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QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 10:48 AM) I would assume we have a plan from the front office. It only makes sense. If you look at this site posters seem to think the plan is to go undefeated and win the World Series every year and if we are in first place all year long then we start tearing the team apart and somehow start over for the next year. The players we have acquired in the past year or so have proven track records. They have not performed well in 2015. I think we have show signs of improvement and a wild card spot is not out of the question. No doubt we cn improve at some spots and I am betting that is part of the overall plan. You don't panic and abandon the long term plan. When the 1st year of your 3 year plan is a failure of such epic proportions things surely have to be reassessed. Now I have said in the past that the contracts given to Melky , LaRoche and Robertson and Duke are all semi short term and within that time period some of the Sox better pitching prospects and the SS Anderson and Micah and Sanchez may be ready to contribute to the Sox. I'm pretty damn sure the front office expected way more than they are getting from the players at this juncture. It was imperative that the team show marked improvement in order for the plan to develop .Without Robertson saving as many games as he has the Sox could be even worse. As many here have stated over the years a good closer on a terrible team is a luxury . It's great you still have hope but that's what your known for around here. But realistically the odds are practically insurmountable for the Sox to overcome. They need to hit way more home runs and extra base hits in order to offset the lack of walks and lousy batting averages and crappy defense and the inconsistency of the bullpen. Houston is in 1st place because they have power up the ying yang to offset those bad batting averages and a bullpen that has been pretty good. The Sox are last in extra base hits and near the bottom in HR's. It's just not going to suddenly appear out of nowhere. They also have no help coming from the minors as far as impact position players go. They have nothing to trade except pitching and some of the core pieces which they probably won't move. It would be beyond stupid at this point for management not to trade Smardzija . Even management knew that in case of disaster he would have to be moved. After all that's what rentals are for if you are not competing and it's time they faced the facts. The Sox are not going anywhere and Shark , LaRoche , Melky and maybe even Robertson may be gone soon if they get offers they think fit their "plan" .

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 11:04 AM) Imo, as long as Samardzija continues to pitch well another team with better prospects to offer will be calling the Sox FO. Toronto can keep their prospects. Patience Sox fans. Unfortunately the more time that goes by the less starts Jeff can make for his new team. Maybe that makes a difference in the package offered, maybe not. But the more time that goes by the bigger the risk, Shark pitches bad or gets injured ala Jesse Crain .

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 10:56 AM) WELCOME TO SOXTALK! Thank you very much ! As John Lennon used to sing , " I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round."

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 11:21 AM) wow, I'm not a "jinx" person but can we not do this to Chris Sale... You clearly are a jinx person if you truly believe someone here is doing something that will effect the outcome of anything Sale does. We're just a few of perhaps thousands of fans talking about Chris Sale and his chances at winning an award.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 11:09 AM) not sure that I would classify Chris Sale as cy young as "long shot." There are some studs out there but what he's doing this season, the streak, cannot and will not be ignored come voting time. Hell, who knows how far this will go...might reach legendary proportions. Not a long shot just what I said a longer shot than you might think. Reasons sited by Balta above me plus given that he's had rest periods in previous years and might get one this year and his games started might be 3 or 4 less than guys with lower ERA's more starts ,playing for contenders , more wins, etc. etc.. As they say to the winners go the spoils . Now if he can sustain the unsustainable surely it will greatly improve his chances and I'm hoping he can. But like all things White Sox my hopes are not often realized.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 10:20 PM) Because Hamels makes like $100 million more than Quintana. But, that said, I said I think Swihart is like the BEST case scenario. Like he's the best guy I can imagine Quintana bringing, I don't think it's likely he's included. You have quite the poor imagination then. I think you're using your analytical mind and none of your imagination if that's all you can "imagine" . Youth, ability , contract, sustained success, all on Q's side but no hype and one hyped up lousy hit or miss prospect is all you can see in a trade for him ? Yea I might overvalue our players but c'mon now you can do better than that .

