Step Off the Ledge! History Suggests a Strong June Turnaround for the White Sox

May 31, 2010 By 6 Comments
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When the Chicago White Sox won on Opening Day, I called KVB and said, “We’re going undefeated!” He proceeded to agree and we started making plans to meet up in Chicago for the playoffs (apparently forgetting that the season is 162 games long and that White Sox always lose when we’re in the ballpark…)

Unfortunately, that moment was the high point of the first two months of the 2010 baseball season.

The White Sox lost the next four games and have been fighting just to get their heads above water ever since. As things stand today, with the White Sox having completed their April and May slate of games, the South Siders are a pathetic 22-28, 8.0 games behind Minnesota in the AL Central.

Yet all hope is not lost for the 2010 season…at least not for me…at least not yet.

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: AJ Pierzynski, Alex Rios, alexei ramirez, bobby jenks, Chicago White Sox, freddy garcia, gavin floyd, john danks, juan pierre, mark buehrle, MLB, paul konerko

White Sox Would Not Be Favored in Little League World Series – Just Ask Ozzie

August 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ozzie Guillen comments after one-hit shutout loss to YankeesNo one who roots for the White Sox is happy right now.  And that’s an understatement.

I was already despondent heading into today’s game against the Yankees, but was at least excited that the game would be on WGN so I could watch it down here in Dallas. 

After watching Sergio Mitre and a reliever one-hit the White Sox, I wish I hadn’t wasted my time watching. And Ozzie Guillen apparently feels the same way.

A sampling of Ozzie Guillen’s comments after today’s Yankees loss for the White Sox, from ESPN.com:

“I feel like I’m stealing money from Jerry, and that’s a shame. When you have more errors than hits, you better look yourself in the mirror and second-guess yourself. I’m second-guessing myself right now, making the wrong lineup every day. I watched Little League this morning … they were playing better than we did. At least it was more fun. This is not major-league baseball, sorry.”

…

“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re better than this. But you get to a point where it is what it is. And my hope is getting less and less. It’s a long mountain, and the mountain is getting higher and higher every night. And if we’re going to climb to the top, maybe they need a cable car to get up there. But they’re not going to walk up there.”

Ozzie also discussed his frustration in having no option other than Jose Contreras to throw out there every 5th day. We all remember and love Jose for his incredible contributions in 2005, and it’s sad to see such a great champion struggling so badly.

It’s also sad to see a team with so much potential, and such a great chance to defend its AL Central crown, flush it down the tubes with its continued inconsistency and ineptitude. 

We can only hope for better things tomorrow. And as they say, momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.  Unfortunately for the White Sox, that isn’t yet Jake Peavy…it’s Freddy Garcia. As with Contreras, we all remember Freddy from 2005. Freddy in 2009?

Ugh.

And that pretty much sums up the last week of White Sox baseball.

Update: Jake Peavy left today’s rehab start early. Great.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, freddy garcia, Jose Contreras, MLB, ozzie guillen

In What Direction Are the Chicago White Sox Heading?

August 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chicago White Sox logoI am not really sure if the White Sox are moving in the correct direction.  Were the moves that Kenny Williams made at the trade deadline meant to stock up the current team for the playoff push or lay down the foundation for next year’s team?

I do not think that anyone will argue with me when I say that one of our biggest liabilities is the pitching staff.  More specifically, the bullpen.  There are certain pitchers that come out in relief and all you can hope for is that they are not going to pitch batting practice.  I cannot explain the level of frustration that I feel when I am listening to a game and I hear that Dotel or Linebrink are warming up.

The move to bring in Jake Peavy was a good one.  But if and when he comes back this season, he will still need run support and that appears to be lacking as of late. While I am a supporter of Freddy Garcia due to his performance in 2005, I am not really sure if he gives us a greater chance of winning the division this season.

Speaking of the division, are we just hanging around or what?  We’re not gaining any ground on the Tigers and the Twins are now right up there with us due to our respective performances in the last two series. 

I am just not sure if what we are seeing is a team that has just lost its stride and is going to limp into the rest of the season or one with the potential to still turn things around.  Trust me when I say that I hope that I am wrong, but I think that the writing is on the wall and not even a healthy Jake Peavy can come in the save the day.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, Chicago White Sox, freddy garcia, Jake Peavy, ken williams, MLB

White Sox Fans Await Return of New Hero (Jake Peavy) As Old Hero (Freddy Garcia) Returns to the Bump Tonight

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

When Will Jake Peavy Return to Pitch for Chicago White Sox - Charlotte Rehab StartOn the same day that we got a little more information regarding the White Sox debut of Jake Peavy, a familiar face will take the mound at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time in three seasons.

