Sox Must Beat Twins to Contend in AL Central
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 14, 2011 9:00PM
It's a case of déjà vu: the White Sox once again find themselves within sniffing distance of the top of the AL Central standings after being left for dead as April rolled into May. Unlike last year, where the Sox won 25 of 30 games and blew through their interleague schedule to briefly take the Central Division lead, the Sox have slowly clawed their way back into contention. But they can piss it all away if they roll into Target Field tonight and choke against the last-place Twins. Few 26-39 teams scare the White Sox and its fans than Minnesota.
Since being swept by Minnesota on May 3-4 at U.S. Cellular Field (the first game being a Francisco Liriano no-hitter), the Sox have posted a 22-14 record. that they're within four games of the Tigers and Indians is more due to Cleveland coming back to earth after a torrid start than anything the Sox have done. This is a team that still frustrates its fan base with defensive lapses, shaky relief pitching and an inability to plate runners in scoring position.
Compound that with heading into the Twin Cities tonight to face a team that's battled injuries since Opening Day, but is playing its best baseball of the season. Minnesota has won nine of its last twelve games. That winning streak has coincided with the beginning of the Twins' first extended homestand of the season. Minnesota's starting rotation is as red hot as their White Sox counterparts, with a 7-2 record and 2.09 ERA over the last 11 games. the pitching matchup for tonight's game (7:10 p.m., WCIU 26.1, WSCR-AM 670)
The Sox are equally as hot, having won eight of ten, with Paul Konerko leading the way. Konerko is hitting .460 during his 13-game hitting streak and his power stroke hasn't suffered since he underwent a procedure to have a bone fragment removed from his left wrist. We haven't been the biggest fan of Konerko over the years, believing that his power numbers have come when the Sox were either comfortably ahead or way behind. But he's converted us the past two years, especially this season. Konerko and Carlos Quentin have been the Sox' most consistent sluggers this season.
With Cleveland and Detroit starting a three-game series tonight, a Sox sweep could mean them being in second place as they head into another round of interleague play against the Diamondbacks and Cubs. The White Sox boast the second-best record in interleague play since it began in 1997.