I’ll leave all of the nitty-gritty details to the pros like Rosenthal. For my commentary on this deal, I am going to put on my White Sox hat and do whatever I can to rain on the Tigers’ parade. Why? Because I’m still bitter about last season and not all that optimistic about this season (yet) and because ADAM DUNN WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SUCK SO MUCH DEAR GOD WHY?

Anyway, I just want to present a few of facts that Tigers fans may be familiar with.

Fact #1: Prince Fielder is the son of Cecil Fielder. This makes it highly probably that they share genetic code and hereditary predispositions.

Fact #2: Cecil Fielder played for the Detroit Tigers from age 26-31, becoming a lovable star because of his girth and behemoth home runs.

Fact #3: At age 26, his first full season in the majors, Cecil Fielder hit 51 home runs and slugged .592; at age 26, Prince Fielder, in his fifth full season in the majors, hit 32 home runs and slugged .471.

Fact #4: At age 27, Cecil Fielder hit 44 home runs and slugged .514; at age 27, Prince Fielder hit 38 home runs and slugged .566.

Fact #5: Cecil Fielder never slugged higher than .504 or hit 40 home runs again despite his salary increasing to nearly $10 million by his age 33 season. He retired at age 34.

Fact #6: Prince Fielder will still be under contract for two full seasons at a massive salary after turning 34.

Fact #7: From ages 23-25, Prince Fielder averaged 43.3 home runs, 121 RBIs, and had OPS’ of 1.013, .879, and 1.104; from ages 26-27, prime years for most players, Fielder averaged 35 home runs, 101.5 RBIs, and had OPS’ of .871 and .981.

A few observations about these facts:

• Cecil Fielder was never better than during his first two full seasons before declining sharply after that; he was still a useful player, but nowhere near the presence he had been.
• Prince Fielder was never better than during his first three full seasons (two great years with just a good year sandwiched in between) and is already declining statistically at the age his papa was putting up his best numbers.

The elder Fielder was paid $9.237 million each of his final two seasons in Detroit, an exorbitant sum at the time. He hit 59 home runs and drove in 172 runs total over those two seasons. Prince Fielder will be paid $20+ million dollars during every season of his deal with the Tigers. For their sake, let’s hope they get a better return than they got on the money they paid his father.

Otherwise, if Prince declines and becomes injury-prone, as many extremely heavyset power hitters have (Cecil, Mo Vaughn, even Frank Thomas, just to name a few), this deal could quickly become an albatross for the Tigers.

With Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera and a decent roster around them, the Tigers have a window to win over the next couple of years. If Fielder replacing the injured Victor Martinez helps power them to a World Series over the next few years, I suppose this deal will probably be worth it.

But I can’t help but think that at some point – probably when Fielder is hitting 25-30 home runs per season and making semi-regular DL stints, which will probably happen not too long after he turns 30, if not before  – the Tigers and their fans will be looking back on this deal with regret.

Of course, I’m just an angry, disillusioned, pessimistic White Sox fan still burdened mentally and emotionally by the Dunn Fiasco (and the Peavy Problem and the Rios Mess and blah blah blah)…so what the hell do I know?

Editor’s note: Amanda Lawson is a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan who is getting into baseball for the first time this year. After much deliberation and counsel, Amanda settled on the Minnesota Twins as her team. With “Beginning Baseball” Amanda is documenting her first season of baseball fandom.

The Twins can win.

For all the haters out there (aka White Sox fans), the show’s not over until the fat lady sings.

But how can you tell if it’s the team making a true comeback or if it is just going through a lucky streak? From what I’ve learned about baseball, you shouldn’t get your hopes up.

Too late.

As soon as we went on a winning streak, I brought back the smack talk and was dancing around like a teenie bop who just bought tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. (Barf—I can’t believe I just said that.) All I can do now is hope the Twins pull through and try to help prevent you from accidently celebrating before the party even starts.

A Lucky Streak

As the Twins begin their series against the White Sox tonight (last night’s opener was postponed), they are showing the confidence it takes to defeat one of their biggest rivals. Nine of the past eleven games have been wins for the Twins, including a 4-game sweep against the Royals.

But is this just a momentary up in a season full of downs?

Last time I got overly excited about the Twins, Francisco Liriano had a no-hitter against the White Sox in May earlier this season. And then it was all downhill from there. Plagued with injuries and inconsistencies, the frustration set it. Twins fans everywhere continued to wait on their awakening.

Cautiously, we waited as one win turned into two and three into four. Then Liriano almost had the taste of another no-hitter victory. And the Twins are up on another high.

Is it really a comeback?

The Twins still have many top starters on the DL and are pulling up no-namers to fill their shoes. But 9 out of 11 isn’t a bad winning streak, especially compared to what we’ve seen so far. So how do we know it’s really a comeback? There are three points of interest to look at.

1. The Opponents.

Take a look at the teams that the Twins have played the past 3 series: the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and the Texas Rangers.

The Twins swept the Royals in four games. With the Royals only 2.5 games ahead of the Twins, it wasn’t too surprising that they were able to win the series.

Beating the Indians, who were in first in the AL Central, put the Twins back in the game. The Twins are 9.5 games behind them and still pulled off a solid victory. Gotta love the ego boost the team gets from beating someone in the same division.

The Rangers are also at the top of their division and have had a decent season so far. The Twins came in and dominated the series, only losing one game to a team that is competing above .500.

2. The Twins’ Improvements and Consistencies.

Looking at stats is the easiest way to tell if the Twins are ready for a comeback or if they are just getting lucky.

Looking at the Twins’ game against the Tigers prior to this streak of wins, they were weak. Scott Baker seemed a little unsteady in his pitching (3.86 ERA) and scoring runs was a challenge as well. At the start of June, this loss put the Twins 16.5 games behind the leaders of the AL Central, the Cleveland Indians.

Fourteen days later, the Twins are only 9.5 games behind the Indians. The last game the Twins played, Liriano was a star. Even though he didn’t obtain the no-hitter, his consistency kept the team rolling. Michael Cuddyer was able to lead the Twins offensively with 3 RBIs.

3. What’s next for the Twins?

The Twins are hoping to see Joe Mauer back in action soon, along with a few of the other key players currently on the DL. However, our attention shouldn’t be on them. The team needs to focus on the consistency of the players who are healthy and in the lineup. The White Sox, Padres ,and Giants may give the Twins some tough play time, but they aren’t impossible to beat.

With a quick look at where we were, where we are now, and what we’ve got coming up, I feel confident saying the Twins are heading up the slope. Their confidence is rolling, they’ve become more consistent, and they are about to take on teams who expect them to be weak. Am I afraid to flat out say it’s a comeback? Yes I am. Will that hinder my trash talk? Absolutely not.

Get ready White Sox fans…the Twins are ready to play.

