July 2010

Game 103 Preview: Athletics vs White Sox

OAK logo  @  CWS logo

Tonight at 7:05pm EST John Danks (11-7; 3.23 ERA) and the White Sox will take the field and try to keep their home win streak going.  Danks has been great as of late going 7-2 with a 2.83 ERA in his last nine starts.  He is also 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA against the A’s in his career.  
On the other side of the hill Dallas Braden (5-7; 3.77 ERA) will be going for the A’s trying to beat the White Sox for a second time in a week.  He was able to beat the White Sox last Sunday and  would love to do that again.  This time won’t be as easy.  Now that the trade deadline is over, the White Sox can relax and focus on winning baseball.  LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!      

Edwin Jackson stays with White Sox

The deadline is over.  Edwin Jackson is staying in Chicago and I for one like the move.  Look Adam Dunn is a good player, but pitching wins titles.  And this is the year of the pitcher.  The White Sox have hit plenty of homers with the lineup they have and they still could pursue someone off the waiver wire.  That is how they got Alex Rios last season.    

Jackson is a proven pitcher and even though he has had some issues, I feel better with him in the rotation down the stretch than I did with Hudson.  This also means Garcia could move back to the 5th spot.  The White Sox are going for a World Series this season and Jackson will help them do that.  Freddy Garcia has struggled lately although he has 10 wins.  Buehrle has not been a good 2nd half starter.  So Jackson comes over to eat some innings then hand the ball to the bullpen for a win.  Unlike in Arizona where Jackson was asked to go 7-8 innings, here he will only need to go six.  We have a much better bullpen than Arizona.  
There was rumor that Williams was trying to make a last minute deal for Adam Dunn.  Reportedly he was offering Edwin Jackson and Tyler Flowers to the Nationals for Adam Dunn.  The Nationals reportedly wanted Edwin Jackson and Dayan Viciedo instead.  I am glad Kenny didn’t pull the trigger on that one.  That would have been stupid.  Dunn would have been just a two month rental.  And for a DH–that was too much to pay.  So for the White Sox they stuck with Jackson.  This also means that Jackson, when Peavy comes back next season will be the 5th guy in the rotation.  That is very strong.    
I wanted a starter added to this rotation and I got it.  We also didn’t give up a huge part of the future.  Hudson was the 4th-5th guy in the rotation at best.  Let’s hope Don Cooper will be able to work his magic with Jackson like he has with Danks, Floyd, Thorton and other pitchers with issues.  Welcome to a playoff contending team Edwin.  LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!       

White Sox rumors…

As the trade deadline nears its end it appears that Kenny Williams is still trying to find a bat for the White Sox lineup:  

–Lance Berkman appears to be headed to the New York Yankees as he has delined a trade to go to the White Sox.
–Adam Dunn appears to be staying in Washington because the Nationals are asking to much in return for him.  
–The latest rumors are that Kenny Williams is trying to get Manny Ramirez.  WTF?!?!

Game 102: White Sox kick some A’s

White Sox starter Lucas Harrell gives A.J. Pierzynski a fist bump after the catcher made a nice play to end the fourth inning.

This game had some intrigue.  Earlier in the day yesterday the White Sox traded scheduled starter Daniel Hudson along with left-handed minor leaguer David Holmberg for Arizona Diamondbacks starter Edwin Jackson.  Therefore Lucas Harrell was called up to start in his spot.  He did ok last night, and was backed by a solid offensive show to get a win in his debut.  

