More of the same as Twins prevail over Sox 7-6
MINNEAPOLIS - For as gut wrenching as Tuesday night's 10-inning loss was for the White Sox, it was a game Paul Konerko won't soon forget.
"That was a tough loss, even by Metrodome standards, which is saying a lot," Konerko said of the 7-6 setback at Target Field that Jim Thome ended with a 2-run homer. "It's one of those games where you hate it, but I know as a player I'll look back at it is as a battle. Both teams at times were real good; both teams were bad. It was a weird game.
"It was like three or four games within a game. It's a privilege to play in one of those. Of course you want to come out on top, you always do. But it was still a great game."
That is pretty much what it has come down to with the Sox. They can't beat their division rivals, so playing competitive games is about all they have to hang their hats on.
That was the case again Wednesday night.
The White Sox bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit to take the lead on Andruw Jones' 3-run homer in the second inning.
And the Sox took a 5-3 edge in the fifth, only to drop another 7-6 game to the Twins.
The White Sox are 4-10 against Minnesota this season, and 7 of the losses have been by 1 run.
"We battled back," manager Ozzie Guillen said after the Sox' latest loss to the Twins. "They beat us but we never give up, we never give in."
The Sox look to be done in. They've lost four straight and eight of their last 10 and now sit 5 games behind the Twins in the AL Central.
"We just have to stay positive," starter Gavin Floyd said after pitching 51/3 innings and allowing 7 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks. "I think we all believe we can do it. There's no doubt about that."
The White Sox could have snapped the Twins' five-game winning streak if they got a better effort from Floyd, who has now allowed 13 earned runs over 12 innings in his last 2 starts.
But after Jones' 436-foot home run to center field gave the White Sox the lead, Floyd couldn't hold it.
And when Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski knocked in runs in the fifth inning to make it a 5-3 game, Floyd yielded 3 runs in the sixth.
"I felt pretty good, but obviously it was not good enough," Floyd said. "It seems like when you make pitches, they get hits. You miss pitches and they get hits again. When a team's hot, they're hot."
With 19 wins in its last 23 games, Minnesota certainly fits that profile. And the Twins are going to be really difficult to chase down if they sweep the Sox Thursday night.
"Both of these games were big for both clubs," Guillen said. "There's nothing we can do about it now. We have to win tomorrow and change the scenario. But they're playing very good baseball right now."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Scot Gregor's game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Twins 7, White Sox 6</p>
<p class="News"><b>Don't blame the 'pen:</b> Gavin Floyd had his second shaky start, pitching 51/3 innings and allowing 7 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Still perfect:</b> Rookie reliever Chris Sale pitched 1 scoreless inning and had 3 strikeouts. In 6 appearances with the Sox, Sale has not allowed a run in 52/3 innings while striking out nine.</p>
<p class="News"><b>First for Mauer:</b> Joe Mauer's home run in the fifth inning was his eighth of the season, but his first at Target Field.</p>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=401928">Guillen doesn't regret Thome decision<span class="date"> [8/18/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=401932">As stakes rise, tempers flare<span class="date"> [8/18/10]</span></a></li>
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