Chicago White Sox: South Side Disaster, Yet No Loss

It was one of the worst days for the White Sox this season, and yet they miraculously didn’t come away with a loss.  Still, it makes this Sox fan wonder what he should be more frustrated over regarding today’s game.

Javy Vazquez should have come out to start the ninth inning, but 100 pitches in eight innings pitched were enough for manager Ozzie Guillen to pull him in favor of closer Bobby Jenks, who has consistently struggled against the Baltimore Orioles not just this season, but throughout his career.  Jenks just blew a save in Baltimore eleven days ago.  Whether Vazquez would have given up a baserunner will remain a mystery, but is a pitch count all a manager needs to yank a pitcher these days?

With Carlos Quentin on third with one out in the tenth and Brian Anderson at the plate, all Anderson needs to do is hit a blooper and the White Sox win.  But no, Guillen calls for a squeeze play instead on a 2-1 count and Anderson whiffs on the bunt.  Quentin gets caught in a rundown and is soon tagged.  What Guillen was thinking is beyond me.

There was the offense that left a whopping 14 runners on base.  AJ Pierzynski, who was hitting over .400 not long ago, went 0-for-6.  If the White Sox are still looking to return to the small-ball mentality, that is not the way to do it.

Finally, it baffles me that this game even got underway in the first place.  Here in Chicago, it has been cold and rainy all day.  I was surprised to turn on the TV at about 5:00 and see baseball being played on the South Side.  There was a steady rain the entire time I was watching, and that got me concerned about the infield, which eventually gained three puddles, maybe more.  I know Roger Bossard is one of, if not the best groundskeeper in the game, but even he can’t protect the field all the time.

The game was finally suspended after eleven innings and still no one in the lead.  I was going to be unsatisfied with today no matter what the outcome, and the fact that the Sox escaped defeat with a suspension doesn’t help.  If I were one of the few fans who actually made the trip to U.S. Cellular Field today, I’d demand my money back.

The question now is when will this game be finished?  Will it be June 23, when the Orioles come to Chicago to play the Cubs and both teams have the day off?  Will it be when the teams meet again in Baltimore in late August?  Whenever that may be, all I can say is the offense better be more productive and the manager better be smarter by then.