JUGGERNAUT

Clement 2005 Decision, IP, H, R Apr. 5 @NYY L 4-3 4.1 5 3 Apr. 10 @TOR L 4-3 6.0 6 3 Apr. 16 TB W 6-2 7.0 7 1 Apr. 21 @BAL W 1-0 8.0 8 0 Apr. 26 BAL L 11-8 5.2 12 7 May. 1 @TEX W 6-5 6.0 4 3 May. 6 SEA W 7-2 7.0 5 1 May. 11 OAK W 6-5 7.0 5 1 May. 17 @OAK W 7-5 6.2 6 5 May. 22 ATL W 5-2 9.0 4 2 May. 28 @NYY W 17-1 6.0 5 0 Jun. 2 BAL W 6-4 6.0 6 3 Jun. 7 @STL L 9-2 4.0 7 7 Jun. 13 CIN W 10-3 8.0 6 3 Jun. 19 PIT W 8-0 7.0 3 0 Jun. 25 @PHI W 7-1 7.0 7 1 Jul. 1 TOR L 15-2 6.2 8 8 Jul. 6 @TEX W 7-4 9.2 9 4 Jul. 16 NYY L 7-4 3.2 5 6 Jul. 21 @CWS W 6-5 6.0 6 4 Jul. 26 @TB W 10-9 2.1 4 3 Aug. 4 KC W 11-9 5.0 5 6 Aug. 9 TEX W 8-7 6.0 6 2 Aug. 19 @LAA W 4-3 7.0 6 1 Aug. 24 @KC L 4-3 7.0 6 3 Aug. 29 TB W 10-6 5.0 3 1 Sep. 3 BAL W 7-6 8.0 6 4 Sep. 8 LAA L 3-0 7.2 6 3 Sep. 13 @TOR L 9-3 6.0 6 6 Sep. 18 OAK L 12-3 1.1 8 7 Sep. 24 @BAL W 4-3 6.0 4 0 Sep. 29 TOR W 5-4 5.0 8 4 It looks like the league for the most part figured him out in the 2nd 1/2.

If we keep Ortiz & Manny away from RISP sits & we should win. Take a look at the scores of games that BOS lost down the stretch: July: Thu. 14 NY Yankees L 8-6 Sat. 16 NY Yankees L 7-4 Sun. 17 NY Yankees L 5-3 Mon. 18 Tampa Bay L 3-1 Fri. 22 at Chicago Sox L 8-4 Sun. 24 at Chicago Sox L 6-4 Mon. 25 at Tampa Bay L 4-3 Aug: Fri. 5 at Minnesota L 12-0 Sat. 6 at Minnesota L 4-3 Mon. 15 at Detroit L 7-6 Wed. 17 at Detroit L 6-5 Thu. 18 at LA Angels L 13-4 Sat. 20 at LA Angels L 4-2 Wed. 24 at Kansas City L 4-3 Thu. 25 at Kansas City L 7-4 Sat. 27 Detroit L 12-8 Sept: Fri. 2 Baltimore L 7-3 Mon. 5 Chicago Sox L 5-3 Thu. 8 LA Angels L 3-0 Fri. 9 at NY Yankees L 8-4 Sun. 11 at NY Yankees L 1-0 Tue. 13 at Toronto L 9-3 Thu. 15 Oakland L 6-2 Sun. 18 Oakland L 12-3 Mon. 19 at Tampa Bay L 8-7 Wed. 21 at Tampa Bay L 7-4 Tue. 27 Toronto L 7-5 Wed. 28 Toronto L 7-2 Oct Sat. 1 NY Yankees L 8-4 Most of their loses come when the opposition scores 6+R. We've only lost 4 times in the 2nd half when we've score 6+R.

Kong can win a game with his bat or with his glove. That can't be said of all 1B in the league. You definitely have to resign him. We have enough speed on this team to overcome his slow feet. We need AJ, Widger, & Kong back for sure. I'd likewise like to hope Harris, Ozuna, Anderson, & Gload can produce enough in ST to fill out the bench. A consistent bench would make us that much stronger. I like Gload+Thomas better than Everett for the DH spot & 3-Hole.

