Treacherous stretch ahead for Sox...

[bjm676]

This upcoming stretch should really show what this team is made of.

 

Treacherous stretch for Sox

 

BY CHRIS DE LUCA STAFF REPORTER

 

They are still out there, even a week after the All-Star break. The White Sox have been in first place every day this season, 108 and counting -- 14 more days than their combined total from 2001 to 2004. They have owned the best record in baseball since April 30.

 

But the doubters won't disappear. They keep waiting for the balloon to burst.

 

And they believe the air will start to seep out beginning today, when the Sox' schedule takes a decidedly tricky turn with the opening of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

 

It marks the first time the White Sox will play the defending World Series champions. Among the 2004 American League playoff teams, the White Sox have not played the Red Sox or New York Yankees. They are 4-1 against the Minnesota Twins with 13 games remaining against a team that has enjoyed a 46-35 edge in the division rivalry since 2001. They are 4-3 with three games left against the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels, who are much improved with the return of reigning league MVP Vladimir Guerrero, who missed the first seven games against the Sox.

 

WIN-LOSE SITUATION

Of the 69 games the White Sox have left, 46 are against teams that currently have .500-or-better records, starting with a four-game set tonight against the world champion Boston Red Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Here's a breakdown of the games left:

 

AT OR ABOVE .500

TEAM (record)  LEFT (h/a) 

Twins (51-42) 13 (7/6)

Red Sox (52-42) 7 (4/3) 

Indians (48-47) 6 (3/3)

Yankees (51-42) 6 (3/3) 

Rangers (48-45) 4 (0/4)

Orioles (50-44) 4 (0/4) 

Angels (56-38) 3 (3/0)

Blue Jays (47-47) 3 (3/0)

 

BELOW .500

Royals (34-60) 9 (3/6)

Mariners (41-52) 6 (3/3) 

Tigers (46-47) 8 (4/4)

 

PLAYING 8-BALL

Nine American League teams enter play today with winning records. Here are the White Sox' records against the eight other teams above .500:

Indians: 10-3

Athletics: 2-7

Angels: 4-3

Twins: 4-1

Rangers: 2-3

Orioles: 2-2

Red Sox: 0-0

Yankees: 0-0

White Sox' total: 24-19

 

DIVISION PLAY

Despite their two-game losing streak, the White Sox still have the best record in baseball at 62-31. Here's how they have fared against the three divisions in the American League and in interleague play:

 

AL Central: 31-7

AL East: 9-4

AL West: 10-14

NL: 12-6

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen has spent all season defending his team, and he was at it again before an 8-6 loss Wednesday to the Detroit Tigers.

 

''Right now, we played -- how many? -- 70 games against Triple-A teams,'' he cracked. ''[Doubters] feel that way, like we never played real big-league teams.''

 

It's tough to say a team with a 62-31 record, including a 23-9 mark in one-run games, has gotten fat off a soft schedule. This isn't college basketball.

 

But without a thicker 2005 resume against the heaviest hitters in baseball, it's tough to quiet the doubters who insist this Sox team isn't for real.

 

''It don't matter to us,'' Guillen said. ''Right now, I feel like we can play anybody, we can match up. It's a pretty good hitting team, and hopefully my pitching staff can keep throwing the way they did.''

 

Guillen's team finally gets a chance to back up the big talk. The four-game set against the Red Sox is followed by what should be a three-game road breather against the Kansas City Royals. The Sox then close July with a three-game road series against the fading-but-tough Baltimore Orioles. That's followed by a three-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

On Aug. 8, the Sox begin their most grueling stretch of the season, opening a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. That's followed by three games at Fenway Park. The Sox then return home to face the Twins and Yankees, followed by a grueling trip to Minnesota, Seattle and Texas that features 10 games in nine days, thanks to an Aug. 30 doubleheader against the Rangers.

 

Without a day off, that trip is followed by a four-game home series against the Tigers starting Sept. 1.

 

The Tigers just took two out of three at U.S. Cellular Field, but that improved their record to only 3-8 against the Sox.

 

Though doubters could make a case the Central is the AL's weakest division, where the Sox enjoy a 31-7 record, Guillen disagrees.

 

''Our division is pretty tough in the pitching,'' he said, ''and this game is all about pitching.''

 

That's true. Entering Wednesday, the Sox (first at 3.58), Twins (second, 3.67), Cleveland Indians (fourth, 3.81) and Tigers (sixth, 3.92) ranked among the league leaders in team ERA. But the Royals were 13th with a 5.29 mark. And the Sox are 9-0 against the Royals.

 

That's more fodder for the doubters, who discount the fact the Sox are 24-19 against AL teams that entered Wednesday with winning records.

 

One of those teams, the Indians, got off to a disappointing start and didn't become a winning team until June 12. Take the Sox' 13 games against the Indians out of the equation, and the record drops to 14-16.

 

That's just the kind of fact the doubters love.

 

And that's why the Sox will have to quiet the doubters in the next month.

 

''We play our division pretty good and the rest of the league pretty good,'' Guillen said. ''Now we're starting against real teams.

Edited July 21, 2005 by robinventura23