The Chicago White Sox entered the first game of their series with Tampa Bay with a lot on the line. The Devil Rays, as ever, are pointed toward the future and the latest building block debuted Tuesday night in Chicago. The Present outslugged the Future 12-9 but Delmon Young didn't disappoint in his first big league appearance. He was 2-for-3 with his first career homer after getting drilled by Freddy Garcia with the first pitch he saw as a pro. Young's homer was part of an inspired, if futile, Tampa comeback after falling behind 7-0 after two innings. Jermaine Dye continued to stalk the MVP favorites with his 39th homer and four RBI but Garcia and the bullpen provided exhibit umpteen of why the White Sox are scrambling for a playoff spot a year after taking the World Series.
- Oakland isn't experiencing the same difficulty throwing the ball as their Chicago counterparts. Kirk Saarloos outpitched Josh Beckett 2-1 and the A's extended their West lead to seven and a half games over the Angels. Saarloos's six and a third innings of one run ball came on the heels of Esteban Loaiza's seven shutout innings Monday and heaped even more dirt on the Red Sox season. St. Louis, San Diego and the Dodgers are reported to be front-runners in a David Wells trade that is "90-10" going to happen before Thursday's deadline.
- The Twins made it back into the race behind the strongest lefthanded pitching in baseball but saw their Wild Card get chewed up by Mark Redman, a less heralded southpaw than Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. Redman and the Royals shut out Minnesota 2-0 in the Metrodome by turning the clock way back. Redman's pitches never topped 84 and, as befits late-August near the lakes, got as low as 64 miles an hour. Matt Garza's seven strikeout fourth big league start was wasted, though the start was good news for the Twins - as was word that Liriano would throw off a mound today.
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