Sox' playoff hopes take another hit

Posted September 17, 2009 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

The White Sox should have been out of playoff contention weeks ago.

They are still under .500, and would at least 10 games out in any other division.

Fortunately, the Sox (72-75) compete in the AL Central, which is far and away the weakest group in the major leagues this year.

So with their postseason hopes still flickering on Thursday after the first-place Detroit Tigers lost for the sixth time in their last seven games against the last-place Kansas City Royals, the White Sox could have pulled within 51/2 games of the lead with a win at Seattle.

Thanks to another standout effort from starting pitcher John Danks, who allowed the Mariners just 1 run over 8 innings, the Sox carried a 3-1 lead into the ninth.

That should have been more than enough of a cushion, but White Sox closer Bobby Jenks couldn't nail down his 30th save of the season.

Jenks allowed solo home runs to Jose Lopez and Bill Hall as Seattle forced extra innings.

The Sox' offense went cold again after scoring in the fifth inning, and the Mariners finally won it in the 14th against another struggling relief pitcher - Scott Linebrink.

With one out in the 14th, Ryan Langerhans reached on a single and Linebrink (3-7) hit Kenji Johjima with a pitch.

Ichiro Suzuki followed with a single to end the game.

"I'm only going to say two things," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters after the marathon loss. "I'm tired and I don't have anything. It was 2 1/2 hours of satisfaction and then 2 1/2 of horse(bleep) baseball. Go ask them. I don't have any more quotes, seriously. What the (bleep) am I going to say? They horse[bleep]? Yes, they are."

Shawn Kelley (5-3) pitched 2 hitless innings to get the win.

Mariners starter Brandon Morrow lasted 52/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 6 walks.

In the first inning, Morrow walked leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik, who moved to third on Gordon Beckham's single. A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly scored Podsednik.

Mark Kotsay had another solid game for the White Sox, delivering RBI singles in the third and fifth innings.

Danks had a shutout going until Adrian Beltre homered in the seventh.

• Before the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Gavin Floyd is going to be skipped Monday, when he was supposed to start against the Twins.

Floyd had to leave Wednesday night's start against the Mariners after 3 innings with a sore left hip.

"The main thing for us is to make sure we keep this guy healthy for the future," Guillen told reporters. "The way this guy has pitched for us the last two years, he deserved and earned our consideration. We know we are fighting for something and we are trying to get there.

"In the meanwhile, I'm not going to put this kid in to go out and pitch 2 innings and see him the way we've see him the last two outings. It's not fair for him or for us."

Guillen also said workhorse starter Mark Buehrle could be shut down over the final two weeks of the season if the Sox fail to gain ground on Detroit.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher John Danks throws in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners, Thursday. Associated Press

Scot Gregor's game tracker Mariners 4, White Sox 3 (14) Blame game 1: Bobby Jenks entered the game in the ninth inning with the Sox holding a 3-1 lead. The closer allowed a pair of solo home runs to force extra innings. Jenks allowed just 13 home runs from 2005-09. He's allowed 9 this season. Blame game 2: The Sox failed to score over the final nine innings and had just 5 hits. Tough luck: White Sox starter John Danks pitched well enough to win his 13th game of the season, allowing just 1 run on 8 hits in 8 innings. Scouting report White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field TV: Channel 26 today; Channel 9 Saturday; Comcast SportsNet Sunday Radio: WSCR 670-AM Pitching matchups: The Sox' Mark Buehrle (12-8) vs. Luke Hochevar (6-10) today at 7:11 p.m.; Jake Peavy (0-0) vs. Kyle Davies (8-9) Saturday at 6:05 p.m.; Freddy Garcia (2-2) vs. Robinson Tejeda (3-1) Sunday at 1:05 p.m. At a glance: The White Sox open their final homestand of the season with three against the Royals. They are 8-7 vs. K.C. this season (3-3 at home). Peavy makes his first start since June 8, when he was still pitching for San Diego. The right-hander was 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA in 13 starts with the Padres. A.J. Pierzynski is batting .446 (25-for-56) against the Royals this year. Next: Minnesota Twins, Monday-Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field