White Sox, Jenks Blow Three Run Lead

The White Sox dropped their third in a row after ninth inning drama yesterday.  Bobby Jenks walked two and gave up two hits in four batters faced in his blown save.  Sergio Santos did not fair that much better in his attempted relief of Jenks.  He walked one and gave up one hit in two batters faced.  It’s clear that Jenks and Santos were struggling with pitch location and the White Sox suffered a rare lapse from the bullpen as their 6-3 lead quickly disappeared.  The icing on the cake was an off the mark throw from Alex Rios bringing in the game winning run on an error.  The White Sox quickly learned the dangers of walks.  They,  also, learned that the central division is not going to give up.  If anything can be taken away from this heartbreak, it is a lesson to not take first place for granted.  The Sox worked their way back into contention for a playoff berth, and they have a long way to go.  Strangely enough, their trip to Target Field was not a complete wash as the Tigers suffered a four game sweep from Cleveland and the White Sox managed to widen their first place lead by half a game.

The current three game losing streak raises some questions of the future of the White Sox.  One question being who is going to close out games.  J. J. Putz has not allowed a run in 24 straight appearances, which has contributed to their recent success.  Although, Jenks has been a staple in the bullpen and only recorded his second blown save of the season yesterday.  One thing to consider, though, is the need for two powerful closers in a bullpen.  Another question is whether this will be the team that makes the final playoff push.  As rumors of trades flow around the league, the Sox are going to do whatever they can to help the playoff push.  With things falling into place for the Sox, it is hard to say what, if any, move they might be looking to make.  No matter what happens, an extra offensive weapon can never hurt.

Tonight, Dan Hudson is on the mound for the White Sox and looking to prove himself.  Over his next few starts he is going to try and show the White Sox that they do not need to find a replacement for Peavy.  Either way, the Sox need to bounce back from a rough series with a few good wins against the struggling Mariners.