July Week One Recap - The Trashman Cometh
Sox have won seven of eight games that Germán has started
The Trashmaster had a good week,
with two solid starts
July 1 -- July began with the first of a three-game series against the Louisville Sluggers, and the Black Sox managed to keep the Kentucky crew from slugging. Starter Pedro 'Trashmaster' Germán, owner of the best nickname on the club, held the Sluggers to just three hits and one run over six innings. The bullpen shut down Louisville the rest of the way. Germán was acquired in the off-season, along with RP Luis Noriega, from Sacramento in exchange for Angus Trew. The Trashmaster has been a solid fifth starter since being elevated to the rotation in late May. Final Score: Black Sox 4, Sluggers 1.
July 2 -- Black Sox ace Bernie Stuart, he of the 1.24 era over 12 starts, seemed to be motivated by Germán's shutdown of the Sluggers to fare just as well -- and he did, holding Louisville to four hits and one run over eight innings. Closer Clarence Pritchard shut down the opponents in the 9th for his 19th save, tops in the Frick Division. Final Score: Black Sox 2, Sluggers 1.
July 3 - Sluggers batters, clearly infuriated by two straight shutdowns in the first games of this series, lived up to their nickname in the third game, with 13 runs on 17 hits. Black Sox starter Jim Wilkinson seemed fine through five innings, giving up just one run, but in the sixth it all fell apart. Wilkinson allowed five straight batters to reach base before being yanked, and the Sluggers tallied six runs in that inning. Final Score: Sluggers 13, Black Sox 5.
July 4 -- Independence Day did not free the Black Sox pitching from getting smacked around, and Chicago dropped the series opener against the Bluebirds despite a decent performance by rookie starter Garrison Hewitt. Final Score: Bluebirds 4, Black Sox 2.
July 5 -- Number 4 starter Fernando Murillo pitched himself out of the starting rotation with this clunker. The 24-year old last only until the third inning, giving up six earned runs on six hits before being yanked. Murillo is a rookie who was promoted to from AAA in June and has only struggled since. He will now be replaced in the rotation by John McClain. Final Score: Bluebirds 10, Black Sox 2.
July 6 -- The Trashmaster Pedro Germán was solid yet again, lasting into the 7th, and giving up eight hits and three runs. With the game tied at 3 going into the ninth, DH Ismael Alfonzo came through big time, with a grand slam over ace Nashville reliever Mitchell Purssell. Closer Pritchard shut the Nashville bats down in the ninth. The Black Sox have won seven of eight games that Germán has started, including this one. Final Score: Black Sox 7, Nashville 3.
Next up: Bernie Stuart starts in the fourth game of the series against Nashville before the squad gets a day off.