Editor’s note: Amanda Lawson is a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan who is getting into baseball for the first time this year. After much deliberation and counsel, Amanda settled on the Minnesota Twins as her team. With “Beginning Baseball” Amanda is documenting her first season of baseball fandom.

Let’s take a look at the AL Central standings:

1. Cleveland Indians
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Minnesota Twins

Ummm…This is not right.

At the end of the 2010 season, the Minnesota Twins were at the top of the AL Central.  The Indians and Royals rounded out the bottom. In the words of the great Vince Lombardi…

You said it Vince. WTH is going on?!?!

Maybe it has something to do with the players that are MIA? Slowey, Nishioka, Mauer and now Morneau–who is out with the flu for who knows how long. Of course, we expect them to get back in the game before the start of summer. Key word: EXPECT.

But hoping for players to return from injuries and illness oftentimes does not give us want we want, now does it? Like with Joe Nathan.

Such high hopes. Great expectations. But recovery from Tommy John Surgery is never easy. Sometimes a 100 percent recovery is just not possible, and fastball velocity goes down, and those high expectations can’t be met. That’s enough to put the crowd down.

As negative as that sounds, we must also have a sense of reality. The strength of a team is not only judged by the talent each player possesses, but also the ability to adjust their strategy when things don’t go as planned.

So we may be off to a slow start, but all hope is not lost. After Sunday’s win and a strong start in the series against Baltimore, the light (do I dare even say it) is shining at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Management, coaching, and the ability for players to step up to the plate (no pun intended) will tell us whether this Minnesota Twins team is ready to grab victory by the horns consistently.

But until that light warms up this nasty Midwest weather, I am going to keep the smack talk to a minimum. Let’s go TWINS!

**********

* – Joe Nathan photo credit: AP photo/Anne Heisenfelt via WISHTV.com

A huge reason why the Tribe had two straight seasons with less than 70 wins was of lack of power in the middle of the line-up. From 2009-2010 Cleveland had only two players that hit more then 20 home runs in a season.

DH Travis Hafner’s absence from the line-up was the major reason for the lack of power. From 2004-2006, (Hafner’s prime) he played in 406 games, hit 103 home runs, and had .303 batting average. Over the last three years he had only played 269 games, hit 34 home runs, and batted .259.

Hafner, just like the Indians is having a tremendous start.

After three injury-plagued seasons Hafner seems to have his groove back. Pronk is hitting .370, he has a on-base percentage of .433, and he has crushed two home runs – including a bomb vs. Seattle on Friday night.

Unfortunately Travis is prone to injuries. As mentioned earlier he has only played in 269 games during the last three seasons. Travis’ shoulder has been a major problem for him during most of his career, and as he gets older I don’t expect it getting any better.

Just as in the previous years, I expect Hafner to spend some time on the DL. But there are some steps Manny Acta can take to get the most out of Pronk before he begins to wear out.

First, sit Hafner against lefty pitchers. Obviously don’t sit him versus every southpaw, but like most left handled hitters he struggles hitting against lefties. Giving him an extra day off will keep him fresh. Also, this gives right-handed hitting Shelly Duncan and Austin Kearns, both solid backups, more at bats. Cleveland sat Hafner vs. Seattle on Sunday and Shelly Duncan had one hit for an RBI.

Cleveland should also rest him during long road trips. Long plane rides and bus rides could do some damage on that shoulder.

At this point of his career, Travis Hafner probably won’t have another 150 game season or 40 home run year. But, if he could play in 130 or more games, hit 28 home runs and hit .290 it will be very beneficial for the Tribe, as their fast start this season has shown.

AL East

The AL East standings look as though the person who typed in the information does not watch baseball. It shows the Orioles in first place with a record of 6-2. At the bottom of the division the Red Sox and Rays are both tied at the embarrassing record of 1-7.

The Rays have struggled to find offense, and are now dealing with the unexpected departure of Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox are having trouble with their pitching, both starters and those out of the bullpen. They have only scored 29 runs and have allowed 53 for an American League low -24 run differential. The Red Sox and Rays begin a series this week, so one of them has to improve their record by default.

The main surprise out of the AL East is the Baltimore Orioles. They are 6-2 and are first in the divison. They handed the Rangers their first loss of the season yesterday in a doubleheader. Their success can be attributed to the new atmosphere introduced by manager Buck Showalter. He left his comfy analyst job at ESPN to take over the perennially losing Orioles. Since he took over last year, the O’s have the best record in the East.

Baltimore is a primarily young team that is led by a few veterans. Derrek Lee and Vlad Guerrero were signed to help mentor the young players and produce on offense, which they have done. If they keep up this consistent play, they can give the Yankees a good run for the division crown.

AL Central

The Cleveland Indians are in first place for the first time since 2008. My hometown team is currently on 6-game win streak. Three of those wins came in a sweep of the Red Sox in Cleveland. The Indiana are in Seattle today looking for a sweep of the offensively challenged Mariners.

The rest of the divison is very much still in it, of course. It is very early, though starting with a record such as that of the Red Sox can ruin the rest of the season. The worst record in the Central is 3-5, which is held by the Twins and the Tigers.

The race for the divison should be an intersting one to follow over the course of the season. The Royals have yet to begin their annual collapse, which might be a good sign. Having all five teams in a competitive pennant race would be very exciting to watch.

AL West

The division is led by the defending AL champion Texas Rangers. They suffered their first loss of the season yesterday in Baltimore. Even with the loss they are 7-1 and in control of their division. Many doubted that the Rangers could repeat as AL West champs, but I see no reason why they shouldn’t win the division.

The Angels are their greatest competition, and they are currently 3-4. The A’s struggle to get their record over .500 while the Mariners need to solve their problems on offense. Look for the Rangers to keep winning, and have a chance to defend their ALCS in the playoffs.

If you are a fan of the Chicago White Sox, as I am, then this is a tune to keep in mind once next Tuesday rolls around. Why? That is when the Good Guys host the Twin Cities Piranhas in a three game set that will decide the AL Central.

Let’s preview the series and see just how optimistic White Sox fans should reasonably be about their team rising to the occasion in the most important series of the season.

White Sox-Twins: The Preceding Weekend

As I write this on Saturday morning, the White Sox sit 5.0 games behind Minnesota in the standings, thanks to last night’s thrilling come-from-behind home victory over the Royals. Each team has two games left before their pivotal tilt begins

The White Sox send Edwin Jackson to the hill today at home versus Kyle Davies. Jackson has been outstanding since the White Sox acquired him, although his history versus Kansas City is a bit checkered. Davies’ history against the White Sox is similarly checkered. Still, I think everyone would be shocked if the White Sox didn’t win this battle.

On Sunday, Freddy Garcia takes the hill for Chicago against Sean O’Sullivan of Kansas City. I see no discernible advantage here, so this game is a toss-up.