Hopefully Gload will be added by the ALCS in place of Blum. With a bench of Widger, Harris, Ozuna, Perez, & Blum, Perez is our only OF replacement. Gload proved he can play in the OF over the weekend. Backups should be : C, 2 OFers, 2 IFers.

If BOS can survive on 10 arms we can certainly survive on 10 arms until game 3 on Friday. Instead our ability to advance will rest on Marte's ability to get out Ortiz before Manny. :puke What's done is done. I can only hope & pray he meets the challenge. If he does it will certainly increase his trade value in the off-season.

Career #'s vs David Ortiz: Neal Cotts 2AB 0A/0O Luis Vizcaíno 4AB 0A/0O Brandon McCarthy 2AB 0A/333O Freddy García 17AB 176A/557O Cliff Politte 7AB 286A/571O Damaso Marte 7AB 286A/1114O José Contreras 14AB 214A/813O Orlando Hernández 9AB 333A/1232O Mark Buehrle 37AB 351A/968O Jon Garland 17AB 353A/1182O Bobby Jenks 1AB 1000A/5.000O Career #'s vs Manny Ramirez: Mark Buehrle 18AB 444A/1.538O José Contreras 13AB 231A/824O Neal Cotts 1AB 0A/0O Freddy García 19AB 263A/1.023O Jon Garland 15AB 533A/1.698O Dustin Hermanson 1AB 1000A/2000O Orlando Hernández 32AB 344A/1.257O Bobby Jenks 2AB 0A/0O Damaso Marte 2AB 500A/1.167O Brandon McCarthy 3AB 333A/667O Cliff Politte 13AB 308A/615O Luis Vizcaíno 3AB 333A/1833O I don't see enough there from Marte to warrant his spot over BMac. BMac vs LHers: 34IP 205A 3HR 9W 28K 1.01 WHIP DMar vs LHers: 23IP 267A 1HR 15W 32K 1.70 WHIP It makes no sense to stick with Marte. BOS going with 10 arms doesn't make any sense to me either.

If we have learned anything over the past few years it's that a team's performance down the stretch is the best indicator for how well it will perform in the post-season. (Angels, Marlins, & even Red Sox). With this in mind here's how the two teams compare: 2005 Sept CWS 126R, 121RBI, 273A/789O vs Opp 109R, 100RBI, 250A/721O 17W 12L Sept BOS 136R, 130RBI, 260A/754O vs Opp 128R, 121RBI, 266A/753O 17W 12L 2004 Sept CWS 163R, 152RBI 269/785 vs Opp 161R, 153RBI, 265/792 17W 12L Sept BOS 176R, 172RBI, 273A/838O vs Opp 144R, 133RBI, 247A/730 18W 10L BOS doesn't look any where near as formidable as last year. Chi-Sox in 4.

I felt that El Duque gives you more than Vizcaino so BMac should have been left but now I'm really wondering why is Marte being given a chance? He's done very little to deserve it in Sept & the same can be said for most of the year. So keeping him means you are hoping he gets the magic back that he showed 2 yrs ago. That's ridiculous. You're better off hoping in El Duque's post season success. I'm just wondering if El Duque did enough this series against Hafner & company to convince Ozzie he can get LHers out. What El Duque offers that Marte can't is a wicked curve, slider, & a funky delivery that makes it very hard to pick up his release point. His greatest weakness is the BB. Marte looks very 1-dimensional this year. He's highly dependant on getting the corners called for strikes. If you look at 02-04 avgs: Marte vs LHers: .267A/.767OPS, vs RHers: .244A/.817OPS ElDuq vs LHers: .236A/.700OPS, vs RHers: .231A/.643OPS Even further look at how they compare against the heart of lineups: 2005 Marte vs 3-4-5: .325A/.975OPS .. .El Duque vs 3-4-5: .280A/.810OPS I'd rather bet on El Duque finding the magic than Marte.

Manny carried Boston down the stretch. Must keep him & Ortiz from lauching rockets at the the Cell.

