In a mission that TV character Jack Bauer could appreciate, the White Sox have just completed 24 games in 24 days, during which they went 13-11.
They began the stretch eight games behind Detroit in the American League Central and a half-game behind Boston in the wild-card race. Now they’re 5 Q behind the Tigers in the Central and a half-game behind Minnesota for the wild card.
The final 24-day tally: 5-2 against the Tigers, 2-4 against the Twins, 2-1 against the Yankees, 2-1 against the Blue Jays, 2-2 against the Royals and 0-1 against the Angels.
– Aug. 4: Sox 6, Blue Jays 4. Begin with win over tough right-hander Roy Halladay.
– Aug. 5: Sox 7, Blue Jays 1. Best outing of season by Javier Vazquez, but no gain in standings.
– Aug. 6: Blue Jays 7, Sox 3. Jose Contreras hammered as Sox drop another game behind Tigers.
– Aug. 7: Angels 6, Sox 3. Makeup loss sends deficit to double figures for first time.
– Aug. 8: Sox 6, Yankees 5. Paul Konerko’s homer in 9th ties it, Jermaine Dye’s single in 11th wins it.
– Aug. 9: Yankees 7, Sox 6. Late comeback attempt falls short, but no loss of ground to Detroit.
– Aug. 10: Sox 5, Yankees 4. Vazquez beats former mates to pick up half-game.
– Aug. 11: Sox 5, Tigers 0. Contreras dazzling to begin showdown weekend.
– Aug. 12: Sox 4, Tigers 3. Brian Anderson’s two-run single, Sandy Alomar’s sac fly beat Kenny Rogers.
– Aug. 13: Sox 7, Tigers 3. Complete sweep, move within 5 1/2, but treadmill awaits.
– Aug. 14: Sox 12, Royals 2. A laugher on field, but no gain in standings.
– Aug. 15: Royals 4, Sox 2. Kansas City stops Sox’s momentum as Tigers gain a game.
– Aug. 16: Royals 10, Sox 4. Contreras’ outing ugly, but no ground lost.
– Aug. 17: Sox 5, Royals 4. Split series with lowly Royals, but spinning wheels.
– Aug. 18: Twins 7, Sox 3. Nemesis Twins continue hex on Sox, who remain 61/2 back.
– Aug. 19: Sox 4, Twins 1. Jon Garland to the rescue to pick up a game in standings.
– Aug. 20: Twins 7, Sox 3. Can’t solve Johan Santana, but Tigers help with a loss.
– Aug. 21: Tigers 7, Sox 1. Justin Verlander brilliant, Contreras not as gap grows.
– Aug. 22: Tigers 4, Sox 0. Rogers nearly flawless as Tigers seem set to deliver knockout blow.
– Aug. 23: Sox 7, Tigers 5. Freddy Garcia keeps hope alive with gutsy effort.
– Aug. 24: Sox 10, Tigers 0. Salvage series split, but time growing short.
– Aug. 25: Twins 5, Sox 4. Another problem: Sox now second in wild-card chase.
– Aug. 26: Twins 8, Sox 7. Gut-wrenching 11-inning loss raises wild-card deficit to 11/2.
– Aug. 27: Sox 6, Twins 1: Mark Buehrle sharp, three home runs help Sox finish with flourish.
– – –
Head to head
In the past 24 days, the White Sox have closed the gap on the Tigers in the AL Central. But the Twins have done even better–and they now sit ahead of the Sox in the wild-card race.
TOTAL
SOX: 13-11
DET: 10-13
MIN: 14-8
– – –
THE 7-DAY OUTLOOK
With 32 games left, RedEye’s Bag Boy plots the next seven days for the Sox:
– Aug. 28: Detroit, Minnesota also off. If any Twin or Tiger calls, let it go to voice mail.
– Aug. 29 vs. TB: Jim Thome’s pinch-hit HR wins it in 9th. Please, please, please.
– Aug. 30 vs. TB: Jon Garland throws complete game no-hitter. Sox lose 1-0.
– Aug. 31 vs. TB: Real Devil Rays finally show up, Sox roll 9-3.
– Sept. 1 at KC: A six-game trip begins with 10-homer barrage for 18-2 win.
– Sept. 2 at KC: Royals drill first Sox batter, and Ozzie Guillen is ejected 17 seconds into game. KC wins 6-5.
– Sept. 3 at KC: For KC, this is their World Series. Which is why they lose, 7-5.
– For the week: 4-2