The Twins are in Cleveland, where they were shut down last night. Today, Nick Blackburn takes on rookie Carlos Carrasco and on Sunday it’s Kevin Slowey against Mitch Talbot. Carrasco and Talbot are better than you think, while Slowey has struggled since returning from injury. Blackburn has poor overall numbers but has been very good over the last 3-4 weeks.

All in all, I expect both the White Sox and Twins to split their games this weekend, meaning the Twins will still have a 5.0 game lead on Tuesday. From a White Sox perspective, this needs to be the absolute worst case weekend scenario. Losing any more ground is simply out of the question with only three weeks left in the season.

Update 9/13: Well, this didn’t go quite as planned. The Twins both of their weekend games while the White Sox split with Kansas City. So the Sox sit 6.0 games out as their pivotal series with Minnesota begins.

White Sox-Twins Preview: Tuesday

• First pitch: 7:10 CT
• TV: CSN
• Pitching Matchup: Francisco Liriano (13-7, 3.24 ERA) vs John Danks (13-10, 3.54 ERA)

This is a terrific pitching matchup in a series full of them. Liriano and Danks, both lefties, have had remarkably similar seasons. Not only are their overall numbers very similar, but their numbers against their Tuesday opponent are also similar.

• Danks vs MIN this year: 5 G, 2-1, 34.0 IP, 4.24 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 25:9 K:BB
• Liriano vs CHI this year: 4 G, 2-0, 24.1 IP, 4.07 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 20:13 K:BB

Both guys have actually pitched better against their rival this year than over their careers. Danks and Liriano have 5.00+ ERAs and 1.50+ WHIPs career against Minnesota and Chicago, respectively. And while both pitchers come into this game on the heels of at least two straight quality starts (Liriano has three straight), both have thrown up two duds out of their last six outings.

So history, both recent and distant, tells us that this may not be the low-scoring pitchers’ duel that we otherwise might expect just looking at the names.

Looking deeper into the numbers, Danks’ and Liriano’s home/road split this year should make White Sox fans feel better:

• Danks at home this year: 3.34 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .218 BAA, 81:25 K:BB
• Liriano on road this year: 4.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, .266 BAA, 82:26 K:BB

Interestingly, while Liriano’s numbers match up with this career splits, Danks over his career has actually been about the same on the road as he is at home. Still, the fact that this game is in Chicago appears to be, from a pitching standpoint, a clear advantage for Chicago.

Which batters can we expect to step up?

For Minnesota, Michael Cuddyer absolutely owns Danks (1.369 OPS in 45 ABs). Joe Mauer hits .349 career against Danks but doesn’t hit him especially hard (.419 SLG). A positive for Chicago is that Justin Morneau has always hit well against Danks (1.222 OPS in 31 ABs) but remains out while dealing with the effects of a concussion.

Chicago’s players have about half the ABs against Liriano as the Twins’ players against Danks, but a couple guys jump out: Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez. Paulie has a 1.141 OPS and 2 HRs in 17 ABs against Liriano while Alexei has a 1.088 OPS in 17 ABs. Carlos Quentin, Alex Rios, and Mark Teahen, however, have been neutralized by Liriano.

White Sox-Twins Tuesday Prediction: Both teams have a couple of guys with especially strong numbers against the opposing pitcher, and both pitchers have struggled in this matchup. I expect a close game in which relief pitchers will likely play a big role during the last three innings. With the White Sox getting Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz back to go along with Chris Sale, this isn’t as scary a proposition as it was as recently as a week ago.

White Sox win it 6-5.

White Sox-Twins Preview: Wednesday

• First Pitch: 7:10 CT
• TV: WCIU
• Pitching Matchup: Brian Duensing (8-2, 2.02 ERA) vs Gavin Floyd (10-12, 3.91 ERA)

This is the game that terrifies me and that should terrify all White Sox fans.

Gavin Floyd’s terrific mid-summer run, which is his track record, helped propel the White Sox back into the AL Central race (almost exactly as I predicted, by the way) when they looked all but dead early in the season. Unfortunately, Floyd’s track record suggests that he’ll be just an average pitcher over the season’s final month (career 6-9, 4.22 ERA in 22 September starts).

As if on cue, Floyd has three starts giving up 5 earned runs or more since the calendar turned to August. Most frightening for White Sox fans is that two of those starts came against Minnesota and the third was his most recent outing against Detroit.

That’s not encouraging.

Duensing, on the other hand, is a guy who has pitched well in August and September. In 21 careers starts during the season’s final two months, Duensing is 9-2. He has a 2.81 August ERA and a 2.56 September ERA (though his WHIP is 1.36 and BAA is .280).

Against the White Sox Duensing is 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 9 career appearances, some of them out of the pen. Floyd has a 4.93 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in his career against Minnesota and is just 4-7.

(Stop me when you find something that leads you to believe the White Sox will win this game. Seriously. I’m trying really hard to find something.)

At home, Floyd is slightly better than he is on the road while Duensing is decidedly better at home (1.97 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) than on the road (3.66 ERA, 1.33 WHIP). Unfortunately, Duensing’s road numbers are better than Floyd’s career home numbers.

Ugh.

From a hitters’ perspective, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin are the only White Sox players who will be looking forward to this matchup. Alexei is 5-12 lifetime against Duensing with a .962 OPS. CQ is 5-9 against Duensing with 2 HR and a 1.822 OPS.

So Quentin needs to make sure he doesn’t get hurt between now and Wednesday because the White Sox will need his power to have a chance.

For the Twins, an entire phalanx of hitters will be looking forward to facing Floyd. Denard Span, Jason Kubel, and Joe Mauer all have OPS’ above 1.000 in 24, 35, and 34 ABs, respectively.

White Sox-Twins Wednesday Prediction: During June and July, Gavin Floyd was basically automatic. Every time he started you just knew the White Sox would have a great chance to win. While he hasn’t been terrible in August and September, his two recent outings against Minnesota, and his history against the Twins, are not encouraging.

Brian Duensing is one of the really good young pitchers that not too many people know about. White Sox fans and other AL Central aficionados do, but that’s about it. As September progresses, and over the next few years, that will probably change…and frankly, that sucks. The last thing the White Sox need is another annoyingly solid starter to haunt us for the next few years.

Even me, the most optimistic of all White Sox fans, cannot find a reason to predict victory on Wednesday. I hope I’m wrong.

Twins win 5-2.

White Sox-Twins Preview: Thursday

• First Pitch: 7:10 CT
• TV: CSN / MLB Network
• Pitching Matchup: Carl Pavano (16-11, 3.47 ERA) vs Mark Buehrle (12-10, 3.99 ERA)

I love Danks, Floyd, and Jackson. All are above average pitchers who typically give the White Sox a chance to win. But if you asked me who I’d want on the bump if my life depended on a White Sox W, I’d choose Mark Buehrle every time.

