Can White Sox overcome injury, pesky former bottom feeder to capture the AL Central?
BY JEFF CARROLL
Times Sports Writer
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL:
WHITE SOX MIDSEASON REPORT
Whether talking about his family ("I have three kids and two of them are for sale"), Wrigley Field ("I hate it") or baseball's love for cash ("Players should worry about money first, winning second"), new White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen hasn't been one to hold his tongue so far during his tenure.
Guillen's irreverence has been a nice change of pace for people used to political correctness from their sports figures these days.
He says he manages by "gut feeling," an unscientific method that cost Red Sox manager Grady Little his job last October. Yet the brash Guillen has made it work so far, guiding the Sox to a 45-38 record in the season's first half, 1/2 game above the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.
The players have responded and so have fans, showing up in their largest numbers since before the 1994 strike that decimated the team's fan base. There is, however, a lot of season left to play. Regardless of how entertaining the manager is, whether the lovefest continues will be determined by the White Sox's ability to stay atop the division.
Five things to watch in the second half:
1) Will GM Kenny Williams pull the trigger on another major deal in the next two weeks?
Whereas starting pitching was once the primary concern for a team that slugged its way to the top of the Al Central standings, the recent loss of Frank Thomas -- possibly for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury -- could leave Williams shifting gears in his never-ending pursuit to solidify the roster.
Magglio Ordonez, who is likely to test the free agent market after this season, can no longer be used as Williams' most valuable bargaining chip in the trade market, not with the lineup already taking a hit with Thomas, who had 18 home runs before his ankle woes, out of the picture.
Now that Ordonez has become essentially a rent-a-player for the second half, look for Williams to add at least one more hired gun. If the Houston Astros fall any further than their current 10 1/2 games back in the NL Central, center fielder Carlos Beltran could be available again.
Arizona's Steve Finley may be a secondary Williams target. Or perhaps there will be a return for Montreal Expo Carl Everett, a second-half Sox last year. If the Sox are looking to bolster the pitching staff, help will likely be in the bullpen, perhaps Pittsburgh's Jose Mesa.
2) Is left fielder Carlos Lee due for a power surge in the second half?
If Williams can resist the impulse to make a deal, he may find that at least a portion of the power needed to compensate for Thomas' absence is already in the lineup. Lee hit 16 home runs in 1999, his rookie season, 24 in both 2000 and 2001, 26 in 2002, then 31 last season. Yet 83 games into this year, he has just 11.
Is Lee losing his stroke?
Hardly. He put together a White Sox record 28-game hitting streak from May 14 through June 15. He's batting .290, right around his career average.
Five of his 11 home runs so far this season came in the final 10 games before the break. Lee should not be expected to make up for all of Thomas' production, but pencil him in for 15-20 homers in the second half.
3) Is Shingo Takatsu for real?
Guillen didn't even know if he was going to keep Japan's all-time saves leader, Takatsu, on the roster when he struggled through spring training. At the midway point, the deceptive right-hander has been one of the team's saviors, stepping into the closer's role that Billy Koch could not fulfill.
"We've found a guy who can close a game," says Guillen. "I hope I don't jinx it. He's doing a tremendous job. That's why he's here."
Takatsu has his limitations. That's for sure. At his strongest, he brings the ball to the plate at 87-89 mph, and relies on a gravity-defying changeup as his out pitch. When Takatsu (4-1, 1.30 ERA, 5 saves) gave the desperate Sox two scoreless innings to help spare them the indignity of squandering an 8-0 lead against Cleveland a couple weeks ago, he may have caused his manager to believe in him a little too much.
If Guillen can learn to use Takatsu correctly, he may be able to ride him as his closer until the off season, when the Sox can pursue a more traditional pitcher for the role.
4) Paulie for MVP?
Remember when Paul Konerko stole that base on opening day? Perhaps it was a good omen for the slow-footed first baseman, who may be in the middle of a career year.
Konerko, who had a wretched 2003, ought to be the majors' Comeback Player of the Year for 2004. If he continues to hit the way he has, he could earn even more coveted hardware -- American League MVP.
Konerko had 22 home runs in the first half, 10 shy of his career-high of 32, which he set two seasons ago. He's batting .296 and rising (Konerko has blistered the ball in July at a .412 clip). With Ordonez and now Thomas missing from the lineup for long spells, Konerko has been the rock in the center of the Sox order.
5) How much should the pesky Detroit Tigers be feared?
On July 23, the White Sox will begin a three-game series against the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field. That will begin a stretch in which the Sox will face the Tigers seven times in 10 games.
In fact the Sox, who haven't played the Tigers this season, will square off against catcher Ivan Rodriguez and company 19 times in the season's final 78 games.
That should give White Sox fans with any sort of memory the shudders. The 2004 Sox lost eight games to the Tigers, who lost 119 games overall.
The Tigers are vastly improved this year, and Comerica Park's huge dimensions are not very White Sox-friendly. So once again, the Tigers may be the team that ultimately costs the White Sox a shot at playoff glory.
