JUGGERNAUT

I realize that there were extenuating circumstances for Jon's last 2 starts that inflated his era. Errors never being scored as errors & of course the ignorance of JM as a manager. But on the same note his walks increased & his control has not looked as good. I'm a SOX fan. So I won't post Magic Numbers until the SOX have regained first place. :fthecubs :sosasucks After the Astros win this series I'll start posting Houston MN's :

From the Southtown: Dan Wright, who pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in Saturday night's game, has struggled when used as the fifth starter. Wright (0-5) will get another opportunity for redemption Tuesday night when he opposes Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz. The Sox have announced that their game on Aug. 24 against visiting Texas, which had been listed as having a starting time to be determined, will begin at 1:05 p.m.

We have a closer: Marte. Look at his #'s: opp A: .194, opp OPS 568 ( 598 v RH, 534 v LH ). non: 521 OPS, non/0 out: 472 OPS, non/1+ out: 560 OPS ron: 615 OPS risp: 590 OPS, risp/2 out: 497 OPS 1-15 pc: 605 OPS, 16-30 pc: 468 OPS, 31-45 pc: 661 OPS vs lineup: 469 OPS, 766 OPS, 374 OPS, 465 OPS, 339 OPS, 725 OPS, 775 OPS, 713 OPS, 740 OPS That's dominating stuff! You could make a strong argument that the SOX should stretch him out next yr & make him a starter.

JG: Aug: SX 0-2, 10R, 10ip -> just 2 starts That's 2 bad starts in a row for Jon. Should we be concerned?

I refuse to update the Magic Numbers when the SOX lose. Roys & sCrUB fans go do it on your own board!

Assume a strict 4 days rest for all starters: Colon already complained about a twinge in his back. There's no way you risk him on 3 days rest. E-LO has a history of injuries. Why tempt fate? JG,EL v OAK BC,5th,MB,JG @ ANA EL,BC,5th @ TEX MB,JG,EL v ANA BC,5th,MB,JG v TEX xx,EL,BC,MB - @ NYY JG,5th,EL,xx - @ DET MB,BC,xx v BOS EL,JG,MB v CLE BC,5th,EL,JG v MIN MB,BC,5th,xx @ BOS EL,MB,BC @ MIN JG,5th,EL v KC MB,BC,JG v NYY 5th,EL,MB,BC @ KC If they go that way, then off days will force others to go way off 4 days rest, including six days at one point for Garland. They may do it, but I see no reason not to let two guys go on 3 days when it would be followed by 5 days their next start. There is a little flexibility, but it will affect matchups. JG,EL v OAK BC,5th,MB,JG @ ANA EL,BC,5th @ TEX MB,JG,EL v ANA BC,MB,JG,EL v TEX - MB, JG, & EL all on 3 days rest xx,BC,MB,JG - @ NYY - MB, JG, & EL all on 4 days rest EL,5th,BC,xx - @ DET MB,JG,xx v BOS - MB, JG on 5 days rest EL,BC,MB v CLE - EL on 6 days rest JG,5th,EL,BC v MIN MB,JG,EL,xx @ BOS - EL on 3 days rest BC,MB,JG @ MIN EL,5th,BC v KC - EL on 4 days rest MB,JG,EL v NYY BC,MB,JG,EL @ KC - BC, MB, & JG on 3 days rest That would reduce the 5th starter down to 5 starts. Depending on where the SOX are after finishing with ANA it's certainly an option in a dog fight. EL would get the most starts which is what you want any ways. If they are lucky the TV schedule would have them start the post-season on Wed Oct 1, giving them all 5 days rest. I don't think it's likely though because the ALC has started on Tues for the last 3 yrs.

Beane won't want Drew & Vina. But he might want Renteria to replace Tejada. I doubt if STL does it. There will be plenty of arms available for sale in FA & they have the $$$.

