The Morning After: Sox Roll Into First
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 12, 2010 3:05PM
Sox Slug Way To Top Of Division
It was a fitting end for the hottest team in baseball over the last month: on the last day before the All-Star break, the White Sox blew out the Royals 15-5 and in the process leapfrogged Detroit into first place atop the AL Central. Tied at 1-1, the Sox blew the game wide open with a seven-run third inning and added a five-run fifth. The Sox got homers from Alex Rios, Carlos Quentin (two), Andruw Jones, and Dayan Viciedo; Quentin had five RBI and Jones had four on the day. Rookie Daniel Hudson gave up five runs over four-plus innings in his first start of the year for the Sox and got a no-decision with Tony Pena getting the win in relief. Juan Pierre spoke for the team when he said, "That was pretty fun to see. We swung the bats well today, and we're going into the break on a good note." The Sox are now off for the break and pick up with a big series in Minnesota starting Thursday night (7:10 p.m., CSN).
Cubs Fall To Dodgers
The Cubs finished the first half of the season much the way they started: with a starting pitcher meltdown and a big loss, this one to the Dodgers by a 7-0 final. Carlos Silva gave up six runs over only 1.1 IP and got ejected arguing a call with the first base umpire in the second inning. The offense had another day of struggles at the plate, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Said Lou after the game, "The break always comes at a good time." The team will return home after the break to take on the Phillies starting Thursday (7:05 p.m., WCIU).