Spiegel: White Sox Are Having Fun Again
By Matt Spiegel--
(CBS) Coming off a 5-1 road trip, albeit against two bad teams, the White Sox had earned some of our attention entering Monday.
On a beautiful night in Chicago, two true aces coming off their best starts of the year got a bit more of it.
With the Cubs and Blackhawks on off days and the Bulls getting an early start on an awkward postseason, there wasn't much else to pull our focus.
We were rewarded with the best White Sox win of the 2015. It's now six wins in a row and after that horrific first six weeks, the White Sox are just one-and-a-half games out of the second wild-card spot. They're one game behind the mighty Tigers in the loss column.
The game Monday night, that was what good baseball looks like. It's easy to forget.
Indians ace Corey Kluber is one of just a few pitchers whose technicolor stuff can make an effective Chris Sale seem like a momentary oversight. Kluber is filthy and surgical.
"He has the nastiest stuff I've ever seen, really," Sale said.
Great strikeout pitching can occasionally make teams fall asleep, but on Monday, it helped them lock in, realizing the enormity of every little chance and opportunity.
There was terrific defense on both sides -- yes, even from the White Sox. Alexei Ramirez made a spectacular leaping catch. Melky Cabrera killed a Cleveland rally with a diving grab in left.
The Indians made their own great plays. Brandon Moss started a crucial and difficult 3-6-3 double play in the eighth inning. In his seventh career game, Zach Walters made a great diving catch in left.
And look how the runs were scored. The Indians took the lead on a well-executed sacrifice fly, which Avisail Garcia had to spin on between catch and throw.
The White Sox tied it on a bold bit of base running by Adam Eaton, who had tripled to get to third base. Kluber tried to pitch around Jose Abreu, threw a curve in the dirt, and Eaton correctly figured that this would be his best chance.
Eaton would have been out had the catcher held on to the ball, but it was still a worthwhile gamble. Adam LaRoche was next, and he had been dominated by Kluber all night.
A guy who's here in large part for his defense, Carlos Sanchez, won it with a walk-off in the 10th against the Indians bullpen. He stirred the drink (which still looks more like the butter churn) as he rounded first.
The White Sox have a "group thing" going on with that straw stir. They have T-shirts. They're having fun.
It's good to see this happening when it comes to Eaton, on a couple of fronts. First, he of course has to be more of the .362 OBP guy he was last year for this lineup to function. And for him personally, his vibes can and have rubbed people the wrong way. A cranky Arizona clubhouse led by Kirk Gibson didn't welcome Spanky's personality in his first big league stint. He's got a home here in Chicago.
Along with the fun, the White Sox are winning, with their current streak at six and a row. There are six more games on this homestand against division teams, including a set against the Twins, who are insultingly above them in the standings. Chicago better win four of them to get it while it can. An 11-game road trip looms starting next Monday.
The season trajectory has changed pretty quickly. In a long season, it can change again, but there are lots of good signs.
One of which is that on a night of sports viewing isolation, South Side baseball can be rewarding.
Matt Spiegel is a host on the Spiegel and Goff Show on 670 The Score from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on weekdays. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpiegel670.