I’ve written before about Buehrle’s status as the ace of the White Sox and how underrated he is. A major reason for this is that while Buehrle’s overall career numbers are not overwhelming, he has usually stepped up big against two of the three teams that have been the White Sox main consistent rivals during Buehrle’s tenure: Minnesota and Detroit.

• vs Minnesota: 25-17 in 46 starts, 3.98 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
• vs Detroit: 16-8 in 29 starts, 3.01 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

(Cleveland fans, shut up. I know the Indians have killed Buehrle – 12-15 lifetime record – but that means nothing for the purposes of this discussion.)

This year, Buehrle has been predictably strong against Minnesota. He is 2-1 in three starts with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He’s only struck out eight Twins in 23 innings, but he’s also only walked three. Vintage Buehrle.

So if you’re a White Sox, you feel good about the man on the hill for you on Thursday.

Unfortunately, Twins fans will feel pretty good with their own mustachioed mound maestro: Carl Pavano. The Big Apple Pariah has resurrected his career with an outstanding season in Minnesota. And unlike many Minnesota pitchers, Pavano is better on the road (3.13 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) than at home (3.90 ERA, 1.24 WHIP).

He has not, however, been quite as good against the White Sox this season. His overall numbers are 2-1 in three starts with a 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a .315 BAA. In his defense though, Pavano does have a sterling 13:1 K:BB rate against Chicago, and 15 of the 28 hits he’s given up to the White Sox, along with 6 of the 11 earned runs, came in his last start against the Good Guys. His other two starts against Chicago were both very good.

So we really can’t know what to expect from the White Sox offense against Pavano Thursday night. He could shut us down or we could tattoo him again. Both have already happened this year.

And that’s where I like the White Sox chances. Buehrle’s worst start against Minnesota this year was his first, back in April: 8 innings, 4 ER. He went 8 IP, 3 ER his next time out, then 7 IP, 0 ER after that. The trend is going in the right direction, which is the opposite for Pavano.

The hitters to watch for the White Sox in this matchup, based on the history, are Paul Konerko (.963 OPS in 27 ABs), A.J. Pierzynski (1.045 OPS in 22 ABs), and Alex Rios (.924 OPS in 22 ABs). This may be a good day to rest Quentin though. He’s 0-10 lifetime against Pavano.

Minnesota’s hitters have much more established track records against Buehrle, who they’ve seen so often over the past decade. Denard Span has fared the best, with a 1.037 OPS in 31 ABs. Delmon Young has also done well, with a .942 OPS in 30 ABs. Conversely, Joe Mauer (.647 OPS in 46 ABs) and Jason Kubel (.624 OPS in 14 ABs) have not fared as well.

White Sox-Twins Thursday Prediction: If the first two games go as I predicted them, and the remaining games this weekend go as I predicted, the White Sox will need this win to move to 4.0 games back. That is a seemingly insurmountable advantage with so few days left on the regular season calendar, but it at least keeps the White Sox in it.

And I do think Mark Buehrle wins this matchup. He may even do it without any help from the bullpen. Buehrle knows when he needs to put the White Sox on his back, and he usually does it, especially against Minnesota.

Also, there are troubling signs for Pavano. He’s only struck out six hitters in his last 23 innings, although all three are quality starts (1-2 record). Plus, his last memory of facing the White Sox is getting hit around like a pinata.

A desperate White Sox team will come through a big victory on this night, and hopefully the momentum can carry the White Sox to a white hot finish to the season. They’ll need it to have a chance.

White Sox win 7-1.

White Sox-Twins: The Rest of September

Based on my predictions, the White Sox will be 4.0 games out heading into next Friday. A bounce here or there and obviously that number could swing in either direction by a game or two. We’ll see what happens.

But assuming 4.0 games is the deficit, will White Sox fans have any reasonable hope of a late season surge? Here are the remaining schedules for the two squads.

White Sox:

• vs DET (3)
• @ OAK (3)
• @ LAA (3)
• vs BOS (4)
• vs CLE (3)

Twins:

• vs OAK (3)
• vs CLE (3)
• @ DET (3)
• @ KC (3)
• vs TOR (4)

Not really much of an advantage either way. Both teams have 10 games at home and 6 on the road. Both play Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit. Both get an AL East squad out of the race, and both go on the road to face teams that aren’t very good this year (KC and LAA).

Basically, the White Sox will need to catch fire and the Twins will need to collapse. Is it possible? Of course it is. Is it probable? Probably not.

But the joy of being a fan is knowing that as long as your team has a mathematical chance, something crazy could always happen. And we watch, and we hope, and we implore both our teams to rise to the occasion and the sports gods to smile down upon us with benevolence.

For the White Sox, being five games out with just 3+ weeks left is tantamount to hanging by a thread. But at least we’re hanging and have a reason to stay engaged during September. Now let’s just hope that we’re not hanging on in vain.

Last night’s comeback win over Kansas City was huge and certainly rekindled my excitement. And I like our chances at home against Minnesota next week. As Hawk would say, don’t stop now boys…

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* – AJ / JJ photo source: SBNation

* – Paulie/Buehrle photo source: RightWingHouse.com

* – Brian Duensing photo source: TwinkieTown.com

This season has been thrilling thus far, and it’s been all about pitching, pitching, pitching.

As we get ready for what should be an equally as thrilling second half of the season, with dramatic pennant races shaping up around the league, it’s time to assess each team a grade; so here they are:

AL East

New York Yankees-A

The defending champs have been impressive thus far, and you can expect them to make a strong push for a repeat.

Tampa Bay Rays-A+

After a lackluster 2009, the Rays, led by young pitching sensation David Price, are back in the playoff hunt.

Boston Red Sox-A-

Despite a slow start to the season and multiple injuries, the Red Sox are right in the mix, and should improve once they start getting everyone back.

Toronto Blue Jays-B+

Toronto was supposed to be in a rebuilding stage, but they started out the year incredibly strong. They’ve now cooled off a bit, but are still just below .500.

Baltimore Orioles-F

With the worst record in the MLB, they have to get an F. They’ve fired Dave Trembley and our courting Buck Showalter, who would give them the relief they so desperately need.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox-A-

The year seemed to be lost for the South Side Sox, but they have been red hot as of late, and have grabbed hold of 1st in the AL Central.

Detroit Tigers-A-

The Tigers have been absolutely solid this season. Led by Triple Crown front runner Miguel Cabrera, they look like a team ready to make a playoff run.

Minnesota Twins-B+

Minnesota has been above average, but that won’t be good enough to win the AL Central this year.

Kansas City Royals-C

The Royals started out poor, causing them to show Trey Hillman the door. Under new manager Ned Yost, they’ve shown signs of improvement, and I think that will continue in the second half.

Cleveland Indians-F

The city is of Cleveland has fallen on to hard times when it comes to sports. LeBron does a one hour special that was equivalent to giving the entire city the middle finger, the Browns are, well the Browns, and new Indians manager Manny Acta hasn’t brought the struggling franchise back to decency.

