Addison Reed pitched the seventh. Matt Thornton pitched the eighth. Hector Santiago was warming up in case the White Sox reached the bottom of the ninth.
So Santiago's the closer, right?
Not so fast.
Before the White Sox 3-2 loss to Texas, Robin Ventura said his relievers knew their roles but added who he tabs for a save situation could be determined by matchups. In other words, there may not be a singular closer.
With the Sox down one, Ventura turned to arguably his two best relievers -- Reed and Thornton -- to hold the Rangers at bay in the seventh and eighth innings. Just because they pitched those innings doesn't mean they're pigeon-holed into setup roles. Ventura merely used his two best pitchers to get the most important outs of the game at that time.
If it meant using Santiago in the ninth inning, so be it. Thanks to the efforts of Reed and Thornton, the Sox had a good chance to force the bottom of the ninth, which Santiago probably would've pitched. Had Ventura tried to save his bullets for the ninth, the Sox may not have had as good a shot at actually playing the bottom of the frame.
So there doesn't appear to be an answer to the Sox closer question. Not that there needs to be one right now.