Hot'n Sweaty Win!

(July 22)

Short Take:  Running wild!

In his post-game comments, Sox manager Jerry Manuel talked about the team's current goal, to put together a little bit of hot streak and see what happens.  As the temperature in Comiskey has risen, so has the Sox bats!  The weather was a hazy and humid 94 degree Midwest scorcher and nothing was smoking hotter than the Sox offense.  Everyone gets into the act in 13-8 slug-fest over Boston, taking the series and ending the homestand on a high note.

The Sox wore their sleeveless vests instead of their customary 1917 throwbacks because the players only have one shirt for the Sunday-only uniform.  Those suckers would be soaked in less than one inning given the heat and humidity.  The pitchers suffered the worse.  Nobody on either team lasted more than four innings.  

If pitchers were wilting, Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was swooning.  The Sox were running early and often, as was Boston's catcher--though he was simply trying to retrieve those knucklers that danced past his mitt.  A passed ball in the first inning led to the Sox first run when a weak nubber by Aaron Rowand landed in short centerfield to score Ray Durham from third base.  

The Sox built on their 2-0 lead in the second scoring three runs on two hits, getting help with a walk, hit batsman, and a throwing error.  It was 5-0 Sox and Boston would never make up the deficit.

Kip Wells struggled to get in a rhythm fighting the heat.  He served his second dinger of the day in the fourth inning, then walked the next two batters.  He had thrown 83 pitches and was out of gas.  Reliever Matt Ginter got in trouble in the following inning and needed to be relieved by Jon Garland who ended the inning with only one run scoring. 

The real horse was Bob Howry.  He nicked Garland letting an inherited runner score, but then went on to pitch the remaining three innings of the game.  He did allow a solo dinger, but so what?  On a day half the bullpen looked to get chewed up, Howry got work, ate innings, and earned a save, too. 

Meanwhile Sox bats were more than making up for any erosion in the lead Boston hitters were attempting.  Wunderkind Aaron Rowand continued to impress, hitting in the #2 hole and playing center field, he combined with lead-off man Ray Durham to reach base seven times and score six runs.  The Sox line up was patient enough to take ten (!) walks and stole seven bases, most of them off the hapless Wakefield who could hardly ask his knuckleball to reach the catcher much faster than 70 m.p.h.

Three hours and 56 minutes after it started, this sweaty marathon was over.  The thunderstorms arrived too late to delay the ending.  The Sox are off to Cleveland to settle the score with a team that showed no respect for our Pale Hose in our own house.  Time for some evening up