83

Now that's more like it. After being swept by the Cubs last week in Wrigley, the White Sox turned the tables on the North Siders today, crushing them 10-3 in front of a full house at the Cell. The game was effectively over after the third inning.

In the top half of the frame, Jose Contreras, who got the win (six innings pitched, three runs and seven hits allowed), worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam by inducing a 5-4-3 double play. In the bottom of the third, the Sox sent 10 men to the plate and scored seven runs. With one out, Orlando Cabrera got things started with a single that he stretched into a double, taking the extra base on Eric Patterson, a second baseman stuck in left field. (That's only fitting since the regular left fielder, Alfonso Soriano, is a second baseman stuck in left field, at least when he's not on the DL.) A.J. Pierzynski drove in Cabrera with a single that Patterson misplayed and allowed A.J. to end up on third. Carlos Quentin doubled to right, scoring A.J. Jermaine Dye's single to left drove in Q. After Jim Thome walked, Dye stole third. Joe Crede walked to load the bases, and Nick Swisher delivered the big blow, a Grand Slam home run, the third of his career.

Of the 14 White Sox hits, Cabrera (two hits), A.J. (two), Q (four), Dye (three), and Swisher (two) combined for 13 of them -- Juan Uribe got the other. Thome, who was reduced to being a pinch-hitter the last six games, must have been a bit rusty, going 0 for 4, with a walk. Kosuke Fukudome (we're gonna need a trained stunt announcer to pronounce his name without offending someone) went 2 for4 as the Cubs' DH. So much for the theory that the Sox would have the advantage at the Cell because of the DH. By the way, Dye robbed Fukudome of an extra-base hit, if not a homer, to end the game. J.D. leaped, caught the ball, crashed into the wall, fell to the ground, but hung on to the ball. To quote Hawk, "Mercy!"

Since the Twins came from behind again, this time to beat the Brewers, the Magic Number moved down only to 83, and the Sox remain only a half-game in front of Minnesota. We need to continue to take care of business against the Cubs and not worry about the Twins. Let's take advantage of the home field advantage at the Cell Go Sox!