AL West

Texas Rangers-A

Everything’s clicking for Texas this year, and this may finally be the season where they get to the playoffs.

Los Angeles Angels-B

Don’t get me wrong, the Halos are having a good season, they just don’t look like the Angels of 2009.

Oakland Athletics-C+

The A’s have a young core of good pitchers, and the team will definitely get better as those pitchers get a little more experience under their belt.

Seattle Mariners-D-

Seattle has the pieces, they just never seem to be able to put them into place. Looks like it’s going to be another miserable season for the M’s.

NL East

Atlanta Braves-A+

From the look of things, the Bobby Cox Farewell Tour may be making a stop in the playoffs. Led by young sensations Jason Heyward and Tommy Hanson, Atlanta is looking to give their legendary manager a fitting send-off.

New York Mets-A-

The Mets have looked pretty good so far, but need to be consistently good in the second half if they want to finally make the playoffs. Don’t be too surprised if they choke yet again.

Philadelphia Phillies-B

The defending NL champions have been solid, but not great. They are failing to meet high expectations that were made with the signing of Roy Halladay. Third place in the NL East isn’t anywhere close to good enough for Philly fans.

Florida Marlins-B-

The Florida Marlins are still in turmoil. They gave manager Freddie Gonzalez the boot mainly because Hanley Ramirez is a whiner, and still get very few fans. They need to bring Bobby Valentine in to attract fans and improve the team.

Washington Nationals-C-

Despite the fact that rookie superstar Stephen Strasburg is living up to the hype, and slugger Adam Dunn is having a career year, the Nationals are still cellar dwellers in the NL East. Washington will be a contender eventually, but certainly not this season.

NL Central

Cincinnati Reds-A+

The Cincinnati Reds are having an outstanding season. Dusty Baker’s squad has exceeded all expectations, and shows no signs of slowing down. The only question is whether or not the Reds’ starting rotation will be able to withstand the Lizard’s overworking.

St. Louis Cardinals-A

The Cards have been impressive this season. Their pitching and hitting is solid. The only problem is that they’re trailing the Reds in the division, when they were supposed to be dominating the Central.

Milwaukee Brewers-C

The Milwaukee Brewers had mediocre expectations coming into the season, and are playing mediocre. Fair hitting and bad pitching has them quite a bit out of first place, but as long as they finish ahead of the Cubs, we Brewer fans don’t mind.

Chicago Cubs-D

The Chicago Cub train is flying off the tracks. The not-so-loveable losers haven’t been able to put it together, and Zambrano is an epic fail. Sorry Cub fans, this most certainly is not the year.

Houston Astros-D

The Houston Astros have been flat-out bad. Nothing seems to be going right for them, and to top it all off, Roy Oswalt wants to catch the next train out of Houston.

Pittsburgh Pirates-F

What did you expect? The Pirates are still in their never-ending rebuilding stage. They surged out to a lead at the beginning of the year, but that last about as long as a Billy Martin Yankee managerial tenure.

NL West

San Diego Padres-A+

From bottom feeders to division leaders. The San Diego Padres are one of this season’s best stories. Everyone loves an inspiring story, except for soulless Communists. Anyway, we’ll see if the Padres are able to keep hold of this lead for the rest of the year.

Colorado Rockies-A

The Rockies just don’t want to go away. They are poised to make another playoff run, and turn October into the always cheesy, but still catchy, Rocktober.

Los Angeles Dodgers-A-

The Dodgers are playing good baseball; they’re just in a tough division. But you can be sure that when September rolls around, Joe Torre’s club is going to be in the playoff hunt.

San Francisco Giants-A-

Great rotation and a solid lineup. The Giants have all the tools to be a good playoff team, but are stuck in the incredibly competitive NL West. C’mon, they’re in 4th place with a 47-41 record. That’s just cruel.

Arizona Diamondbacks-C-

The NL West is like a beautiful painting, and the D-Backs are a hideous coffee stain on it. Arizona came in to the season with low expectations, and they are proving their critics right. A.J. Hinch was given the axe, and Kirk Gibson was brought into try and help revive the D-Backs, but even he won’t be able to help this hopeless club.

The Crew had just made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, but not without having a September slump that cost Yost his job.

Now, just two years later, the table has been turned.

Yost recently took over as manager of the lowly, often pathetic Kansas City Royals. Sounds like Ned’s out the door again after this season, being stuck with the Royals and all, right?

Well not so fast, my friend.

If things continue the way they’ve started in the Yost Era in Kansas City, then he just might be a permanent fixture there.

Under Neddy, the Royals are a spectacular (by their standards) 5-2. Not only that, but the team has finally fought its way to 4th in the AL Central, and forced “The Guy Who Becomes Manager of Really Bad Teams” Manny Acta and his Cleveland Indians into 5th.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers might as well make “Free Falling” their new theme song, because that’s exactly what they’re doing. The Crew has looked absolutely dead as of late.

Surem they beat the Pirates 20 to zip, but they’ve been crap against Pittsburgh and everybody else ever since. Heck, they’re even below Pittsburgh in the standings, and are in danger of falling to last in the NL Central.

As of Thursday night (I pray to God they don’t lose to the Pirates AGAIN) the Crew has a dismal record of 15-25, and have a major league-worst 4-14 record at home. That is absolutely, unforgivably awful!

I hate to say it, but they have to trade Prince Fielder for some better pitching, because there’s no way they can afford his lucrative contract that he’ll be asking for after this season.

While I think Ken Macha’s done all he can, he’ll likely be axed if the team doesn’t turn it around. This would mean Willie Randolph would likely be the new manager, though I think that Dale Sveum is spectacular managerial material (as he proved as interim manager after Ned was booted). But he won’t get that position until at least two failed tenures end with the manager meeting the axe of Doug Melvin.

Maybe we should’ve kept Ned.

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* – Ned Yost photo credit. SI.com

The Twins come into this season with two former MVPs, an increased payroll, and a new stadium. Expectations are as high as they have been in quite some time. Instead of figuring out how to fill roles vacated by Johan Santana or Torii Hunter like years past, the Twins showed aggressiveness in free agency.

Up until Joe Nathan’s (potentially) devastating injury, the Twins looked like the preseason favorite to win the almighty AL Central. Let’s take a look at the reasons why.

Minnesota Twins 2010 Preview: Infield

The Twins traded for former All-Star JJ Hardy in exchange for Carlos Gomez. Gomez was a huge fan favorite and a great energy guy, but it is hard to keep a guy around who weighs more than his batting average. Hardy has friends within the Twins organization and is looking to return to his All Star form and solidify the shortstop position.

Orlando Hudson was a great free agent pickup, signing a one year contract. Everything I’ve read about Hudson is that he has an infectious personality and never stops talking. Sounds like a great teammate to me.

