Whitesoxclub.com | Chicago White sox News, whitesox Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>The White Sox' offense is sputtering. </div>The pitching staff is on again, off again. And after a day off today, what awaits them in Toronto is the Rogers Centre, a nightmare venue where the Sox have lost six consecutive games. ''We got to get it going,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said after a 4-0 loss Wednesday to the Cleveland Indians. ''We cannot stop here and look at ourselves and wonder what's next. We got a lot of games to go, and everyone has to chip in and get better. The hitters have to get better. The pitchers have to get better. Our defense has to get better. The manager, the coaches have to get better. If we don't do that, things are going to be a little tough.'' A little? After Indians starter Cliff Lee dominated them for seven innings -- and gave them their major-league-leading sixth shutout loss of the season -- the Sox resemble a team already looking forward to the offseason. Captain Paul Konerko said while it wasn't the time to scream and get in his teammates' faces, it was time for them to look in the mirror and start realizing the hole is getting deeper. ''Let's think about it,'' Konerko said. ''If you said, 'Enough is enough,' what's that going to do? I think every game you go into you think you're going to have a good game as a player and a team. You never go into it expecting bad things, so anything verbal or any of that rah-rah stuff, it just doesn't cut it in this game. ''Adding intensity doesn't amount to success. It's not like other sports where you can do that. It's a matter of very fine things that need to happen for a hitter to do well or a team to do well. It's not just about wanting it sometimes. Everybody wants it, everybody tries their best.'' The Sox' best just hasn't been good enough. Left-hander Mark Buehrle wasn't stellar but was by no means awful. He went seven innings, allowing four runs in his first loss of the year. But the Sox had almost no room for error against Lee (2-5). By the time the Indians had a four-run lead against Buehrle (5-1) in the fifth inning, it was as good as over. ''We are not playing the best we can right now,'' Buehrle said. ''It's early, but we've been struggling the past couple of weeks and need to turn it around, try to get it going. It seems like we don't pitch when we are hitting, and when we pitch, we don't hit. We need to get the offense and the pitching together in one game.'' Guillen did what he could to make sure he didn't have to watch all nine innings of this dismal showing, getting ejected by home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro in the sixth, just a few minutes after Jermaine Dye was tossed for throwing his helmet after a called third strike. It was Guillen's first ejection of the season and the 17th of his career. What exactly got him tossed as he shouted from the dugout? Guillen said he actually was defending the Indians' Jhonny Peralta against a called third strike by DiMuro. ''I was protecting Peralta,'' Guillen said. ''I asked Peralta if that pitch was low and in, and he said, 'Yes.' They thought I was crazy because I wasn't protecting J.D., I was protecting the opposition. I was here to protect Baseball. Really crazy-type argument when the manager argues for someone else. Like I say, [DiMuro] was really inconsistent behind the plate.'' Comment at suntimes.com. BOXSCORE: WHITE SOX AB R H BI BB SO Avg. J.Nix 2b-rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .300 Podsednik lf-cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .273 Dye rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .283 Getz 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .256 Konerko 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .303 Pierzynski c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .289 Fields 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .235 Betemit dh 3 0 0 0 1 2 .257 AL.Ramirez ss 3 0 3 0 0 0 .223 Lillibridge cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .154 a-Quentin ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .235 Totals 33 0 7 0 1 10 Cleveland AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Sizemore cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .228 A.Cabrera 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .318 V.Martinez 1b 4 1 3 1 0 0 .385 Choo rf 4 0 1 0 0 3 .265 Peralta ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .246 Garko dh 4 1 1 2 0 1 .272 Carroll 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000 LaPorta lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 .222 Shoppach c 2 0 0 0 0 2 .217 Totals 31 4 8 4 1 7 WHITE SOX 000 000 000--0 7 0 Cleveland 100 210 00x--4 8 0 a-flied out for Lillibridge in the 7th. LOB-- SOX 7, Cleveland 5. 2B--LaPorta (1). HR--V.Martinez (7), off Buehrle; Garko (2), off Buehrle. RBI--Sizemore (24), V.Martinez (21), Garko 2 (14). S--Shoppach. Runners left in scoring position-- SOX 4 (Dye 2, Quentin 2); Cleveland 2 (Choo, A.Cabrera). GIDP--Lillibridge. DP--Cleveland 1 (Carroll, A.Cabrera, V.Martinez). WHITE SOX IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Buehrle L, 5-1 7 7 4 4 1 6 98 3.00 Linebrink 1 1 0 0 0 1 21 0.75 Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Cl.Lee W, 2-5 7 6 0 0 1 9 113 3.00 R.Betancourt 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 4.91 K.Wood 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 6.00 Umpires--Home, Mike DiMuro; First, James Hoye; Second, Dale Scott; Third, Jerry Meals. T--2:23. A--23,884 (45,199). HOW THEY SCORED Indians FIRST Sizemore fouled out. A.Cabrera lined out. V.Martinez homered to center on a 1-1 count. One run. Indians 1, White Sox 0. Indians FOURTH V.Martinez singled. Choo struck out. Peralta grounded into fielder's choice, V.Martinez out. Garko homered to left on a 0-0 count, Peralta scored. Two runs. Indians 3, White Sox 0. Indians FIFTH LaPorta walked. Shoppach sacrificed, LaPorta to second. Sizemore singled, LaPorta scored. One run. Indians 4, White Sox 0. THE RECAP: AT THE PLATE There finally was an Alexei Ramirez sighting. The struggling shortstop had his best game of the season, going 3-for-3 and bringing his average up to .223. The rest of the Sox' offense was virtually nonexistent in a seven-hit showing. ON THE MOUND Left-hander Mark Buehrle, 5-0 entering the game, allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings -- including a pair of home runs. PIVOTAL POINT Carlos Quentin, sore heel and all, came off the bench as a pinch hitter with two outs in the seventh, the bases loaded and the Sox trailing 4-0. But he flied out to Grady Sizemore to end the threat.

