Sox Go For Twin Killing

You generally don't want to put too much stock in one victory but the way the White Sox have been playing the last few weeks, it's hard not to. With Sunday's 5-0 shutout of the Rangers, the White Sox did a few things they haven't done in weeks.

They sacrificed runners along, got RBI hits with 2 outs, and generally just played solid fundamental baseball. Of course, the Sox did that last time Jon Garland pitched too, when the Sox beat Detroit 7-1 in the opener of a pivotal series. Garland was even better on Sunday, lasting 8.1 innings, while giving up 6 hits and no runs. He has been the White Sox only reliable starter for some time now.

Still, there are many things a single victory cannot erase. The middle of the Sox lineup is still struggling and any starter not named Garland in the rotation is still struggling. By losing 2 of 3 to the Rangers the White Sox have now lost their last four series. They are only 2-7 since the All-Star break and are losing ground on the Detroit Tigers.

To make things worse, the White Sox old friends - the red-hot Minnesota Twins - are coming to town. Since June 8th the Twins are 31-8. (9-1 since All Star break) Just two months ago the White Sox were a game behind the Tigers, and 11 games ahead of the fourth place Minnesota Twins. Today, the Sox trail Detroit by 6.5 games, and their lead on the Twins has dwindled to only 3 games.

That means if the Twins pull off a sweep in Chicago this week, they will be tied with the Sox for the American League Wild Card spot.

Why the sudden resurgence for the Twins? Three reasons.

1. Pitching
2. Pitching
3. Pitching

Ever since the Twins finally moved Francisco Liriano (12-2 1.93ERA) from the bullpen to the starting rotation (May 19th), things have completely turned around. Liriano's emergence has also helped the entire rotation. Johan Santana didn't need any help but Brad Radke and Carlos Silva have both turned their seasons around.

Radke, who just recently announced he will retire at season's end, is 4-0 with a 2.67ERA in his last 7 starts. Carlos Silva hasn't seen as big a turnaround as the rest of the staff, but is still 3-1 in his last 7 starts. His ERA is still a robust 6.91, but it is on the decline.

The big hole for the Twins has been the 5th starter. It will be hard for the Twins to continue at this pace for the rest of the season without addressing this problem.

Of course, the Twins won't be sending their fifth starter to the mound against the Sox (or Liriano, THANK YOU VERY MUCH), so the White Sox are going to have to play their best baseball the next three days to try to put a hold on the Twins' uprising.

With the recent struggles and the trade deadline fast approaching, rumors are flying on the South Side. The latest: the Sox are one of 4 finalists in the Alfonso Soriano sweepstakes.

Personally I think the only reason Kenny Williams is showing any interest in Soriano, who is now saying he wants to stay in Washington, is to drive up the price for him and potentially knock the Tigers out of a possible deal for the left-fielder. (EDIT:As soon as I post this piece I find this over at ESPN.) I have no idea if the White Sox are going to do anything major at the deadline, as Williams generally does everything behind closed doors, seldom revealing his hand. He did make one minor move this weekend though, getting Sandy Alomar Jr. from the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguer B.J. LaMura. It will be Alomar's second stint with the Sox. Catcher Chris Widger, who's struggled at the plate all season, was designated for assignment.

Kenny Williams says the coaching staff has been asking for Alomar for some time now, while Ozzie suggested he was surprised by the deal. So why did the deal get made? Well, most of Alomar's previous stint on the South Side was seriving as Mark Buehrle's personal catcher. I think the Sox reacquired Sandy as an effort to help Buehrle sort through his recent struggles on the mound. The fact that Alomar can handle himself at the plate better than Widger could will also help.

I've never had anything against Chris Widger, but I can't count how many times he would come to the plate and play the role of "One-Man Rally Killer."

If the White Sox are going to win the AL Central, as is their stated goal, they are going to have to win games within their division. They have 12 games left against the Twins, and 10 left against the Tigers. They cannot afford to lose too many of these games while they're chasing one and trying to fend off the other.

Yesterday the White Sox showed signs of turning things around. Let's hope it wasn't just smoke and mirrors.