(Above: Unsuspecting Chisox RHP Ehren Wasserman enters the 8th inning)
From the first inning, Zack Miner (W, 6-4, 6IP, 7H, 2R, 3K) attacked a bloated Brian O’Nora strike zone to full effect, throwing no walks and dominating a Jermaine Dye-less Sox lineup to put an end to the Tigers 6-game losing streak. His sole trouble spot came loading the bases in the 4th with one out, but he punched out Ken Griffey (2K 1HBP) (dammit) and Alexei Ramirez in quick succession for two of his three Ks.
Javy Vazquez (L, 8-10, 7IP, 8H, 5R, 8K, 4BB) showed glimpses of brilliance but allowed five extra-base hits and left the game down three after giving up a high changeup solo bomb to Curtis Granderson that left Junior dumped in a heap at the wall. That wasn’t the game’s last senior Sox moment. In the 8th, a Jim Thome walk followed by a Konerko triple had Thome running out of gas rounding third, thrown out at home by a mile. An earlier Carlos Quentin solo HR off of Bobby Seay made it 5-3 and the Sox might have evened it up if not for a Ryan Raeburn diving robbery of Ramirez closing out the inning.
Sidearm syndrome Ehren Wasserman did the Roy Horn honors, brought in to face Magglio after a Carlos Guillen walk. The 0 for 4 Ordonez pounced, producing a fly ball to center instead of the double play, driving in Guillen and Granderson. A Cabrera walk later, Matt Joyce tagged the hapless hurler with a line drive off of Quentin’s glove for the final score of 8-3, bringing the White Sox’s division lead to half a game.
Ken Griffey Jr.? Really?