Ozzie Guillen knew Paul Konerko was in pain just from the look on his best player’s face.

When Konerko got plunked in the calf by a pitch from Andrew Miller in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game against the Red Sox, everything seemed to crumble for the White Sox.  

They couldn’t score after loading the bases, they ended up leaving 12 runners on base, they lost Konerko for the final five innings — and maybe for Monday night’s opener of a four-game series against the Yankees — and they lost the game to Boston 5-3.  

Konerko actually stayed in the game and took his base, but had to leave after the inning ended with the bases loaded. The White Sox had taken a 3-2 lead in the inning on Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single but didn’t score again.  

“I don’t expect him to be in the lineup to be honest with you. When PK took himself out of the game, it’s not a concern but I know that guy was hurt,” Guillen said.

“When I went to the plate, I’ve managed him for a little while, I knew this guy can tolerate some pain and tough it out. When I got back to the dugout, I told JP (Juan Pierre) to get loose because I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Pierre did come in and play left and Brent Lillibridge switched from left to first where he made his first major league appearance at the position.  

“We’ve got two lineups tomorrow just in case he can’t play,” Guillen said of Konerko, batting .305 with 25 homers and 76 RBIs. The White Sox, who trail Detroit by four games in the AL Central, are facing Yankees ace CC Sabathia.  

Earlier in the week, the White Sox dealt away starter Edwin Jackson and backup infielder Mark Teahen but did not make another deal at the deadline. Now they’re 52-54 and must somehow get it together with two months left.  

“I would never have guessed we would have been in this spot that we’re in right now,” said starter Mark Buehrle who allowed five hits and two runs in six innings and left with a 3-2 lead.  

“I can’t see the future. I thought going into spring training we had a good team and a good chance, but obviously we’re not in a good spot right now.”

After getting 10 hits and three runs off Miller in his 5 2-3 innings, the White Sox were shut out by Boston’s bullpen that used three relievers, Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.  

“When you don’t score runs in the American League, it’s going to be hard to win games,” Guillen said. “The pitchers can take you so far.”

Ramirez’s RBI single, Chicago’s third hit of the inning, gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Miller then hit Konerko in the left calf with a pitch to load the bases. Konerko stayed down for a couple of seconds and then was able to walk it off and stay in the game. And the White Sox couldn’t keep their rally going.

“You get to the point when you might snap. We’ve got two months, a month and half, hopefully our offense will pick it up from now on and make it easier for the pitching staff,” Guillen said. “And for me.”

Jason Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning to give Miller a quick lead.

But Chicago got one back in the second on Brent Morel’s two-out RBI double over center fielder Ellsbury’s head and another in the third when Carlos Quentin, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit two-out consecutive singles.

NOTES: The White Sox honored former slugger Frank Thomas by unveiling a statue of the two-time MVP on the outfield concourse. … Bard has not allowed a run in his past 26 1-3 innings. … The White Sox inserted DH Dunn into the lineup at first in the ninth.

CBSSports.com wire reports
July 31, 2011

CHICAGO — The Boston Red Sox are aware of how little wiggle room there is in the competitive AL East, especially as they try to stay ahead of the Yankees for first place.

“We’ve been playing good ball. We just have to keep it rolling. We don’t have that big of a lead in the division, so we have to play good baseball,” Dustin Pedroia said Sunday after the Red Sox wrapped up one of the best months of July in team history by beating the Chicago White Sox 5-3.

The Red Sox (66-40) finished July 20-6, a .769 winning percentage that beats their previous franchise record for the month – .741 (20-7) set in 1993.

Pedroia, whose 25-game hitting streak was snapped in Friday night’s opener won by the White Sox, had a two-run, go-ahead single in the seventh Sunday. And the Red Sox bullpen was stellar with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.

“I’m excited to hit with guys on base, I was just trying to drive the ball to the outfield to get one run, so I was lucky we got two,” Pedroia said after the Red Sox won 2 of 3 at U.S. Cellular Field.

Jason Varitek had a two-run homer and the relief trio of Alfredo Aceves (7-1), Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon shut the White Sox out after they’d taken a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

“Aceves comes in like he’s been doing, Bard came in and got four outs on not a lot of pitches and Pap came in and sewed it up. The extra run was nice to have,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Adrian Gonzalez provided that with a ninth-inning double.

Boston, which added utility infielder Mike Aviles in a trade from Kansas City on Saturday, bolstered its starting staff by acquiring lefty Erik Bedard from the Mariners in a three-team deal Sunday. The Red Sox’s rotation has been missing injured Clay Buchholz.

“Oh, right on. Awesome. He’s got great stuff,” Pedroia said of Bedard, who once pitched for the Orioles.

