Offense comes alive for 3rd straight victory
Mark Kotsay avoids the tag of Yankees catcher Jose Posada, who had the ball in his other hand, in the eighth inning. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / August 1, 2009)
Maybe the White Sox just like the bright lights and being on center stage, but it should be a good omen if they make the postseason.
After a 14-4 drubbing of the Yankees before a sellout crowd of 38,763 at U.S. Cellular Field, the Sox are 6-1 in Saturday games shown regionally on Fox.
They have proved themselves big hits on television, with a .318 batting average and an average of 6.9 runs per game.
Fox, of course, broadcasts the World Series.
But that's getting ahead of the game, because even with the victory the second-place White Sox still are chasing the Tigers by 1 1/2 games in the American League Central.
But they have scored 24 runs in the last two games against the Yankees, who came to town with the best record in the American League, and have a chance to sweep them in a four-game series in Chicago for the first time since 1964.
"Now we feel we have a ballclub that can compete," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Keep it up, don't let it get into your head you're better than what you are."
Saturday turned into one of those days to count the ways in which the Sox have turned it around from a 1-6 trip to Detroit and Minnesota.
--The Fox guys, leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik and No. 2 hitter Gordon Beckham, each had four RBIs.
In six televised games this season, Podsednik is hitting .481 (13-for-27) with a homer and 10 RBIs.
In five Fox games, Beckham is hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three doubles and nine RBIs.
Beckham was surprised when told he reached a career high with four RBIs Saturday, instead dwelling on only a pair of hits in six at-bats and being caught off third in the eighth inning when he forgot the number of outs.
"Me being an idiot," he said. "It's going to happen every once in a while. I started talking to [shortstop]Derek Jeter and I forgot we were playing a baseball game."
--No. 8 hitter Chris Getz had three hits and two runs scored, not to mention stealing second and third in the seventh inning.
--No. 9 hitter Jayson Nix had a career-high -- and, according to him, a lifetime-high -- four walks to go with a hit. He walked twice with the bases loaded.
--A.J. Pierzynski, catching a day game after a night game, contributed three hits, making him 8-for-14 on the homestand and 70-for-201 (.348) in his last 53 games.
"He has been playing great this year, offensively and defensively," Guillen said. "He's more patient at the plate."
--Even newcomer Mark Kotsay broke an 0-for-12 stretch with a single while filling in for Paul Konerko, who left after a thigh was bruised when he was hit by a pitch.
--Bobby Jenks, who missed the last two games with kidney stones, pitched a perfect ninth, although it was not a save situation.
--John Danks raised his record to 9-7 with seven-plus innings. He gave up seven hits and four runs, which isn't all that bad against the league's top-scoring team.
Danks was helped by a six-run second off Yankee starter A.J. Burnett -- who was 10-4 coming in.
"The [hitters] deserve all the credit," Danks said. "My job was to stay out of the way. I felt like I was holding us back, walking guys with a [big] lead. My hat's off to those guys for scoring 14 runs."
dvandyck@tribune.com