The White Sox’s sense of urgency was evident Monday night after eight pitches.
Unfortunately, the damage already was done before pitching coach Don Cooper visited the mound and rookie knuckleballer Charlie Haeger began to warm up.
That summed up the Sox’s night of humiliation, as not even a first-inning triple play alleviated the sting of an 8-2 defeat to American League Central leader Detroit that virtually shattered their postseason hopes.
In losing their fourth consecutive game, the Sox (84-66) fell 4Q games behind Minnesota in the AL wild-card race and six behind the Tigers with 12 games remaining. At this pace, the Sox could be reduced to playing the role of spoiler when they visit the Twins for a season-ending three-game series that could decide the division title.
“Hard, but not impossible,” manager Ozzie Guillen said of the Sox’s playoff chances. “I expect to win the next 12 games.”
The Tigers halted any momentum the Sox sought in opening a seven-game homestand. Their quick mastery of embattled left-hander Mark Buehrle put the Sox on the ropes early, and Kenny Rogers (16-6) pitched six shutout innings and stopped four rallies in improving to 6-1 against the Sox since 2003.
Old enemies continue to haunt the Sox. Craig Monroe, who hit a game-winning grand slam against the Sox on July 19, hit Buehrle’s sixth pitch for a two-run home run.
Former Sox slugger Magglio Ordonez highlighted a three-hit game with two homers off Buehrle, following up on Frank Thomas’ two homers against the Sox in Oakland over the weekend.
“That’s part of the game,” Guillen said.
Monday’s fiasco became complete in the ninth when Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer off Brandon McCarthy, and center-fielder Rob Mackowiak dropped a fly ball.
The Sox fielded their best lineup against Rogers. First baseman Paul Konerko returned from a one-game absence caused by a sore back and fouled a pitch off his right knee in the sixth.
After walking outside the batter’s box for several seconds, Konerko regained his composure and ripped a single to right-center.
In the first inning, Buehrle (12-13) was greeted by a leadoff double by Thornton Fractional South product Curtis Granderson, Monroe’s homer and a single by Marcus Thames that prompted a visit from Cooper.
By the time Haeger started warming up, Ordonez had whacked a single on the next pitch.
Buehrle caught a break in the first inning when he broke the bat of Carlos Guillen on a hit-and-run play that landed in the glove of third baseman Joe Crede. Crede threw to second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who doubled up Thames and tagged Ordonez to complete the Sox’s second triple play of the season.
In the eighth, Jim Thome snapped the Tigers’ shutout bid with an opposite-field home run off reliever Fernando Rodney. Thome and Jermaine Dye became the Sox’s first twosome to hit 40 homers in a season in franchise history.
