After a shaky outing from rookie starter Jon Danks (above), it only took a half dozen Chicago relievers to subdue a Tribe uprising, as Cleveland’s Cliff Lee and Fernando Cabrera (a combined 11 earned runs over less than 6 innings) did their part to stake the White Sox to an insurmountable early lead. Paul Konerko hit a 3 run HR, and Rob Mackowiak drove in a trio with a double and single. Earlier in the day, Indians skipper Eric Wedge received a three year contract extension, along with an autograph 8 X 10″ of Nick Riff.
I don’t know who will claim the game ball from what looks to be Phillies Loss 10,001, but here’s a nomination for Lt. Dangle (a 3 run HR off Jamie Moyer) or Brad Penny (8 K’s over 7 IP) ; the Dodgers are up, 10-1, and while I’d love to say something disparaging about Jose Mesa’s mop-up task, he’s still got better stuff than Scott Schoeneweis. Just barely, though.
Scott Boras opined the other day that he’d prefer to see client Daisuke Matsuzaka “throw closer to 100 pitches than 120 pitches.” Red Sox manager Terry Francona, far too polite to go the STFU route, has an appropriate comeback in Monday’s Hartford Courant, replying “he can run the pitching when he lets me run the contracts, how’s that? Is that a fair tradeoff?”