Game 2 of 3: White Sox 8 vs. Twins 5 FINAL
Game Time: 2:27 Attendance: 41,533
WP: Jon Garland (1-0); LP: Radke (0-2); Shingo Takatsu (2)
PROPS TO:
* Jon Garland - Pitched pretty well in his first start of 2005, going 6 innings, giving up 10 hits, though only 3 runs. He didnt walk anyone, and only had 1 strikeout.
* Carl Everett - Got the Sox on board early, swatting a 2-run homer in the top of the 1st. He would end up with 3 RBIs in the game.
* Timo Perez - His 7th inning leadoff homer off of Radke would put the Sox back in the lead, 4-3, after the Twins tied it up in the 5th. The Sox would never relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game after that homer.
* Paul Konerko - Doing what he does best, and that is hit the long ball against the Twins. He had another one tonight, his 2nd of the series (3rd of the season), and it gave the Sox an 8-3 lead.
* Twins offense - I should also give them a flop for their offense, but they banged out 14 hits, and that was a good thing to see. They could have easily scored more than 5 runs though, which is why Id give them a flop. Their RISP average in the series isnt too good, though I dont know exactly what it is. Its gotta be down there though. But, every starter had at least one hit in the game, so thats a plus. No o-fers tonight!
* Shannon Stewart - My one fave Twin comes through in the 5th inning, belting a 3-run bomb that ties the game, 3-3. It would be his first homer of the young season.
* Torii Hunter - He joined the home run parade, going yard to the opposite field in the 8th, cutting the Sox lead to 8-4. It was also his first round-tripper of 2005. He also added a double, going 2-4 on the night, and bringing his average up to .150.
* Lew Ford - How could I miss Lewwwww? He had 3 hits in the game, most by any starter, and raising his average to .250.
* Matt LeCroy & Joe Mauer - Each contributing 2 hits in the game, with Mauer picking up the 5th and final RBI in the game for the Twins.
* Bob Kurtz - His inaugural game as the interim PA announcer, and I thought he did a pretty good job. Im sure hell make some adjustments in the next few weeks once he gets used to it, such as announcing a particular player by a certain way, as Bob Casey used to do.
FLOPS TO:
* Brad Radke - I had to give him a flop this time, as much as I didnt want to. He had a rough 1st inning again, which has been his nemesis of late, dating back to the 2004 season. His final line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 HRA, 0 BB, 2 SO. He didnt walk anyone though, so theres a positive. He wont walk many, but the home runs continue to hurt him. Hes given up 4 of them in just 13 innings. Ouch.
* J.C. Romero - An errant pickoff throw in the 7th which made the bleeding worse for the Twins.
* A.J. Pierzynski - Slow start in the series, and the only player in the game to not get a hit. He went 0-4.