:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18777625/179145924.0.jpg)
In the opener of this series, the White Sox showed a fair amount of fight in a one-run loss. Tonight, the talent disparity -- especially in terms of hitting approaches -- suffocated the White Sox before it was halfway done.
John Danks became the second starter in as many nights to throw 100 pitches before completing five innings, while Jake Peavy settled down to throw seven strong in his first-ever outing against the White Sox. The results didn't not surprise.
At least Danks was able to get through five, but it wasn't easy. He gave up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits and a walk. He just didn't have the stuff to miss bats, needing 110 pitches while only striking out two.
He also reverted to 2012 form, in that he didn't treat his own offense's support with the respect it deserved.
When Alejandro De Aza tied the game at 1 in the third with an RBI fielder's choice, Danks gave up a pair of two-out doubles, allowing the Red Sox to regain a one-run lead. And when Avisail Garcia drove in Alexei Ramirez with a single up the middle the next inning, Danks gave up three runs to push the game out of reach, starting with a bunt single by catcher David Ross, and ending with a two-out RBI single by David Ortiz.
(On the plus side, Danks didn't give up a homer, so this will help toward restoring his peripherals, although not all of them for the better.)
Up until that point, the White Sox offense had done a nice job of annoying Peavy. They tagged him for two runs over the first four innings, and they stole three bases on him, too. But after the Red Sox gave him a multiple-run cushion, he threw strikes and dared his ex-teammates to beat him with hits. Peavy won that challenge, retiring 10 of the last 11 he faced.
Bullet points:
*Paul Konerko was charged with an error that led to an unearned run, but it wasn't the easiest play for him -- a hot shot off the bat of Ortiz that snuck under his mitt and down the right-field line.
*Conor Gillaspie made an incredible full-extension diving catch on a liner that earned a round of applause from the Fenway faithful.
*The White Sox have lost consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 14-15.
Record: 56-78 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights