vs  

A macthup of the last two pitchers in the American League to throw perfect games take the mound tonight in a head-to-head battle.  It should be a great one.  LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

  @  

Tomorrow at 3:05pm EST the Chicago White Sox will begin the 2011 season against the Cleveland Indians and I WILL BE AT THE GAME!!!  It will be my first Opening Day game and although I wish I was in Chicago, this will do.  I will be sitting in the bleachers cheering on the Sox!  

Today is Opening Day!  Six games are on the docket today as baseball begins the 2011 season.  Here are my picks for the season:   

Today at 3:05 EST Mark Buehrle will make his spring training debut against the Brewers.  There is a live webcast at whitesox.com if you want to watch it.  The White Sox will see a familiar foe in a different uniform in Zack Greinke. 
The White Sox lineup will be:  Lastings Milledge (LF), Omar Vizquel (SS), Adam Dunn (DH), Ramon Castro (C), Mark Teahen (3B), Dayan Viciedo (RF), Dallas McPherson (1B), Brent Lillibridge (2B), Alejandro De Aza (CF)
    

I was able to see the game today on MLB.TV and there were some things worth pointing out, but for the most part it was a meaningless spring game.
First, the White Sox lost 6-5 in a sloppy game.  There were quite a few errors in the game–four by the Dodgers and two by the White Sox.  The first error by the White Sox was by Gordon Beckham in the forth inning on a bad throw to first base trying to get Aaron Miles out.  It was not an easy throw, but a better one should have been made.  A good throw would have recorded the first out of the inning and held Tony Gwynn Jr. at third, but instead Gwynn came around to tie the game at 1-1 and Miles would also come around to give the Dodgers the 2-1 lead on a 2-out triple by Trayvon Robinson.  The seond error by the White Sox was a throwing error by backup catcher Josh Phegley.  It would eventually lead to Ivan De Jesus coming around to sore on a triple by Jamie Hoffmann giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead at the time. 
The next thing worth pointing out is the debut of Adam Dunn.  Three at bats, one walk, a run scored and two strikeouts.  Dunn struck out in the first inning with a runner on 2nd, again in the 3rd with Juan Pierre on 3rd base, and then drew a walk in the 6th.  Disappointing to say the least.  Not surprising, just disappointing.
Tony Pena and Miguel Socolovich struggled on the mound, leading to six runs in the 4th and 5th innings.  That was all the Dodgers would score, but it was enough for the win.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Gavin Floyd will start today against the Dodgers and will pitch an inning or two.  He will then be followed by Jeff Gray, Miguel Socolovich, Lucas Harrell, Brandon Hynick, Tony Pena, Will Ohman and Jhonny Nunez.

The White Sox season is set to begin today as they take the field for the first time this spring in a Cactus League game as the visit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch at 3:05pm EST.  Gavin Floyd will get the start on the mound and throw about two innings.  He will then be followed by Lucas Harrell, who is one of the White Sox pitchers battling for a spot on the 25-man roster.  Harrell is one of the names being mentioned that could be in the starting rotation if Jake Peavy is not healthy to begin the season.  If the White Sox decide to carry seven relievers, Harrell could be in the mix for that as well along with a few others.

40 Man Roster (38 players)

Mark Buehrle-What can anyone say about Buehrle?  He is the man.  He will once again get the Opening Day
nod.  He has pitched 200-plus innings
with 10 or more wins for the last 10 seasons. 
I expect no less from him again this season.  However he is in a contract year, so this
will be a big season for him in determining his future in a White Sox uniform.

John Danks-the 25-year old Danks has been fantastic
the past three years, leading to his one year 6-million dollar deal to avoid
arbitration.  If he has another good
season, he should get a good offer thrown his way to stay in the White Sox
rotation. 

Gavin Floyd-I have been hearing a statement called
“The Gavin Floyd Special.”  It refers to
when a pitcher throws a fantastic game one day, and in his next start gives up
six runs on 10 hits in five innings. 
When he is on, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball.  But when he is struggling, it is very
frustrating to any Sox fan.  Let’s hope he
has a better start than last April and May.   
   

Edwin Jackson-As of now, Edwin is the 4^th
starter in the White Sox rotation. 
Picked up during the middle of last season he made 11 starts for the
White Sox in 2010.  He should be poised
for a big year, with his first full season in the AL
since Detroit in 2009 where he was
a Cy Young candidate.  He is a workhorse
that should eat a lot of innings for the Sox this year.       

Jake Peavy-Here is the big unknown:  The health of Jake Peavy.  He hasn’t been the same since getting hurt in
San Diego.  He had a 40-pitch throwing session on
Wednesday, taking a huge step forward. 
The competitiveness of Jake Peavy is unmatched.  He says he will be ready to begin the season
by Opening Day, but can we trust him?  If
he is not 100% I hope he doesn’t push it too far.       

