Vazquez struggles in Sox loss
Ozzie can't say enough of Jeter, but it's Mussina who's the prize
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had no problem expressing his man-crush on New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
''Derek Jeter has everything in his life,'' Guillen gushed Wednesday. ''He's got money, he's got rings...''
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
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Yankees 6, White Sox 4
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Then Guillen paused and laughed as it became obvious where he was going.
''He's not married,'' he continued. ''He lives in New York. At the All-Star Game, I looked around to see if he's got anything I don't like. Whoa. The perfect man. Too bad I don't have a daughter.''
First things first: Too bad Guillen doesn't have a team that can beat Jeter and the Yankees.
Yes, the Sox made it interesting in the late innings, but in the end, the 6-4 loss was just more New York dominance -- especially at U.S. Cellular Field, where 27,751 showed up to watch the Sox drop their fifth straight home game to the Yankees and seventh in the last eight.
''You play good against some guys, and others you don't,'' Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez said, trying to explain the one-sided series. ''In the years I've been here, we've played well against Detroit, and they've had a good team. I can't explain that one, either.''
Vazquez (3-2) battled with control all night -- not that it came as a shock, considering his recent history against his former team. The right-hander lasted just 5 1/3 innings and allowed six runs and 10 hits to drop to 1-4 against the Yankees with a 6.14 ERA.
''Javy was off,'' Guillen said. ''He couldn't find the strike zone right away. They made him pitch.''
Vazquez agreed with that assessment.
''My rhythm wasn't there,'' he said. ''It was a battle out there. They have a good lineup, and they make you throw a lot of pitches. You have to have your control with them.''
Melky Cabrera opened the scoring in the second with an RBI single, and Jorge Posada made it a three-run Sox deficit in the fifth with a two-run double.
The Sox (11-9), who suddenly have become feast-or-famine on offense, finally showed some life in the fifth, courtesy of Joe Crede's team-leading sixth home run.
But as the Sox bullpen found out in Tuesday's meltdown, the Yankees still can bring the lumber, and they did so in the sixth.
Johnny Damon brought home two more runs with a double, and Jeter made it a 6-1 Yankees lead with an RBI single.
The only other mistake Yankees starter Mike Mussina (2-3) made came in the seventh, when Carlos Quentin hit a solo homer off the veteran right-hander.
''He was changing speeds,'' Sox outfielder Nick Swisher said. ''He was throwing 85 to 48. We saw nothing he hasn't done before.''
Maybe 48 mph was an exaggeration, but the bottom line was that Mussina was effective in his seven innings.
''He threw a hell of a ballgame,'' Guillen said. ''When he needed to throw the big pitch, he was around the plate with it.''
The loss dropped the Sox to 4-5 at home, but Guillen had an idea.
''Maybe we'll play with the gray [road] uniforms on [tonight],'' he joked. ''See what happens.''
