Robin Ventura reached 900 Sunday. More importantly, his batting average jumped to .250 as he went 3 for 5 with a homer, double and three runs batted in.
The 12-1 victory over Milwaukee was a personal milestone as Ventura played his 900th game at third base for the Sox. Only Willie Kamm (1,157 games) played the position more than that for the Sox.
But the figures that mean more are that 10 of his last 16 hits have gone for extra bases. He is hitting .347 (17 of 49) during this 12-game stretch with six doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs.
“The whole team is starting to come together,” Ventura said. “The pitching has been keeping us in most games. We have to start scoring runs for them.”
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The next one: If the Sox extend their winning streak to nine Monday night in Toronto, it will mark their best run since the 1977 Sox.
A first: The Sox had never swept the Brewers in Chicago until beating them the three games this weekend. Since new Comiskey Park opened in 1991, the Sox are 24-10 against Milwaukee.
The hard way: Wilson Alvarez has won his last three games, the latest Saturday night, without good command of his pitches. But his problem with location doesn’t have manager Terry Bevington worried.
“He’s not missing his spots by much,” he said. “There aren’t many pitchers who don’t go through these spells when they’re not sharp. But Alvarez is still getting by because he has good stuff, and that’s the sign of a good pitcher.”
Playing short: Umpire Mark Johnson, scheduled to work behind home plate Sunday, was absent for personal reasons. Larry Young shifted to the plate and crew chief Drew Coble and Rick Reed handled the bases.