caulfield12

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 01:17 PM) A slow start would be a killer to any momentum gained during the offseason First big league hit for former White Sox farmhand Paulo Orlando. Congrats...after so many years laboring in the minors, waiting for his opportunity. 400 meter relay sprinter there...I remember all the quotes about him and Anderson Gomes being the fastest players the White Sox ever brought on board, at least international signings. With the current fear Sox fans (and some players) have for the Tigers and Royals....not even to mention the Indians and their starting rotation, it's not going to take much to set everyone into a panic.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 01:17 PM) Man in 2013 I had season tickets in row two of 102 and just got to watch Cain be a gazelle out there. The guy is a beast. How about a walk? No one on this team is making Volquez work nor did they in game 1 or 2. Are you questioning our team's offensive approach??? LOL. Dick Allen will smite you with another Cooper reference. Of course, today, he's not able to go down that rabbit hole since Danks is one of his favorites.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 01:14 PM) So far this season, which is just about over for some, 2 of the White Sox biggest run producers have been Flowers and Beckham, and their best starter, Danks. 75% of SoxTalk will still be around in a month, no matter what. The question is whether the rest of the fanbase will be....if they get off to a really slow start.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) Man, hitting good players higher in the lineup and bad ones lower is not mumbo jumbo. It's the simplest thing. Gordon has a sore wrist...lingering issue. That's part of the reason, and why he's not in the line-up today following a night game. Temperature down 7 degrees in the last hour or so.

Weather there takes a possible dinger away from Perez. So they're probably even now with the defensive plays made by Cain/Moustakas.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) Agree with all of this. And I'm not judging the Sox just based on this opening series. With that said, you can see the stark differences in the two teams. As I've said before, as long as we some improvement in the record and performances from our core guys, I'm OK with whatever happens this season. I'm not pegging them as a playoff team, but with the way this core is built, it doesn't need to happen this year. The problem is where are we going to get this defensive improvement? We're locked in with our outfield for the next three years, probably...unless they DH Avisail. Anderson on the infield isn't bringing plus defense, at least at this point. At best, Johnson/Sanchez are the equivalent of Beckham defensively. You might see some marginal improvements from Conor and Abreu, but they're not going to bench Abreu for LaRoche. Finally, we all know the pluses and minuses of Tyler Flowers. (And I do believe the best teams like the Cardinals and even the Royals with Sal Perez, Giants with Posey, Pirates with Russell Martin, etc., have a key presence behind the dish).

Fathom's prediction of LaRoche being an early whipping boy might be coming to fruition. Of course, in any other weather conditions and 75% of other stadiums, he'd had a home run on the board already today.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:56 PM) From what I've read, no one has underestimated their offensive prowess, just their starting pitching. Which I have to agree could be an issue. Duffy has to return to the way he was pitching before going down to injury in the last six weeks of 2014. Volquez essentially has to replicate Shields. He can't do that leadership-wise, but with 200 IP and solid numbers. All he has to do is follow his Pirates' blueprint, which is keeping the ball in play, limiting pitch counts and not worrying about K's or radar gun readings as much as in the past. Then you've got a maturing Y.Ventura, Vargas, Guthrie....Hochevar, Sean Manaea, Finnegan, Zimmer, etc.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:53 PM) That's why you don't bunt with a guy who's hitting .500. Well, it definitely didn't work out that time. Although it was quite close to being bases loaded, no outs...and the game could easily have been just about over with how this series has been going for the Sox. Key early moment, for sure. That's what is so beautiful about the game.

2014 Moustakas (pre-playoffs) showing up there. That pitch was RIGHT THERE, but just got under it too much. Harrelson, if it was a Sox hitter...."Dad gummit, just missed it by 1/16th of an inch."

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:51 PM) I like Danks' new delivery So do the Royals. WOW. That would have been a HUGE disaster....almost didn't get the runner at first there.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:50 PM) Just when you thought Danks was turning the corner... Danks also had one of the slowest delivery to home times in baseball last year, fwiw. Used to be very good at holding and picking off runners, ala Buehrle.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:48 PM) I'm tired of being tired of our opponents all the time in the Central. Sox need to own somebody in their own division. Other than Minnesota...who looks to suck the entire season as they wait for Sano/Buxton/Meyer to blossom.

Orlando/Luis Silverio was part of the Dave Wilder fiasco... Signed in tryout camp in Brazil. WEIRDNESS.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:47 PM) Try to do the splits, and do a flurry of flips, then make a human pyramid, and hold someone up over your head with your palms. He might have a point. He's obviously an avid viewer of the BRING IT ON series. Or Step Up, lol.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:46 PM) That's two home runs in a normal park without the wind blowing in. Not much consolation to anyone other than Steverson.

Are we playing against 2001-2006 Torii Hunter? JESUS.

If Danks can throw 89-92 with the four seamer, 85 with the cutter and 77-81 MPH with the change-up, then he's got a chance. It's when all those pitches blend together and he has to come in with so-so stuff when he gets behind in the count that he really gets into trouble...or starts walking batters. Definitely has been lacking a strikeout or "swing and a miss" pitch since the surgery in 2012.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:37 PM) How fast was Danks' fastball last year? Mostly mid to upper 80's until the last couple months of the season, where it picked up a bit.

What do you know...a Danks K. On a fb 90 MPH or higher.

LaRoche killed that ball. Last night, it was a homer, easily. Offensive execution=check Defensive highlight=check

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:26 PM) Ned Yost bunting in the first inning...classic. There have been quite a few studies done about the psychological advantage of scoring the first run. Especially in that situation, when you've got the opponent in a position to be swept, you're playing at home with house money at this point in the series and you've got (seemingly) the best bullpen in baseball, with the idea you only have to get the game now to the 6th or 7th inning and the opponent will essentially give up.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2015 -> 12:25 PM) My goodness, how do we let Escobar just destroy us like this? He was something like 1/18 before that at-bat (career-wise against Danks). Cain 0/11. Fundamentals. Execution. Can the White Sox up their game offensively? Typical 2014 Royals run right there.

Well, on the plus side, Danks 90-92 according to Gameday/MLB. On the negative side, another Royals' double.

Is Harrelson going off on the umpires/pace of play now?