Bats alive, Sox win!

(May 6)

Short Take:  Who are these guys?

Who are these guys?  Whoever was wearing a White Sox uniform Sunday in Texas bore no resemblance to anybody wearing them the past month.  The Sox scored early and often en route to a convincing 10-5 victory over the Rangers.

It's been a long time coming.

Time to give a few people their props.  Let's start with Jerry Manuel who finally made a line up that made at least a bit of sense, placing Ray Durham and Jose Valentin at the top of the order and dropping the poorest hitters (Royce Clayton, Josh Paul, and Julio Ramirez) to the bottom.  It seems like such a basic thing to place the best hitters up top and the worst down below, but the anger Sox Fans have expressed towards the manager the past week might finally have caught the skipper's attention.  What took him so long?

How about our leadoff man, Ray Durham?  2 for 4, scored twice, batted in one, and took one for the team, too.  He left in the ninth inning with a bruised muscle and cramp caused by that pitch.  He'll be back shortly; what a guy!

Jose Valentin, Paul Konerko, and Carlos Lee joined Durham with multiple-hit days, battling back from deficit of 3-2 and later 4-3.  Royce Clayton was patient enough to draw three walks!  Pinch hitter Tony Graffanino got a key hit; pinch runner Chris Singleton scored.  The 2001 Sox were scoring runs from behind and late in the game.  Who wudda thunk it!

Sure, we got lucky when Magglio Ordonez reached on a throwing error, scoring two runs on subsequent gaffes by the Rangers.  The replays were inconclusive whether the firstbasemen's foot was off the bag; Sox Fans will go with what the umpire ruled.  It's about time we caught a break!

Did anyone else notice the Sox commit three errors and still win the game by five runs?  That's what happens when you score ten.  Next time someone whines about poor Sox defense, remind them of this fact.

David Wells was less than dominant but kept the game close.  Keith Foulke was effective in 1.2 innings relief for his fifth save.  The rubber game of the series is Monday afternoon.  The Sox have a chance to win a series!

Again, who are these guys?  Let's hope they stick around!