Dick Allen

QUOTE (KG#1 @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 10:37 AM) Alright, I didn't bother to look up the stats, just wanted to point out the Bryant situation that you pointed out and that Condor mentioned were completely different things. So Rodon has experience, but maybe its just a situation he isn't comfortable with. A buddy of mine is friends with Duane Below (former Tiger player), he said Below absolutely hated pitching in relief because he was used to being a starter. Just something Rodon needs to get used to until they make him a starter. Rodon isn't complaining about relieving. Neither is his agent. In fact, Boras complimented the White Sox on their plan. Of course Carlos Rodon is no Duane Below. Duane Below should be happy to get into a major league game any way the team wants.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 10:11 AM) The small sample size, this early in the season, should give us confidence that most of these players will eventually hit close to their career norms. La Roche however, has not been productive vs. LHP, for a few years now. At his age, and given his recent history, it would seem unrealistic to expect him to suddenly start hitting lefties. Of course, a lot of teams have hitters who struggle vs. lefties, or vice versa. The point is that we are talking about our clean up hitter. Moreover, we were hoping that this was going to be more than just an average team. This was supposed to be a well constructed team, that would compete. "Not so much". So we should have confidence most will hit near their career norms except LaRoche. The good news is if you don't think LaRoche will ever hit lefties is that there are only about 1 in 5 pitchers who are lefties. VS. LHP .222/.308/.675 .239/.297/.716 The top guy is the guy you posted over and over about how the Sox needed to sign him because they needed a LH hitter so badly, and you plugged him into the 4 spot. The guy on the bottom you have already written off after 13 games saying he can't hit clean up because he can't hit lefties. I know the losses suck, and some people go way overboard, but you usually do not. Until now.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 10:12 AM) What a beautiful day for baseball I was on the bus to work, and suddenly it looked like a blizzard outside. It only lasted a minute or so, but it was crazy.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 09:48 AM) http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/han...tric/order/true Markakis, Snider, Aoki, Ike Davis, Adam Lind, Kendrys Morales and Ben Zobrist., Dexter Fowler..those are the only realistic names here. We werent in a position to go after Heyward. The White Sox had the second best offer for Heyward. He hits lefties worse than LaRoche. Abreu has been equally as bad vs. LH as LaRoche this season. I'm guessing that won't continue, but it is funny how much crap LaRoche gets, and Jose, zero.

QUOTE (DashFan @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 09:04 AM) That would've meant putting Carlos in a situation he was familiar with. I'm sure Bryant has hit in the middle of the order most of his career. Carlos starting a game would've been a lot of pressure, but at least a good familiar situation for him to get his start in the majors. Bringing Carlos into a high leverage situation when he has never worked out of the 'pen is not like having Bryant hit fourth. Rodon has pitched with men on base before. Again, he started the next inning when the game wasn't really on the line anymore and gave up 2 runs. It kind of ruins the theory that the men on base was the thing that bothered him.

If Noesi or another reliever, RH, because Jennings wasn't available, pitched to Moss and he got a hit, every single complainer now would be complaining Robin didn't use Rodon. He had a L/L match up with a .150 hitter. Seems like a nice first batter to face. You know how everyone is complaining about Adam LaRoche not being able to hit lefties? Moss is 1-9 with 6 strikeouts. You had to like Rodon's chances. He was too amped. Some guys can get over it in a pitch or 2. He took another inning. It wasn't like you can say it would have been fine had he just started an inning. He did that and gave up 2 runs.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 08:08 AM) Well, knowing that Jennings was supposedly hurting, that eliminates one argument against Rodon being used in that particular situation. Still, theres a huge difference between doing it thirty plus times at FGCU and in the minors (2010) vs. just a "couple of times" in meaningless spring training games. Would you put the chances at zero that if Robin left Noesi in and Moss did damage, or Robin put Putnam in the game and Moss reached, that not one of the posters complaining after the fact about Rodon, would not have been ripping Robin for not using Rodon? All of the hindsighters are always right. They do expose themselves occassionally, like the people who couldn't believe dumb Robin would pinch hit Shuck for Soto, and Shuck delivers a game winning hit. Oh, it was the same Soto who they were complaining and going on and on about how terrible he is his very next appearance.

LaRoche will be fine. Funny no one was complaining when he hit 3 homers in a week and drove in some big runs. There aren't many left handed hitters who handle left handed pitchers well.

