By Woodrow Carroll
The headline in a newspaper read “Sox put it all together.” It was reference to the Chicago White Sox’ 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field, in Chicago. If the Sox put it all together last Saturday, the team sure disassembled everything in less than 24 hours.
The Sox were handed a painful 11-1 beating by the Minnesota Twins Sunday.
The Twins were in front 9-0 after five innings and it was just a matter of getting the game over with. Minnesota won three of four games.
Starting this week, the White Sox record stood 46-57.
Sox slugger Jose Abreu sat out Sunday’s game. Not an injury; Abreu was given a rest following the Saturday night game victory. Abreu prides himself on being in the lineup every game. If ever there was a time Abreu could not have made a difference it was last Sunday. The Twins led 5-0 before the Sox came to bat. Sox starting pitcher, Dylan Covey, faced five batters and retired none. Covey’s next start will be for triple-AAA Charlotte because he was sent to the minor league following Sunday’s game.
June 14, the White Sox defeated New York Yankees, 10-3, to pull even at .500 with a 34-34 record.
At the time the Sox were 34-34, the Cleveland Indians were 35-33 and in second place in the American League Central. The Minnesota Twins, off to a hot start, 46-22, were 11 games up ahead Cleveland.
The Sox victory Saturday, coupled with an Indians victory over Kansas City pulled the Indians to within one game of the Twins. The Twins victory Sunday, along with an Indians defeat, made it Twins’ two-game lead in the AL Central.
The NL Central has a three-team battle for division honors involving the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs were 54-46 in first place, followed by St. Louis one game behind, Milwaukee two games behind. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are staying close, each eight games behind the Cubs,
The White Sox will have three games in Philadelphia after the New York Mets’ series is completed. The Phillies are well behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The Phillies are part of an unfriendly mix with the Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals and Washington Nationals bunched together in the running for wild-card berths. Suddenly, in St. Louis, Milwaukee, and on the North Side of Chicago, it’s acceptable to cheer for the White Sox.