Not bad, kid.

Brandon McCarthy pitched 5 and 1/3 innings, striking out six while walking just one, allowing two earned runs (one of which scored after McCarthy had left the game).

McCarthy was pretty good--good enough to leave the game in line to get the win. He'd barely out-dueled Prior, and the Sox were clinging to a 2-1 lead when he left in the 6th. Unfortunately, reliever Luis Vizcaino (who has been horrible this year...) promptly allowed a three-run jimmy jack. That long bomb courtesy of Jason DuBois (the announcers always call him "Du-boys," but I wonder, is it "Du-bwah"?) proved the difference, though Jermaine Dye barely missed a three-run shot of his own later in the game.

Mark Prior racked up some pitcher abuse points on his way to the complete game: it took him 126 pitches. But I guess Dusty Baker didn't want anything to do with a bullpen that had blown a gem by Carlos Zambrano the day before. Prior somehow managed to survive despite getting just four ground ball outs. All of the Sox's homers were solo shots.

A disappointing loss, but the series win is the big thing. Even with the loss, it looked like the Sox weren't going to lose any ground to Minnesota. In the Metrodome, the Brew Crew had a three run lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but they decided, meh, we don't really want to win this game. And so they didn't.

The White Sox are off to the (queue blood-curling scream) West Coast. Please, anything but that.

Tonight, Jon Garland (ERA 2.41) takes on Some Dude Named Santana Who Isn't That Santana (ERA 13.50 after making ML debut earlier this month). The Angels won't have Vlad Guerrero in the lineup. I smell disaster already.

[edit: I called Luis Vizcaino "Jose Vizcaino." My apologies to Jose.]