Just as Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, the White Sox left their offense in Chicago.
In the three games before their West Coast trip, the Sox batted .414 and scored 26 runs. In the seven games since, the Sox have scored just 17 runs and are hitting a meager .201.
“It’s tough to understand, describe and explain,” said Sox manager Jerry Manuel. “You’d think we would have done better in the three hitter-friendly parks (Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle). But we’ve gone into the tank.”
They sure have. The Sox dropped their season-high fifth straight Sunday, spoiling John Snyder’s first career complete game in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners. It dropped the Sox’s record to 21-21 since the All-Star break.
The Sox have been making opposing pitchers look brilliant lately. Sunday’s Cy Young impersonator was left-hander Paul Spoljaric, who made his fourth career major-league start after being promoted from the bullpen.
Spoljaric, who entered the game with an earned-run average of 5.40, overcame three errors to limit the Sox to two runs over seven innings. Both came in the third.
Wil Cordero ripped a 1-0 fastball to left field for his 11th homer of the season. With two outs, Ray Durham reached on an error by third baseman Russ Davis. After stealing second and advancing to third on another error, Durham scored on a single by Mike Caruso.
But over the final six innings, the Sox managed just one hit.
“I think you have to give credit to the pitcher,” Robin Ventura said. “We’re not giving games away. Paul pitched a good game. That’s it.”
If that’s true, the Sox have been facing a lot of good pitchers lately. Manuel, for one, expects better.
“It’s baffling to see Frank (Thomas) and Robin struggle like this,” he said. “It’s tough to swallow, and it puts pressure on the younger guys.”
