elrockinMT

Maggs single and then gets thrown out at 2nd. Base running blunders?

Just logged on and see Garland pitching a great game. I think he has got it. Wish Danny Wright could figure it out too. I see Jon gave up a homer, which in my opinion is the one drawback he still has as a big pitcher. He still has to give up the long ball.

Loved to have gotten Giles, but taking Kendall also probably put the price as to high for JR to swallow. I don't see the Pirates picking up salary. We get hosed on the deal for Everett unless he starts hitting and we keep winning. Also if we just let him, Alomar and Colon walk after the season. Rent-a-player we should not play.

I am still hurting after seeing the replay on ESPN last night. PK is a team player.

Jon has the talent and I think Danny Wright does too. However, they always wanted to do it their way and not listen to the pitching coach. Maybe Jon started to listen? He has done a good job in the last 10 games and sending Wright down might have been a wake up call to the youngster?

Jose Valentin for Thursday in Toronto

I don't care if Gordon got pissed last night or not, he had a chance to get the save and he gave up a hit to Wells and walked Delgado. Then JM did the right thing and brought in Marte to face the lefty and it worked... Gordon might have been more angry at himself and not Manuel. Gordon is a true competitor and wants to win so if he pitched poorly he would be angry for not getting the job done. Manuel made the right move and the team won, which is the bottom line.

Ponson is a guy that had limited success before this year. He may have talent, but before we start giving up our talent we need more proof he is not a one year wonder. We may need that 5th starter though, or another relief pitcher, but even the great analysts on BBTN think Ponson is just a good 4th or 5th pitcher and the Orioles are asking to much.

I was not thrilled with the trade that brought Billy Koch to the Sox. However, I would think even less of Koch if he didn't want to regain his role as the team stopper. It has nothing to do with Marte and Gordon not doing the job, if Koch gets back in form and is the closer, and everything to do with having three terrific relief pitchers playing as a team. I am not sure Koch will get back his form and he hasn't given anyone reason to believe he will after his last performances, but he is still a member of the team and hopefully can regain whatever he has lost. We would be that much stronger. I still have to believe he is hurt, but all reports are contrary to that assumption.

At the bottom of the story is a report on Anderson. Sox strike back Grand slam caps five-run rally By SCOTT MANSCH Tribune Asst. Sports Editor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRIBUNE PHOTOS BY STUART S. WHITE Helena runner Augustin Septimo is called out at home in a collision with White Sox catcher Matt Deuchler. The White Sox used a five-run seventh inning to defeat Helena 11-8. Great Falls vs. Helena First pitch: 7 p.m. at Legion Park The Helena Brewers swiped seven bases Wednesday night, but it was the Great Falls White Sox who really stole one. Seth Morris blasted a grand slam in the seventh inning as the Sox rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat the Brewers 11-8 in an important Pioneer League baseball game before an announced crowd of 2,433 at Legion Park. Carlos Lee drove in four runs and Randy Surratt pitched three scoreless innings of relief when it looked like Helena might win a runaway as the Sox pulled within 1Þ games of the first-place Brewers in the Pioneer's Northern Division. The Sox have four games left in the league's 38-game first half, while the Brewers have three. Since the two teams meet again tonight in the third game of a four-game set, neither club must rely on outside help in order to secure a playoff spot. "We've got our fate in our hands," said Great Falls manager Chris Cron. "We can take care of own business and that's all you can ask for." The Sox prevailed Wednesday night despite an uneven performance that included six fielding errors, seven stolen bases by an aggressive Helena club, a couple of wild pitches and two hit batsmen. "You don't win many games when you commit the kind of mistakes we did tonight," said Cron, whose club fell behind 8-3 after 3Þ innings. "It's just a credit to our kids. They don't give up." When Surratt, a southpaw free agent from Wayne (Mich.) State, entered the game, things looked bleak for Great Falls. But the 21-year-old from Roseville, Mich., pitched scoreless ball in innings five through seven. The Sox got two in the fifth to shave the deficit to 8-5, then used several walks from Brewer pitching to mount a seventh-inning rally. Lee, who was 3-for-5 with four RBI, drilled a two-out single to bring the Sox within 8-6. When Clinton King walked to load the bases, Helena manager Ed Sedar called for hard-throwing reliever Greg Moreira. The right-handed Moreira quickly got ahead of Morris 0-and-1. "He threw that first one by me," said Morris, "and I really wasn't expecting another one. But he left it up and I was able to get some good wood on it." Morris, a 21st-round pick in the 2002 draft who entered the game hitting .242 with 1 homer and 6 RBI, crashed the second fastball he saw high and deep to right-centerfield. It cleared the 368-foot mark and suddenly the Sox were ahead. "It's never over," said Cron, whose club lost a one-run game to the Brewers Tuesday night. "We just kept battling away, and the next thing you know, something big happens for us. It's a big win, and we needed it big-time." Drew Anderson had three hits and two stolen bases for Helena, which leads the division with a 22-13 record. The White Sox are 20-14. "We were aggressive throughout," said Sedar. "You've got to hand it to their pitchers in the 5-9 innings. They came in and shut us out when we were on a pretty good roll." Said Cron: "Randy did a great job. He came out and threw up zeroes when we really needed it. If he doesn't do that we have no chance of winning." White Sox ace Brandon McCarthy (4-2, 1.88) is slated to pitch tonight against Helena's Gregory Kloosterman (2-0, 4.73). NOTES: First-round draft choice Brian Anderson, who hasn't played for several weeks because of a sore wrist, had an MRI Tuesday and will travel to Chicago today so White Sox doctors can inspect the results. Anderson, the former University of Arizona star, had surgery on the wrist last December and apparently re-injured it early in his pro career. "It could be something minor, or something else," said Great Falls skipper Chris Cron. "We'll just have to wait and see. We hope it's just a bruise." ... Third baseman Michah Schnurstein, meanwhile, is about ready to play after missing nearly a month with a broken bone in his right wrist. Cron said Schnurstein might play either Friday or Saturday ... Brian Porter, Chicago's assistant director of player development, is in Great Falls for the Helena series ... Wednesday's game took 3 hours and 29 minutes, easily the longest of the summer at Legion Park.

I read this column and another one saying the Sox need a third baseman to replace Crede and a catcher, who could hit because Olivo's offense was killing the line up. They also said that the Sox needed the real Paul Konerko to show up. Well, I think PK is back and I am not sure that something as radical as getting another 3rd sacker is needed or another catcher, however, a good hitting catcher who can handle the staff might be a plus. But, who do we have to give up to accomplish that feat? The Sox were called an enigma and everytime they seem out of it they come back. Gammons says the Sox are in it and will be adding players not trading them.

HEEE GAAAWWWWNNNN!

Jose Valentin for Wed at Toronto

1) Who will win the series (CHW/TOR/Split) (2 points)? Split 2) Who will get a save (Marte/Gordon/Neither) (Don't put "both") (2 points)? Marte 3) How many errors will the Sox make (4 points)? 2 4) Who will be the Sox team leader in RBIs after the series (4 points)? Ordonez 5) How many walks will Mark Buehrle issue (5 points)? 2 6) How many hits will Carl Everett have in the series (5 points)? 3 7) How many double plays will the Sox turn (4 points)? 4 8) Will Frank hit his 400th HR (Y/N) (2 points)? Yes 9) Will Sandy Alomar Jr. have a multihit game (Y/N) (2 points)? No 10) Will Bobby Kielty have an RBI (Y/N) (2 points)? Yes TIEBREAKER: Sox total hits minus Blue Jays total hits -1

We got a Sox winner today fans! Bartolo Colon looked great. Gave up a bloop type double to the lead off batter and then set down 17 in a row. He was bringing the heat and according to the TV gun was at 97 MPH a few times and Hawk & DJ mentioned the stadium gun getting him at 101, but it was probably not registering right. It looked as if Colon came out throwing hard from the beginning rather than letting it air out in the 6th on. Different approach to the game maybe, I don't know, but whatever it was it worked great. He got touched for 2 piddly in-field singles in the 8th and ended up giving up 2 runs. Marte blew them away after that. Frank and Magglio hit ist inning homers and Lee got a 2 run homer also. The one hit by the Big Hurt was almost on the concourse in deeeeeeppp left. A real bomb. It was a great game and a Sox winner. KC lost today also.