White Sox pitcher Lucas Harrell gets a beer shower after winning his major league debut.
Harrell went six innings, allowed just one run on four hits.  He was amped up and walked five batters why only striking out one.  You could tell he had a lot energy flowing through him, but he would settle down as the game went on.  He also got the “beer shower” after the win.  
Juan Pierre scores on an Alex Rios single in the first inning.
For the offense the White Sox put up six runs on 13 hits, with most of that coming off of A’s starter Brett Anderson who allowed five runs on 10 hits in just 5 1/3 innings of work.  Alex Rios got the party started with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st inning.  With the game then tied at 1-1, the White Sox would put up three runs in the bottom of the 4th.  
Gordon Beckham drives in Dayan Viciedo with a fourth-inning single.
A.J. Pierzynski, Andruw Jones and Gordon Beckham would each drive in a run in the inning.  Gordon Beckham would drive in another run in the 6th and Paul Konerko would have a sac-fly that would plate home the final run of the inning in the 7th for a 6-1 final.  The bullpen of Santos, Threets and Pena would shut down the A’s out of the pen to get their 12th win in a row at home.  
Lucas Harrell delivers a pitch in the first inning against the A's on Friday.
The win by Harrell keeps them ahead of the Twins and is the first Sox starter to win his debut since Kip Wells in 1999.  So congrats to him.  Now we will see over the next 4 hours if Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen make any more moves before the trade deadline.  It will be very interesting.  I know where my radio dial will be for the next few hours:  670 the Score:  Chicago’s best sports radio station!              
General manager Ken Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen have a laugh after meeting the media before Friday night's game.

Edwin Jackson is a member of the White Sox…for now

  for 

Today at 1pm EST, Daniel Hudson (1-1; 6.32 ERA) and minor league pitcher David Holmberg were sent to Arizona for Edwin Jackson (6-10; 5.16 ERA).  Jackson could be a part of the White Sox for just a brief time however as there is rumor that he will be sent to Washington and another player to be named later for left-handed power-bat Adam Dunn.  I will say this:  Kenny Williams is not done yet.  Pay close attention.  Anything could happen.   

As for tonight’s game with Hudson no longer on the team and being scheduled to start tonight, Lucas Harrell will make he major league debut in his place.  Harrell has been in the White Sox farm system for seven years now and is 42-37 with a 3.79 ERA in 121 games (115 starts).  The 25-year old right-hander was 9-9 with a 4.24 ERA in 22 starts for AAA Charlotte this season.       

Game 102 Preview: Athletics vs White Sox

OAK logo  @  CWS logo

Tonight at 8:10pm EST could determine what the White Sox do with Daniel Hudson (1-1; 6.32 ERA).  He will get the start tonight in the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics.  Hudson’s name has swirled among trade rumors as of late as the White Sox are in contention and are not satisfied with Hudson as their 5th starter since entering the rotation after Jake Peavy’s season ending injury.  

New rumors are now floating around that the Sox have interest in Edwin Jackson (6-10; 5.16 ERA).  Jackson has done ok thus far but there is concern that he walks to many guys and the fact that he is on his 4th team at this young of an age is a worry.  Jackson has thrown a no-hitter this season, however, it was the oddest no-hitter ever because he walked so many men.  I will say his experience intrigues me.  He has a lot more of it than Hudson and may be fairly cheap.  
But that is all speculation.  Now is what matters.  And as of right now–Hudson starts tonight.  For the A’s, Brett Anderson (2-1; 2.35 ERA) is going nowhere but up in his organization.  The pressure is clearly on Hudson and the White Sox.  All eyes will be on him tonight.  Let’s see how he does.  LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!              

Game 101: Four game sweep fueled by four homers

White Sox mascot Southpaw waves a broom after the four-game sweep.

The Chicago White Sox were able to complete a 4-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners yesterday by pounding the ball out of the yard four times for a 9-5 win.  They were able to extend their 11-game win streak at home and stay ahead of the surging Twins.  

This win was very important for the White Sox because the Twins are 1 1/2 games back and now have added Matt Capps at the back-end of their staff.  The former Washington Nationals closer was an All-Star for them this season and now bolsters a team that is in a pennant race.  I am not 100% sold on Capps, he has pitched for two National League teams (Pittsburgh and Washington), but he clearly gives them opportunity to improve with Jon Rauch heading back to the setup role.  So will the White Sox make a counter move?  
  
