Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first and Ray Durham whiffed to begin. Aaron Rowand walked but Carlos Lee popped up to third. Ordonez popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox got their only run in the bottom of the first against Buehrle. Jose Offerman and Chris Stynes drew back to back walks before a Trot Nixon flyout moved Offerman to third. Ramirez scored Jose with a sac fly to give the BoSox the lead. Dante Bichette grounded into a force to end the inning with the Bosox ahead 1-0.
Jose Canseco flied out to center to start the top of the second before Paul Konerko looked at strike three. Herbert Perry lined out to third to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett lined out to left to start. Mike Lansing singled to right and took second on a balk. Shea Hillenbrand popped up to third and Scott Hatteberg popped up to second to end the inning.
Sandy Alomar drew a walk to begin the top of the third but Wakefield struck out Royce Clayton. Durham singled to center but Rowand banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox blew their chance to blow it open in the bottom of the third as Offerman popped up to second to begin. Stynes singled to left but Nixon whiffed. Ramirez walked but Bichette whiffed to end the inning.
The White Sox threatened in the top of the fourth although Lee whiffed to start. Ordonez doubled to left then swiped third before Canseco walked to put runners at the corners. Konerko popped up to second but Perry was plunked to load the bases. Alomar grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Everett flied out to center to start. Lansing grounded out to second and Hatteberg grounded out to third to end the inning.
The White Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Clayton flied out to left to begin. Durham grounded out to second but Rowand singled. Rowand took second on a passed ball and Lee singled him home. Ordonez doubled and Canseco walked to load the bases but Konerko whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
The BoSox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hatteberg lined back to Buehrle to start. Offerman flied out to right but Stynes doubled down the right field line. Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning.
Wakefield cruised in the top of the sixth as Perry and Alomar both flied out to left. Clayton flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox threatened again in the bottom of the sixth as Ramirez singled and Bichette walked but Everett popped up to second. Lansing banged into a double play to end the inning.
The ChiSox took command in the top of the seventh as Durham walked to start. Durham was erased on the force by Rowand before Rowand swiped second. Lee tripled home Rowand to put Chicago on top and chase Wakefield. "El Guapo" Rich Garces replaced Wakefield and Ordonez doubled home Lee to ice the game. Canseco flied out to left and Konerko whiffed to end the inning but the White Sox were up for good 3-1.
Ordonez with the backbreaker
The BoSox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Hillenbrand lined out to third to begin. Hatteberg lined out to center and Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning.
Garces returned for the top of the eighth and Perry singled to right to start. Perry moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Alomar but Clayton grounded out to third. Durham grounded out to first to end the inning. Stynes singled to start the bottom of the eighth and Nixon sacrificed him to second to chase Buehrle. Bob Howry was brought in to pitch to Manny and Ramirez walked to put the tying run on. Bichette grounded out to third and closer Keith Foulke came in for the four out save. With the game on the line...Everett whiffed to end the inning.
23 year old rookie Casey Fossum made his major league debut in the top of the ninth and Rowand grounded out to short to begin. Lee singled to right but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Ordonez grounded out to second to end the inning. Chris Singleton took Lee's spot in the batting order but was in left with Rowand moving to center to start the bottom of the ninth. Brian Daubach pinch hit for Lansing but grounded out to first. Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand but whiffed. Hatteberg popped up to short to end the inning. The ChiSox had won it 3-1.
Jackass of the Night is Carl Everett. He was 0 for 4 at the plate including the big strikeout to end the 8th inning rally.
Everett is a Jackass
The Good:
Chris Stynes was 3 for 3 with a walk.
Manny Ramirez walked 3 times and drove in a run.
Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.
Rich Garces tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless 9th inning in his major league debut.
The Bad:
Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Brian Daubach grounded out as a pinch hitter.
Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3.
Troy O'Leary struck out as a pinch hitter.
Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.
Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4.
Tim Wakefield took the loss but pitched reasonably well. He went 6 1/3 innings and was charged with 3 runs. The 5 walks killed him in the end.
Final Thoughts:
The BoSox are in trouble if they keep losing games to inferior teams while the New York Yankees continue to win. They only mustered 5 hits and a single run against Mark Buehrle but Keith Foulke owned them in the final four outs. The Sox had their chances to do some damage but couldn't get any hits with men in scoring position. Not having Jason Varitek hurts because both Doug Mirabelli and Hatteberg are backup catchers so offense has been hard to come by once the Sox get to the bottom of the order. If only Everett was hitting like he was last year, the Sox would still be in first place. The word on the street is the Sox are looking for a closer since Derek Lowe has been garbage this season. The Sox have 3 days to find one before the season gets out of hand. The less said of this worthless defeat, the better. The good news is Nomar Garciaparra makes his season debut tomorrow. The loss dropped the BoSox to 59-44, 3.5 games behind the surging Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon when David Cone goes up against Sean Lowe of the ChiSox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park. Help us Nomar!
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