innings and allowed just 1 earned run for the second straight start. He outdueled Tigers rookie sensation Rick Porcello. Starting fast: The White Sox tagged Porcello for 4 runs in the top of the first inning, capped by Paul Konerko's 2-run homer to deep left-center field. Gordon Beckham added a solo shot in the second. Staying in range: By winning the last of the four-game series in Detroit, the Sox moved within 2 games of the first-place Tigers in the AL Central. Now they head to Minnesota for three games in the Metrodome. Scouting report White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome TV: Channel 26 Monday, Comcast SportsNet Tuesday and Wednesday. Radio: WSCR 670-AM Pitching matchups: The Sox' John Danks (8-6) vs. Glen Perkins (5-6) Monday; Mark Buehrle (11-3) vs. Scott Baker (8-7) Tuesday; Bartolo Colon (3-6) vs. Francisco Liriano (4-10) Wednesday. All games 7:10 p.m. Update: Mark Buehrle will make his first start Tuesday since throwing the 18th perfect game in major-league history against Tampa Bay last week. - The Twins (49-50) finished off a tough 10-game road trip by pounding the Angels 10-1 on Sunday, snapping a four-game losing streak. - Twins lead the AL in the three major hitting categories. Catcher Joe Mauer is tops in average at .363, while Justin Morneau leads in home runs (26) and RBI (82). - The Sox are 5-4 against the Twins this season, losing two of three at the Metrodome on July 10-12. Next: The New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field, Thursday-Sunday.

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