This makes me feel better about the White Sox push to the post: SEP 2005 126R, 109RA, 121RBI, 100RBIA, .273BA, .250BAA, .789OPS, .721OPSA Needless to say the bats got hot in Sept: SPod .337A/.790OPS Kong .327A/1.039OPS Uribe .304A/1.020OPS Crede .379A/1.178OPS Harris .391A/1.152OPS JDye .271A/.843OPS That might be the hottest our lineups been all season. For trade bait over the off-season: JBorchard .455A/1.091OPS

In the post-season it's really all about matchups. BMac http://sports.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/7484...r&type=Pitching ElDqe http://sports.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/6019...r&type=Pitching Vizco http://sports.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/6291...r&type=Pitching As a RP El Duque can be expected to get the following guys out: Giambi, Jeter, Posada, Matsui, Sheffield, Guerrero, Molina, Kapler, Millar, Nixon, Varitek. Can you say that about either BMac or Vizcaino? There's not enough experience there to say much about either of them. The NYY have never left El Duque off the playoff roster. They know better. I hope Ozzie does too.

I prayed a LOT .. only this year I prayed more for individual players than the team.

Consider the NYY demise in 2004: Tue 10/12 @NYY 10, BOS 7 Box Score Wed 10/13 @NYY 3, BOS 1 Recap Fri 10/15 Postponed/Delayed Information Sat 10/16 NYY 19, @BOS 8 Recap Brown sucks Sun 10/17 @BOS 6, NYY 4 Recap 12IN Mon 10/18 @BOS 5, NYY 4 Recap 14IN Tue 10/19 BOS 4, @NYY 2 Recap Schilling Bloody Sox Wed 10/20 BOS 10, @NYY 3 Recap Brown sucks again Torre's decision to use Brown in game 3 over El Duque was the difference. 5 games in 5 nights. Game 3 Brown lasted 2 IN. Game 7 Brown lasted 1 1/3 IN. He taxed the pen in game 3, they were overtaxed with 2 extra inning games, & then he killed them in game 7. El Duque pitched 4 scoreless innings before giving up 3 in game 4. NYY took a 4-3 lead into the 9th when Rivera in his 2nd IN of relief gave up the tying run. Had El Duque pitched in game 3 chances are he pitches as well as he did in game 4. That means the pen is fresh for game 4 & Rivera does NOT have to pitch 2 IN of relief. Let's say Brown implodes in game 4. It's not likely to go extra innings then. The Series is 3-1 then. Now Mussina has a fresh pen behind him in game 5. The Yanks likely win it 4-1. Even if you assume that BOS still ties the series 3-3 you still have El Duque vs D Lowe for game 7. Much better odds than Brown vs Lowe.

You are way OVERESTIMATING what Vizcaino has done down the stretch. It's a LOT easier to pitch good in a low pressure situation than a high one. He's done very little all year round when the game has been on the line. That's why he only has 8H in 68 appearances & has racked up 5L. There is nothing in his numbers that suggest keeping him over El Duque for a final RH spot in the pen. The pen should be: Jenks, Hermy, Politte, Marte, Cotts, El Duque, & BMac. No other post-season team has that kind of talent in their pen.

With the option they hold for 2007 that's not even a concern until 2008. By then he'll be no spring chicken & the White Sox should be able to retain him. Assuming Ozzie-ball holds up that's an awful LOT of winning before that decision is made.

This is pretty simple. We CAN manufacture runs against both BOS & NYY. We have shown the ability to do that. We CAN'T manufacture runs against LAA. They are too good defensively. Which means to beat them we must BOTH outpitch them & outslug them. What the SOX are doing right now in CLE is what plays to their strengths the most: open against BOS, pray NYY gets past LAA, & beat NYY to get to the World Series. Having taken that road the likelihood of winning the World Series is high.

I agree, but I don't think a few clicks is going to help pay his salary much.