Let's talk about the SOX: Mark B: SX 10-4 in his last 14 starts & 9-1 in last 10. Apr: SX 2-5, 18R, 39ip -> small bats May: SX 1-4, 32R, 28ip, -> 10 unearned runs, small bats Jun: SX 3-3, 18R, 40ip -> small bats Jul: SX 6-0, 20R, 42ip, -> 5 unearned runs, small bats Aug: SX 1-1, 8R, 14ip -> good Bart C: Best pitcher on both teams right now Apr: SX 3-3, 18R, 40ip -> small bats May: SX 3-2, 16R, 38ip -> small bats Jun: SX 2-4, 23R, 42ip -> small bats Jul: SX 2-3, 13R, 32ip -> small bats Aug: SX 2-0, 1R, 16ip -> The DOMINATOR !!!!!!!!!! E-LO: The Rock. Steady & dominating all season. Apr: SX 5-0, 5R, 36ip -> The DOMINATOR May: SX 3-3, 11R, 37ip -> small bats Jun: SX 4-2, 14R, 42ip -> The DOMINATOR, small bats Jul: SX 3-2, 10R, 35ip -> The DOMINATOR, small bats Aug: Sx 1-0, 2R, 6ip -> Jon G: the SOX have won 50% of this #4's starts. Apr: SX 2-3, 18R, 25ip -> not bad May: SX 2-3, 14R, 30ip -> very good, small bats Jun: SX 3-3, 19R, 38ip -> good, small bats Jul: SX 4-1, 14R, 31ip -> best month, big bats Aug: SX 0-1, 4R, 5ip -> just 1 start Dan W: Has always been lucky with big bats. SOX are 6-6 in DW's starts. May: SX 2-3, 18R, 25ip Jun: SX 3-1, 10R, 24ip -> best month, big bats Jul: SX 1-1, 10R, 6ip -> big bats Aug: SX 0-1, 5R, 5ip -> no bats Even as weak as Danny's looked, he's a lucky charm for the SOX. He was 14-12 last yr. Some times it's better to be lucky than good : Whether it's Cotts or Danny I think the level of play by the front 3 is incredible right now. With big bats I can see 28-29 wins in the last 47 starts. That should be enough to win the division.

Let's talk about the Twinks. Santana's starts: He's not been the phenom everyone said he would be. MIN is 2-4 & his log looks like Wright's. L13-2, 4er, 3ip L5-0, 3er, 6ip W3-2, 1er, 7ip L8-3, 5er, 5ip L7-5, 5er, 6ip W7-2, 2er, 6ip Lohse: He's not any better than JG. Apr: MIN went 2-5, 18R, 30ip. May: MIN went 5-1, 10R, 46ip Jun: MIN went 2-3, 21R, 29ip Jul: MIN went 1-4, 27R, 20ip -> worse than Wright Aug: MIN is 2-0, 5R, 12ip Radke: He seems to have figured it out. 15R in last 41ip. Apr: MIN 3-3, 23R, 28ip May: MIN 3-2, 20R, 30ip Jun: MIN 0-5, 22R, 34ip Jul: MIN 3-3, 18R, 40ip Aug: MIN 1-0, 2R, 6ip Reed: w/out a strong May, no better than Wright. Apr: MN 1-4, 22R, 27ip May: MN 2-3, 10R, 30ip Jun: MN 1-2, 13R, 17ip Jul: MN 2-3, 16R, 30ip Aug: MN 0-2, 9R, 15ip Rogers: Most reliable. Who would have thunk it? Apr: MN 3-2, 14R, 31ip May: MN 3-2, 18R, 32ip Jun: MN 4-2, 22R, 32ip Jul: MN 3-2, 22R, 30ip Aug: MN 0-1, 3R, 7ip I can breathe easy. I don't see less than 25 losses from this team the rest of the way.

Assume a strict 4 days rest for all starters: Colon already complained about a twinge in his back. There's no way you risk him on 3 days rest. E-LO has a history of injuries. Why tempt fate? JG,EL v OAK BC,5th,MB,JG @ ANA EL,BC,5th @ TEX MB,JG,EL v ANA BC,5th,MB,JG v TEX xx,EL,BC,MB - @ NYY JG,5th,EL,xx - @ DET MB,BC,xx v BOS EL,JG,MB v CLE BC,5th,EL,JG v MIN MB,BC,5th,xx @ BOS EL,MB,BC @ MIN JG,5th,EL v KC MB,BC,JG v NYY 5th,EL,MB,BC @ KC

