Sox get defensive in Sunday win
By KEVIN DRULEY
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Shaw Suburban Media
By KEVIN DRULEY
Shaw Suburban Media
CHICAGO – Alexei Ramirez committed two errors Saturday and Gordon Beckham one. Without exchanging a word, they vowed to bring better things to the left side of the White Sox infield.
"It's mostly hand motions with us," Beckham said. "We keep it simple."
Ramirez, the Cuban shortstop, and Beckham, the third baseman from Atlanta, speak sparingly away from the field. Their sync remains a work in progress since Beckham's call-up earlier this month, but it looked sharp enough in Sunday's 6-0 victory against the Cubs.
Especially in the sixth inning.
A sellout crowd had made it tough to hear much as Geovany Soto batted with the bases loaded and two outs in the Cubs sixth. The North Siders trailed, 3-0, at the time, and the rally that wasn't turned out to be their best scoring chance of the game.
Soto sent a hard grounder to the hole and Ramirez flagged it down as he tried to maintain balance. Throwing from his knees, he narrowly nabbed Derrek Lee for a forceout at third, prompting a fist pump that resembled Beckham's gesture moments earlier.
"Right before the play, I talked with Beckham and he told me that if I had a play, to come my way," Ramirez said through an interpreter.
Sox lefty John Danks proved the beneficiary, as the Ramirez's play preserved a four-hit, seven-inning shutout. Scott Linebrink completed the gem with four strikeouts in two perfect innings.
Danks (6-6) walked four and struck out five while earning his second victory against the Cubs in 11 days. He credited a baffling breaking ball and the pitch calling of Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski both times.
"I didn't shake AJ once," Danks said. "AJ did a great job. He always does."
Sounds like Ramirez and Beckham could learn something from these two. All they have to do is talk.
Turning point
If the top of the sixth hadn't sunk the Cubs enough, the bottom half followed with equal brutality.
Chris Getz stole home to give the Sox a 4-0 lead, breaking for the plate as Carlos Zambrano (4-3) uncorked a pitch that sailed to the screen. Zambrano (4-3) hit DeWayne Wise with the next pitch and walked Scott Podsednik, bringing in reliever David Patton, who yielded a bloop single to Ramirez (3-for-5, home run, two RBIs) to load the bases.
Jermaine Dye followed with a high pop that carried into short left field and fell behind Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot, who was credited with an error. Umpires also called the infield fly rule, so Dye was out. The most important thing for the Sox, though, was that Wise scored. A 5-0 lead became the final margin on Dye's bases-empty homer in the eighth.
Lou's take
The Cubs dropped to a season-low two games below .500, leaving fans and players armed with a number of adjectives to describe the year to date. Manager Lou Piniella, however, takes exception to one of them: frustration.
"It's not getting worse but we're going to have to shore up some areas defensively," Piniella said. "Offensively, we've had our problems. Today, their pitcher pitched good. It just wasn't a good game for us."
Ozzie's take
Winners of 8 of 13, the Sox continue climbing the standings in the soft AL Central. Still, much like Piniella and "frustration," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen does not want to assert that his team has turned the corner.
"Every time I feel that way, my heart's been broken. Big time," Guillen said. "I think we're close to getting there but I don't want to think about that yet because I don't want my heart broken."
Big stat
36-35: Sox record against Cubs in all-time interleague series
Interleague play created rivalries both legitimate and laughable when it debuted in 1997. Statistically, Cubs-Sox might be the best of either variety.
The Sox have outscored the Cubs 350-341 in 71 interleague meetings, and things haven't just been close on the field.
"I mean, Derrek Lee, Theriot, [Ryan] Dempster," Pierzynski said. "Those guys are solid guys, all of them. There's no reason to not like them. They go about their business and play hard."
Up next: After entertaining three straight sellout crowds of Chicago baseball fans, the Cubs and Sox will both hit the road for intraleague division games tonight.
Rich Harden (4-4) gets the call for the Cubs against Pittsburgh's Zach Duke (8-5) in his first career start against the Pirates.
For the Sox, Gavin Floyd (5-5) opposes Cleveland's Carl Pavano (6-6) in his sixth career start against the Indians. Floyd is 1-1 against the Tribe this season, including a victory at U.S. Cellular Field on June 6.
