That the Tampa Bay Rays had a chance to win Sunday's game is a credit to the bullpen, which turned in another shutdown performance.
Trever Miller and Chad Bradford pitched the final two innings of the Rays 5-3 loss in Game 4 and allowed the offense to twice send the trying run to the plate. The big hit never came, but at least the Rays had the opportunity.
Miller actually walked the only batter he faced, and that was A.J. Pierzynski to start the seventh.
Chad Bradford replaced Miller and got Jermaine Dye to ground into a double play. Bradford then retired the next four batters he faced giving him two scoreless innings.
In the first three games of the series, the Rays bullpen has allowed just one run in 8 1/3 innings. That was Paul Konerko's solo home run off Dan Wheeler to start the ninth inning of the Rays 6-4 win in Game 1.
Since then, the Chicago White Sox haven't been able to do much off the Rays bullpen.
Bradford has thrown three scoreless innings.
J.P. Howell has thrown three scoreless innings, striking out five along the way.
Howell struck out three batters looking in the eighth inning of Game 2. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the second time since the 2002 season that the White Sox struck out looking three times in one inning.
Sunday's win was only the 10th for the White Sox this season when they didn't hit a home run.
Jim Thome's double to lead off the fourth inning snapped a string of 14 straight singles by a lineup that hit the most home runs in the majors this season.
The White Sox had 12 hits in Game 2, but all were singles.
According to Elias, it was the first time since Game 3 of the 1959 World Series that a team had 12 or more hits yet scored only two runs in a postseason game. It was the White Sox who managed that feat back in the 1959 World Series.
Peña's back
Carlos Peña returned to the Rays lineup Sunday after missing all but the first two innings of the first two games because of a scratched cornea in his left eye.
With his vision back to normal, Peña was 2-for-5. He did strikeout twice, though, including his ninth inning at-bat when he looked at a called third strike that ended the game with the tying run on base.
Upton, too?
B.J. Upton, bothered by a torn labrum in his left shoulder for most of the season, seems to have found his power stroke during the last two games.
The Rays center fielder tripled to start a three-run eighth-inning rally in Game 3 and drilled a two-run homer into the left field stands Sunday to cut the White Sox lead to 5-3.
Upton then singled in the ninth inning with two-out to bring the tying run to the plate.
Upton is batting .214 (3-for-14) through the first three games with five strikes outs. Yet he has three hits in his last six at-bats.
Noteworthy
The Rays are now 35-36 in grass this season ... Dioner Navarro has had a double in each of the first three games. He is batting .454 (5-for-11) ... The Rays stranded runners at third base in both the first and second innings.
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