Zambrano got lit up, giving up 8 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 1.1 innings of work.  While it was nice to see new addition Marlon Byrd go yard, as well as Ramirez, Big Z was the biggest problem.  Even the bullpen had some good moments in the 16-5 loss, and 5 runs is normally considered enough to win.  The two lefties Marshall and Russell combined for 4.2 innings of 2-hit no-run ball.  But Z, oh big Z.  He has the most electric stuff, but where does his head go?  And you know he lacks the ability to recover from a bad inning or even a bad at-bat.  For all those that think this year will be any different for Z in terms of learning to control his emotions, you are sorely mistaken.

Mark Buerhle’ description is the exact opposite.  This year will be no different for him in that he is the ultimate gamer.  The lefty gets guys out, and he does it quickly.  It really feels like he’s playing catch out there.  As a Cubs fan, I hear my fellow Cubs fans disparaging him year after year, talking about how he’s getting older and he’s “crafty” and all that kind of nonsense.  They are wrong.  The guy comes to play every time he takes the mound.  I would rather have 1 Buerhle with his decent skill-set and winning mentality than a 1,000 Zambranos with million dollar stuff and a 10 cent head.  The Sox got some help from their bats as well in the 6-0 victory, with Konerko and Rios hitting dingers.

Not only is Buerhle more reliable, but the guy is just more fun.  Check out this crazy play he made during yesterday’s game:

Baseball!!!!

The White Sox come in to the tilt with far greater momentum than the Tigers, having won both series since the all-star break and picking up the 18th perfect game in MLB history about two packs of Leyland’s cigs ago.  The Tigers meanwhile have only taken one game since the break, while losing five by a total of six runs.  Four of those games were by a score of 2-1. 

The depressing part for Detroit has been the outstanding pitching from unheralded starters that has gone completely to waste.  They are struggling at the plate in the worst way and it’s seemingly the worst possible timing for a series of importance. 

One thing going against the Sox has to be the pitching match-ups.  Leyland scheduled his post-break rotation to set up for this series and will trot out Verlander, Jackson, and Porcello this series, along with Eddie Bonine for tonight’s second leg of the double dip.  The Sox will have Contreras, Colon, Floyd, and Richard for their part. 

I have no stats whatsoever to back this up (what’s new) but it seems like Contreras kills the Tigers.  Gavin Floyd has gone six innings or more in every start but one since late May, and Clayton Richard is coming off one of his best performances as a major leaguer.  Even with the pitching match-ups favoring Detroit, you have to like the White Sox to take at least two games. 

Alright, well the games get started here in about an hour, so I’ll direct you to the lineups here.  Looks like Carlos Guillen will be making his return for the Tigs today after a long stint on the DL and DeWayne Wise will be rewarded for his heroic catch with a spot for him and his .196 average at the top of the order for the Sox.

The Comcast crew came up with a list of similarities between Mark Buehrle’s no-hitter on April 18, 2007 and his perfect game yesterday, July 23, 2009. Some of these are pretty good and we’ve added some more.

- Both included a White Sox player hitting a grand slam (no hitter: Jermaine Dye; perfect game: Josh Fields).

- Each game was a quick 2 hours and 3 minutes.

- Eric Cooper was the home plate umpire in both games.

- Eric Cooper’s official uniform number is 56, the same as Mark Buehrle’s.

- Each game included a leaping grab at the fence to rob an opposing player of a home run. (no hitter: Jermaine Dye robbing Hank Blalock; perfect game: Dewayne Wise robbing Gabe Kapler).

- Both games occurred at home, in front of the White Sox faithful.

- Sammy Sosa is still a cheating loser who can get picked off first with the best of them.

I agree with everyone saying this couldn’t happen to a better guy.  Mark Buehrle is so down to earth and refuses to take himself too seriously, joking with his teammates throughout the game rather than pulling a Marvin Harrison at the end of the bench.

Here’s to hoping you’ve got a few more of these in you before you retire to spend time with your family Mark.

Buehrle after his no-hitter

After his perfect game

Buehrle didn’t need a whole lot of help behind him until the 9th when DeWayne Wise came through in a huge way.  After he was subbed in to start the ninth, Wise tracked a Gabe Kapler bomb to the fence in left-center, brought back what was a sure home run, bobbled it and secured the catch.  From there, Buehrle got a strikeout and groundout to end the game. 

You know, if Ozzie wasn’t such a racist then Brian Anderson is out there in center and Buehrle is just another guy with a massive truck and a no hitter on his resume.  Something to ponder. 

Seriously though, congratulations to Mark Buehrle.  Hey, with the way the Tigers are hitting, we might see another perfect game or two this weekend.