Talk has been surrounding them about acquiring Adam Dunn or Lance Berkman as a left-handed DH option.  Andruw Jones, Ramon Castro, and Mark Kotsay have had their struggles in that role so I would not be surprised one bit if Kenny Williams makes a move–but the team seems to have good chemistry right now and all the players are trying to make a case to stay in the lineup.
White Sox fans give backup catcher Ramon Castro a standing ovation after his second home run of the game.
Ramon Castro defiantly made his case last night hitting two homers in the game.  He will get his chance to play as the backstop to A.J. Pierzynski, but he could also play DH–although it is not normal to do so.  Castro’s homers gave the Sox some much needed pop last night as Ichiro and Casey Kotchman helped the Mariners take a 2-0 lead early off of Freddy Garcia after three.  
Freddy Garcia went six innings to earn the victory on Thursday.
However Garcia would settle in and the Sox would battle back.  The White Sox would load the bases with no-outs and Juan Pierre would double down the left field line to plate two runs home.  Omar Vizquel would follow that with a bloop hit to right to give the White Sox the lead at 3-2.  Juan Pierre would score when Alex Rios would hit into a double play, but the Sox now had a 4-2 lead and they would not give it back.  
Ramon Castro launches his first of two home runs of the game, this one a solo shot in the fourth.
Ramon Castro would hit his first home run on the night in the 4th inning to give the Sox a 5-2 lead and some insurance.  That insurance would be key as Kotchman and the Mariners would cut the lead to 5-3 and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with just one out in the 6th against Garcia.  Freddy however would get Justin Smoak to pop up to Alexei Ramirez and then strike out Josh Wilson to end the inning; and his night with a bang.  
Carlos Quentin launches a home run in the seventh inning of Thursday's win over the Mariners.
In the bottom of the 6th Castro would add his second homer on the night and Omar Vizquel would plate in Gordon Beckham to give the White Sox a 7-3 lead.  J.J. Putz would enter the game and allow two runs, breaking his streak of 27 straight scoreless appearances.  That cut the lead to 7-5 before Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin went back-to-back in the bottom of the 7th to close the book on the scoring.  With the end of the season approaching and the trade deadline looming–the Sox have some big moments ahead–and winning is the most important thing.                                     

White Sox trading for Dunn?

The trade deadline ends at 4pm on Saturday so what are the White Sox looking to do?  
According to ESPNChicago.com, six teams are in the running for Adam Dunn: The White Sox, Tigers, Angels, Rangers and two unidentified National League clubs — with one of those likely being the Giants. In order for the White Sox to get him, the Nationals require top pitching prospect Daniel Hudson, plus one of outfielder Jordan Danks, catcher Tyler Flowers and infielder Brent Morel.
So what do I think?  Well this is a tough one for me.  I have yet to question Kenny Williams and his aggressive trade deadline strategy.  It has worked in the past.  However, this year I am not sure this is the right move.  Adam Dunn will no doubt give some left-handed power in their lineup, is it needed?  Didn’t the White Sox decide to go with “small-ball” and get rid of those slow base-logging players (ala Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye).  And although Dunn would add power and hit some home runs–his walks vs strikeouts are no where as good as they had in Jim Thome.  
Plus what would you give up?  Hudson as of right now is the White Sox 5th starter.  If you trade him, who starts?  Carlos Torres?  Lucas Harrell?  Jeff Marquez?  Does that make us better?
      
  
And giving up Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers or Brent Morel along with him isn’t smart either.  Danks will have the opportunity to start next season with Andruw Jones retiring or being released.  A.J. Pierzynski (33) and Ramon Castro (34) are not getting any younger.  Tyler Flowers and/or Donny Lucy could start next season so I don’t think we should trade away the young talent yet.  I am not sure about Morel because Beckham is not going anywhere, Alexei Ramirez has been amazing and Dayan Viciedo could be here to stay.  Omar Vizquel may retire at the end of the year, but with Brent Lillibridge doing well and Mark Teahen locked in a contract I don’t see Morel getting a shot yet, but who knows.   
Then  there is the chemistry.  This team has went 32-11 since June 8th.  That is one of the best in baseball from that point.  Haven’t these players earned their shot?  If anything I would like to see the White Sox add a starting pitcher that would be able to bolster their rotation.  Someone like Jeremy Guthrie (4-11; 4.23 ERA) from Baltimore could be a good fit.  Baltimore is a clear seller and Guthrie’s stats are deceiving.  He always goes against the “ACE” of the other teams.  He is in the AL East playing New York, Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto quite a bit.  He could be really cheap and could be a great 4th or 5th starter with a lot less pressure on him.  Just a thought.  I would love to hear other opinions.  

