White Sox postgame

Seems like you guys really like to comment after a White Sox loss, so let’s get the debate going. Closer (for now) Matt Thornton and left fielder Juan Pierre both took the blame for Monday night’s 2-1 loss to the A’s in 10 innings, and I lauded them for that in my main story. Let’s delve a little deeper. Thornton’s 0-2 pitch to Andy LaRoche leading off the ninth inning was begging to be crushed, and that’s just what happened. After the double, Coco Crisp hit another rocket off Thornton that fortunately was hit right at first baseman Paul Konerko. The next batter, Daric Barton, hit a flyball to left field for the second out, but Pierre appeared to be fooled by the wind and he dropped it for an error. That scored the tying run, and Kurt Suzuki’s solo homer off Jesse Crain with two outs in the 10th inning decided the outcome. OK, a couple obvious things. Why not let Mark Buehrle pitch in the ninth and get the complete game shutout? He had a 2-hit shutout through 8 and threw 99 pitches. Ozzie: “I think one thing I said in spring training and I say over and over, we have to take care of Buehrle. He did his job, he had 95 or 96 or 97 pitches. Our bullpen, they are getting paid pretty good. I have confidence in the bullpen.” Buehrle said he could have gone out for the ninth, but he agreed with Guillen’s decision. On Thornton, Ozzie said he’s still going to “run him out there” to close. I think Sergio Santos is going to get a look sooner than later, and if he succeeds, he stays. On Pierre’s drop, his second costly muff in four games, don’t worry about it too much. He can’t throw worth a lick, but Pierre has always been good at catching the ball. Finally, I asked Ozzie afterward if he thought about using Adam Dunn to pinch-hit in the ninth inning when there were runners on first and second and one out in a 1-1 game. Alexei Ramirez grounded out, moving the runners up a base, and Brent Morel struck out to end the inning. Dunn, meanwhile, was standing in the dugout putting his batting gloves on with right-hander Tyson Ross on the mound. “No, there was a lefty pitcher out there (in the A’s bullpen). He had his gloves on just in case we fight,” Ozzie said.