Cubs End Sox’ Streak at 11, End of Interleague Play

John Danks did not have his best stuff on Sunday. He gave up 6 runs in just over 5 innings pitched. In the third inning he tried to throw a fastball past Tyler Colvin which was then pulled into the right field seats for a 3 run homer. Danks would later give up 3 more runs as he left pitches up in the zone and missed his spots.

Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster pitched a good game yielding 3 runs in 7 innings pitched. Contrary to Danks, he had his best stuff working, and his plus slider fooled Sox’ hitters. Closer Carlos Marmol entered the ninth inning with a 5 run lead, and the Sox managed to cut the deficit to 2 only before Alex Rios struck out with two runners on to end the game.

It  is a good sign when a team can put together a ninth inning rally when a game is seemingly over. Over this win streak, the team hasn’t been accustomed to trailing late in games, but on Sunday they at least made things interesting. Despite Carlos Marmol’s lack of control, he is one of the better closers in baseball, and the result may have been different if some umpiring calls went the Sox way.

It is hard to believe that the winning streak is over, but the Sox do play tonight at Kansas city.

Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, “”Eleven games is great. Hopefully, we’ll start a new one tomorrow.”

Interleague play has come to an end, and it is now time to play the American League again. The sox should be poised to start another  streak against the struggling Royals and Zach Greinke, who has yet to regain his 2009 dominance. The Sox will start a 3 game set in Kansas City on Monday night.  Mark Buehrle  will oppose Anthony Lerew  who is replacing recently DL’ed Luke Hochevar in Kansas City’s rotation.

Not to look ahead too far, but the Sox will then play 3 in Texas followed by a 7 game homestand where they will host the Angels for 4 and the Royals for 3 games.

It will be interesting to see how the team fares against the likes of Texas and Los Angeles. Texas is playing a good brand of baseball like the White Sox, and Scoscia’s Angels are always competitive, even despite their injuries this year. If the Sox can continue winning baseball through this stretch, I like their chances to compete for the division. They must, however, take advantage of the Royals on their upcoming schedule.

OTHER NEWS/NOTES:

Assistant GM Rick Hahn was interviewed by Lawrence Holmes on Friday on 670 the Score (filling in for Boers and Bernstein). Here are some points from that interview:

Hahn says he is impressed with how Freddie Garcia has “learned to pitch again.”

Garcia has essentially reinvented himself since his fastball lost velocity. He is pitching with control and his off-speed pitches are being executed well.

Hahn also noted that Carlos Quentin looks like he is dangerous at the plate again.

For Sox fans that do not know much about recently called up 3rd baseman Dayan Viciedo, Hahn describes him as such, “…he has very soft hands and a plus arm.”

This of course is in addition to a potentially electric bat. Once he garners better plate selection, i think Viciedo will be a force to be reckoned with. His defense is suspect at the moment, however, and third base may not be the position we see him at in the future.

Chicago White Sox (39-35) vs Kansas City Royals (32-44) 7:10 first pitch

Buehrle (6-6, 4.60)  vs Anthony Lerew (0-1, 4.76)