Justin Morneau is healthy and back at first base, looking for his fourth 30 HR season in the past five years and a return to the AL MVP ballot. While the team didn’t show signs of a devastating collapse when he went down last year with a back injury, he is still a cornerstone of this team.

Third base is a huge question mark. Brendan Harris is slotted to fill the position for now. The Twins have a good prospect in Danny Valencia, but they are convinced he isn’t ready yet. Harris is a decent fielder, but not someone who is an everyday player on a World Series contending team. If the Twins are to make a trade this year, I think it will be to lock up the hot corner spot.

There is also this guy named Joe Mauer at the catcher spot. I don’t know much about him but apparently he swings a good bat. He has been compared to something called a Jonny Bench, whatever that is. He is definitely a player to watch this year.

Minnesota Twins 2010 Preview: Outfield

Denard Span is a name you NEED to get used to.

This is a guy who was stuck in the Twins farm club finally got called up a few years ago as an injury replacement and played so well that he convinced management to keep him around. He has developed into a solid leadoff hitter as well as one of the most versatile outfielders in the league, playing all three positions last year before settling in center for this season. He recently signed a 5-year extension.

Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer will fill the rest of the outfield. Young is trying to prove why the Twins have kept him around, and he made a good case for himself after having a big role at the end of the season after the Morneau injury. Cuddyer showed signs of why he got a multi-year contract extension after a big 2006, leading the team in home runs last year with 32. He also stepped up last year after the Morneau injury, filling in at first place.

Minnesota Twins 2010 Preview: Pitching

Really Joe? WHY!?

The Twins came into Spring Training with four of the five starting spots filled. Fransisco Liriano and Glen Perkins were set to compete for the final spot, but so far it hasn’t been much of a competition.

Liriano had great outings in the Dominican winter league and has continued that hot streak, and with Nathan being hurt, word of Liriano filling that closing spot was starting to form. Unfortunately Perkins hasn’t shown he can fill the role of a starter, meaning the Twins will have to look elsewhere for a replacement.

Projected Batting Order

1. CF Denard Span
.311 BA, .392 OBP, .415 SLG, 8 HR, 68 RBI in 2009
2. 2B Orlando Hudson
.283 BA, .357 OBP, .417 SLG, 9 HR, 62 RBI in 2009
3. C Joe Mauer
.365 BA, .444 OBP, .587 SLG, 28 HR, 96 RBI in 2009
4. 1B Justin Morneau
.274 BA, .363 OBP, .516 SLG, 30 HR, 100 RBI in 2009
5. DH Jason Kubel
.300 BA, .369 OBP, .539 SLG, 28 HR, 103 RBI in 2009
6. RF Michael Cuddyer
.276 BA, .342 OBP, .520 SLG, 32 HR, 94 RBI in 2009
7. LF Delmon Young
.284 BA, .308 OBP, .425 SLG, 12 HR, 60 RBI in 2009
8. SS J.J. Hardy
.229 BA, .302 OBP, .357 SLG, 11 HR, 47 RBI in 2009
9. 3B Brendan Harris
.261 BA, .310 OBP, .362 SLG, 6 HR, 37 RBI in 2009

Projected Pitching Rotation

1. Scott Baker
15-9, 4.37 ERA in 2009
2. Carl Pavano
14-12, 5.10 ERA in 2009
3. Nick Blackburn
11-11, 4.03 ERA in 2009
4. Kevin Slowey
10-3, 4.86 ERA in 2009
5. Francisco Liriano
5-13, 5.80 ERA in 2009

More video work, more work in the cage, extra stretching…whatever each player needs to play at his best.

Certainly, as a fan or if I were a manager, I’d at least expect my team’s players to be well rested and, you know, not hungover and in jail until 8:00 on the morning of a huge game.

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, it seems, would not agree.

You may have seen the pictures of Miguel Cabrera’s scratched face, and you may have heard the rumors about Cabrera being out late drinking, then getting into a fight with his wife early on Saturday morning, and ending up in jail.

Turns out that Cabrera’s explanation for the scratches (“my dog did it!”) doesn’t quite jive with reality.

From the Detroit Free-Press:

Miguel Cabrera might be the Tigers’ first baseman on the field. But off the field early Saturday morning, he was one of the boys out too late with his buddies, according to the Birmingham Police.

The buddies were players from the Chicago White Sox, who Cabrera was partying with after Friday night’s game at Birmingham’s Townsend Hotel, Birmingham Police Chief Richard Patterson said.

But when he got home, his wife wasn’t happy he’d been out drinking so late, Patterson said. Roseann Cabrera called 911 at 6:05 a.m. to report the two were fighting, according to reports.

For some reason, the fact that Cabrera was out with White Sox players makes me laugh.

We’ve always known that Ozzie Guillen loves and admires the Twins; who knew that he’d send his players out for a late night carousing session with the Tigers’ best hitter on the even of their biggest games of the season!?

(For the record, because you never know how people will take things, don’t read the above statement too literally, as I’m sure Ozzie had nothing to do with it.)

But hey, at least Cabrera came through in the clutch for the Tigers this weekend. Needing to win two games to avoid having to play in a one-game playoff against the Twins, Cabrera led to the Tigers to just one victory with his sterling 0-11 performance.

Well done Miguel.

Your team is counting on its best hitter to have a good series, and your reeling city is counting on its sports teams to give it some sort of positive diversion. You decide to go out drinking, wind up in jail, and go 0-11.

If you’re going to be a clown, at least be one who gets a few hits and drives in a few runs.

Your teammates and city, I’m sure, are greatly appreciative of your efforts.

Update: For some good perspective on this story, our buddy J. Ellet Lambie over at Eye of the Tigers has an excellent post on the subject.

Update: The audio of the 911 call has been released (hat tip to The Big Lead). Keep in mind, Cabrera reportedly blew a .26 on a breathalyzer, the woman on the line is Cabrera’s wife, and this is at 6:00 am on the morning of one of the Tigers’ most important games since Cabrera signed his $100+ million contract. Jason at The Big Lead is right. This is sad. Miguel Cabrera may have more than just a weight problem.

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* – Miguel Cabrera photo credit: Julian H. Gonzalez – Detroit Free Press

Site-wide, the excuse is simple: we need more baseball writers. (So contact us if you want to cover baseball! We’d love to have you.)

But that dearth of baseball coverage is about to change because October is here, which means it’s playoff time. And just like last season, the playoffs kick off with a one-game playoff tie-breaker to decide the AL Central.

Say what you will about the overall level play in the AL Central, but it routinely gives us the most hotly contested division race in all of Major League Baseball. 

