42

Let's start with a quote from Ozzie Guillen: "If you watch this ballclub closely, we're really bad with a runner at third and less than two out -- maybe the worst team in baseball right now. If someone is worse than us, that's a record." No argument here, Oz. The White Sox were a meager 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position last night. That's not the way to get 'er done, and the Sox proved it again by losing to the Red Sox 6-3. The Sox are now 6-42 when scoring three runs or fewer.

Freddy Garcia, holding the fifth spot in the rotation for now, contributed a Quality Start -- 6.1 IP, 3 R, 5 H -- but it wasn't enough given the lack of firepower from Sox bats. Scott Linebrink made sure of that by providing no relief in allowing three runs on three hits. How many times has Liner poured gasoline on the fire this season instead of putting it out? Well, he does have six losses now and that seems like just the tip of the iceberg. He is not the answer to any question the Sox want to ask.

Meanwhile, Jake Peavy's status is up in the air. The ankle appears to be fine, but he was hit on the elbow by a line drive while pitching on Monday and is a little sore. If his throwing on the side goes okay, don't be surprised to see him on the hill for the Sox in Yankee Stadium on Saturday. But even if he's back, who's the other member of the rotation besides Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks? Based on his performance last night, it seems that Freddy deserves another chance. Only time and Ozzie will tell.

The Sox find themselves a .500 ball club again. The loss and Detroit's win mean that the Good Guys are 4.5 games behind the Tigers, tied with the Twins for second place. It seems like more than just 30 games ago that Buehrle's perfect game lifted the Sox into a tie for first, but that's all it was. Now there are only 36 games left and a lot of meat left on the pennant race bone. Time to get going. Wait, we said that yesterday. Go Sox!