109

As Cheech Marin said in Tin Cup: Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! John Danks finally joined the ranks of the winners yesterday, not allowing Seattle an earned run (though there was one of the unearned variety) in a 3-1 White Sox victory. Danks looked like the pitcher we all thought he would be this year, tossing 7.1 innings, while scattering seven hits and a walk to go along with six strikeouts. Jesse Crain finished up the eighth inning without imploding like he did over the weekend against the Tigers to earn his ninth hold. Sergio Santos pitched a perfect ninth inning to notch his eleventh save.

A.J. Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin each banged out a couple of hits, and Paul Konerko smacked his 13th home run, a solo shot. Juan Pierre and Gordon Beckham each contributed a single, but that was it for the Sox. As you know from recent posts, the Good Guys aren’t very good when they collect only seven hits, but that stat gets trumped when they allow only one run (4-1 record) or seven hits (5-3). Moreover, it was Seattle at the Cell, where the Mariners have now lost nine straight. Ah, the M’s at home, the Red Sox on the road. If only every game were like that.

If the Surprising Indians continue to lose – they’re up to five in a row – we’re going to have to remove “Surprising” from their name. But that would be a good thing. As it is, even with getting Meat Loafed by Detroit over the weekend, the Sox are only 6.0 games behind the Tribe, and the Magic Number is down to 109. Keep it up against Seattle, who’s here for two more games. Go Sox!