Last year it was the White Sox and Twins duking it out for a 163rd game. This year, it’s the Tigers and Twins. Here is everything you need to know:

Twins-Tigers One-Game Playoff Preview

• Twins-Tigers Date: Tuesday, October 6th
• Twins-Tigers Time: 5:07 ET
• Twins-Tigers TV: TBS
• Twins-Tigers Location: The Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Twins-Tigers Odds: Twins -1.5
• Twins-Tigers Over-Under: 8.5
• Twins-Tigers Pitching Matchup: Rick Porcello (14-9) v Scott Baker (15-9)
• StubHub: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $56
• RazorGator: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $63
• TicketsNow: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $59

Rick Porcello v the Twins

Tigers rookie Rick Porcello won’t turn 22 until December of this year, yet the young phenom is taking the mound for the Tigers’ most important game of the season. It’s been an up-and-down rookie year for Porcello, who was terrible in April, fantastic in May, terrible again in June and July, and then very solid in 12 starts during August and September.

Overall for the season, Porcello is 14-9 with a 4.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 81 Ks, and 50 BBs over 30 starts and 165 innings. Detroit has done a very good job of not wearing Porcello down in his first big league season, part of the reason why he came down the stretch with a strong 5-2 record and an ERA right around 3.20 during the season’s final two months.

Porcello has pitched decently well overall against Minnesota. He is only 1-2 in four starts, but his ERA against the Twins is a very solid 3.09. The peripheral numbers, however, aren’t quite as good (1.41 WHIP, .299 BAA) and Porcello did not fare well in his two starts in the Metrodome: 0-2, 6.30 ERA.

The Twins that have given Porcello the most trouble are Jason Kubel (8-11) and Delmon Young (4-9). Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau both hit .250 or worse against Porcello, but both have homered. Joe Mauer went only 1-9 against Porcello this season. The Twins did not steal a base off Porcello this year.

Scott Baker v the Tigers

Scott Baker, always one of my personal favorites from a fantasy perspective because of his low WHIP and solid K/BB numbers, started off the season terribly. In three April starts, Baker had an ERA of 9.82 and went 0-3. Over the next five months, Baker alternated between 4.00+ and 3.00+ ERAs and finished the season with decent numbers: 15-9, 4.36 ERA, 1.19 WHIP. 

Baker’s Achilles’ heel is the longball: he gave up 27 on the year.

Unfortunately for Twins fans, Detroit is one of the teams that rocked Baker the hardest this year. In four starts against the Tigers, Baker went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.70. On a positive note though, he only gave up two home runs to the Tigers in 20 innings of work.

And Baker was pretty solid at home, with his 4.55 ERA not really jiving with lower peripheral numbers across the board (1.07 WHIP, .240 BAA, fewer home runs allowed). It looks like Baker was the victim of some bad luck in his home park.

The Tigers hitters that hit Baker the hardest this year were: Miguel Cabrera (4-11, HR); Magglio Ordonez (6-11); Marcus Thames (3-8, HR). Baker did do a nice job of keeping Curtis Granderson off the basepaths (1-11) and holding Brandon Inge in check (1-8).

Twins-Tigers Prediction

I can’t go in any direction but with the Twins.

I’ve long said that if I was not a White Sox fan, and could choose any other MLB team to root for, I’d choose Minnesota. I admire how they play, their scrappiness, and the fact that regardless of the circumstances they always seem to end up in the thick of the AL Central race.

The Twins are the team that comes into tomorrow’s game with the momentum and without either team having a significant edge in terms of starting pitching, I’m going with the team that does the best job of shutting the door at the end.

For that important job, the Twins get to call on Joe Nathan, perhaps one of the most under appreciated players in Major League Baseball over the last decade.

Here is the most important stat I could dig up about this game: in 50 lifetime appearances against Detroit, Joe Nathan is 2-1 with 30 saves, a 1.60 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .147 BAA…and he has never blown a save against the Tigers.

I’m convinced.

I don’t think the Twins win by more than a run, as the spread indicates, but who cares? Nathan shuts the door in the 9th and the Twins move onto the playoffs.

Twins-Tigers one-game playoff pick: Minnesota Twins 4 | Detroit Tigers 3

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* – Joe Nathan photo credit: Eric Miller, Reuters via MinnPost.com

Sportsbook fans were eagerly awaiting Monday night’s Tigers-Twins game, which was supposed to open a four-game series that will arguably determine the AL Central winner.

Rain knocked the game back to Tuesday afternoon, meaning there’s still time to reevaluate the final three games of the series.

Detroit appears to be in great shape for those online betting matchups.

Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $25.

Pitching Matchup: Brian Duensing (5-1, 3.33) vs. Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.41)

Verlander has rebounded from a poor 2008 campaign with a dominant performance. His 256 strikeouts dwarf his previous best of 183, and he’s coming off an 11K performance against Cleveland.

The Twins have been his kryptonite this year, however, as he’s 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA in three starts.

Duensing, a rookie, has been brilliant for Minnesota. He began the season as a reliever but, after becoming a starter, has been on fire. His 1.74 ERA in September is impressive. Even better? His 6.1 inning, four-hit shutout of Detroit a few weeks ago.

On paper this matchup seems to favor the rookie, but you’re still better off taking Verlander on your MLB picks—this is a pressure-packed game that makes youngsters crumble and vets excel.

———

Date & Time: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $6.

Pitching Matchup: Carl Pavano (13-11, 4.86) vs. Eddie Bonine (0-1, 4.60)

Part-time starter Bonine has been an adequate fill-in for Detroit. In his past two starts he’s allowed five runs (three earned) in 11.2 innings of work. He’s faced the Twins once is his brief career and it wasn’t pretty: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 6.75 ERA.

Pavano, on the other hand, must be licking his chops for this matchup. He’s eaten Detroit’s soul to the tune of four wins and a 1.69 ERA in five starts. It doesn’t take betting software to figure out veteran experience plus a proven track record against Detroit makes Pavano the right call.

———-

Date & Time: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 1:05 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $10.

Scott Baker (14-9, 4.48) vs. Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.56)

Robertson struggled in his last start, allowing four earned runs in 3.1 innings, though the Detroit lineup bailed him out. Besides that hiccup he’s had a fine month (3.86 ERA in four starts, five appearances), including a solid five-inning, two-run effort against the Twins a few weeks ago.

Twins starter Scott Baker can’t claim the same success. He’s been knocked around badly by the Tigers this season, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts. History says bet on Robertson and the Tigers.

THE PICK: Tigers sweep the final three games of this series

Every time we get a few games over .500, we can’t stand the prosperity and play like the Royals.

And then once the pendulum has swung back, and we’re under .500, and jackass bloggers like myself are acting like the sky is falling, we turn into the Yankees.

Case in point: the last four games.