First, let’s talk about Peavy.

It had been rumored that Jake Peavy might make his White Sox debut on September 3rd when the pale hose travel to the North Side for a makeup game with the Cubs. Everyone seemed excited about this because obviously we’d love to crush Cubs to win the season series 4-2 while furthering erode the North Siders’ playoff chances and bolstering our own.  Plus, the irony of Peavy doing it would be delicious considering how much the Cubs wanted to pry him away from San Diego.

However, it’s not happening…and for good reason.

As reported this morning by Dave Van Dyck of the Tribune, the White Sox are not going to chance having Peavy bat and run the bases. Hence, he will only pitching in the safe haven of AL ballparks (possibly as soon as August 28th against the Yankees, depending on how he feels after his next rehab start) where his healing ankle can take cover in the dugout while the White Sox are up to bat.

“He’s not going to pitch over there (at Wrigley),” Sox general manager Ken Williams said. “He got hurt on the bases.”

This is a pretty easy one: I agree. Why chance it? Peavy reportedly looked great in his first rehab start at AAA Charlotte (3 innings, 43 pitches, 1 hit, 5 Ks), and will be heavily counted on down the stretch with our pitching staff looking a bit wobbly lately. Gavin Floyd and John Danks have put together some solid starts recently, but Mark Buehrle has struggled since his perfecto and Jose Contreras has just been awful. 

And then there is the lingering question mark of who takes the ball every fifth day now that Clayton Richard is in San Diego. That’s where we get to the other half of the headline, regarding the former hero returning to the South Side. 

Freddy Garcia Returns to White Sox against Royals

Freddy Garcia, who won 40 games for the White Sox between 2004-2006, takes the ball tonight in the second game of a huge series against the Kansas City Royals. He will be opposed by Gil Meche, who is only 5-9 on the season, but has a solid career track record against the White Sox. 

Garcia has only pitched 73 innings since leaving Chicago in 2006 after going 3-0 in the 2005 playoffs and helping bring a World Series title to the Windy City. He failed to gain traction with the Phillies or Tigers and is now back on the South Side being managed by his good friend Ozzie Guillen.

As Scott Merkin reported at chisox.com, while Garcia’s right shoulder may not quite be back to its old strength, he was hitting the low-90s on the gun in his last rehab start.  Plus, his manager and teammates have confidence that Garcia has that “wily ‘ol vet” experience and ability to still be effective and help the club.

“I’m really glad to be back,” said Garcia, who joined the White Sox on Monday after their six-game, seven-day West Coast road trip. “It took me a long time to come back, but I’m glad to be here.”

…

With Jose Contreras struggling mightily over his past six starts, allowing 24 earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, a strong effort from Garcia could propel him into a permanent starting spot over the season’s final six weeks. Manager Ozzie Guillen will go with the hot hand, both in the field and on the mound, but cautions fans not to expect the 2005 Garcia to take the field against the Royals.

“He knows how to pitch, he knows how to get people out,” said Guillen. “I think he’ll be fine. He knows how to do stuff out there.”

“All I need to know is that he’s healthy and he’s got his arm strength to where it is at a point where he can effectively use his offspeed stuff to complement [his fastball],” said White Sox general manager Ken Williams. “His fastball doesn’t have to be 93 [mph] because of his second and third pitch.”

We know that Jake Peavy will have a spot in the rotation when he returns, and now it looks like two of the 2005 heroes will be duking it out for the 5th spot. Regardless, it will good to see Freddy Garcia back on the bump for the White Sox tonight, and I expect the Comiskey faithful to give him an appreciative hand when he takes the mound.

Hopefully he gets an ovation when he walks off the mound as well, because that would most likely mean that he has put the White Sox in a position to win. Sitting two games back, with September rapidly approaching, and a roadtrip to Boston, New York, and Minnesota on the horizon, the White Sox need to get as many as possible against the Royals and Orioles at home this week.

Here’s hoping “Big Game” Freddy can live up to the nickname his first time out.

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* – Jake Peavy photo credit: Bill Walker/Charlotte Knights via Knights website

* – Freddy Garcia photo credit: HotFootBlog

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, Chicago White Sox, freddy garcia, Jake Peavy, Kansas City Royals, MLB