The White Sox' offense is sputtering.

The pitching staff is on again, off again.

And after a day off today, what awaits them in Toronto is the Rogers Centre, a nightmare venue where the Sox have lost six consecutive games.

''We got to get it going,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said after a 4-0 loss Wednesday to the Cleveland Indians. ''We cannot stop here and look at ourselves and wonder what's next. We got a lot of games to go, and everyone has to chip in and get better. The hitters have to get better. The pitchers have to get better. Our defense has to get better. The manager, the coaches have to get better. If we don't do that, things are going to be a little tough.''

A little?

After Indians starter Cliff Lee dominated them for seven innings -- and gave them their major-league-leading sixth shutout loss of the season -- the Sox resemble a team already looking forward to the offseason.

Captain Paul Konerko said while it wasn't the time to scream and get in his teammates' faces, it was time for them to look in the mirror and start realizing the hole is getting deeper.

''Let's think about it,'' Konerko said. ''If you said, 'Enough is enough,' what's that going to do? I think every game you go into you think you're going to have a good game as a player and a team. You never go into it expecting bad things, so anything verbal or any of that rah-rah stuff, it just doesn't cut it in this game.

''Adding intensity doesn't amount to success. It's not like other sports where you can do that. It's a matter of very fine things that need to happen for a hitter to do well or a team to do well. It's not just about wanting it sometimes. Everybody wants it, everybody tries their best.''

The Sox' best just hasn't been good enough.

Left-hander Mark Buehrle wasn't stellar but was by no means awful. He went seven innings, allowing four runs in his first loss of the year. But the Sox had almost no room for error against Lee (2-5). By the time the Indians had a four-run lead against Buehrle (5-1) in the fifth inning, it was as good as over.

''We are not playing the best we can right now,'' Buehrle said. ''It's early, but we've been struggling the past couple of weeks and need to turn it around, try to get it going. It seems like we don't pitch when we are hitting, and when we pitch, we don't hit. We need to get the offense and the pitching together in one game.''

