Dome catwalks, bad umpiring, and opponents forgetting how to play, oh my.
The Chicago White Sox have won seven out of their last eight games and have lost half a game in the American League Central division standings, sitting 4.5 back with 24 games remaining. A yellow brick road is nowhere in sight and mix the above three with the Minnesota Twins and you have yourself a done-for Dorothy, getting no help.
No scarecrow, no tin man, no lion. The White Sox are on their own.
What can’t be added to the fairytale-turned-nightmare is injuries to the White Sox.
Gordon Beckham was hit in the hand Aug. 30, against the Cleveland Indians. On Tuesday, Beckham said the pain was the most intense and that he couldn’t hold a bat. Beckham went on to claim it feels like it hurts in a different place every day.
Not good.
Beckham was scratched from Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers and manager Ozzie Guillen plans to shut him down for a couple days. Beckham hit .354 in July and .309 in August.
Paul Konerko sat out for the second consecutive day Tuesday due to lower back issues. Konerko said he felt discomfort in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. He played in Game 2, but was taken out later in the game.
This injury is not expected to be serious, but the White Sox can’t afford to have their MVP, and at least a top five MVP candidate for the American League in any intelligent sports follower’s eyes (Jayson Stark, if you’re reading…), sit out any games.
This was all before Tuesday’s game.
You’re already looking at having to play Omar Vizquel and Mark Kotsay for Beckham and Konerko. Now the White Sox may need to find another pitcher.
Freddy Garcia had to leave in the second inning of Tuesday’s game due to a sore back, which caused the starter to leave a start last week after four innings.
Garcia has been an unexpected horse this year, and logic says he’s due for an injury. Unfortunately, this is the worst time, especially with Jake Peavy being gone for the season.
The White Sox may have to start thinking of using a four-man rotation rather than wasting every fifth start on a guy like Carlos Torres.
It’s that time of year where logic doesn’t make sense.
And to cap off an injury-filled night, Manny Ramirez left after getting plunked for the second time of the game. Ramirez took a fastball from Tigers’ Robbie Weinhardt after taking a ball in the elbow from Justin Verlander earlier in the game.
Ramirez is thought to be OK, but once again, this is no time for “OK” to mean “be back in a couple games.”
The White Sox are running out of time, while running out of players as well.
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