Esteban Loaiza explained the mind-set that had just enabled him to win his 15th game of the season and triggered his teammates into calling him a candidate to win the Cy Young Award.
“When I throw the ball, I’m in charge of a game,” Loaiza said. “I study the hitters and study reports. Then I just go out and battle.”
Loaiza battled and he was in charge Sunday. He beat the Oakland Athletics and their 21-year-old rookie sensation Rich Harden 5-1 before 29,442 fans at U.S. Celluar Field. The victory improved Loaiza’s record to 15-5 and kept the Sox a half-game behind the first-place Kansas City Royals.
Beside Loaiza’s four-hit pitching over eight, the Sox benefited from clutch two-out hitting in the fifth by Roberto Alomar, Carlos Lee and Frank Thomas.
In the clubhouse, players were hyping Loaiza for the Cy Young.
“He has lot better stuff than people think,” Paul Konerko said. “He has confidence that he can get everybody out. He believes in himself, and we believe in him.”
Sox 5, A’s 1
White Sox at Angels Season series: First meeting.
Monday: Bartolo Colon (10-9, 3.76 ERA) vs. Aaron Sele (6-9, 4.89). 9:05 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9, WMVP-AM 1000
Tuesday: Dan Wright (0-5, 6.08) vs.
Ramon Ortiz (13-9, 4.58). 9:05 p.m.,
Fox Sports Net, WMVP-AM 1000
Wednesday: Mark Buehrle (10-11, 4.29) vs. Jarrod Washburn (9-11, 4.51).
9:05 p.m., Fox Sports Net,
WMVP-AM-1000
Thursday: Jon Garland (8-8, 4.61) vs. Scot Shields (2-3, 2.23). 9:05 p.m. WCIU-Ch. 26, WMVP-AM-1000
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Edited by the Sports staff of RedEye