Guillen did what he could to make sure he didn't have to watch all nine innings of this dismal showing, getting ejected by home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro in the sixth, just a few minutes after Jermaine Dye was tossed for throwing his helmet after a called third strike. It was Guillen's first ejection of the season and the 17th of his career.

What exactly got him tossed as he shouted from the dugout? Guillen said he actually was defending the Indians' Jhonny Peralta against a called third strike by DiMuro.

''I was protecting Peralta,'' Guillen said. ''I asked Peralta if that pitch was low and in, and he said, 'Yes.' They thought I was crazy because I wasn't protecting J.D., I was protecting the opposition. I was here to protect Baseball. Really crazy-type argument when the manager argues for someone else. Like I say, [DiMuro] was really inconsistent behind the plate.''

Comment at suntimes.com.

BOXSCORE:

WHITE SOX AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

J.Nix 2b-rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .300

Podsednik lf-cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .273

Dye rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .283

Getz 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .256

Konerko 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .303

Pierzynski c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .289

Fields 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .235

Betemit dh 3 0 0 0 1 2 .257

AL.Ramirez ss 3 0 3 0 0 0 .223

Lillibridge cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .154

a-Quentin ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .235

Totals 33 0 7 0 1 10

Cleveland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Sizemore cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .228

A.Cabrera 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .318

V.Martinez 1b 4 1 3 1 0 0 .385

Choo rf 4 0 1 0 0 3 .265

Peralta ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .246

Garko dh 4 1 1 2 0 1 .272

Carroll 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000

LaPorta lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 .222

Shoppach c 2 0 0 0 0 2 .217

Totals 31 4 8 4 1 7

WHITE SOX 000 000 000--0 7 0

Cleveland 100 210 00x--4 8 0

a-flied out for Lillibridge in the 7th.

LOB-- SOX 7, Cleveland 5. 2B--LaPorta (1). HR--V.Martinez (7), off Buehrle; Garko (2), off Buehrle. RBI--Sizemore (24), V.Martinez (21), Garko 2 (14). S--Shoppach.

Runners left in scoring position-- SOX 4 (Dye 2, Quentin 2); Cleveland 2 (Choo, A.Cabrera).

GIDP--Lillibridge.

DP--Cleveland 1 (Carroll, A.Cabrera, V.Martinez).

WHITE SOX IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Buehrle L, 5-1 7 7 4 4 1 6 98 3.00

Linebrink 1 1 0 0 0 1 21 0.75

Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Cl.Lee W, 2-5 7 6 0 0 1 9 113 3.00

R.Betancourt 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 4.91

K.Wood 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 6.00

Umpires--Home, Mike DiMuro; First, James Hoye; Second, Dale Scott; Third, Jerry Meals.

T--2:23. A--23,884 (45,199).

HOW THEY SCORED

Indians FIRST Sizemore fouled out. A.Cabrera lined out. V.Martinez homered to center on a 1-1 count. One run. Indians 1, White Sox 0.

Indians FOURTH V.Martinez singled. Choo struck out. Peralta grounded into fielder's choice, V.Martinez out. Garko homered to left on a 0-0 count, Peralta scored. Two runs. Indians 3, White Sox 0.

Indians FIFTH LaPorta walked. Shoppach sacrificed, LaPorta to second. Sizemore singled, LaPorta scored. One run. Indians 4, White Sox 0.

THE RECAP:

AT THE PLATE

There finally was an Alexei Ramirez sighting. The struggling shortstop had his best game of the season, going 3-for-3 and bringing his average up to .223. The rest of the Sox' offense was virtually nonexistent in a seven-hit showing.

ON THE MOUND

Left-hander Mark Buehrle, 5-0 entering the game, allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings -- including a pair of home runs.

PIVOTAL POINT

Carlos Quentin, sore heel and all, came off the bench as a pinch hitter with two outs in the seventh, the bases loaded and the Sox trailing 4-0. But he flied out to Grady Sizemore to end the threat.