No, that  is not a misprint. The Chicago White Sox have moved into sole possesion of first place. They have a 1/2 game lead on the Tigers and 3  1/2 on the struggling Twins.
If Carlos Quentin was in a slump, he has certainly broken free from it. The White Sox slugger led an offense that scored 15 runs on Sunday afternoon. Quentin had two home runs, one of which was a grand slam. Not to be outdone, Â Andruw Jones hit his 400th home run putting him in 46th place on the all time list. Rios and Viciedo also homered.
White Sox starter Daniel Hudson only pitched 4+ innings, and it seemed like he didn’t have his good control. This may have been a result of nerves. He allowed 5 runs on 6 hits. The identity of the fifth starter in the second half remains to be seen.
Tony Pena relieved Hudson while pitching 3 innings and giving up none; Â Linebrink and Jenks both pitched a scoreless inning.
The White Sox came into this All-Star break by winning an unprecedented 25 out of 30 games. The team is currently on an 8 game win streak, and everything seems to be working. It’s almost inconvenient that the break is here.
Looking ahead..
All-Star Break
7/15
The Sox start a 10 game/11 day road trip beginning in Minnesota for 4 games. Then they will travel to the West coast and visit Seattle and then Oakland for three games. These are all important games coming up, especially the Twins series, Â as the AL Central race is very tight now.
White Sox fans should go into the break with uptmost confidence because they are the hottest team in baseball. Â But just like the players do, the fans should take an opportunity to rest, mentally. There is still an entire half of baseball to play.