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Only yesterday, we were lamenting the fact that Jake Peavy wasn't available to pitch against the Cubs in the makeup of the game that got washed out in Wrigley Field. But Carlos Torres's performance Wednesday afternoon has us asking "Jake, who?" Torres, a September call-up from Triple-A Charlotte, was masterly yesterday, shutting out the Cubs while allowing five hits and no walks, and posting six whiffs. Matt Thornton and D.J. Carrasco each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the rookie's first Major League win and set him up for a beer shower in the clubhouse after the game.

The White Sox tallied five runs on thirteen hits, with five players having multi-hit games: Pods had three, and Becks, A.J., Q, and Missile notched two each. (If you don't know who those guys are, why are you reading this?) The Sox were also the beneficiary of an Alfonso Soriano three-base error on a ball that A.J. says would have been scored a triple anywhere but Wrigley. One sour note: Pods continues to run the team out of innings, getting caught between second and third on a Gordon Beckham grounder, and then not continuing the run-down long enough to allow Beckham to reach second safely. The baseball gods giveth; the baseball gods taketh away.

The win gives the Sox the season series against the Cubs, 4-2, and the all-time lead at 37-35. That total doesn't count the 1906 World Series, which was won of course by the Sox. No gain on the Tigers, however, so the Good Guys remain 7.0 games back in the division "race." Detroit's Magic Number over the Sox is down to 22, and things don't look good, though a sweep of the six games left against the Tigers would cut the Sox Magic Number by 12 and tighten things up considerably. But that's almost what it's going to take. First things first. The Red Sox, who just took 3 out of 4 from the Sox, come to town. Yours truly will be in the area for grandson Evan's first birthday, but I doubt I'll be able to make it to the Cell for any of the games. They'll just have to win without me. Go Sox!