Call a shrink. Since the White Sox traded away three of their best pitchers, their hitters are hitting like pitchers.
What’s that called, anyway? Transference? A psychosomatic illness? Or just bad baseball?
Seattle Mariners left-hander Jeff Fassero and relievers Mike Timlin, Norm Charlton and Heathcliff Slocumb held the Sox to six hits as the Mariners defused a ninth-inning rally to win 3-2 in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night. Home runs by Mike Blowers and Ken Griffey Jr. were enough to beat rookie left-hander Scott Eyre (0-2) before 29,319 at the Kingdome.
“We just couldn’t get much offense,” manager Terry Bevington said. “We weren’t able to score runs.”
What’s new? This marked the sixth game in which the Sox have failed to score more than three runs–a trend that started long before the trade with San Francisco. The White Sox are averaging only 3.6 runs in their last 23 games.
No wonder they can’t gain any ground on the Cleveland Indians, who were shut out by Roger Clemens Thursday. The Sox dropped to 2-5 on the road trip and 54-58 overall–the first time they have been as many as four games under .500 since June 21.
After single-handedly stranding eight runners in Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss to Oakland, Albert Belle opened the new series with a line single to left field. But he failed to come through with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, popping up the first pitch from Fassero (11-6) to left field. He has stranded 22 baserunners since driving in a run with a single off Anaheim’s Jason Dickson July 31.
Belle, who is hitting .179 since the All-Star break, did go 2 for 4. He’s driven in only four runs in his last 22 games and hasn’t hit a home run in his last 71 at-bats.
