The White Sox departed for Anaheim on Sunday night to start a seven-game road trip against West Division teams that usually bedevil them. The West holds a 12-6 edge over the Sox this season.
The Sox, whose 5-1 victory Sunday gave them a 2-1 series edge over Oakland, play their next 14 games against Anaheim and Texas, the two West teams they have not faced yet this season. After four nights in Anaheim, they play a three-game weekend series in Texas. Then they come home for three against the Angels and four against the Rangers.
“We kind of eased that `West Coast demon’ thing playing Oakland here,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “But we haven’t played well on the coast, and historically we have not done well against the West.
“If we can survive these two series, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
The Sox are 8-30 on the West Coast since 2001.
But the Angels, last year’s World Series winners, have plunged to the depth of an also-ran.
Their 3-1 loss at Cleveland on Sunday dropped them to 54-63 for the season and 5-20 since the All-Star break. However, they still have Garret Anderson, All-Star Game MVP and a .315 hitter with 26 homers and 94 RBI.
“We’re going to Anaheim to keep battling and to climb back into first place,” said Esteban Loaiza, whose four-hit pitching helped the Sox remain a half-game behind Kansas City.
Amid postgame clubhouse talk that he’s a candidate for the Cy Young Award, Loaiza said: “I’m not thinking about the Cy Young. I just think about battling back into first place.”
Loaiza’s next start will be against the Rangers, who are last in the American League in pitching with a 5.92 ERA but No. 1 with 177 home runs, including 30 by shortstop Alex Rodriguez. So Sox sluggers may have to try to outslug A-Rod & Co.
Manuel said he may use Frank Thomas at first base on the road trip.
Seeking a veteran
Rumors persist that the Sox are trying to obtain a veteran pitcher who could serve both as a spot starter and a relief man.
Nevertheless, superior weekend pitching by Mark Buehrle and Loaiza could result in the staff remaining at 11 pitchers.
Manuel had said the Oakland series probably would determine whether the Sox had to add another pitcher.
“If we go deep into the games with our starters, we’ll be OK,” he said. “If we hit a little bump in the road, then obviously we’ll need somebody.”
Buehrle pitched a complete game in his 3-2 victory over Mark Mulder in the series opener on Friday. Loaiza pitched eight innings of four-hit ball Sunday. Damaso Marte pitched the ninth.
Jon Garland lasted only five innings in Saturday’s loss, but the bullpen still wasn’t seriously taxed. Kelly Wunsch, Dan Wright, Scott Schoeneweis and Billy Koch worked only one inning apiece and threw 15, 14, 11 and 13 pitches, respectively.
Manuel said after Sunday’s game that the Sox still might acquire another pitcher but that he would not switch to a four-man rotation.
Loaiza said he would be comfortable working in a four-man rotation.
“The four of us–Bartolo [Colon], Mark, Jon and me, we’ll be ready for it,” Loaiza said. “Bartolo did it with Cleveland. I did it with Pittsburgh and got used to it.”
Back in homer land
Paul Konerko hit his 12th home run of the season Sunday and Carl Everett hit his 21st one day after the Sox had their home run streak snapped at 19 games. Manuel didn’t seem to mind the homerless game.
“I didn’t pay much attention to the streak,” he said. “I’d rather we execute the ABCs of hitting.”
Milestone department
Thomas’ fifth-inning two-out double that drove home the game-winning run moved him within three hits of tying Hall of Famer Eddie Collins for third place in club history with 2,007.
Hall of Famers Luke Appling and Nelson Fox rank 1-2 with 2,749 and 2,470 hits. Harold Baines is fifth with 1,773.
