Road woes continue for White Sox
It's been a long and winding road for the White Sox lately, and a short trip to Wrigley Field did nothing to change their luck.
Sunday night's 7-1 loss at Wrigley not only gave the Cubs a three-game sweep, it extended the Sox' road losing streak to an alarming nine games.
"I don't think it's a good sign for a team that wants to win," Guillen said. "Like I said, this is not a basketball team. You have to win some games on the road and we're not doing a good job."
In May, Guillen and the White Sox actually seemed to prefer playing away from U.S. Cellular Field -- where they've won 12 of their last 14.
On a 10-game road trip to the West Coast, where they've usually struggled, the Sox went 7-3. That seemed to buoy their confidence, but it's at a dangerous low after three worrisome games at Wrigley.
"I've got no reason," White Sox starting pitcher Javier Vazquez said when asked to explain the swoon away from home. "We just have to do a better job on the road. We've been playing great at home. We just have to forget about this one and try to get ready for Los Angeles."
Vazquez has been struggling lately, and that trend continued against the Cubs. Showing some uncustomary wildness, the veteran right-hander walked the first two hitters he faced in the first inning -- Kosuke Fukudome and Eric Patterson -- on 8 pitches.
They both scored, and that set the tone for another Cubs win.
"I felt good coming out of the bullpen," Vazquez said. "I just fell behind and then I just tried to forget about the walks. But they've got a good lineup."
Said Guillen: "(Vazquez) struggled from the beginning of the game. If you don't throw the ball over the plate, those guys are going to get you."
While the Sox have been awful on the road lately, the Cubs have won an astounding 14 straight at Wrigley Field.
Guillen is far from ready to crown the Cubs World Series champions, but he did pay his respects to the North Side rivals.
"They're in first place for a reason," Guillen said. "I'm not going to say they're the best, but they're the ones playing the best right now, yes. That ballclub out there, the relievers get the ball and they're going to get it done. It's all about pitching. They have a couple guys on fire right now, they're swinging the bats real well. But pitching is the key of the game.
"Right now, it's fun. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I think right now, they're the team that's playing the best, especially in this ballpark."
If there's a bright side, the White Sox get to host the Cubs this weekend.
"They kicked our butt," Guillen said. "They played better than we did. They performed better, they pitched better, they hit better. Not good.
"(The Cubs) are a very good team. These people can beat you so many different ways.ˆ And not having (Alfonso) Soriano and playing the way they're playing … this team has a shot."