stretchstretch

is Mc still pitching?

congrats Minny and Detroit, with that inning we officially conceded the AL central and WC spot, not being able to get a sac fly or hit with men in easy position seems unending, and I think the mental rut this team is in may not be overcome this season, they simply expect to fail in those situations

and here's that infamous 1 out, men on 2nd and 3rd that we continously fail to score on squeeze play!!!!

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 29, 2006 -> 07:49 AM) Werent the first two runs scored via sac fly and sac groundout? Yeah, it's a start, but the inability to hit a single with men on 2nd and 3rd and keep a rally going is still a major concern....that tide's gotta turn sometime....

it's really hard to believe when your very talented team is in an extended slump, but they do always pull out of it. Detroit has to stay red hot for two full months, and Minnesota as well. We might not make the playoffs, but we're still 0.5 behind the WC today, with two months to go. Minnesota could easily go through a rough patch and NY is not a sure thing at all...... Negativity in the clubhouse has a way of becoming positive overnight, happens every day in every sport.......

Was thinking for anyone feeling sick like I have the past couple weeks, maybe we could have some positive discussion to offset until things are totally turned around and we dominate the rest of the season. Goes something like this: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another great game tonight, 16 consecutive wins, and 6 games ahead of Detroit, what a streak!! Putting up 14 runs in the first off of Santana was really a site to see, and the fact that Contreras threw a perfect game made it that much sweeter!! Was nice to see us steal 8 bases, four of them from Pods who went 4-4, and run the squeeze play twice with Crede on third, succesfully, both times. It's also great to see Thome go for the cycle, all with men in scoring position, and Paulie hit three doubles to the opposite field. I kind of wish AJ would stop hitting the base clearing HRs and give BA a chance bring his RBI totals up. Having Cotts shut down right and left handers has been a real plus during this streak, and the fact that Jenks hasn't walked anyone in two months really sews up the 9th for us night after night. Oz has done a nice job lately automatically pulling Javier after 5 innings, and BMac has done exactly what's needed throwing 2-3 scoreless innings and allow us to continue to pile on late inning runs with clutch hitting from the likes of Cintron, who's just hasn't let up all season. If Detroit says cold like they are, not getting 19 hits per night, this division could be closed for business by August 1st................

I'll tell you if Detroit can come right back from a 7 run first inning deficit, they deserve this division more than we do....damn that's fighting......

QUOTE(Bonderman38 @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 10:32 PM) I probably shouldn't post this, but I gues sit gives a view from the other side. The game that really irritated me was when AJ hit that 3 run homer against Dempster. Ah, the good ol days when we could actually put a spanking on someone............memories......like the corner of my mind......misty water color memories.....of the way we were.......

QUOTE(TaylorStSox @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 10:47 PM) I see a team that's pressing. The only 2 guys that look to me like they're aren't pressing are Anderson and Uribe. It's no coincidence that they're both playing very well. Every team goes through these stretches. Since they're not scoring, every bunting/get em over situation is magnified. Every borderline bad pitch is getting crushed. They'll snap out of it. I just hope it's not too late. Pitching is good enough to get by if offense was a threat, but right now we're simply dead on the O. This is quite simply a three team race between BoSox/NY, Minny, and ChiSox for one WC spot. We are simply out of the central lead race starting tonight, plain and simple, anyone that considers them a truer fan by believing otherwise is just being unrealistic. Right now we are leading the WC and fading fast, but still if we are to recover and compete make no mistake that it's for the WC spot and nothing else....... People would find themselves a lot calmer right now if they realized that we have time to recover for a possible WC spot and pay attn to that race, and let go of unrealistic hopes for getting the div lead back. for those who are optimistis, stay that course, but those of us finding ourselves sick watching each day unfold, I recommend setting your sights on something attainable, for now......

QUOTE(T R U @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 10:19 PM) We have to get Soriano.. Wed have another base stealer (Since Pods has decided to suck at it lately) while adding another HR threat in the process. So, who's outfield spot would Alfonso take?

plus the Solo Shot Sox continue to give very weak run support, more HRs with no one on, would be great to give the guy a nice 4 run lead and see what he can do......

July 2006, August 2005

ABSOLUTELY........a brawl tomorrow would do wonders. Padilla plunks AJ, we clear benches and put some kind of life into this lifeless, fightless, offense of ours.......stop focusing on not losing and start focusing on attacking

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 22, 2006 -> 09:23 PM) This is same old story for years against the whitesox. Get any pitcher, no matter how bad, as long as they can locate a fastball on the outer half, and throw a slider or curve into the dirt they will run through our lineup like a pack of wolves. How does our team who has video review, scouts, and coaches not see a simple pattern. If you are getting dominated by someone throwing crap away, go with the pitch. Its not rocket science. I know its slow, I know the pitch looks like a beachball, but not all our our hitters can pull and launch a slider away. But fish they will try. Amen to that, of all the things wrong with this team right now, this is the single biggest obvious solution. We used to be so good at making pitchers work, making them throw strikes or pay the consequences. All the season RBI and HR stats in the world are not going to change the fact that every game we play lately, the lineup is getting mowed down by chasing crap away. No wonder there are so many infield popups, I don't think I've EVER seen so many in a two week span, ever.....

