Dick Allen

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Apr 26, 2012 -> 09:29 AM) Thornton got rocked in a high pressure situation 2 days ago. Mariano Rivera gets rocked from time to time. Thornton has been really good this year, just like he has for the vast majority of his White Sox career. If you don't think guys like Reed and Jones aren't going to get rocked every now and then, you are in for a huge dissappointment.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Apr 26, 2012 -> 09:11 AM) I agree that Santiago isn't cutting it right now, but yesterday's game should have been won two different times before the 14th if not for baserunning errors, and calling for that off-speed pitch to Cespedes when Santiago had just blown a fastball by him wasn't the best idea. Santiago would have been in earlier had the Sox scored earlier. He still has to get people out. You can blame pitch calls, although other Sox pitchers don't seem to have a problem with how AJ is calling the game, previous mistakes, whatever, the bottom line is Santiago is getting shelled.

It should be Thornton. He's dealing now. When Jenks got hurt in 2010, he did fine as the closer. People are too focused on the disaster last year when he wasn't throwing well. Chances are the Sox aren't going to be a contender. Let him close and improve his trade value. Then when they trade him and Reed has his feet wet in MLB, he can move into the role. Let Santiago find his way in other situations. I don't understand why you have to keep throwing him out there in the 9th until he proves he's worthy of the assignment. He never has except in games that the players don't even get paid to play.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:36 PM) I will lose respect for Robin if Santiago is the one player he decides to knee jerk out of his role. There's an argument to be made about whether he should have started there, but he saved 4 in a row and you can't pull players just like that. It'll ruin the clubhouse. He's pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and 4 homers. Robin would lose respect if he kept throwing him out there blowing leads. Most of the time he's been brought in with a 2 or 3 run lead so he could still give up a run or 2 and be OK, but its time to move him out of that role especially with 3 or 4 other guys pitching lights out. If he had a track record as a closer, I'd agree with you, but he has no track record. He's in over his head right now. Maybe he'll get another opportunity another time.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:31 PM) Wow, that hurts I don't think you can stop using him as closer yet though. 4/6 save opps usually doesn't get you fired. He's certainly got the heat on him now, though. Shingo got DFA'd and he was 9/10.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:31 PM) Santiago is NOT a closer.....................I have said numerous times Reed should be! Let Thornton close. He's back.

I have a feeling Santiago is going to be renting in Charlotte soon. He gives up way too many shots.

QUOTE (gar102 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:28 PM) Directv is not showing CSN+ so they are just giving us a peek. Does your Directtv go out a lot when it rains

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:26 PM) Lefties have almost zero chance against Santiago. Jinx

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 06:24 PM) I don't understand why Stoney won't do the yes. It makes it look like he hates Hawk. It's fine for him to hate Hawk, but he can't act like it. For the record, they don't hate each other.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 04:53 PM) Yeah, he's been horrible so far this year. Hughes is only throwing 89-91 MPH. Kuroda's been another version of Irabu or Kei Igawa. NY and Bos with pitching woes. Give Sea some credit, they pulled the trigger at the perfect time. They look like they will suck for a long time, but they would have sucked even more.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 04:53 PM) Freddy Garcia has looked cooked since when, 2007 at least, and yet still keeps pulling rabbits out of hat. At least this year, it looks like his inventory has been depleted.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 04:41 PM) If Morel executes there, which a major league player should be expected to...then we're all saying how smart it was to trust the game to our great bullpen and nobody's complaining so much. Pineda out for the full season and longer. Tore his freaking labrum on the last pitch of his final rehab outing. Worst possible injury for a pitcher these days. Gavin Floyd to NY? Of course, they also have Pettite in reserve, but Nova's their best starter now. Does this give Freddy some job security? He looks cooked.

