August 22 - 24, 2008: Rays @ White Sox

August 22 - 24, 2008 - Chicago, Illinois

August 22: Rays 9 - White Sox 4
August 23: Rays 5 - White Sox 3
August 24: Rays 5 - White Sox 6

The catcher is a flopper.

Every game in this series should have been won by the White Sox. There simply is no excuse for stranding as many runners as the Sox did throughout the series. Capitalizing on opportunities is something the Sox definitely need to work on. Forget the home run as the be all end all. It does not work for every situation. Sure, if you get a can't miss pitch, by all means, get all over it. But what the team needs more is the single or the gapper when there are men in scoring position and less than two outs.

The good:
Nick Swisher hit home runs in four straight games.

A. J. Pierzynski stole game 3 by getting an interference call in his favor.

The bad:
Javier Vazquez's perfect game turned into a perfect mess in game 2.

Matt Thornton's blown save in game 2.

The ugly:
The sheer amount of opportunities wasted in this series by the Sox.

The bad Octavio Dotel is showing up. The one that gets nobody out.

As soon as Javier Vazquez was given a no decision, he exited the dugout into the clubhouse, not to be seen again on Saturday. I don't blame him. He pitched one hell of a ballgame that day, only to watch it being erased before his very eyes.

Love or hate A.J., you have to admire someone who knows the rule book inside and out. He is truly the Forrest Gump of baseball. He keeps finding himself in impossible situations facing impossible odds and comes out smelling like a rose.