3-10-08: Mariners 8 - Sox 9

What can I say? It's nice to see the batters show up with their A game for a change. I know it's only spring, but Opening Day looms closer with each passing game. In usual Spring Training White Sox fashion, it was closer than it should've been. A win is a win though, even in Spring Training.

If the pitching can keep the Sox in ballgames more often and the hitting can be slightly more consistent, there could be a winning combination.

The good:
Thome and Konerko home runs in the first inning. Talk about starting things off right.

The only starters that didn't get a hit were Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede. Not too shabby.

The bad:
Two throwing errors and a catching error.

A wild pitch by Buehrle.

The ugly:
Perez's 1/3 of an inning resulted in 5 runs in the ninth.

Joe Crede's spring batting average is at .091.

The important thing is the win. The other important thing is how you get there. This should have been an easy win for the Sox, but some relievers make an easy win as rare as a Barry Bonds smile. It's just not likely nowadays.