Sometimes it takes a big hit. Sometimes it takes some scratchy stuff. This time-in a game the White Sox wanted badly-they got a little of both.
The Sox, with Dan Pasqua supplying the power and with the scratch supplied by Craig Grebeck and Ozzie Guillen, beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 Monday night in front of 42,295 dampened folks in Comiskey Park.
The game was delayed 18 minutes by a thunderstorm at the start and another 31 minutes in the fourth inning by a deluge that dropped the temperature from a sultry 98 degrees to a merely thick 78. Maybe it was the strange weather that begat this strange game.
”It kind of stunk,” observed Milwaukee manager Tom Trebelhorn.
But the Sox, down 4-2 after a two-run Milwaukee fourth, rallied for a run in their half of the inning, then two in the sixth to make a winner of Greg Hibbard (7-8) and take this final series against the Brewers three games to one. Bill Wegman (6-4), who went the distance, took the loss.
”We needed the win,” said Guillen, who drove in Grebeck twice. ”Every game is really important, but this one was more important because we didn`t play too well yesterday.”
”That was a tough loss for us,” Pasqua said of Sunday`s 2-1 day of frustration. ”To come back and win the game tonight was real big for our team.”
Robin Ventura, who has had a real big month, got the Sox rolling with a gap double toward left and scored on a single by Carlton Fisk to give them a 1-0 lead after one. It was Fisk`s first start since a tender ribcage muscle sat him down three days earlier.
But Dale Sveum, batting .207 at the time, hit a bases-loaded, two-run double in the second inning that came within a couple of fence-links of being a grand slam. The Sox tied it in their second when Sveum`s error put Grebeck on first base, Mike Huff bunted him to second and Guillen dribbled a hit into right field that got Grebeck home.
Grebeck? Huff? Right-handed non-starters-plus Ron Kittle, in his first start-starting against right-handed Wegman? Seemed a little strange (that word again)-until manager Jeff Torborg unwrapped a printout that showed left-handers were hitting .216 against Wegman, and right-handers .295.
”I had it loaded up left-handed the other time, and we got one run,”
said Torborg, referring to the recent 5-1 loss at Milwaukee. ”So I said,
`Let`s try it.` Gosh darn if it didn`t work, and every one of those guys contributed.”
Grebeck would score three times after reaching on the error, an infield hit and a fielder`s choice.
”The only ball I hit hard was the last one,” said Grebeck, who grounded out on that last one.
The second of his runs, in the fourth, cut the Milwaukee lead to 4-3 after RBI singles by Franklin Stubbs and Rick Dempsey had put the Brewers ahead in the top of the inning. Grebeck, who had beaten out a bouncer to third, scored it on a wild pitch after Wegman`s pickoff throw had put him on third.
”It was a gift,” said Wegman, ”and I was the giver of the gift.”
Pasqua opened the sixth inning with his 11th homer, which tied the game at 4. One out later, Kittle poked his first 1991 hit to right, Lance Johnson came on to run, and Grebeck forced him. A double by Huff pushed Grebeck to third, and an infield hit by Guillen to deep short got him home.
”That`s the White Sox,” said Guillen. ”That was the type of game we play. We don`t have a guy who gets 200 RBIs, a Cy Young winner or a guy who hits 40 home runs.”
They do have Bobby Thigpen, however, and after Melido Perez and Scott Radinsky set him up, he had a terrific ninth to earn his 20th save.
Dante Bichette started it with a bunt single. One out later, B.J. Surhoff singled Bichette to second, and an infield roller pushed the runners to second and third with two out.
Up came Paul Molitor, the Brewers` best hitter, with first base open.
Walk him? Nope.
”I was glad,” said Thigpen. ”I didn`t want to walk him. I was throwing too good.”
He was right. He struck out Molitor on a nasty slider.
”That`s as good as he`s thrown all year,” Fisk said. ”Maybe not all year-but in the last few times out there, for sure.
”Your ace out of the pen. Their ace offensive guy. And we won this time.”
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Next: Vs. Toronto, Tuesday 7:05 p.m., SportsChannel