Tony Pena-Pena was offered a 1-yr/1.6 million dollar
deal, avoiding arbitration.  Pena is a
decent long relief man, but he will need to improve on a year last season that
saw his ERA go to 5.10. 

Chris Sale-Sale was a huge bonus last season.  The youngster, drafted just last June, soared
to the big leagues on the fast track and was great when he got here.  It was like a movie script.  In 21 games out of the pen he had an ERA of
1.93, and he could be an option for a spot starter until Peavy’s return.  Although most White Sox fans, including
myself; see him as a relief man for now.      

Sergio Santos-Santos is another successfully
surprising young arm that no one saw coming. 
He had a low ERA and a lot of strikeouts, but will need to lower his
walk totals if he doesn’t want to be sent back to the minors.  He should be more prepared for a full season
this year than last.     

Will Ohman-The journeyman left hander has been with a
few teams over his career, most notably with the rival Cubs.  He signed a 2-yr/4 million dollar deal in
January with the Sox to help add to a pen that lost a few arms this
off-season.   He will add to the other
left handed relievers in Sale and
Thorton to help beat those pesky left-handers in Minnesota.    

Jesse Crain-Welcome to the
South Side Jesse Crain.  The Former
Minnesota Twin, now comes to try to help the White Sox pen signing a 3-yr/13
million dollar deal in the off-season. 
Last season he had his best year since 2005, which the White Sox hope are
a sign of things to come.  Last season
against the White Sox, he didn’t allow a run, so it is good to have him on our
side now.  He also had a 1.45 ERA against
the White Sox in his career and in 23 games at U.S. Cellular he was 3-0 with 7
holds, only one blown save, and an ERA of 2.31.      

Matt Thorton-Thorton is the favorite for taking over
the closer role with the departure of Bobby Jenks.  He has had an ERA under 3.00 with an average
of 82 strikeouts per season over the last three years.   He was also 8 for 10 in save opportunities
last season when fans were clamoring for him to take over the role.  He held opponents to just a .191 batting
average last season and will look to do the same this season.  If he struggles, Chris Sale could get his
chance at the role.    

Lucas Harrell-Harrell is one of the three men, the
other two being Leesman and Humber, than are in the
running for a starters role if Jake Peavy is not ready to start the
season.  In three starts last season he
was 1-0 with a 6.28 ERA and got his lone win against the Oakland
A’s on July 30^th.  Having some
big league experience gives him a slight advantage here, but the Spring will go
a long way into making that choice. 

Philip Humber-Having his best season last year with
the Royals was something to build on for the young right hander.  But being with his 4^th team in six
years, (Mets, Twins, Royals and now White Sox) has to be discouraging.  But he is taking it in stride knowing that he
will get his chance to make a good impression in Arizona
this spring.   

Gregory Infante, Anthony Carter, Kyle
Cofield, Freddy Dolsi, Nathan Jones,
Jeffery Marquez, and Jhonny Nunez are the other pitchers on the 40-man
roster.  They will get some work this
spring but don’t expect them to be on the 25-man roster unless an injury
occurs. 

A.J. Pierzynski-Fan favorite A.J. Pierzynski is back
in Chicago, signing a 2-yr/8
million dollar deal in the off-season. 
He is hardly injured and has a passion and desire to catch all 162 games
every year.  After a slow start last
season his bat heated up down the stretch and hopefully he an start much better
this season.  But as long as he keeps
annoying the fans of the opposing teams, I am good.       

Ramon Castro-Castro will once again back up A.J. on
the South Side.  The veteran catcher had
his option picked up for 1.2 million.  

Tyler
Flowers-Flowers has been a big disappointment for a lot of Chicago
fans who expected him to leap over Pierzynski and Castro by now.  When Pierzynski’s contract ran out at the end
of 2010, many saw Flowers taking over the starting role in the spring of
2011.  That has not worked out as
planned.  And although he has improved
behind the plate, I expect him to be sent to the minors as his batting has
struggled mightily.         

Paul Konerko-The chants of “Paulie, Paulie, Paulie”
will still be heard on the South Side as Captain Paul Konerko signed a
3-yr/37.5 million dollar deal to remain in Chicago.  Konerko’s season last year may have been his
best yet.  His 39 homeruns were 3^rd
best in the majors, he drove in 111 RBI and had a career high .977 OBS.  He may not match that this season, but having
him on the roster is a plus for team morale and chemistry. 