You should probably not say Cy Young season until he actually wins it which is probably a longer shot than you imagine. But still a memory to cherish for the string of games he's put together despite the ineptitude of the hitters and defense not getting him W's.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 04:23 AM) greg, you did an outstanding job in accumulating those facts. Do you see gregs name at the top of that post with the stats?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 10:46 PM) Unfortunately KW and Hahn. They brought these lousy players to town. Those stats are amazing and appalling. I don't know how we've won 33 percent of our games. True, but no hitter wants to stink. So I would assume the hitters are trying and just don't have the ability which falls on KW and Hahn. For instance the Melky signing was totally avoidable. That's just money flushed away. The Robertson signing was great. But again, the LaRoche money was flushed down the drain. And Soto and Boni ... the list goes on. I like Hahn when I hear him speak so I'm willing to give him a do-over. I wish he'd pull the trigger and start trading like mad. Um Greg you know that little column next to the Win and Loss column that says PCT ? It's winning percentage and the Sox are .456 which means 45.6 per cent of the games we've played we've won . Minor point, just thought I'd let you know it's not 33 %.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 6, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) You reminded me to check and he's been worse than last year. Impressive how he's completely fallen apart the last couple years and makes me glad we didn't sign that one. What the hell ? You guys must be bored to tears waiting for this pitching matchup. Really ? Arguing about Viciedo vs. Melky ? I admit I had huge hopes that Viciedo could become an elite hitter. He didn't ever improve for whatever reason he just didn't have IT. At least I'm not seeing Melky kick the ball around then pick it and drop it and kick it again.And Melky has had actual good seasons and I'm pretty sure some of those haven't been because of steroids. Viciedo wishes he could have the career of Melky. But I guess that just me adding to the argument. Even if we got the good Melky or the better Viciedo it wouldn't make any impact on where this team currently stands. It would only be one player hitting better still with defensive issues with most of the hitters still under performing.

Things this team is really bad at among AL teams only Extra base hits : Last with 181, next team has 209 HR's : 2nd worst KC has 1 less. Runs scored : Worst Hits : 2nd worst Doubles : worst Total Bases : Last over 70 bases behind the next worst team. RBI: 2nd worst OBP : 2nd worst Slugging : Worst OPS : Worst Taking a walk : 2nd worst Stolen bases 2nd worst Stolen base percent : Tied for last Shutting an opponent out : 2nd worst Batting average against 2nd worst BAA for relief pitchers : worst OBP allowed: tied for last Caught stealing percentage (pitching stat not our runners ) last WHIP: tied for 2nd worse Relief pitching WHIP : worst OBP among relief pitchers : worst IBB allowed : 1st which means they give up the most IBB These are just general stats for pitching and hitting . As you can see the offense is putrid . The team and relief WHIPs are bad but other stats for the pitching in general isn't terrible. The relief pitching at home has been good but terrible on the road. Unfortunately its hard statistically to blame the defense too much looking at traditional stats like errors and fielding % unless you delve into more sabre related stats which ESPN doesn't use. Then I am sure that the Sox DRS is pretty bad though I haven't checked.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 08:13 AM) With the pitching staff going the way it is I don't think trying for a wild card spot is a bad thing. I know I'm in the minority but I wouldn't hate to see the Sox ADD a bat somehow. You add a bat to this staff and its a whole new team. Listen, I am generally just as optimistic as you are but , my friend ,this season is ova ! They are more then just one good bat away. They are at least 2 good bats from having a shot at a still bottom half offense and what about the defense and who do we trade to get those bats ? It's just spinning your wheels .

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 05:54 PM) My preference is Houston but I think a desperate Yankee team will land Samardzija with Houston landing Mike Leake. I hope I'm wrong. Well I will admit that my knowledge of prospects is not as strong as some others on here and a lot of Houston's talent has graduated to the big club . The Yankees, Red Sox ,and Cubs all have big time hype machines ( called the local press) and east coast writers galore spouting off about their prospects which makes me distrustful of them . Of course that might not be the case but sometimes you just have to go with how things have fared between those clubs throughout history. Yes I am fully aware I am also spouting hogwash but karma is a b****. And the Yankees have always kicked the crap out of the Sox in every phase throughout history while when we finally won it was over Houston. Trade with the 'Stros and let karma do its thing.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 4, 2015 -> 05:09 PM) f*** Boston. Their prospects are usually overrated. Yep and they're almost as badly off as the Sox are with all the money they handed out. Of course they have a lot coming in too so that's why I said almost as bad off . They're just as likely to hold onto their young players as they are to try to move Sandoval or Hanley . They might just cut some of their losses and pay for parts of those contracts. They can always try and fix things every year once they admit its not working. The Sox (the White variety) management can't see the forest for the trees and have this wonderful 3 year plan and damn it they're going to stick to it come hell or high water.Hell is here already. They just better milk Shark for everything they can get. He's in high demand and he needs to be moved to whoever offers the best package regardless of positions.

Let's make some predictions assuming Shark will be traded. I say he goes to Houston. It's about time the Sox did some business with an AL team with a surplus of talent. Just name the team or more if you prefer . What say you ?

