Earlier this week Ozzie Guillen, with his first in the AL Central Chicago White Sox beginning a crucial three game series against the second place Minnesota Twins, had this to say about the how successful his pitcher Javier Vazquez has been in big games: "He hasn't."
The vote of non-confidence from Ozzie Guillen was prescient, mainly because the Twins know where to look for hurlers who can come through in the clutch. On that first game of the series, Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire (an Okmulgee native) handed the ball to former Oklahoma State pitcher Scott Baker. Baker responded with seven strong innings where he allowed only one run. Minnesota won the game 9-3 (poor Vazquez was shelled), and the Twins closed to within a game and a half of Chicago.