Adam Dunn-The “Big Donkey” is ready to make an impact
for a playoff contender again, signing a huge 4-yr/56 million dollar deal this
off-season.  But before we say, “Wow,
that is a lot of money for a man who is mostly a DH” we need to look at some
facts.  Jim Thome was a key as a DH on
the South Side.  Before him Carl Everett
helped the White Sox win a World Series in 2005.  We needed a DH.   We tried the Manny Ramirez experiment and it
failed miserably.  Dunn, although striking
out, has some of the best numbers in the game. 
He is durable only missing 26 game in the last seven years.  In that span he has over 120 hits each
season, an average of 40 homers and 101 RBI. 
He also an draw up to 100 walks and has an OPS of .902 in his
career.          

Gordon Beckham-After having a great rookie season
Beckham had the true definition of a sophomore slump.  He seemed to be pressing trying to do too
much at the plate.  Yet he has tremendous
upside and I expect him to bounce back this season.  He just needs to not play the mind games and
get out of his own way.   

Alexei Ramirez-Alexei had a huge year of growth in
the field last season behind the tutelage of Omar Vizquel.  He made some plays that were all over the
highlight films last year.  Therefore, he
signed a contract extension for 4yrs at 32.5 million.  His average of 18 homers and 70-plus RBI per
year have made him one of the top shortstops at the plate last season as
well.  Alexei should continue to improve
and grow as one of the premier shortstops in baseball.  

Brent Morel-The 23-year old Morel is expected to win
the starting role at third base this season, after seeing some time playing 21
games at the end of last season.  His
glove work reminds a lot of people of Joe Crede, but will his bat do the
same?  If he is able to hit, he will hold
the role for good.   

Mark Teahen-Last season was a disappointment for
Teahen in Chicago that was filled
with injuries and inconsistent play.  He
is a good utility guy, but I don’t expect him to start a lot this season.   

Omar Vizquel-The old veteran is back for yet another
year.  Expect him to train Beckham,
Ramirez and Morel his craft.  Yes, he is
really 44.  In his 22 seasons he shows no
real signs of his age on the diamond.  Although
he won’t amaze you with his bat anymore, he is still a solid fill-in that can
play multiple positions.   

Bret Lillibridge-Lillibridge will serve as a utility
player in the infield and outfield this season and has a shot to make the
25-man roster with his base running ability. 

Dayan Viciedo-What is in a name?  Nicknamed “The Tank” the hype for the Cuban
prospect has been higher than his effort on the field.  Although he showed some promise at the plate,
he needs more work on the field.  I think
he will be in AAA this season, but next year could be big if the White Sox
would decide to keep him and Teahen would go and Vizquel would retire.      

Eduardo Escobar-The young shortstop prospect is
someone to watch this spring as he will be a player for the future.

Juan Pierre-Speed thrills and apparently Jan Pierre
has plenty of it left as he led all of baseball with 68 stolen bases last
season.  He is 30^th all-time
with 527 stolen bases and is climbing the list. 
I think he will hit better this season and that bodes well for a good
leadoff man. 

Carlos Quentin-The health of Quentin may be the 2^nd
biggest question for the White Sox behind that of Jake Peavy.  If he is able to remain healthy, he is
capable of a big year where he could now be batting 7^th.  In 2008 he was an MVP candidate, and if he is
even close to that this lineup could be one of the best in baseball.   

Alex Rios-Many people were wondering why Kenny
Williams made the move to claim Rios off of waivers from Toronto
in 2009.  He struggled at the end of that
season.  But in 2010 he rebounded with a
great season where he had career highs in stolen bases (34) and RBI (88) and
posted his second highest total in homers with 21.  Rios should have another good season this
year with the expectations now off him as a fixture in the White Sox
lineup.      

Alejandro De Aza-He played well in 2010 when he got
his opportunity.  He will be fighting for
a chance to make the 25-man roster as an extra outfielder along with Gartrell
and Milledge. 

Stefan Gartrell-Just like Escobar, he is a young
prospect that is someone to keep an eye on this spring. 

Non Roster Invitees (15 players)

Lastings Milledge-The White Sox signed Milledge to a
minor league deal, but he will be battling for an outfield spot.  He has played in the majors before with the
New York Mets, Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.  He is able to play the infield and outfield
and will be in a battle with Viciedo, Lillibridge, and De Aza for the 25
spot.  

Charles Leesman-The 23-yr old had a great spring last
season, and was 14-6 in the minors last season. 
He is a long shot for the spot, but will see some work.  

Jordan Danks-The outfielder is best known for being
the younger brother of John Danks, starting pitcher for the White Sox.  He is trying to join his brother on the White
Sox, but still has a long way to go. 
With other options ahead of him, I think he will start the season in
AAA.    

Donny Lucy-Lucy filled in well when Castro was on the
DL last season, but unless an injury happens again, he will start the season in
the minors.  

Other non-roster invitees are pitchers:  Kyle Bellamy, Brian Bruney, Jeff Gray, Brandon
Hynick, Josh Kinney, Shane Lindsay, and Miguel Socolovich.  Catchers: 
Josh Phegley, and Jared Price. Infielder Dallas
McPherson and Outfielder Brandon Short.  

