Even when things weren`t going well, Jerry Reuss refused to acknowledge failure. On Sunday there was no need to.
The 39-year-old lefty, who had been banished to the bullpen where his ineffectiveness since mid-May continued, returned to the starter`s role and gave the White Sox six scoreless innings en route to their second straight 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
It doesn`t exactly mean that the Sox are surging. But there sure were smiles in the clubhouse, particularly because Reuss wasn`t the only bright spot as the club put back-to-back victories together for the first time since May 13 and 14 in Baltimore.
It was the second straight game in which the Sox used timely hitting, snappy fielding and stingy pitching to bury the dismal and sadly historic 11- game Comiskey Park losing streak they had accumulated.
For the second straight game, the act went the way the script was written.
No early-inning pitching failures, no squandered offensive opportunities, no fielding or basepath lapses.
Harold Baines, who continues among the league`s offensive leaders, hit his first home run since May 16. It was a sixth-inning, game-winning shot, 378 feet to the right-field upper deck. But a 66-foot popup by Ron Karkovice was just as decisive in the offense.
Ken Patterson, like Reuss a recent returnee from pitching exile because of earlier ineffectiveness, came up with his second straight strong outing in relief.
Just back from Vancouver, Patterson retired all five batters he faced, snuffing a Twins rally in the seventh. Bobby Thigpen mopped up for the second straight game, retiring the Twins in order in the ninth.
”The pitching was excellent all around,” said manager Jeff Torborg.
”Jerry did a super job and Patterson came on-oh man, that was just what we needed-and, of course, Bobby closed it out.
”That`s just what we`ve been looking for-pitching. It can make you look awfully good. Only score two runs and still win.”
It was the best outing for Reuss since he threw a four-hit, complete-game shutout against Milwaukee May 1.
Only three Twins hit safely off him, one hit a bunt single. He had excellent command-46 of his 65 pitches were for strikes. He whiffed Kirby Puckett with a runner in scoring position in the first, and the Twins never came close to touching him until they put together a single and the bunt single in the sixth. Reuss then got Dan Gladden to ground into a crisp inning- ending double play.
”He looked in complete control,” said Torborg of Reuss. ”He was really driving the ball inside hard. He had better velocity than he has had since the Milwaukee game.”
Reuss was lifted after the sixth at his request because he was tiring. He hadn`t started since May 17, when he gave up nine hits in two innings and had only thrown 2 2/3 innings in horrible relief-six runs on nine hits-since that time.
”I began to feel it. It was tightening up,” Reuss said. ”All that I wanted to do was give the best of what I had.
”I`m very pleased. I`m happy that I am pitching again as a starter and glad that in the first time for nearly a month, I`ve been able to
contribute.”
Tom McCarthy came on at the start of the seventh, retired one batter and then surrendered a home run to Gary Gaetti and a triple to Carmen Castillo.
Torborg summoned Patterson, who stranded the tying run in Castillo at third.
Patterson and Thigpen retired the last eight batters they faced. Thigpen got the save, his ninth; and Reuss picked up his fourth victory against two losses.
The Twins` Roy Smith, who pitched well in going the distance, is now 4-3. The Sox`s first score was ignited in the third inning by a Karkovice bunt that popped just over the pitcher`s head.
He went to second on a walk to Dave Gallagher and scored on Ozzie Guillen`s single.
”That was scientific hitting, a popup over the pitcher`s head,” Torborg joked. ”We`ll take it.”
Reuss` showing followed the strong, six-inning performance Saturday night of 23-year-old Steve Rosenberg, who was helped by Carlton Fisk`s superb handling behind the plate and his game-winning RBI.
”There can be a positive experience that comes out of a slump,” Reuss said. ”And that is, the next time you have that kind of adversity you can deal with it much better and you`re that much stronger as a person, a pitching staff and a team.”
Just look at Baltimore, folks.