Look at Danny's game log history this year: 5/9 4.1 ip, 4 er = L6-3 5/14 6.1 ip, 1 er = L5-1 5/19 3 ip, 5 er = L12-2 5/25 7 ip, 3 er = W8-5 5/30 4 ip, 5 er = L7-3 6/5 6 ip, 2 er = W3-2 6/14 5.1 ip, 4 er = W6-5 6/19 6 ip, 2 er = L4-3 6/27 6 ip, 1 er = W4-3 7/2 4 ip, 4 er = W8-6 7/11 2.1 ip, 5 er = L12-2 8/2 5ip, 5 er = L10-0 The SOX are 5-7 when Danny pitches this year. Sometime's it's better to be lucky than good. Let's see how that fare's against the others: The SOX are 14-13 when MB pitches, but at 1 time it was 4-12. The SOX are 12-12 when BC pitches, but at 1 time it was 8-12. The SOX are 16-7 when EL pitches. The SOX are 11-11 when JG pitches. The SOX are 2-3 when JS pitched. Neal Cotts: 8/08 AA: 9W-6L, 2.12ERA, 20 GS, 106ip, 62h, 56w, 131K, 2hr, 25er. opp A .173 6/23 AA: 7W-2L, 2.11ERA, 85Ks Dominating Starts 4/4 W 3-2 Cotts 4/11 W 4-1 Cotts 4/16 W 4-2 Cotts 4/21 W 2-0 Cotts 5/03 L 1-2 Cotts 5/08 W 5-0 Cotts 5/19 W 8-7 Cotts 5/24 L 2-5 Cotts 5/29 W 9-1 Cotts 6/28 W 8-0 Cotts 7/4 L 12-7 Cotts 7/17 L 2-4 Cotts 7/23 L 1-2 Cotts 7/28 L 3-4 Cotts 8/2 W 5-1 Cotts I definitely think Cotts would make a better 5th starter for the SOX right now than Wright.

A 4 man rotation is not an option. With the screwy off days the SOX have, you still need 8 starts from the 5th man. The starts will break down as follows: MB = 10 BC = 10 EL = 10 JG = 9 5th = 8 There's only 1 question to ask: Who gives you a better chance at winning those 8 starts? Danny Wright or Neal Cotts? The league is very familiar with Danny & well .. he sucks .. this year. So my vote goes for bringing up Cotts. There's 4 starts for the 5th before Sept callups can shore up the BP. I have little to no confidence that Wright can win 1 of them. And please, Danny's control is worse than Cott's right now. JG,EL v OAK BC,5th,MB,JG @ ANA EL,BC,5th @ TEX MB,JG,EL v ANA BC,5th,MB,JG v TEX xx,EL,BC,MB - @ NYY JG,5th,EL,xx - @ DET MB,BC,xx v BOS EL,JG,MB v CLE BC,5th,EL,JG v MIN MB,BC,5th,xx @ BOS EL,MB,BC @ MIN JG,5th,EL v KC MB,BC,JG v NYY 5th,EL,MB,BC @ KC

It's a DOG FIGHT all the way thru! KC best case will pick up 7 losses betw NYY & MN. 5 more bet ANA & TEX. 1 vs ARI. 4 more betw CLE & DET. 17 total. MN best case will pick up 15 losses betw DET, CLE, ANA, KCR, & TEX. We may need to sweep MIN in 1 of the series.

If you are in the lead: Magic Number = 163 - (leader's wins) - (contenders losses). If you are trailing: Magic Number = 163 - (contender's wins) - (leaders losses).

Checking the schedule: I think the SOX will continue to do well at home: 10-3 last 13. 2-1 vs A's, 1-3 @ ANA, 2-1 @ TEX, 2-1 vs ANA, 3-1 vs TEX, 1-2 @ NYY 1-2 @ DET, 1-1 @ BOS, 2-1 vs CLE, 3-1 vs MIN, 1-2 @ BOS, 1-2 @ MIN 2-1 vs KCR, 2-1 vs NYY, 3-1 @ KCR 27-21 reducing their Magic Number to .. SOX: 163 - 88 - 59 = 16 Outside of H2H we need KC & MN to lose 16 more.