The only way the White Sox could have maintained that 15 gm edge is by winning 110+ games. Who in their right mind would suggest they were capable of doing that after Frank went down? Do you not realize they got at least 10 wins riding on his back when he did play? He was the MVP of the series we faced TAM. We all know how well they played down the stretch so we can imagine not winning those games w/out Frank. If Moronotti could bother being objective just once in his life he'd realize that MOST White Sox fans were prepared for a brutal August when the White Sox were facing the toughest schedule in MLB without a major cog in the lineup. Like previous seasons the team was persisntent & overcame hardship to post a winning Sept. Does CLE manage to do that without Hafner? No. Not a chance.

They don't just represent our rival this year. They represent the media darlings. I think it would put the team on an ultra-high & that's what you want facing BOS on Tues.

You never hear from Kotex Boy that the White Sox have won 98 games & can still tie the Cards for best record in MLB. All you hear is that same mantra of seeing a 15 gm lead shrink to 1 1/2. Did he really believe the White Sox would win over 110 gms? Does he have any idea of how short the list is for teams that have won 110+ gms? I can't stand this poor excuse for a Chicago sports writer. His obsession with the Cub is sickening. If the Cub were closing in on 99 wins what do you think he'd be writing? If it were the Cards that closed in on the Cub like that I doubt very much his last 7 columns would constantly re-iterate the 15 gm lead. July 31: CWS 68-35, STL 66-38. Aug 31: CWS 80-51, STL 85-49. Oct 2: CWS 98-63, STL 99-62 STL had a 6 gm lead on the White Sox going into Sep. Now it's only a 1 gm lead. Does Moronotti write about that? Nope. Not a word. Have you noticed just about all the coverage couldn't help but refer to us as over-acheiving "chokers" that were destined to fail but the Indians are now refered to as simply an inexperienced team that is pressing too hard? Any one with a brain knows the White Sox lineup had grown accustomed to the Big Hurt at the #3 spot in June & July. When he went down the burden shifted again to Everett & he did NOT deliver. That's why the team took a spell in August. It's the same story only different names 4 yrs in a row. Does Moronotti mention that? No. He's too busy lamenting on every Ozzie word. When will the Sun-Times fire this hack of a reporter? He's nothing more than a smear job. He plays the role of Mr Nasty on American Idol & Chicago deserves better. White Sox fans deserve better. It's horrible that we have mostly to choose between the Cubune & the ill-fated company employing Mr Nasty for coverage of our team. Maybe Reinsdorf can put together a consortium to buy out the Times so we can have some semblance of balance. Having gotten that off my chest I feel better now. Let's put the final nail in the Tribe's coffin & get prepared to kick BOS arse on Tuesday night.

Allow me to make the case for El Duque: RISP, 2 outs: 59AB .186BAA, .619OPS. CL&L 18AB .222BAA, .652OPS. RISP, all: 126AB, .230BAA, .701OPS RON, 2: 44AB, .205BAA, .635OPS RON, 3: 22AB, .273BAA, .711OPS RON 1,2: 29AB, .207BAA, .599OPS RON 1,2,3: 13AB, .077BAA, .225OPS Vizc can't touch those numbers. This is a HUGE decision & I can only hope that Ozzie chooses the crafty vet over a sporadic RH RP.

More #'s damaging Vizcaino: vs LH: .330BA .411OBP .468SLG (He's useless vs them) Both BOS & LAA have well balanced lineups. 0 days rest 6.75ERA 20.0IP .326BAA NON 0 out .281BAA, 802OPS, NON 1,2 out .278BAA, .828OPS, CL&L .303BAA, 374OBP, 404SLG Give him his share & sit him down.

Agreed. We spent the $ on El Duque for the post season. His numbers are slightly better than Vizcaino's against BOS & LAA. There's no reason to choose Vizc over El Duque.

We never choked. We had our seasonal lousy August after a big bat goes down. That's been the story since 2000. When you add these last two games to Sept we played like a team that can still earn the best record in MLB.

For the most part Ozzie has proven to be a guy who believes strongly in matchups. El Duque's #'s vs BOS & LAA are not much better but at least he has a long history of being a dominant pitcher in the post season.