Didn't come out of the bullpen a time or 2 in Spring Training? It's not like the process isn't something he hasn't done before. I just am shocked, shocked, there was no criticism beforehand in the gamethread, but once he struggled, how many people just knew exactly what was going to happen, and how stupid Robin Ventura is... The sad thing is Rayburn hit a nice pitch, 98 on the hands, and he didn't hit it very well. If a pitcher from another team throws him that, he's probably out.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 12:15 AM) His debut was fine. Like a lot of other people I wasn't a fan of when he was put in, I thought it was setting him up to fail. You know he is going to be semi nervous with a lot of adrenaline going through him, so why would you bring him in a 1 run game in the 6th with runners on 1st and 3rd? They really needed to bring him in that moment? I just felt like the coaching staff (Robin & Coop) were willing to throw the game away so Rodon could pitch. I would have been totally fine bringing him in to start the 6th or 7th or bringing him in with nobody on. He has never come out of the bullpen, he's not use to it and the first thing you do is put him in a high leverage situation against a division opponent when we have already had a tough start to the season. Just not a smart decision, IMO So when are you supposed to bring him in? You said to start an inning. Well he started the 7th and gave up 2 runs, so if they did that people would moan. Some say he should be a starter. Well, he would have been nervous then, and probably would have given up runs, and if he did start and gave up a couple of runs in the first inning, they obviously should then yank him instead of "leaving him out there to die" like the hindsighters claimed in the game thread, blowing out the bullpen, perhaps throwing a couple games away. They weren't throwimg the game away. They got him in with a L/L matchup and a guy hitting .150. Unfortunately he was so amped he couldn't throw a strike. It happens. This isn't a guy who needs to be babied.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:30 PM) Is that why Tyler looks over at the bench every time before throwing down his signs? Pitchouts, throws over to first, those things come from the dugout. The White Sox are one team that does not call pitches from the bench.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:33 PM) I have NEVER seen a guy dominate 1 team like this. At least not a fringe player and to the extent he has dominated.

QUOTE (Capn12 @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:33 PM) People can keep saying "we've just faced a lot of good starting pitching." Well guess what? They are all in our division, and we will be facing them over and over, so it won't be any different. So you don't have to waste time watching.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:22 PM) How did it affect Sale??? Or Buehrle. Or guys like Jim Palmer.

QUOTE (DashFan @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:20 PM) He should be starting BUT it's little much to ask a rookie pitcher who has no experience pitching out of the bullpen. Not to mention leaving him in to "wear it" when we are supposedly trying to win. Throw in the worst pitch calling I've seen so far and you've got a recipe only this coaching staff would attempt. Just so you know, the bench does not call pitches.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:17 PM) Lamont did this to Ruffcorn and Baldwin. He made them face the Indians when 3 of their guys could out hit this whole Sox lineup. Ruffcorn faced the Indians in 1994. He made 3 appearances in 1993. He went 4 innings and gave up 7 runs. I posted his team lost all 30 games he appeared in during his major league career.

QUOTE (DashFan @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:15 PM) Robin Ventura had two jobs today: 1. Give away a game to a division opponent. 2. Destroy any confidence Carlos Rodon may have came into the majors with. Done & done. So Rodon should just sit in the bullpen, and pitch once a week in blowouts?

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 09:12 PM) What's annoying is Rodon wasn't ready yet for the majors It is his major league debut, he is jacked up. Bryant fanned 3 times during his debut.

Francona giving away outs vs, a pitcher who can't throw strikes. Where have I read about this before?

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 08:48 PM) Haha Robin struck again. You stupid f***ing bastard The guy hit a 98 MPH fastball off his fists for a hit,

Rodon looking for his first major league strike.

Noesi is prone to the long ball

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 01:52 PM) It would never happen but say Noesi and Danks suddenly start pitching lights out for the next two months, do you keep Rodon in the pen or send him down in that situation? Keep him in the bullpen.

I think this was probably the game bullseyed for Rodon's debut. Noesi probably won't go long, and Cleveland is mostly left handed. As long as the game isn't out of hand, I'm guessing he is in when Noesi gets around 100 pitches which could be the 4th or 5th inning.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Apr 21, 2015 -> 12:53 PM) I love how he's pitching, but I just hope it lasts. He did not look anywhere near this good last year, or any other year for that matter. One year his ERA was 1.08. He has a terrific strikeout per inning rate.