I tried not to get excited with the brief display of competence from White Sox hitters, but it was hard not to after such a sustained period of suckitude -- the technical term used when your team ranks dead last in nearly every offensive category. Three games of above average offensive output shouldn't have been enough to declare the offense well, or not dead.
Heck, they didn't even have a full three games of good hitting. They only paraded around the bases for 16 innings, during which they scored 25 runs. Since then, they've scored zero in their last 13+ innings. In the offenses defense they had to face three pitchers who used sinister appendages and another with an above average slider over that span. Such a combination is known to be lethal to this group of slow-batted pull-hitters.
Last night, at that other site, I said the key to Wednesday's game would be on the bases. Jason Kendall had allowed 29 straight successful steals of 2nd or 3rd, and Gaudin had been able to hold one runner close enough to be thrown out in his entire career. But this lineup full of grinders couldn't even find a way to get on base, which, you know, is what grinders are supposed to do -- scratch and claw their way on base so that the team doesn't get embarrassed with 17 batters in a row retired and another shutout loss.
It didn't really have any bearing on the overall result because Pablo Ozuna (you gotta love the call for the rarely get it out of the infield Ozuna when the tough lefty is brought it. Reminded me of Saturday when Derek Lee came of the bench... Oh wait) and Darrin Erstad didn't come up with one of those clutch hits that Hawk won't stop talking about (why would he? He's only .158/.179/.263 vs. LHP in White Sox uniform), but I have no idea what Ozzie was thinking when he tossed Garland back out there for the 7th. The A's were hanging out ropes on Garland all night, and he had topped the 100 pitch mark with 1-out in the 6th. He was laboring all night, and Ozzie didn't even have anybody warming up/ready to start the 7th. With a real offense that decision might have been the difference between a W and another sorry L.