so we know the blowup inning is coming finally, but cmon, how many times do these guys have to go out watching the offense blowing opportunities and doing nothing to help them out. This IS going to be a big inning, and we are NOT going to come back, just like our previous 8 losses, but it's not the pitching's fault

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 22, 2006 -> 02:41 PM) Bunting is not the issue, getting hits with RISP is the big issue. Playing small ball isn't going to make our starting pitchers avoid the big inning. We've had a lot of 2 men on situations lately, and the only time we really cashed in on it was PK's 3 run homer vs Detroit. Stop talking about pitching, and realize that our LOB is horrific and is the cure to our pitching woes. Through 3 innings we already have 6 LOB and walks, strikouts, and popups has been all the production from 3-4-5, when a hit from any one of them would have put us on the board........

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 22, 2006 -> 03:22 PM) When's the last time you heard Hawk Harrelson say, "the White Sox, after Vazquez's implosion, trail 2 to 7"? You don't. Because our pitchers are typically going on the support of one run through 5 innings, game after game after game, until the finally cave. Of course there's no excuse for this, and we did just fine that way last year, but we "upgraded" the offense specifically to avoid this risk and they simply are not delivering. We have no excuse for leaving an inexcusable amount of runners stranded, specifically as the result of our 3-4-5 not coming through. I long for that feeling where we are tied and hit a double that scores two runs

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jul 22, 2006 -> 10:51 AM) I completely agree that the approach of the hitters needs to change but don't you think the pitching is putting us into too many holes, causing the hitters to press? Our staff ERA is miserable, especially the starters. Yes, but if our O can start jumping on people with 4 run innings early, that consist of bunts, singles, stolen bases, and a mix of extra base hits, it will their offense pressing, chasing balls out of the zone for whiffs, infield popups and dribbles back to the mound....you know, the way we previously watch this team blow up to the second best record in the game, the best in the game all of last year, and an 11-1 postseason. Konerko's three run jacks in the first inning against LAA last year, the AJ squeeze play in the ninth against beantown, and so on. We keep however trying to hold a 1-0 lead through the fifth, and always end up playing catchup in innings 6-9 Bottom line is that WE ARE TOO GOOD OFFENSIVELY TO BE ENDING WITH BOXSCORES WHERE WE HAVE AS MANY HITS AS THE OTHER TEAM BUT A THIRD OF THE RUNS. Fixing the little things puts us WAY ahead and makes us what we were in the first half and most of last year

We need to focus on our box score where we continue game after game to have 3 times as many hits as we do runs (if not worse). Yes pitching has the issues we've beat to death, but fact is our offense is not jumping all over anybody to put the pressure on THEIR pitchers to keep runs down, and THEIR hitters to catchup!! If we can start putting up 3 and 4 spots in the first inning again, with some nice bunting, base stealing, key singles and occasional dinger, pitching just MIGHT have a chance to settle down and reverse the pressure.....IMHO of course

QUOTE(Felix @ Jul 21, 2006 -> 09:33 PM) Mack would have had that We can all complain about pitching nonstop, but our "most powerful offense in baseball" continues not to return any pressure whatsover on opposing team's pitching. 1,2 or 3 runs max in nine innings is just not going to get it done. Minny gave up six runs and still won by 7, plain and simple!!! We have way too many guys hitting over three hundred and too many HRs to be losing games every time we give up 5 runs............................

perfect example, 4th inning, bases loaded, 1 out, chance to kill em, Uribe swings at first pitch in the dirt, then pops up to catcher on the second pitch, no pressure. Widger next, first pitch in the dirt, swings, no pressure on Rogers, then pops up to left. Last year, in that situation, NEVER EVER EVER EVER FU*KING swing at the first pitch with bases loaded. We would walk in runs and find a way to score people without relying on a killer double to deep center. Every guy in our lineup was able to take first pitch and force the issue. When you lose a game 2-1 on a stellar outing by your starter, you HAVE to look to this kind of thing.....

just looking at the two teams we're talking about, how many games are left, and how many we're out. Seems like a hot streak for us and a low streak for them can swing things, but just curious if people think we're hanging our hopes on a WC spot? We've been able to get to 1.5 games behind, and boom, after a dominant 7-1 win and 3.5 out, like that are 5.5 out, after going 2-7 against the very three teams involved in this race. Seeing how tough 1.5 games behind has been to leap, seems 5.5 is a mountain at this point. We need 6 games where we win and they lose to take a lead to put that in perspective. thoughts?

stats can be thrown out all day long, but everytime there's a man in scoring position and he comes up to bat in a critical situation, I find myself wishing we had Dye at the plate instead. plain and simple.... there's just been too many times when we need to climb back in a game, not when we're up by 5 runs, that we need just a hit from him and he whiffs at the low and away slider from a left handed pitcher, it's basically automatic.....

uh.......make that .201 beeeatch

I want the WS gm 4 Freddy back, fist pumping, stuff working, sweat rolling, etc. I still ge the feeling he can do it if he wanted to but just seems unmotivated.............