43 (29*)

Mark "of Zero" Buehrle earned his nickname last night, pitching seven innings of shutout ball to lead the White Sox to a 4-0 victory over visiting Kansas City. Although you can't spell his surname without the letters HR, Buehrle gave up only five hits and a walk (while striking out five) en route to evening his record at 10-10. Octavio Dotel and Bobby Jenks (non-save situation) each chipped in one inning of scoreless, hitless relief to preserve the win.

With the Sox failing to homer, small ball was the order of the day. After Orlando Cabrera singled leading off for the Sox in the first, A.J. Pierzynski sacrificed OC to second, and Jermaine Dye drove him in with a double to center. Ken Griffey, Jr. singled JD home for his third RBI since joining the Sox and his first since his initial game with the team. (The next inning, Junior saved some runs with a nifty sliding catch in center.) The third run resulted from even smaller ball: rookie Chris Getz, who got his first career start, moved Juan Uribe from first to third on a hit-and-run single, and A.J. plated Uribe with a ground-out in the fifth. Paul Konerko drove in the final run with a base hit that scored A.J. in the eighth.

With the win, the Sox maintain their half-game lead over the Twins and reduce the Magic Number to 43. The Sox go for the sweep against the Royals this afternoon, with recent call-up, Lance "They Say The Neon Lights Are Bright On" Broadway, taking the mound. The rookie won the only game he started last September, when the Sox were already out of it. Today's game bears a bit more importance and a bit more pressure. Let's hope Broadway is up to the task. The good news is he's pitching on a Thursday, when the Sox are 9-6, in the third game of a series, when they're 21-12, and at home, where the club is 41-19. Go Sox!

* 29 is the number of days until the due date for our future grandson.