Juan Uribe went 0-for-3 in the Sunday loss to the Angels, but that didn't stop White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen from continuing to throw praise in his third baseman's direction, especially considering the circumstance.
The Sox tried waiving Uribe in the spring, then spent the first half of the season trying to move him in a trade. Now, with Joe Crede likely done for the year as he searches for a second opinion on his ailing back, Uribe has stepped in and will be counting on to carry that spot for the postseason push. Since Crede first went to the shelf in late July, Uribe is hitting .280 (30-for-107) with four home runs and 16 RBIs in his last 35 games. Add in the fact he had a pair of two-run homers Friday that led to the 10-2 victory over the Angels, and no wonder Guillen was singing Uribe's praises.
"When Uribe is hot, he can carry a ballclub," Guillen said. "He doesn't know how good he can be. That's why we kept him. We took a lot of heat for it, but he shows up every day and plays hard. He's been great since we lost Crede. He's made big plays for us and had big hits. Right now, he's carrying us."
Guillen said that he plans to stay with Uribe, and even if Crede gets good news from doctors on his second opinion, he still won't lean on Crede.
It seems when Guillen said he lost confidence on how reliable Crede has become, he wasn't just talking to talk. He meant it.
ANGELS 3, WHITE SOX 2: The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Angels starter Joe Saunders, but they couldn't put Los Angeles away in what could have been a huge three-game sweep Sunday. Instead, the left-hander was able to fix the ship, going 7 1/3 innings and giving up just the two runs on four hits.
The Sox bullpen let it get away, however, with Garret Anderson getting the go-ahead sacrifice fly to right in the eighth inning that proved to be the difference.
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