My feeling too. He has to much pride and drive to not want to put out his best effort today. As long as he is healthy we might see a great game. He wants to prove he is the main guy. I am hoping our offense can really let loose with both barrels

I'm Sorry!

Sox snap losing streak; Nanita goes hitless By Tribune Staff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSOULA -- The Great Falls White Sox had been struggling to grab a lead for the first six games of their most recent Pioneer League road trip, but the seventh game was a charm. The White Sox posted six runs in their first trip to the plate against the Missoula Osprey. That lead didn't last, but the White Sox rallied late for a 9-7 victory to snap a three-game losing streak. The victory lifted manager Chris Cron's team to a 19-13 record in the Northern Division race, 1Þ games behind league-leading Helena (21-12). Missoula dropped to 18-15 with its first loss in eight games, just behind Billings (18-14). The Helena Brewers, who defeated the Billings Mustangs Monday, come to Legion Park tonight to begin a four-game series that could decide the first-half championship in the North. The White Sox staked starting pitcher Boone Logan to the big lead, but he never made it out of the fifth inning. Reliever Jeff Little took over in the fifth and couldn't hold the lead. Mike Moat came on the seventh and pitched three solid innings to earn the victory, his first of the season. In the first inning, the White Sox used four singles, an error, a wild pitch and Chris Kelly's two-run double to score six times. It was the first time Great Falls had scored in the first frame since heading to Billings on July 15. Missoula got two runs back in the fourth inning thanks to some shaky fielding, then added five in the fifth as the White Sox committed two more errors. The White Sox regained the lead 8-7 in the eighth on Seth Morris' two-run single, then Ricardo Nanita was hit by a pitch, ending his Pioneer League-record 30-game hitting streak. In the ninth, Antoin Gray added an insurance run when he doubled home Brandon Bounds. Clinton King made a diving catch in centerfield to close out the game. WHITE SOX MISSOULA ab r h bi ab r h bi Nanita cf 4 0 0 0 Kaplan cf 5 0 0 0 Hggrty 2b 0 0 0 0 McStts ss 5 0 0 0 Myers ss 4 1 1 0 Murillo 2b 5 1 3 0 Lee dh 5 1 0 0 1b 3 1 0 0 Bounds 1b 4 1 0 0 McCrry 3b 4 2 2 0 Lisk c 5 1 1 1 Montero dh 4 1 1 1 Gray 2b 5 2 3 1 Mlndez rf 2 1 0 1 King lf 4 1 1 0 Grrero lf 4 1 1 2 Morris rf 4 0 2 3 VanZile lf 0 0 0 0 Mercado c 2 0 0 0 Acosta ph 1 0 0 0 Brito 1b 0 0 0 0 Totals 39 9 9 7 Totals 35 7 7 4 White Sox 600 000 021 -- 9 Missoula 000 250 000 -- 7 IP H R ER BB SO White Sox Logan 4.2 5 5 4 3 0 Little 1.1 2 2 1 1 0 Moat W,1-0 3 0 0 0 0 0 Missoula Rosen 5 6 6 0 1 4 H.Guerrero 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 Julio 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 Dove 1 1 1 0 0 1 Cremidan L,2-1 1.1 2 2 1 1 2

If you get WGN the game is on at 1:05 PM EDT. Colon pitches today so I want to see if he can rebound. Sox can sweep the Indians with some offesne today, if Colon holds up his end. Any of you going to the game so I can be alert to fan shots when they swing around to the stands?

Brian Daubach on 7-22 versus the Indians. I hope I have time before the game to check and make sure he is playing.

As I have said in the past, "it's all in the wrist action." Now give me a cigarette.

Ah you can almost hear Jerry Reinsdorf saying the samething 2003. I think Jerry said that in 1997, "anybody that thinks this team can catch the Indians is crazy!" Maybe he lerned a lesson? Then again maybe not.

That's a Sox winner! PH Hafner grounds out to end it. Flash gets the save. Porzio gets the win!!!

Flash K's McDonald for the 2nd out. Come on Flash just 1 more

Flash comes back to K Broussard. 1 out