After dropping what felt like 6,000 games in a row, and essentially falling out of the AL Central race, the White Sox have reeled off the following:

• Scoring four runs off of Twins closer Joe Nathan in the 9th inning to steal a win in the Metrodome.
• Shutting out the Cubs 5-0 in Wrigley Field in a makeup game from earlier this season. Perennial Cy Young candidate Carlos Torres pitched 7 shutout innings, striking out six Cubs.
• Dominating the Boston Red Sox at home, winning 12-1 on Friday and then 5-1 today powered by a Gavin Floyd gem for which the post game show was not canceled until two outs in the 6th inning.

So, in summation, the White Sox had fallen to 64-69 on Tuesday. Now here we sit on Saturday night with the White Sox one game under .500, 6.5 games out of first place, and playing like we all know this club is capable of playing.

Personally, I plan on enjoying it until we get to a few games over .500, and then the fear of an inevitable three- or four-game implosion will overshadow any optimism that builds up.  It’s just been one of those years.

If the White Sox finish anything other than 81-81 this year, I will be surprised. (And believe me, I hope to be surprised…positively.)

Here’s the thing, as bad as things have seemed this season, the White Sox are not out of it yet. If we just make up one game per week on the Tigers leading up to our final three game set with Detroit from September 25th-27th, we’ll be a home sweep away from being tied for the lead in the division.

A long shot? Sure. But for a veteran club that’s experienced in pressure, pennant-race baseball, it’s not completely outlandish. 

In other White Sox news, one thing that could make a late-season charge up the AL Central standings more difficult would be for Gordon Beckham to miss any time. The Sox sterling rookie left today’s game in the first inning with back tightness. Though it doesn’t sound serious, I’ve seen no updates on his status moving forward, and White Sox fans have been conditioned to be fearful about back tightness and our third baseman being mentioned in the same sentence.

Perhaps it was just time for a day off. Gordon has played in 81 straight games, counting today’s.

Also, a big congrats to Ozzie Guillen, who won his 500th game as a manager yesterday. Hopefully there are at least 500 more, and then 500 more after that, for Ozzie on the South Side.

Anyway, to close this post, I will just say that even though I’ve said previously that I have essentially given up hope on the White Sox making the playoffs this year, I’m starting to get pulled back in. Impressive four game streaks have a way of doing that.

If we can keep up the good play over the next four at home, and then defy historical trends by playing well out West on a six-game trip to LA and Seattle, I’ll really be excited.

Let’s go Sox. Championships are won in September, and there is still a whole lot of September left.

Please give me a moment, as I must collect myself — and navigate through the tricky emotional ocean of simultaneously wanted to laugh hysterically and cry plaintively — before I will be able to write anything coherent and worthy of your eyes.

…

Quick! While I’m composing myself, follow this link to purchase your very own 2009 White Sox playoff tickets!

…

Seriously? The only explanation I can come up with is that, for some reason, the White Sox are mad at their fans and lashing out. Maybe it’s the poor attendance? Who the hell knows.

But why else would this be the second image in the rotating melange front and center on the White Sox home page?

To go into complete cliche territory here for a second: Playoffs? Are you f%&*$n#g kidding me? Playoffs?

Not in 2009. No sir. Not anymore. No way, how how.

A couple of weeks ago, when the Sox were still hovering a few games over .500 and within a good weekend’s striking distance of Detroit, something like this would be understandable. Get your playoff tickets! Get excited for the stretch run everybody! Jake Peavy! Gordon Beckham! Jake Peavy! Gordon Beckham!

But over our last 11 eleven games, the White Sox have managed to go 2-100. I’m not sure how it’s possible…I know the math doesn’t add up…but it’s true. 

We’ve lost 100 games in two weeks.

Or does it just feel that way?

If someone gave me truth serum, I would tell them that when I wrote this post six days ago I honestly had not totally given up on the team yet. Part of my motivation in writing it, with the season on the brink of slipping away, was a little reverse psychology. The White Sox always seem to tank whenever I praise them on MSF; I figured by publicly doubting them I could reverse that maddening trend. (I realize this is a ridiculous notion, but I’m obsessed with sports and the White Sox, okay? Give me a break.)

Instead, they’ve lost 75 games in the week since that post was published.

Wait…damnit, sorry…it just feels that way. I know it’s only been 50 losses in the past week.

Playoffs. You have got to be kidding me.

(And by the way, as I write this, Mark Buehrle is being outdueled 2-0 by perennial Sigh Young candidate Brian Duensing. The White Sox are teetering dangerously close to another sweep in the Metrodome.  Wait…Scott Linebrink just came in.  Expect a crooked number any second now.)

My apologies for the negativity. You know I don’t like to be this. You know I always look for the positives in everything. But these last two weeks of White Sox baseball easily rank in the top 10 letdowns of my life as a sports fan. It’s all about expectations, and I legitimately expected this team to make it to the playoffs and have a chance to make some noise.

I never expected that we’d be completely and utterly embarrassed like we have been.

Why am I wasting time ranting like this?  Oh yeah, because the White Sox decided to mock their own fans with their outlandish website claims of playoff tickets even being a remote possibility. And while I actually agree with the moves, based on the team’s performance of late, Ken Williams can gussy up the trades of Jim Thome and Jose Contreras however he wants: he waved the white flag.

Sadly, I don’t blame him. But maybe he should have informed the guy in charge of managing the website.

Damn you, White Sox web admin. Damn you.

Update: My strategy may be working!

Down 2-0 headed into the top of the 9th, the White Sox were facing certain death when Joe Nathan came in to close it out. But a funny, unexpected thing happened…the Sox exploded for two runs!!! Wait…just checked again…now three runs!!!  No, four! And we knocked Nathan out of the game!

Time for Bobby to come in and close this out.   Yeeessss!

Maybe my diabolical plot of reverse psychology will work after all.  So about those playoff tickets…

Update: Sox win! 4-2! Bobby shuts the door in the 9th.

A team-galvanizing win that could harken a turnaround…or just a momentary blip in a September of wasted opportunity? We shall see.

But it does, I’ll admit, feel good to get a comeback win at Minnesota.

But the White Sox stole one in the 9th last Tuesday against Seattle, when Alexei Ramirez cracked a three-run homer in the top of the 9th, so I guess you could say Sunday’s loss was just the road trip evening itself out.

What faces the White Sox this week is, on the surface, much less intimidating than last week’s West Coast swing and the impending road trip against Boston, New York, and Minnesota. The White Sox go back home for three against the cellar dwelling Royals, an off day, and then three more against the cellar dwelling Orioles. Sitting 2.5 games behind Detroit with 44 games left to play, this is a huge opportunity for the White Sox to quit flirting with .500 and get to six or seven games over.

Expecting anything more than a split next week is probably wishful thinking, so the White Sox need to take it upon themselves to string together some victories — and some breathing room — against teams that they should beat at home this week.

Mark Buehrle kicks off the home stand today against Brian Bannister, and Mr. Perfect needs to fulfill his role as staff ace and get us off on the right foot. 

With the most difficult stretch of the season beginning one week from today, the White Sox cannot afford to waste this opportunity.