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 12:30 PM) This team sucks bunting. All of baseball sucks at bunting. That's why you can have all these dramatic shifts leaving the whole left side open. Back in the day hitters choked up , could chop the ball the other way didn't K as much. Baseball was more team oriented. Now hardly anyone chokes up or alters their approach based on situation. Won't move their hands in different spots on the bat or their feet in the batters box. It's all swing from the heals gripping the bottom of the bat. Pitchers and defense have gotten smarter and better . Hitters have not and will not . That's why so many teams have trouble scoring.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 10:51 AM) Just to reiterate: I want a player who can realistically be expected to fill a hole, at one of our weak positions, next year, not "potentially" sometime in the future. I don't see the harm in trying to sign Jeff, in the off season. In fact, why couldn't the front office explain to him that they would like to bring him back, but they want to have a better team to back him up, next year. If trading him to a contender for the rest of this season, gives him an opportunity to better establish his value, and play for a winning team, why wouldn't he be thrilled with the chance? If he wants to come back to a better Sox team next season, on a long term deal, then he can sign with the Sox, after the season. The problem with that is contenders won't want to hurt the ML roster by creating one hole to fill another. Some teams have a surplus at certain positions but 3rd base and catcher are not strong positions around the league and the Sox probably don't want to give up on Sanchez or Micah just yet unless they can be included in a trade package to get who they target . Right now it's the infield and catcher that are the worst holes but also the hardest to fill and will arguably be the biggest risks in taking on new players. It's also doubtful the Sox will increase the payroll dramatically next year in order to resign Jeff unless they can move more than Jeff before the trade deadline or before Jeff signs with someone else in the winter.

QUOTE (BigFinn @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 10:25 AM) Baseball is such a frustrating game, but I love it. Last Sunday, with the Shark rolling along into the 8th inning, Robin lets him pitch out of the first spate of trouble he's faced all day. In less than five minutes he gives up four runs and hits the showers with a 4-4 game instead of a 4-0 lead. Yesterday, same pitcher rolling along into the 8th inning, Robin pulls him because he gave up a base knock after he had a spate of trouble in the 7th. In comes Putnam, out goes the lead: 2-0 becomes 2-2. We're all happy that everything worked out yesterday: Beckham got on base, Alexei got the bunt down to move Beckham over, Shuck strokes a double down the line, Avi makes a spectacular catch to save the game, and Robertson gets a punch out on the inside corner to close the game. But look at it from Robin's perspective: If doesn't seem to matter if he keeps Shark in or pulls him, the late lead will be toast. How many times has Beckham failed to get on base this year? For his whole White Sox career? How many times has Alexei failed to get a bunt down? If Beckham isn't in scoring position, Shuck might not be pinch hitting with the game in balance. It's the players that make the manager, or as Nuke Laloosh would learn to say, "You win as a team; you lose as a team." This is the one season that if the players don't get the job done, then the GM (hopefully Rick Hahn) could move the players and not necessarily the manager. You summed it all up very nicely. Many here want Robing gone (myself included ,I've been on that train a while). It's always one half of the lineup or roster that doesn't support the other half. There's been so many innings that the Sox can get 2 men on base then there's DP or just not enough good bats to string a big inning together. Yesterday was a good example of that .Even on this 4 game streak ,the Sox have won 2-1, 3-2 and 1-0 . It's one of the rare times there's been great pitching and just enough hitting to eek out some wins. Those kind of wins just aren't sustainable. Our hitting and defense just isn't good enough and outside of Shuck neither is the bench.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 10:15 AM) I say try and resign the Shark. Sale-Smard-Rodon-Quintana and whoever in the #5 slot in 2016. Danks may be the trade bait this year. Danks is always trade bait. Problem is the fish ain't biting on that smelly hook . Be realistic.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jul 5, 2015 -> 08:42 AM) Imo, sell high while the gettin' is good. Not necessarily now but at some point during July. Same strategy a lot of us wanted to see with Alexei in the off season . Also many here wanted to keep him as I recall . Maybe the team will see the light this time.

#5 is alive ( Movie reference Short Circuit 1986)

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 3, 2015 -> 02:03 PM) Most of these catcher prospects, if they succeed, will end up being like these catchers we're always dissatisfied with. Rather see some positions solidified that are easier to solidify. Pentecost is a mile away from the majors, injured. Pass I'm with you. Treat it like the draft, best player available You're not likely to get elite players at catcher so why even bother ? Get a guy who can hit and defend at any position and make whatever subsequent deals you might make.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 4, 2015 -> 06:28 AM) In true greg775 fashion, he has ignored all history in favor of one game. John Danks, you are no longer garbage, greg775 hath spoken I just wrote a rant. Decided I'd come off looking like a bigger lunatic than Greg and decided not to post it . Maybe Greg should do the same some time ( and take his meds). Let's just say I have more respect for every working stiff out there who busts his hump for years under all kind of conditions than I do for guys who could retire now and is set for life financially and leave it at that.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 3, 2015 -> 07:51 PM) 3... Please don't follow up the 3 with a 5 in the L column.

Sox win 1-0 . Abreu HR provides the lone Sox run . Danks 7 shout out innings. Petricka scoreless 8th. Robertson K's the side in the 9th to earn his 17th save. Sox 1st round draft pick Carson Fulmer, who signed earlier today , threw out the 1st pitch and brought the Sox good luck for ,hopefully, the first of many ,many times. Can someone change the Whire Sox to White Sox