A season begins anew on the South
Side.  Last season ended in disappointment
for the White Sox and their fans as they had a roller coaster like season.  Beginning on Opening Day on April 5^th, 2010 and going
through June 8^th (57 games) the White Sox began their season 24-33
and 9 ½ games out of 1^st in the AL Central.  Then they went on a tear.  Reversing their season around as they went 38-13
(51 games) and had a 1 ½ game lead in the AL Central.  But the last 3^rd of the season was
not what the team and their fans had hoped for. 
They went 26-28 (54 games) finishing the season 6 games behind the
Minnesota Twins at 88-74. 

But in all honesty I didn’t expect
the White Sox to win the division last season, and for them to finish 14 games
above .500 was better than what I had anticipated.  So now we move to this year, with a little retrospective
on what needed correcting from last season. 
  

Going into the Off-Season the White
Sox the questions surrounded some of the veterans.  Would some of the older veterans return for
one last push toward another would series, or would Kenny Williams and company
go younger?  On October 26^th, the
White Sox exercised their options on Ramon Castro and Matt Thorton and released
Carlos Torres.   Two of these moves seemed to lead to some speculation.
The speculation was that Bobby Jenks could be gone and Thorton would step into
the closer role.  The second was that
A.J. Pierzynski could be gone and a young catcher would be brought in, with Castro
being the veteran backup.  These
questions would be answered soon.  On
November 2^nd veteran infielder Omar Vizquel signed a 1-yr deal for
1.75 million to remain in Chicago.

As the Winter Meetings were set to
being on December 6^th, huge questions still remained for the White Sox.  Would Bobby Jenks be the closer of the
team?  Would captain Paul Konerko
return?  Would A.J. Pierzynski return
behind the plate?  The first question
would be answered on December 2^nd.  

The White Sox declined to tender a 2011 contract to Bobby Jenks along
with Erick Threets.  This ended a
relationship between the White Sox and Jenks that had existed since 2005.  Jenks would post the 2^nd most
saves All-Time in Chicago and what
he did to bring a World Series to this team will not be forgotten.  Jenks would end up signing with the Boston Red
Sox in the off-season.  The White Sox
also picked up their club option on Alexei Ramirez for 2.75 million, he would
eventually agree to a 4-yr 32.5 million dollar extension later. 

Then came December 3^rd.  It was announced Adam Dunn would be joining
the White Sox as he signed a 4-year 56 million dollar deal.  He is a career .250 hitter with 354  home runs and 880 RBI.  He has had five seasons with 40 or more home
runs and six seasons with 100 or more RBI in his eight years in the
majors.  When this move was made,
Williams made a statement that they were “All-In” this season, and Pierzynski
and Konerko would return.

  A.J.
Pierzynski was brought back on a 2-yr 8 million dollar deal.  Five days later Paul Konerko would
be-resigned on a 3-yr 37.5 million dollar deal. 
With A.J. and Paulie back (and the addition of Dunn)–the White Sox and their
fans knew that Kenny Williams and company was clearly going all-in. 

Now the focus was on the bullpen.  Jessie Crain (33-21; 3.42 ERA) was brought in
from rival Minnesota on a 3-year
13 million dollar deal to fill a huge hole. 
J.J. Putz, Scott Linebrink, Bobby Jenks, Carlos Torres and Erick Threets
were all gone.  

Left hander Will Ohman
(11-11; 4.09 ERA) was brought in on January 10^th on a 2-yr 4 million
dollar deal.  He was with the Orioles and
Marlins last season.  Right hander Kyle
Cofield came over to the White Sox
when Linebrink was shipped to the Atlanta Braves. On January 18^th
1-yr contracts were offered to John Danks (6 million), Carlos Quentin (5.05 million)
and Tony Pena (1.6 million).                   

            Here are the possible players for the
Opening Day 25-man roster (29 on list):

SP  Buehrle, Floyd,
Danks, Peavy Jackson

RP  Sale, Pena, Santos,
Crain, Ohman, Thorton, Harrell, Infante

C  Pierzynski, Castro,
Flowers

INF Konerko, Dunn, Beckham, Ramirez, Morel, Vizquel, Viciedo,
Teahen, Lillibridge

OF  Quentin, Rios,
Pierre, De Aza  

  @  

This is getting worse.  The last 34 games, other than 3-game sweeps at Boston and Cleavland have been awful for the White Sox.  See my previous post for more information.  The White Sox are still in “every game is a must win game” mode with today’s finale against the Royals being no different.  The White Sox will send Lucas Harrell (1-0; 0.84 ERA) to the mound for the start with Freddy Garcia not able to go due to injury.  Harrell did very well in his one start this season in Oakland on July 30th.