103

The White Sox became the last team in the American League to win their 30th game of the season last night, coming from behind to beat Tampa Bay, 5-4. The win was their 15th comeback win of the year, versus 23 losses after leading. (Pet Peeve: sportscasters who mispronounce "versus" as if it were "verse." Everyone should know better, especially folks who talk sports for a living.) John Danks picked up the victory without pitching a quality start, but for a change, the bullpen -- Masset, Thornton, Bukvich, and Jenks, who earned his 19th save -- gave up no runs, and the offense came through in the clutch.

The Sox collected a dozen hits, led by Andy Gonzalez's four safeties. It's good to have Scottie Pods back in the lineup, and his two hits raised his average to .311, giving the Sox one player over .300. Speaking of two hits, it takes the Sox almost two hits to score a run this year (545 hits/275 runs). The Tigers, by contrast, are much more efficient, needing only 1.73 hits to produce a run (779 hits/451 runs). More startling is the disparity in the number of hits and runs between the two teams. Detroit has 43% more hits and 64% more runs than the Sox. No wonder we trail them by 13.5 games.

But let's not dwell on the negative on the morning after a win. The victory combined with the Tigers' defeat to cut the Magic Number to 103. Maybe this is the start of a hot streak. Go Sox!