Philip Humber’s best outing since his perfect game wasn’t enough for the White Sox to take home the victory on Sunday.
The starter gave up only one earned run over 6 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, a third inning RBI single by Paul Konerko scored the only run the White Sox would get. In the ninth inning, the Kansas City Royals scored six runs to bring the final to 1-9. Another sour spot on the game was the scoreless streak of Addison Reed coming to an end at 13 straight appearances. The six innings in the ninth were all charged to the rookie reliever.
A refreshing outing for Humber
Contrary to what it may seem, the Sox were not crushed by the Royals’ pitching. They managed ten hits, but could not make good contact when it counted. As a team, they were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left a total of ten men on base.
It was an altogether frustrating game as the White Sox lost their fifth series out of the last six. A.J. Pierzynski sat the game out and continued his slump when he grounded out during a pinch hit. Gordon Beckham showed that he doesn’t deserve to be in the two spot by going 0-4, dropping his average to .208. Dayan Viciedo also continued to disappoint, going 0-3 which brought his average to a dismal .196.
Although this weekend was less than satisfactory, the White Sox need to put it behind them since they need to play the Detroit Tigers tomorrow night. Despite the shortcomings, the club is only 2 1/2 games behind the first place Cleveland Indians. Since the AL Central is so close, the Sox could find themselves in the top spot at the end of this week if they can string together some victories. Similarly, the Tigers could also find themselves in the same position.
The key is to not fall apart after tough losses such as these. The season is still young and they’ve shown that they can contend. Tomorrow would be a good a time as any to turn it around.
About Sean Harrigan