Ahhhhhh ... it feels so good to do the update today Magic Numbers SOX: 163 - 61 - 54 = 48 KCR: 163 - 60 - 54 = 49 MIN: 163 - 58 - 54 = 51 Any combination of 48 SOX wins or losses by both (KC & MIN) & the SOX win the division! I had a feeling that KC would struggle vs TAM because Pinella has them playing better of late (winning 7 of last 10). As you can see MIN is still within striking distance having won 7/10 as well. For you sCrUB fans: SOX .530 winning %, sCrUBs .518 winning %. :fthecubs :sosasucks

ALC Central Race : Magic Numbers KCR: 163 - 60 - 54 = 49 SOX: 163 - 60 - 52 = 51 MIN: 163 - 56 - 51 = 57 Thank you Bart! JM <- , more tinkering or stupid pitching moves! Please, for the love of SOX fans cut the crap out. You don't take out Bart when he has a 2 hit shutout with 99 pitches. Get a F'g clue or you'll mismanage this team out of the race. GO WHITE SOX! I think the first team to get to 30 will win the division. Get a F'ing clue and know what the hell is going on before you go spouting off... Remember the trainer going out to see Colon in the 8th... He said he felt a twinge in his back, so the "tinkerer" looking for the best interest of his big money pitcher and team, decided not to risk further injury and took him out. Take an anger mgmt course. Sheesh. I read about his twinge the next day & told a buddy of mine we owe Manuel an apology. For that instance only. He has many more instances for which blame is appropriate.

1) Who will win the series (CHW/OAK) (2 points)? CHW 2) Will Carlos Lee bat over .300 for the series (Y/N) (2 points)? N 3) How many errors will the Sox make (4 points)? 1 4) How many earned runs will Esteban Loaiza give up (4 points)? 2 5) How many hits will the Sox get off Mark Mulder (5 points)? 6 6) How many pitches will Jon Garland throw (I'll give five either way) (5 points)? 102 7) Which Sox hitter will have the most walks (4 points)? Frank 8) Will Magglio Ordonez have a multi-hit game (Y/N) (2 points)? Y 9) Which team's starters will pitch more innings (CHW/OAK) (2 points)? OAK 10) Will Keith Foulke get a save (Y/N) (2 points)? Y TIEBREAKER: .249 (Sox batting avg)

ALC Central Race : Magic Numbers KCR: 163 - 60 - 54 = 49 SOX: 163 - 60 - 52 = 51 MIN: 163 - 56 - 51 = 57 Thank you Bart! JM , more tinkering or stupid pitching moves! Please, for the love of SOX fans cut the crap out. You don't take out Bart when he has a 2 hit shutout with 99 pitches. Get a F'g clue or you'll mismanage this team out of the race. GO WHITE SOX! I think the first team to get to 30 will win the division.

Benitez has some pretty impressive numbers I have to believe that Nelson is a ufa next year. After he spoke out of turn when the deadline passed (you wonder if he had spoken to someone the Yanks), you knew that if he was a ufa next yr they would try to deal him. Benito & cash for Nelson. Translation: NYY picking up the remainder of their contracts. The NYY just acquired a career 3.29 ERA with .222 opp BA. 2003: 643 OPS vs (589 vs RH, 729 vs LH). The M's just acquired a career 3.03 ERA with .188 opp BA. 2003: 648 OPS vs (563 vs RH, 725 vs LH). By looking at the #'s & Benito's 197 sv's over his career you can't blame the M's. I know Nelson has shown up in the playoffs over the years with the Yanks, but on paper the M's got the better player. Maybe this deal will come back to bit the Evil Empire in the arse.

*woohoo* Ever the optimist Faith in my SOX is paying off! I like this game!

JOE CREDE I'm pulling this one out of my arse. Hopefully Shields is on the hill.

CARLOS LEE Washburn on the hill for the Angels? Possibly. This game is getting tough with so many hot bats to choose from

PAUL KONERKO Expecting Ortiz to be the opposition.

FRANK THOMAS I'm guess he'll be battling Sele in this one.