Brilliance

White Sox Magic Number: 17

We didn't see the trademark "Sunday Lineup" ® today. We finally got what the guys at FutureSox and all the other Brandon McCarthy backers have been saying would be coming all along.

I overslept this morning and turned the game on in the fourth inning. What I woke up to was a beautiful sight. McCarthy was throwing strikes, and, even more importantly, trusting his changeup as a valuable third pitch and an out pitch. Seven innings. Seven strikeouts. Three hits. Zero runs. If BMac keeps pitching at this rate, should he be under consideration for a playoff pitching spot? Jose Contreras and McCarthy are going to make Guillen make a very difficult decision come October.

Paul Konerko has very quietly rounded into form at the end of the year, making a charge for 40 home runs yet again, while trying to inch that batting average over .280. Konerko put some beautiful swings on the ball today and may be beecoming that masher in the middle of the lineup the Sox have needed for a while.

Geoff Blum also is proving he is in fact worth more than Ryan Meaux, tripling and proving that KW made a little move, yet again, that will end up helping the Sox. Cliff Politte also appears to me reverting to his beginning-of-the-season ways. Good things to see.

It was also nice to see Ozzie Guillen and the rest of the Sox treat the Boston game like a playoff game. We didn't see Raul Casanova behind the plate. I'll even give Ozzie a pass for letting Timoniel Perez start in right field. Which brings me to another thing....

I know many of us aren't real big on Timo. He's not an all-star, and seemingly never catches a fly ball with two hands like we were all taught in little league. Either way, if he comes up, I'm still cheering for him, and I hope everyone around here does the same. There's nothing worse than a bandwagon windsock.

Where did Juan Uribe come from? Suddenly he looks like the guy everyone was amped about getting after a stellar first part of 2003. Taking the ball the other way and stringing together multi-hit games...it's taken him most of the season, but maybe his recent work with Walt Hriniak has paid off dividends. That home run in the top of the ninth was a thing of beauty. Quick swing, off the light pole. Light tower power?

While I'm rambling, how exactly is Joe Borchard doing in Charlotte?  Joe finished his season today with 29 home runs with a bomb in the middle of the ninth during Charlotte's 10-4 loss. While Borchard's season can't be called exciting, he did heat up in the second half. We can probably expect him to be called up tomorrow, along with Brian Anderson and Jeff Bajenaru.

Bobby Jenks was shaky in the ninth, but worked out of it, inducing a groundout to end the game.  Let him get that stuff out of his system now.

The Sox starting pitching has been out-freaking-standing in September. The starting staff has been lights out. The bullpen has been lights out.

It was nice visiting ya, Boston. See ya in October.