The top of the site tells me that I have approximately 2 hours to write a recap, and, as has become SSS custom, get what might be the worst thread in the history of SSS off the front page. So, in the interest of burying the ugliness, here's your recap, to which I will be adding (in between masturbatory sessions) until the site goes dark for the night.

Limited time constraints and a general lack of focus results in a bullet point recap for you.

• The first game played Monday, which was actually April, BTW, had to be one of the most frustrating losses of the year; 12 walks leads to only 3 runs thanks to 18 men left on base, Cubs castoffs Rocky Cherry and Luis Montanez proving the winning formula in the late innings, the decision to start Horacio Ramirez over Thornton or Carrasco, a number of well-struck line drives which never seemed to find the grass between the white lines. It was just one of the most frustrating games of the year to watch. And it took nearly 3 months to complete.

• Clayton Richard turned in his second consecutive quality start, with all of the damage coming in one inning. And the damage might not have been as severe if he had a competent defense behind him. General Soreness was unable to get to bloop hit and Alexei Ramirez dropped a glove-to-hand transfer (ruled a hit) to give the O's two extra outs in the inning. I still don't know how he's getting it done, but I'm not gonna argue with the results. Keep sending him out there against the also-rans of the AL, I say.

• Joe Crede returned to the Sox lineup, and actually looked pretty good at the plate in the first game. As somebody commented that's probably because the first game was played in April. Crede lifted a deep fly to center his first at-bat, and laid out a rope to right field in his second, but both found the gloves of Orioles fielders.

  Defensively, it didn't appear that Crede had any ill effects from his lingering back issues. He made a number of nice plays over the two games, though he did start hitting the ball weakly to the right side in the nightcap.

• Chris Getz was optioned to AAA in between games to make way for the curiously effective Lance Brodway. Getz will be back in 10 days, the minimum time required (barring injury) for a minor league assignment, with rosters set to expand on September 1st.

Note: Previously, there has been a loosely enforced--is anything strictly enforced around here?--policy against political posting. But, observing the generally cordial conversations which occurred during primary season, I let everything slide. I think the last thread shows why that policy should be more rigorously enforced. But enforcing rules is hard work, so I've come up with something different.

Over the next two weeks, spanning the conventions--I like to think of them as the political equivalent of SoxFest--if you should still feel the need to shout obscenities at your TV or your fellow Sox fans, you're welcome to do so in the soon-to-be-difficult-to-find previous thread. (no link) Please be so kind as to keep them out of the rest of the threads. kthnxbi.

Since 4/25, the bullpen has allowed 7 homeruns in 118 innings pitched. During that span, they've posted an ERA of 2.59, and that includes the Wasserman, Masset, and Loaiza back end. Two of those 7 HR were allowed in garbage time by Masset and Loaiza last week against the Twins. Let's take a look at the other 5.

• 4/28 -- 11th inning -- Ramon Hernandez hits a solo shot off Scott Linebrink. Sox tie it in bottom of 11th. Game continues in perpetuity.
• 5/09 -- 9th inning -- Wladimir Balentin hits a solo shot to draw M's within 2. Bobby Jenks needs just 9 pitches all strikes to get the save.
• 5/30 -- 9th inning -- Linebrink gives up a second-pitch walkoff to Cliff Floyd
• 6/01 -- 10th inning -- Matt Thornton gives Gabe Gross a breaking ball to deposit in the RF seats for the Rays second walk-off of the series.
• 6/12 -- 9th inning -- Miguel Cabrera takes Octavio Dotel deep for the Sox 3rd walk-off loss in their last 6 road games.

It strikes me as incredibly unlucky that the bullpen can be simultaneously this good--The 5 high-leverage guys have combined for a 1.55 ERA since 4/25--yet so incredibly unlucky. Those 5 have a 8-3 record since my cherry-picked date, with all 3 losses coming on walk-off HRs.

The above games have something else in common, lack of offense. They scored more than 3 runs in just one of the games (the lone victory highlighted), and combined to score 12 runs total in the 5 games.

Realistically, this game should have been a win for the White Sox.  It was called after the Sox went quietly in their half of the 11th, at which point they had managed 8 hits and 9 walks yet just 3 runs.  We went in vain waiting for that timely base hit, one that will have to wait now until, it appears, June.

Meanwhile, back on April 19, Cheat penned this:

Elephant in the Room

After being limited to just 3 hits, one of which was a bunt, by Sonnanstine on Saturday, the White Sox now rank 13th in the AL in batting average at .239, lower than they hit during the dismal '07 season, fractions of a percentage point away from the cellar (Cleveland at .239, or .2389). It has gone largely unnoticed thanks to good plate discipline and timely homeruns, but the Sox still aren't hitting.

The starting lineup today featured two batters with an average above .250, Nick Swisher and Joe Crede. That's not going to cut it, no matter how many walks they draw or how many homers they crank.

 

And then a footnote from April 23:

The Sox offense had a productive game against Wang. It just didn't result in--how do I put this--runs. They left a baker's dozen stranded on the basepaths tonight.

It's even Official SSH Doctrine™ at this point, so it bears investigation.  Thus I direct you to check out the THT team stats page.  The relevant stats here are line drive rate, ground ball rate and BABIP (18%, 44% and .258, respectively).  It's a pretty good portrait for our team right now, but remember that we've still completed just 15% of the season.  In any case, our expected BABIP by line drive rate is .300, 40 points north of what Carlos (long may he live) and Co. have managed.  I say regression is in order and we can probably start revising our expected OBP upward as a result.

Like many of my generation I know that half of everything is luck  and as such will be expecting our offense to get a few more timely hits.  So just maybe that ¡Profundo! homer to tie it was the beginning?  Perhaps and I hope so, since Sox pitchers have been giving up home runs on just 6% of fly balls.  A mark like that for a team that plays in The Cell is untenable and the biggest benefactor has been Gavin Floyd (he the thrower of but 34 % ground balls).  The starters are fourth in the AL in win probability added, but at some point, Gavin is going to revert to his adequate 4th/5th starter status.  

If we are finally daring to look up at the season ahead of us to see if we do have a shot, then I feel far more uncertainty about the quality of the pitching than the quality of this lineup as constructed.  But let's be straight, there's no reason to have high hopes.  This is a .500 team, right?

...Right?

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Profundo!

Extra inningbs...

Lots of baserunners, none have crossed the plate yet though...

Javier Vazquez (RHP) vs. Daniel Cabrera (RHP)

Time: 1:05 p.m. CT, TV: CSN, Radio: WSCR AM-670 (B-R preview, Live Boxscore; 2007 MLB Gameday; 2008 MLB Gameday)

GO SOX!