August 1 - 3, 2008: White Sox @ Royals

August 1 - 3, 2008 - Kansas City, Missouri

August 1: White Sox 4 - Royals 2
August 2: White Sox 7 - Royals 9
August 3: White Sox 3 - Royals 14

Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting.

Things have not been boring on this road trip. Especially in Kansas City. A superstar's ChiSox debut. Two shellackings. One fight. Many hit batsmen and many ejections.

Things started off great in KC. Ken Griffey Jr. joined his new team and immediately started producing. From there, things just got worse. Buehrle got hit. Plays were not made. Fights broke out and the Sox pitching spiraled out of control. The heat can be partially to blame, but the Royals were out there too, so that's not a good excuse. It's just convenient.

The good:
Ken Griffey Jr. had an awesome debut in Game 1.

Brian Anderson showed hustle in center field in Game 3, even after it became hopeless.

The bad:
Clayton Richard gave up five runs in an inning, but seemed to bounce somewhat back after in Game 3.

The Sox lost a 3 run lead in Game 2 and never recovered.

The ugly:
The White Sox pitching broke down in the heat in Games 2 and 3.

The White Sox gave up 19 hits in two straight games to a team out of the playoff hunt.

The heat is no valid excuse for the pitching to get lit up like that. If that were true, the Royals should have had their problems too. The White Sox hit back to back home runs twice in the second game, but still couldn't overcome the deficit. There lies the problem. Most of the Sox hitters are trying to be the home run hero. To effectively score runs, the Sox need to get men on base. The focus must be on getting men on base and executing. That will be the key for the offense down the home stretch. The pitching should bounce back a little, if the starters can go more than five innings. Let's hope so.