Albert Pujols has only hit two home runs this whole season…and one of them was against the White Sox. In the third inning, Pujols smashed Gavin Floyd’s fastball to deep left center. The three-run shot gave the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim the 4-2 lead and they never gave it up.
Gavin Floyd has been superb lately, only giving up 17 hits in his last 27.2 innings. Tonight broke that streak, however, as he gave up seven runs to the Angels in six innings. Left fielder Vernon Wells had a two-run home run of his own in the sixth inning.
Great time to remember your swing...
The White Sox continued their lack of clutch, going 0-4 with runners in scoring position while only managing two runs on their ten hits. Dayan Viciedo continued to make good contact with three hits and one run batted in. The other run came home with a rare RBI from Gordon Beckham. He only has nine RBIs on the season and his average still sits at a very sub-par .195.
In addition to the White Sox offensive struggles, the pitching hasn’t been on track either. The club has given up 31 runs in the last four games, which is unfortunate considering the Sox had one of the best team ERAs in the American League only a few weeks ago.
Something good to take away from the last couple games is that A.J. Pierzynski seems to be coming out of his recent slump. When he went 5-5 yesterday, he hit the ball more than he has in the last ten games. Paul Konerko continued putting up ridiculous numbers going 3-4 against the Angels. He hit his seventh homer yesterday and his average has been holding around .350 for the last few weeks.
The Sox will close out their two-game set with the Angels tomorrow night before coming home to play the Chicago Cubs. This weekend is very important to the Sox fans of Chicago so and a win tomorrow can put the team in a solid state of mind. Heated rivalries aside, the White Sox are the superior team according to the numbers. Hopefully the Sox can add to their struggles on Friday.
About Sean Harrigan