Red Sox 9, White Sox 8; Red Sox 7, White Sox 4

The BoSox stayed hot this weekend, taking both games from the first place ChiSox before Sunday’s game was rained out.

Friday night, the Sox kicked off the series with a 9-8 win that fell squarely on the sizable shoulders of David “Big Papi’ Ortiz. Ortiz knocked in 6 of the team’s 9 runs, 4 of those coming on a pair of homers in back-to-back innings. The first, a solo shot over the Monster off Cy Young candidate Mark Buereuerehrerele in the 7th, broke a 5-5 tie and gave the hometown Sox their first lead of the night; the second, an enormous 3-run job to center in the 8th inning, extended the Boston lead to 4 runs heading into the 9th. Curt Schilling, entering in a non-save situation, needed the full cushion as he allowed two dingers to Tad Iguchi and Paul Konerko, sandwiched around a 1 out walk, to allow Chicago to pull within 9-8 before closing it out for the Sox 5th straight win.

Saturday’s game featured another sterling performance by New Sox Ace Tim Wakefield, who pitched 6 shutout innings leading up to an untimely rain delay in the 7th. When the game resumed 40-some-odd minutes later, Wakey was a bit rusty, serving up two solo homers to pull the White Sox within 3 runs at 5-2. But the bottom of the inning saw the BoSox answer with two runs of their own, extending the lead to a 7-2 advantage that proved insurmountable for the Chicago 9, despite the best help that The Linger and Schill could offer from the pen.

On a side note, I had the extreme displeasure of witnessing the Saturday Chicago-Boston tilt on WGN, the Chicago Superstation, thanks to the magic of satellite television. Mebbe I’ve been spoiled by years of Joe and Jerry, Rem-dog and Don Orsillo, Sean McDonough and Bob Montgomery calling games for the Sox, and now Vin Scully and Charlie Steiner announcing for the Dodgers…but goddamn these ChiSox broadcasters are fuggin awful! If you’ve never had the opportunity to listen to these babbling idiots, I suggest you take time for an inning or two. Not only are they the biggest homers this side of Michael Kay—every opponent strike out registers a resounding “He Gone!” from the play-by-play announcer (whose name I have blissfully forgotten) no matter what the score and inning recaps are begun and ended with a childish “Bad Guys 3, Our Guys 2” or the like—but the two-man booth combination act with each other like a couple in need of counseling: sniping, undercutting and second-guessing each other as they fall over each other to praise the hometown team, again no matter the score. They are truly one of the worst announcing teams I have ever witnessed in all my years of baseball viewership—and I’ve spent the last 5 years watching Angels games!—and I thank sweet baby jesus that the Sox will not be making another stop in Chicago until…shit, wait…The Playoffs!

Record: 68-47
Streak: W6
Standing: 1st in the AL East, 4.5 games ahead of MFY
Next Game: Monday 8.15.05 @ 7:05pm ET @ Detroit
BOS – Bronson Arroyo (10-7, 4.28) vs. DET – Sean Douglass (4-2, 4.08)