Trappucino: Sox still having problems in the dome

July 29, 11:06 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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The White Sox are 0-4 playing the Twins in the Metrodome this year.

The first two games of the pivotal White Sox/Twins series in Minneapolis have gone a lot like The Simpsons Movie for the Pale Hose: trapped in a dome with untold misery. Maybe the team needs to move to Alaska to get a fresh start.

Unfortunately, the Sox have two more games left in the Dome of Death before they can make their escape.

The first two games of this series—in which the Twins won by scores of 7-0 and 6-5—have been indicative of the way the White Sox have played in the Metrodome in the past few seasons.

If the Sox don't beat themselves (as they did Monday), the Twins will get a couple of lucky bounces and end up winning (as they did Tuesday).

Clayton Richard, who made just his second career MLB start, looked dominant through the first four innings, allowing just three soft singles. Then came the fifth inning.

Mike Redmond led the action off with a fly ball to center that nearly was caught on a dive by Brian Anderson. The ball bounced out of Anderson's glove as it hit the turf, allowing Redmond to pick up a leadoff single.

Then, Richard had Brendan Harris 1-2, but ended up walking him to put men on first and second with nobody out.

After Brian Buscher grounded out softly to Alexei Ramirez—the ball, of course, was not hit hard enough to yield a double play—the Twins had men on second and third with one out. Carlos Gomez followed by delivering a soft RBI single to center to plate the first Twins' run of the game.

The Sox were still leading 4-1 when Richard walked Denard Span and got Nick Punto, a noted Sox killer, to pop out for the second out of the inning.

It was at that point when the luck of the White Sox turned back to what it usually is in the Metrodome—awful. We're talking bad as in "Rudy Giuliani campaign management" bad.

King-of-all-sideburns Joe Mauer hit a line drive up the middle that deflected off Richard's shin and rolled into foul territory, allowing a run to score and keeping the bases loaded. 4-2, Sox still had the lead.

But not for long.

Justin Morneau hit a three-run double on a 2-2 offering from Richard that scored three runs and gave the Twins a 5-4 lead. They wouldn't give it back.

The Mauer single was the perfect example of a "Metrodome" play. Why? Because, in the top of the sixth, Alexei Ramirez hit a ball up the middle that deflected off Twins' starter Glen Perkins' leg.

Where did it end up?

Right in front of him. Granted, it wasn't hit as hard, but my point is this: the Twins usually get the bounces to go their way in the Metrodome.

That's nothing against their team—but that's usually just how the egg is dissected in Minneapolis.

"Egg is dissected?" I really need the Sox to get out of Minnesota before I completely lose my mind.