“We’ve had some injuries on our pitching staff, so we need a guy to come in here and help. Hopefully he does a great job for us. We’re excited to have him. It’s going to be a fun rest of the season.”

White Sox star Paul Konerko left the game with a bruised calf after being hit with a pitch by Boston starter Andrew Miller in the bottom of the fourth inning. Konerko initially stayed in the game and took his base, but left after the inning ended. X-rays were negative.

With the Yankees coming to town for four games, the White Sox can ill afford to lose Konerko (.305, 25 HRs, 76 RBI) for an extended stretch. They trail Detroit by four games in the AL Central.

“I don’t expect him to be in the lineup to be honest with you. When PK took himself out of the game, it’s not a concern but I know that guy was hurt,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said.

“When I went to the plate, I’ve managed him for a little while, I knew this guy can tolerate some pain and tough it out. When I got back to the dugout, I told JP [Juan Pierre] to get loose because I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Pierre went into the game in left field and Brent Lillibridge switched from left to first.

Chicago starter Mark Buehrle pitched six innings, giving up five hits and two runs, both coming on Varitek’s seventh homer in the second. The lefty departed with a with a 3-2 lead. But the White Sox couldn’t add on and had 12 runners left on base.

After Buehrle left, the Red Sox threatened in the seventh against reliever Jesse Crain (5-3) as Marco Scutaro singled, Jacoby EIllsbury got an infield single off the mound before backup catcher Tyler Flowers’ passed ball allowed both runners to move up.

Pedroia then hit a two-run single to center to put the Red Sox ahead and finish Crain. Chris Sale struck out David Ortiz with runners at second and third to end the inning.

Bard pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single, Chicago’s third hit of the inning, gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Miller then hit Konerko in the left calf with a pitch to load the bases. Konerko stayed down for a couple of seconds and then was able to walk it off and stay in the game. And the White Sox couldn’t keep their rally going.

“You get to the point when you might snap. We’ve got two months, a month and half, hopefully our offense will pick it up from now on and make it easier for the pitching staff,” Guillen said. “And for me.”

Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second to give Miller a quick lead.

But Chicago got one back in the second on Brent Morel’s two-out RBI double over center fielder Ellsbury’s head and another in the third when Carlos Quentin, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit two-out consecutive singles.

Miller gave up 10 hits and three runs in his 5 2/3 innings with one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.

Notes

• The White Sox honored former slugger Frank Thomas by unveiling a statue of the two-time MVP on the outfield concourse.
• Bard has not allowed a run in his past 26 1/3 innings.
• The White Sox inserted DH Dunn into the lineup at first in the ninth.

CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox unveiled a statue in the outfield concourse Sunday to honor former slugger Frank Thomas.

Thomas, who is the White Sox career leader in nearly every offensive category, played 16 seasons for Chicago before wrapping up his career with Oakland and Toronto. He was a two-time MVP with the White Sox.

He was a career .301 hitter with 521 home runs, 1,704 RBIs and 1,494 runs scored over his 19 seasons. He broke in with the White Sox in 1990 and had an injury-shortened final season with them in 2005 when they won the World Series.

His No. 35 was retired in August of last year. He joins Charles Comiskey, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce and Harold Baines with statutes at U.S. Cellular Field.

Thomas hit 448 of his homers for the White Sox.

At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Thomas was known for his batting eye. He drew 1,397 career walks.

“For a big guy, most guys are free swingers, but he just had a great eye,” said White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, a former teammate. “That was probably the one thing over his whole career you could say – he just always was dialed in on what he was looking for. He never expanded out of that too much. To me, that was always the thing that stuck out as far as when he was up there hitting.

“He wasn’t just a big guy that was strong. That was the last piece of the puzzle. He was a really good hitter mechanically, approach-wise, all that stuff. And on top of that, he happened to be a big, strong guy.”

Thomas came up as a first baseman before becoming a DH. Of his 2,322 career games, he started 969 at first.

He said the statue showing him swinging a bat was well-done.

“Love it. They even got my nose right. I’ve been getting (kidded) about my nose for so many years and (manager and former teammate) Ozzie (Guillen) was riding me the other day: ’They used a lot of clay on that nose,’” Thomas said. “It’s a good thing. It looks very, very realistic. I’m proud of it. Like I told you guys earlier, most guys are dead and gone before they get to see something like this. I’m honored and very, very proud.”

CHICAGO (AP)—The Chicago White Sox unveiled a statue in the outfield
concourse Sunday to honor former slugger Frank Thomas.

Thomas, who is the White Sox career leader in nearly every offensive
category, played 16 seasons for Chicago before wrapping up his career with
Oakland and Toronto. He was a two-time MVP with the White Sox.

