Edwin Jackson, who has been nothing short of spectacular in a White Sox uniform, had yet another dominating performance Thursday night against the Orioles. Jackson was well-rested, having thrown only 7 pitches in his last unofficial outing -- the controversial rainout-turned-doubleheader last weekend -- and looked every bit like a pitcher who had a little something extra.
What was really impressive to me though, was that Jackson didn't seem to just blow hitters away. He seemed to be setting batters up more than in his previous outings, dialing up the fastball when he needed it and not becoming over-reliant on his slider. He appeared to be a pitcher with total confidence in his stuff and more importantly, his ability to put that stuff exactly where he wanted it.
The results speak for themselves. 8 IP, 3 H, 10 K. That'll work, no matter who the opponent is.
Jackson is going to be fun to watch in a White Sox uniform for the next year. I'll save the Hudson hand-wringing for another post. For now, I'm just happy that the Sox are back on track. It was a long time between series wins; and if you don't win series it's pretty damn hard to win the division.
Beating the O's is a small step in the right direction. Now, time for the NY Fighting Swishers, bro.