Game 101 Preview: Mariners vs White Sox

SEA logo  @  CWS logo

Freddy Garcia (9-4; 4.74 ERA) will be trying to shake off his worst outing of the year as the Chicago White Sox will be going for a 4-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners to stay atop the AL Central.  Garcia allowed five runs in just 1 1/3 innings before being pulled out of Saturday’s contest against the A’s.  On the other side of the mound David Pauly (0-2; 2.18 ERA) will start for Seattle looking to get his first win on the season.  Pauly has done well thus far but did record a loss to the White Sox on July 19th giving up three runs on eight hits in six innings of work.

Pauly will have to contend with Alexei Ramirez who has been great in this series thus far with his glove and his bat.  Ramirez has gone 8-for-11 in the series scoring  five runs, collecting five RBI, while adding two home runs and has yet to strike out.  I hope Alexei and the Sox will keep it going tonight.  LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!         

Game 100: Sox rally for win

This team has fought every game.  They don’t give up.  And apparently neither will Bobby Jenks.  Despite the struggles of Mark Buehrle falling behind 5-1 after an inning and a half, the White Sox would not die.  Buehrle struggled early in the game and was unable to get his 10th win on the season.  He only lasted five innings, giving up five runs in nine hits while walking one and striking out four, although most of his command issues were in the first two innings.     

Gordon Beckham watches his second-inning, two-run homer against the Mariners on Wednesday.
Down 5-1 the Sox cut the Seattle lead in half when Gordon Beckham hit his 5th homer on the season following an Andruw Jones double in the bottom of the 2nd inning.  Then in the bottom of the 5th Alexei Ramirez, who has been one of the hottest hitters for the White Sox as of late, hit his 11th homer on the season to lead off the inning.  One batter later Paul Konerko hit his 24th homer on the year that just stayed fair down the left field line to tie the game at 5-5 and get Buehrle off the hook.  
Now with the game tied it was a battle of the bullpen’s.  And that gave the White Sox a huge advantage.  Sergio Santos would throw a perfect 1 1/3 innings and strike out two batters following Buehrle’s exit.  Matt Thorton would then enter the game with one out in the 7th and despite loading the bases he would get Michael Saunders to fly out to Andruw Jones in center field. 
Alex Rios singles home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.
With the game still knotted at 5-5 any mistake could lead to a win or a loss.  And for Seattle they made the mistake.  Juan Pierre would be walked to lead off the bottom of the 7th by reliever Jamey Wright.  The White Sox would then play “Ozzie-ball” to take the lead.  Pierre would then steal second base for his 38th steal of the season.  Alexei Ramirez would then lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Pierre to third base and put the winning run just 90-feet away.  Brandon League would then enter the game for Seattle and the defense would move in close to try and prevent Pierre from scoring.  However Alex Rios would then deliver his second RBI of the game as he would hit a ground ball past a diving Jack Wilson to put the White Sox ahead 6-5.  
J.J. Putz would then put another scoreless inning on the board for the White Sox in the 8th before Bobby Jenks would enter the game in the 9th.  Jenks has faced a ton of criticism in recent weeks–perhaps rightly so.  Despite being 20-for-22 in save opportunities, he seems to allow some hits and some runs (he has a 4.95 ERA) but is able to escape.  In 36 1/3 innings of work Jenks has allowed 41 hits, 22 runs (20 earned) walked 16 batters and opponents are hitting .281 against him.  However last night he looked fantastic silencing a ton of critics; at least for a day.  
Bobby Jenks celebrates after recording the final out of Wednesday night's 6-5 victory over Seattle.
Jenks was able to strike out the side of Franklin Gutierrez, Russell Branyan, and Justin Smoak in order to get his 21st save of the season.  His velocity was great as well getting the fastball up to 99 mph.  It was some of the hardest stuff I have seen him throw since entering the league.  The breaking ball to Smoak to end the game was sick.  Maybe all this talk of his career being over, being traded or losing his job had him amped up.  I hope he carries that chip on his sholder the rest of the season.  That is the Bobby Jenks we need.  With the win the Sox maintained their one game lead over Minnesota.              
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