He was a career .301 hitter with 521 home runs, 1,704 RBIs and 1,494 runs
scored over his 19 seasons. He broke in with the White Sox in 1990 and had an
injury-shortened final season with them in 2005 when they won the World Series.

His No. 35 was retired in August of last year. He joins Charles Comiskey,
Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce and Harold
Baines with statutes at U.S. Cellular Field.

Thomas hit 448 of his homers for the White Sox.

At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Thomas was known for his batting eye. He drew 1,397
career walks.

“For a big guy, most guys are free swingers, but he just had a great eye,”
said White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko(notes), a former teammate. “That was
probably the one thing over his whole career you could say—he just always was
dialed in on what he was looking for. He never expanded out of that too much. To
me, that was always the thing that stuck out as far as when he was up there
hitting.

“He wasn’t just a big guy that was strong. That was the last piece of the
puzzle. He was a really good hitter mechanically, approach-wise, all that stuff.
And on top of that, he happened to be a big, strong guy.”

Thomas came up as a first baseman before becoming a DH. Of his 2,322 career
games, he started 969 at first.

He said the statue showing him swinging a bat was well-done.

“Love it. They even got my nose right. I’ve been getting (kidded) about my
nose for so many years and (manager and former teammate) Ozzie (Guillen) was
riding me the other day: `They used a lot of clay on that nose,”’ Thomas said.
“It’s a good thing. It looks very, very realistic. I’m proud of it. Like I told
you guys earlier, most guys are dead and gone before they get to see something
like this. I’m honored and very, very proud.”

July 31, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) —
The Chicago White Sox honored the legendary Frank Thomas, also known as “Big Hurt,” Sunday.

Thomas became the latest Sox player to be honored with a statue at U.S. Cellular Field. The statue is on the left field concourse.

A career 301 hitter with 521 home runs, Thomas played 16 seasons with the Sox and is their career leader in almost every offensive category.

The first 20,000 fans that arrived at Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox received a replica sculpture.

Thomas joins Carlton Fisk, Charles Comiskey and Harold Baines among others with statues at the Cell.

(Copyright ©2011 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

(Sports Network) – Tim Wakefield eyes career win No. 200 this evening when the
Boston Red Sox open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at U.S.
Cellular Field.

Wakefield moved within one win of the milestone with a victory over Seattle on
Sunday, despite an awful outing that saw him allow seven runs and 10 hits in 6
1/3 innings. Nonetheless he improved to 6-3 on the year to go along with a
5.15 earned run average.

“I’ve been fortunate this year to pitch as well as I have,” said Wakefield,
who has allowed 14 runs (10 earned) over his last two starts. “The last couple
[starts] haven’t been that great, but they’ve been good enough. I’m fortunate
to be on a great team, and I’ve been able to get some wins here and there.”

Wakefield, in his 19th big league season, has faced the White Sox 33 times (22
starts) and is 7-12 against them with a 4.97 ERA. However, he hasn’t beaten
them since 2007.

Boston lost for only the second time in its last eight games on Thursday,
falling to the Kansas City Royals, 4-3. Dustin Pedroia homered in the eighth
inning to extend his career-best hit streak to 25 games for the Red Sox, who
still own a 2 1/2-game edge on the New York Yankees for first place in the
American League East.

Chicago, meanwhile, helped its own division title hopes this week, taking two
of three from the Detroit Tigers to pull within three games of the AL
Central lead.

The White Sox snatched a series win on Wednesday, eking out a 2-1 win over the
Tigers. John Danks (4-8) allowed just one run on six hits and three walks
while tying a career-high with 10 strikeouts over six-plus innings in that
one, while Alejandro De Aza, who was called up from Triple-A Charlotte prior
to the game to play in place of the struggling Alex Rios, belted a two-run
homer in his first major-league at-bat of the season.

“After the third inning he was fighting through it, but this kid went out
there and he pitched with his heart,” manager Ozzie Guillen said of Danks.

Sergio Santos recorded the game’s final out to notch his 21st save of the
season, as the White Sox won for the fourth time in five games.

Tonight, Chicago will pin its hopes on righty Gavin Floyd, who has won his
last two starts. Floyd was magnificent last Friday in Cleveland, as he held
the Indians scoreless over 7 2/3 innings to run his record to 8-9, while
lowering his ERA to 4.11.

Floyd could continue his success tonight against the Red Sox. He beat them
earlier in the year and is 5-0 with a 3.83 ERA in seven games (six starts)
against them.

The White Sox swept a three-game set from the Red Sox earlier in the year and
have won 13 of the last 15 meetings.

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