Mariner Massacre

(April 27)

Short Take:  Much worse than the final score.

As the month of April winds down, it's becoming very apparent there are major league baseball jobs available on the Chicago White Sox' roster.  The Sox lost for the sixth time in seven games.  They never looked like they were in this game.  Even in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and just one out, you knew they were cooked.  Pinch hitter Harold Baines swung and missed for strike three, followed by leadoff man Ray Durham completing a perfectly-awful 0 for 5 performance popping out weakly to shortstop.  8-3 Seattle.  Game over.

Was the outcome of this game ever in doubt?  Be honest, Sox Fans.   The Sox and starter James Baldwin were down 6-0 early and the team basically collapsed after that.  Oh sure, Jose Valentin (God bless, manos!) led off the fourth inning with a monster dinger.  Magglio Ordonez made Aaron Sele pay for a hanging curve ball depositing it into the seats in left-center.  An error and a hit batsmen made the bottom of the ninth look like more of a rally than the anemic Sox offense had truly delivered.  Once Seattle's charity ended, the Sox folded the tent quickly.

Frank Thomas started at first base, stretched to stab a bouncing shot along the baseline, and strained his right tricep.  It will be a while before you see him at first base again.  

So who's role on the team is beginning to look the shakiest?  Harold Baines failed again in a pinch hit at-bat.  His batting average is now .105.  Chris Singleton was 1 for 4 which actually served to raise his pathetic .196 average.  Royce Clayton sat on the bench for the second consecutive night, and you have to wonder how much longer spring training whiz kids like Gary Glover and Julio Ramirez are going to stick.

May 1 is beginning to loom as a big day for changes on the Sox roster.  Too late of course to do Sox Fans much good, of course.