White Sox pitch great in win against KC Royals

[RockSports17]

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Ken Williams is very specific in remembering the last time he was able to take a deep breath, relax, and be completely pleased with his baseball team.

"Oct. 26 of last year,'' the White Sox' general manager insisted Monday. "And not during the day, but a few hours that night.''

That brief period of euphoria came after the Sox had finished a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros in the World Series.

And while a 9-0 lopsided victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night was not going to be enough to help Williams return to his "happy place,'' the GM could at least take comfort in the pitching performance of Jose Contreras.

Contreras threw seven scoreless innings, allowing a career-low one hit while fanning six and walking one as 27,899 at U.S. Cellular Field watched the Sox (8-5) improve to a season-best three games over .500.

In his last 11 regular-season starts, Contreras is 10-0 with a 1.88 ERA. His 10-game winning streak is also the fifth-longest in franchise history.

"Jose from last year in the second half has thrown the ball outstanding,'' Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We knew with Jose it was just a matter of time. He had one click, he got it and kept it.''

Along with relievers Boone Logan and Cliff Politte, it also was the first combined one-hitter by the Sox since May 25, 1979, when Ross Baumgarten and Randy Scarbery completed the feat against the California Angels.

All that mattered to Contreras, however, was the result.

"The most important thing is we won,'' Contreras said. "[My] confidence level is completely different then it was two years ago.''

Not that Contreras (2-0) had much pressure on him against the Royals (2-10). Thanks to a five-run first inning against starter Joe Mays, the Sox basically coasted.

Tadahito Iguchi, who went 3-for-5, started the nightmare for Mays (0-2) with a single. After a walk by Jim Thome, Paul Konerko continued his recent hot streak, hitting a 3-1 offering into the left-field stands. The three-run blast was the fifth home run of the year for Konerko, who has hit safely in his last seven games (.538 in that span).

"I think Konerko is a good hitter right now because he has Jermaine [Dye] behind him, and Jermaine is swinging good,'' Guillen said.

Konerko was quick to point out that Thome's presence in front of him also has been huge.

"I get pumped up watching him hit,'' Konerko said. "I just hope some of it rubs off on me. What he does at the plate, I can't do, no one can. He's something special.''

The souvenirs kept coming when Joe Crede went deep three batters later. His two-run shot gave the Sox a 5-0 lead.

Mays, who went 51/3 innings, settled down a bit after the rocky start, but the Sox got to the former Twin again in the fifth. Thome singled in a run, and Konerko doubled home another to give Contreras seven runs to work with.

The only offense the Royals could muster came in the fourth inning, when the no-hitter was put to rest with a Mark Grudzielanek double down the third-base line with one out. Back-to-back ground outs kept the shutout intact.

"I think the pitching sets the tone,'' Guillen said. "When you have a pitcher go out and have a performance like that, everything is going to go right.''

The Sox added some insurance with Scott Podsednik hitting an RBI single in the sixth and pinch hitter Pablo Ozuna adding an RBI single in the seventh.

The Sox will try to make it three in a row over the Royals tonight after dropping the first two games against them in Kansas City -- a fact that still eats at Williams.

"It's something I have to go back to my general make-up and I'm just not a happy person during the season,'' Williams added. "I wish I could watch these games with less intensity. I wish I could not feel it in the pit of my stomach, in the gut.

"Am I happy we are on the plus side of .500 now? Somewhat because we never should have been on the other side of it in the first place. We played our way into that.''

Damn. Some great pitching by the White Sox.

Thoughts?

[Dam8610]

It's the Royals. The Sox should pitch well against them.

[RockSports17]

Well Contreas is pitching great as of late. Royals or not, that was some great pitching that game.

[Dam8610]

Contreras has been the best pitcher so far, with Buehrle being a close second.

[RockSports17]

What do you think made him turn around his game? I don't ever remember him pitching this well before.

[Dam8610]

What do you think made him turn around his game? I don't ever remember him pitching this well before.

The change in his game is due to the change in his arm slot. Cooper and company made Contreras switch back to the 3/4 arm slot he used to throw at in Cuba, and he's been having great success with it ever since he got used to it again.