When I left town a couple of weeks ago, Juan Uribe had a .198/.229/.308 line for the season. After today's 5 RBI performance, he stands at .241/.267/.426. He's slugging 120 points higher in the span of just two weeks, while averaging more than an RBI per game over that stretch. The man is on fire. And when Uribe is hot, he has the ability to carry a team.
He carried the White Sox to victory today; first with a 2-run single in the first inning, followed by an RBI double in the third that gave Jon Garland some much needed breathing room, and finally with a 2-run home run in the 8th that put the game safely out of reach. He also chipped in with some fine defense, specifically on the final play of the game, keeping the tying run from coming to the plate and Bobby Jenks safely in the bullpen.
Jon Garland had a tough first inning. I want to say that he pitched poorly, tentatively trying to paint the corners. He just didn't his finest control of his 2-seamer, but he kept throwing it. And that might be what saved him.
For the rest of the game, Garland worked his 2 seamer in on righties and used his change-up to put away lefties. He appeared to get more comfortable as the game wore on, and it showed in the 6th. He gave a couple of tough hits on good pitches to lead off the inning, but stuck by his best stuff (the sinker) and pounded the ball in on the hands of the next three batters to retire the side.
Scott Podsednik twice made Juan Pierre look like an All-Star thanks to some poor defensive decision making in the outfield. Pierre will be looking to slap the ball in Pods' direction all series if he gets to take an extra base every time.