Not a Good Loss at All

Another game down the drain for the suddenly struggling South Siders. This one is just bad because this is another situation where a pitcher with an ERA the size of Texas comes in and makes the Sox look silly. The Sox recorded just two hits in the 6+ innings Arroyo worked and rarely outside of the first inning was there even a good at bat.

The thing that really frustrates me about this game is the way Ozzie is managing his personel right now. First of all there must be a better way to use Thome. I know there's not a ton of pop off that bench but sending him up there to inevitably face Rhodes is not smart. Thome was 2 for 21 off Rhodes before the AB and needless to say he's now 2 for 22. The other one that really bothered me was leaving Beckham in the game at the end of the game. The tying run is on first base with a good closer on the mound. For me it was the perfect situation to get Fields or Nix in the game to prove their worth. I just can't understand leaving a guy hitting 7 for 44 in the game.

I didn't have too much of a problem with the managing of the pitching staff tonight, but I thought there was an opportunity for a double switch in the 6th when Contreras was starting to go south. Get Fields or Nix in the game and set up the Thome AB for later in the game.

Of course all of this is easy for me to say after the fact (though I do say most of it during the game), but this is the second game in a row I thought Ozzie sat back and watched instead of being agressive with changes to give his team a better chance to win. Sox were on a roll up until the 8th inning yesterday, now all of a sudden they are back to the garbage we have grown accustom to all year. (And I think they shot some much needed life into the guys on the other side of town).