If you only watched the final 5 innings on Monday, and the first 5 innings on Tuesday, you would have left with a huge smile on your face. You see, in those 9 innings, the Sox scored 11 runs. Monday they actually came back from an early 3 run deficit, twice, to win.

Game one was quite a surprise, as they battled back against Drew Smyly, who hadn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in his previous 6 starts. The 4 runs the lefty allowed were just 2 less than the combined runs he’s allowed all year.

I wonder if opposing teams have received the memo? Give Adam Dunn a pitch to hit anywhere near the hitting zone in the 1st inning, and he’ll park it. For the 5th time this year, Dunn hit a bomb in the Sox’ opening frame. Dunn’s 12th gave him one more than he hit all of last year. If he keeps this pace Dunn will end up with than 50 home runs.

Is Dayan Viciedo breaking out of his season long slump? The right fielder sure did some damage in the 2 gams against the Tigers. 4-8, a home run and 5 RBI for the guy in the 2 games. Plus, he came with a few feet of hitting a game winning home run on Tuesday, his long drive dying at the wall.

If memory serves, this may be the 2 worst back to back starts by Sox starting pitchers this season. John Danks had his shortest stint of the year, going just 3 innings, allowing 5 earned runs. Danks ERA is at a whopping 6.46. I can promise you, the Sox didn’t project that when they signed him to that rich 5-year deal this past off-season.

Jake Peavy was a different story. He pitched like he has all season, awesome, for 5 innings on Tuesday. In the 6th an impostor came out. He looked like Peavy, but it couldn’t have been him.

This Peavy faced 7 batters, giving up 2 walks, 4 hits, with 2 leaving the park, while also hitting a guy. Peavy came in with a 1.76 ERA, but left with at 2.65.

I would bet anything that one of the first 2 questions asked of the guy, after he game, was about his health. When you have as many health issues as he’s had, it’ll always be in the back of people’s mind until he can put together back to back healthy seasons.

After relieving Peavy, Will Ohman hit a guy, than gave up a bomb to Austin Jackson. He retired the next 2 batters.

I still don’t understand how a reliever comes in the game, gives up runs that the starter left on base, then gets out of it. Never have, never will.

Payback is a bitch as Nate Jones did the same thing to Ohman. In the 7th, the first 2 guys reached. Jones came in and gave up hits to the first 2 batters, scoring Ohman’s runners. He then got out of the inning.

Back to Danks. This is 2 years in a row that he has struggled. Last year, the team did him no favors in many games. This year he is just plane out of sync. I 100% believe that it is the pressure of the big contract. Not excuses, just what I believe.

The struggles of the bullpen belies the great outing they all had on Monday. Relieving Danks in the 3rd, four relievers combined to pitch 6 innings, with no runs and just 3 hits.

A.J. Pierzynski has rediscovered his stroke. The Sox catcher went 6-9, with 3 RBI in the 2 games. That includes a 5-5 night on Tuesday. Only the 2nd time in his career that Pierzynski has had 5 hits in a game.

I do believe that one day Tyler Flowers will be the Sox starting catcher. It could be next year, or maybe even sooner. I hope he doesn’t try and match Pierzynski, who may be one the most durable receivers in MLB history. He is also as clutch as they come. Flowers will have a near impossible act to follow.

I don’t think Ed Farmer or Darren Jackson like Jose Valverde’s act much. His gyrations didn’t sit well with the Sox announcers. I don’t know, but maybe Valverde’s histrionics forced him out of the game in the 9th with an injury.

Fun stuff.. Sox overcame a deficit to win on Monday. Tigers overcame a 6 run margin to win on Tuesday. These 2 match up so well.

They don’t meet up again for 2 months.

For the Sox, they now head out to California to play the Angels. What is MLB thinking? Play a day game in Chicago, fly to Anaheim to play 2 games against the LAA, then back to Chicago to battle the Cubs.

Absolutely stupid scheduling.