One Game Playoff Fun

This is great. The Twins and White Sox in baseball's version of the play-in game. Time to see if the Sox can slam their way to another victory to grab the AL Central Championship and possibly build some momentum going into the playoffs. If you would have told me at the start of the year that the White Sox would be playing the Twins in a one gamer for the division and a chance to play the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays, I'd have slapped you, laughed at you, and kicked you right in the pants.

Ozzie of course is talking about the game, this time sticking to his description of Twins starter Nick Blackburn's last outing versus the Sox as "lucky," saying that if he pitches like that again, he likes Chicago's chances.



I don't know who you give the momentum to going into this game, but I'm going to say the Sox have it. Yeah, they were swept by Minnesota last weekend, but the Twins went on to struggle with the Royals and Ramirez's grand slam against Detroit was gigantic. That said, conventional wisdom and the Chicago White Sox have rarely agreed this season.

It's been mentioned over and over recently, but you have to love being a sports fan in this city right now. So turn on the TV (and turn down the volume) and watch the game. Cheer for the Sox, cheer against them, but take it in, because it's a one game playoff and there's only one October in September.

Today's Links--Pitch Count Edition

• Thanks to Deez Nuts for this list of pitchers with the highest pitch counts on the year. This was from September 11, and apparently C.C. is up to 3471 now. The guys with the most pitches from last year were invariably hurt this year...
• The Marcus Bradley Era in Chicago ends quietly. This guy seemed to have so much potential.
• "Vazquez comes up small in big game for the White Sox". Ship this guy out of town, he really sucks. Division race tightens to 1.5 games.
• How the Sox and Twins reached this point.
  
• I'm not sure what all this is about, but the Cubs used to play at the West Side Grounds by UIC and it looks like UIC officials have removed the sign denoting where the games were played.
• Cubs lose, but it looks like Marshall earned a spot in the pen for the postseason with his solid outing.
  
• Another Ben Gordon analysis/update. Sort of supporting BG's position, though questioning whether its the right move.
• Chicago asking Wrigleyville to cut off liquor sales during playoffs? There's no way that will happen.
• I love these "God Explains the Week" stories from KSK.
• Looks like Tyrell Sutton will get the start for NU Saturday.
  

Can the Scheduling Gods Help the White Sox?

Today is definitely a valley in the roller-coaster ride that has been the 2008
Chicago White Sox season. For the first time since Mid-May the Sox are out of 1st place in the AL Central. On top of that they just lost 2 out of 3 in series to with Royals. This was capped of by yesterdays 14-3 shelacking, at least the good guys didn't go down without a fight(literally).

Yesterday's game was indicative of the past month of baseball in which the ChiSox looked like they were in a consistent downward spiral. The once heralded pitching staff has lost the magic that they had in the early part of the season. In the past month the ERA of the bullpen has been 6.08. Also the Sox just finished up a crucial 10-game, AL Central road trip where the went just 4-6. The bats have been getting better and better but even with the improved hitting, that is just not going to cut it. The Twins just got back their ace from the '06 season and in his performance yesterday, he looked like the Liriano of old.

Right now, you're gonna see a lot of people jumping on the Twins Bandwagon. And I can understand why. But here are things to consider: 20 out 29 of the Twins next games are road games. The Twins are not the same team on the road as they are at the Triple H Metrodome. During that same stretch the Sox start off by having 16 of their next 19 games at home. Three of next five series following that are against teams with sub .500 records. At this point the Sox need any advantage they can get. After an August with the a favorable schedule, can they make up for the dismal month that was July?