Here's what I don't understand, people who rip Robin's hiring said he had zero experience so he basically wouldn't know what he is doing. Yet here we are, I'd imagine with 0 MLB experienced combined, and we have all the answers. If he plays by the book, and it doesn't work, he'll get criticized. If he plays by the gut and it doesn't work, he'll get criticized, many times by the same people. Its part of the job. All last offseason many wanted the Sox to totally rebuild. Now the season begins and they want every game, including games 17 and 18 in Oakland managed like its the 7th game of the World Series.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:24 PM) Well, it was nice while it lasted. AJ was due to hit into a DP sooner or later. And he's still hitting way over his head at .346. In a couple of weeks there's a decent chance the complaints will be directed at the guys currently hitting, and the guys in slumps will be doing better.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:22 PM) Can't even decide who you would even bench first, Morel or Beckham. Morel's a lot younger and has less experience, but he seems to be more out of his game, there's all the K's and then his defense has been shaky. At least with Beckham, he's giving you close to Gold Glove-level defense. They're going to have to start playing Lillibridge there if this keeps up for another week or two, despite Manto saying the team's not really going to look at batting averages until 250-300 AB's this year. Beckham has put some nice swings on at times and has hit the ball hard every now and then. Most of this year, Morel looks worse than the guys in Sluggers batting cages after 18 beers. I'd keep playing him though until it becomes too ridiculous.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:21 PM) Dunn preserves the K streak. Yes. 18. He's going to make this record impossible to break.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:17 PM) Real nice defensive play by Escobar on a play that could only be made in Oakland I'm guessing its a pop up that would have been 20 rows back at USCF.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:10 PM) Well, that was more on Cespedes for oversliding the bag/poor technique. Yeah but AJ's arm is no better than it has been is seasons past and he's still throwing out guys now. Ramirez is actually at the bag most of the time as well. Huge jumps and Alexei catching the ball a couple feet in front of second meant hopeless.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:06 PM) Morel should stand as close to the plate as possible. His current stance makes it way too easy for pitchers to throw to the outer half and either get the swing and miss or just a weak fly ball to right. He's not what people thought he was based on his September, but he's also nowhere near as bad as he's showing. Hopefully he's at least better than the guy we saw before last September.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 03:02 PM) zero tool player right now...he's really giving this team nothing right now. Who would have ever thought it would be the veterans we enjoyed watching hit this year and dreading watching our young players? Me. Although I still like Beckham.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 12:42 PM) So what point are you trying to make, other than just wanting to argue with me? I'm not arguing, and won't take your bait, just pointing out that Michael Bowden isn't such a great prospect that Cubs decided to eat $6 million to obtain his services. They were going to have to eat the money if they wanted to rid themselves of Byrd. As I mentioned, I think Bowden is a little better than what you would normally get for Byrd, but the Red Sox were going to lose him for nothing anyway, and he's still a longshot to be much in the major leagues.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 11:48 AM) So is the main reason Theo helping out Cherington? No the main reason is getting him off the roster lets the younger guys play and they get a flier on Bowden. If the Red Sox offered the Cubs $1 million in savings and prospect no better than me or you instead, The Cubs would have taken that. The Cubs weren't going to be able to trade Byrd without eating his contract. Teams that budget $6 million to spend during the season don't keep it handy for Marlon Byrd. Bowden couldn't hang in the Boston bullpen and they were just about to waive him anyway. Now when Ellsbury comes back, the Red Sox can waive Byrd if he still can't hit, without hurting themselves financially as I think they have luxury tax issues. Ricketts is paying a few teams to take old Cubs and probably isn't done wiring money to other teams.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 09:25 AM) Well that was the whole point I made...which is the entire reason they had to give up Bowden. Its not like Bowden was a prized prospect anymore. He was designated for assignment. He's a better bet than most of the crap you would get for Byrd, but certainly not the main reason the Cubs are eating as much of the contract they are allowed .

If Dunn was going to make an out at least he was able to extend his major league record. He is the Dimaggio of whiff kings.