36 (22*)

The Update needs help. The recent spate of home runs has left us searching for new ways to describe the ultimate hit. We've tried homer, tater, dinger, round-tripper, four-bagger, big fly, blast, shot, poke, going yard, going deep, and long ball, but the posts still sound repetitive given the propensity for the White Sox to touch 'em all. Send us your synonyms so we can adequately write about games like yesterday's 15-3 rout of Seattle, which again featured 4 HRs by the Good Guys.

Even Ken Griffey, Jr. got into the act, hitting the 609th of his career, tying him with ex-White Sox Sammy Sosa (didn't he play for another team too?) for fifth place on the all-time list. Junior's first since joining the Sox came in the second inning, after Alexei Ramirez had driven in three runs with his 14th in the six-run first inning. A.J. also plated three with his 12th in the fifth inning, and Nick Swisher hit the 100th of this career and 20th of the season in the sixth. Yesterday's game marked the 10th time in 2008 that the Sox have hit four in one game and extended their Major League-leading total to 188.

The Sox scored in each of the first six innings and were one of only three American League teams to have more runs than hits yesterday. And that's saying something since they had 14 hits. As a team, the Sox batted .400 and slugged .857 in Wednesday's contest. Most of you are probably thinking, I wish they'd save some of those runs for a game where they need them, but it doesn't work that way. It's use 'em or lose 'em, so just enjoy 'em. (We, however, are saving the letters "th," which explains the repeated use of "'em" in the preceding sentence.)

The main reason they didn't need 'em yesterday was Gavin Floyd contributed a quality start -- six innings, three runs, six hits (three by Ichiro), seven strikeouts, and only two walks. Horacio Ramirez and Adam "Don't call me Vicky" Russell provided three innings of shutout relief to preserve the win.

Speaking of wins, it was the third in a row over Seattle, another sweep, and the fifth in a row overall. It cut the Magic Number by one down to 36, but did not extend the lead over Minnesota, who also won. Now the Twinkies travel to Anaheim to play the Angels. The Twins are a much different team on the road (26-31) than they are at home (46-23), and they're playing the team with the best record in baseball. While the Sox take on the first-place Rays starting Friday, at least they get to do it in the Cell, where the Good Guys have a nasty 45-19 advantage. Tampa Bay, even better at home (47-18), is below .500 on the road (30-31). And given the way the Sox have been playing lately (admittedly against weak opposition), there's a lot to like. Go Sox!

*22 days until our future grandson's due date