caulfield12

White Sox currently leading the AL with 10 blown saves. Let's NOT make it 11.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 12:06 PM) I wonder if that was a blown sign by Hudson That's what Farmer thought.

7 retired in a row by Sox pitching. Santiago, considering he has a so-so curveball and is learning his screwball/change at the big league level, hasn't been too bad since being removed from the closer's role.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:50 AM) The jury is very much still out on whether Williams should be retained next year. The Danks contract and Molina pitching like a middle-reliever many thought he was is enough justification to go in another direction if this team falls out of the race. Williams won't be fired because of Molina. It's possible they had some indication something was wrong with Santos (or was coming soon) and wanted to dump him as quickly as possible after signing that extension. Or they just didn't think that he would hold up long-term as the closer. If Danks does have major shoulder problems, it will be just one more reason why JR will never give a pitcher a contract of longer than 3 years and they'll try to survive with the Phil Humbers and Quintanas off the retread pile. But signing Danks instead of Buehrle wasn't a mistake in and of itself.

Two 14 inning games in the same day. Pretty rare. NY/Washington, and then Ozzie's team blew a 3-0 lead against TB. Interestingly, Greg's old friend DeWayne Wise saved the game for the Yankees by throwing out the potential winning run in the bottom of the 8th. The Yankees must love former White Sox: Freddy Garcia, Wise, Swisher, Boone Logan, Chris Stewart, Jason Nix, Andruw Jones.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:40 AM) Proving that anyone can play there. Which is a reason Viciedo should be expendable under the right circumstances. Watch the Tigers, you'll find out why it's NOT working. Literally, they thought ANYONE could play ANYWHERE in the field and the offense would compensate for any defensive inefficiencies. Delmon Young is REALLY bad in LF, Boesch in RF is below average, Cabrera and Fielder, Peralta is a 3B/DH playing SS and they've run about 5 players through 2B. Raburn is far from good there...and Santiago can't hit. The only good players they have are Austin Jackson and Avila's not bad, especially compared to Victor Martinez, who also doesn't belong on the field of play except when hitting.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:37 AM) I don't think KW deserves to still be the GM of this team based on the previous 6 years. Expressing concern over the current state of the rotation is altogether different. First place, though, despite how bad our division is, it's pretty hard to make an argument KW has been "fireable" this season because of the contributions by players like DeAza, Nathan Jones, Reed, Viciedo and Quintana. All of his "big three" guys in Peavy/Dunn/Rios are playing like they were originally forecast to when they were acquired. Beckham hasn't been a black hole. While nothing resembling an All-Star, he's been at the very least productive and a solid contributor, especially when defense is taken into consideration.

Those percentages of LH/RH splits against Santiago and Quintana will start reversing themselves. Still pretty early and small sample sizes. PULL HIM VENTURA. Jesus! Before it's too late.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:32 AM) Seriously? After getting out of it with "just" four runs in three innings? Your starting pitcher? If it was 4-0 or 5-0, Humber definitely would be pulled. In some ways, it's counter-intuitive, because you do have a lot better chance to win the game you're tied or within a run or so either way when you bring in a bullpen guy. The problem is that the quality of your last two or three guys in the pen shouldn't be better than your starter, but it is what it is. Yet another hit given up by Humber. Just seems like he can never shut down the opponent after the Sox score, same with Floyd this season.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:28 AM) I do think every manager in baseball would do the same thing, leave Horrible Humber in. Four runs in three innings sucks, but it's not seven, eight runs. YOu have to let your starter go five as long as his pitch count is OK. Seriously, don't you agree? No manager hooks Humber this early "only" giving up four. I do think he sucks, though. When your options are Stewart, Ohman, Santiago or Hudson....and you don't want to completely destroy your bullpen, not knowing how long Quintana can keep pitching so well as a starter, there's just no good option. Personally, I'd have gone with Santiago and pinch hit for Humber there, but it's not like a "sure thing" and Viciedo doesn't match-up very well with Billingsley the way he's been going for most of June. We don't have a strong bench, especially hitting wise.

Guess Humber skipped bunting practice and only concentrated on hitting BP fastballs. Humber as the long man is just a prescription for disaster because the ONLY way he can be successful is when he has his sharp curve. Otherwise, he's going to get tattoed ever worse than Stewart. This is why the Twins and Royals gave up on him, they didn't see him being effective out of the pen or effective in general.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:19 AM) What's going to happen when this rotation faces the Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox in the coming weeks? What do you expect to happen, KW to resign in frustration since our pitching is in shambles? Our situation isn't any worse than what the Red Sox and a number of teams like the Brewers have faced all season long with injuries. Hudson running hard down to 1B and busting it, unlike Mr. Soriano for the Cubs when Middlebrooks bobbled a liner 3 times and finally dropped it and yet Alphonso was gunned down by half a baseline. Booed pretty hard in his final at-bat. Castro 1 for his last 21. So much for the new Mr. Franchise.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:17 AM) Great thing we cost ourselves 2 runs in the top of the inning most likely. Farmer and DJ weren't against it, but Konerko just hasn't been hot and Rios has...you don't want to lose any baserunners, and Beckham just doesn't have the type of speed to steal 3B and be successful more than 25% of the time at best. You'd have scored two with the triple and then had 2 chances to get Rios in from 3rd, not that we've been automatic in that situation since the Lance Lynn/Peavy game.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 11:15 AM) Problem isn't just control, it's that his stuff is fairly mediocre in general. For example, that 2-0 fastball he threw to Billingsley (a pretty good hitting pitcher) was 88 mph and right over the middle, get me over, BP type of stuff. Wherever AJ's putting the glove, the ball's going to the opposite side. All six of the Dodgers' hits have been on fastballs. Kudos to Ventura for trying Santiago as the long man instead of Stewart.

Humber just has no control/location... Seems like a copy of the 6th inning last night. Wish I had a modicum of confidence that Zach Stewart could actually hold the lead or keep it close. We'll see. Dreading what will happen if Uribe comes to the plate with the bases loaded.

En fuego for Rios. 5th triple of the season.

Maybe Humber can play 3B?

Ramirez continues to compile lots of RBI's despite the low 500's OPS. That's one example where OPS doesn't tell the complete story of his value to the team. Btw, what did Alexei do last night to cause us to lose? Didn't catch it. Someone said something about a "brain cramp" but what was it?

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 09:55 AM) Because they're still thinking small and not regionally or nationally like they should. Do the Cubs have a toll-free number? 1-800-THE-CUBS Heard it during their broadcast.

Why have the White Sox never had a 1-800/toll-free number to call for tickets? Just curious. That seems pretty basic marketing, especially when you had to make long distance or out of area code land line calls.

Bryce Harper with 9 swings and misses out of 10 pitches against Pettite. All sliders or curveballs. Time for him to adjust. Ibanez and Eric Chavez two of the better bench signings of the entire offseason in a largely quiet Yankees' offseaso on the free agent market, with the exception/s of Kuroda/Pettite/Pineda.

QUOTE (Wedge @ Jun 17, 2012 -> 12:00 AM) I feel like other than the winning streak we've been in a long bad stretch. 10-6 4-12 17-5 3-7 Win, lose, win, lose.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Jun 16, 2012 -> 11:21 PM) This team has lost 7 of 9 - just like every team does. It's a bad streak over a relatively small portion of the season, after an insane winning streak. I wish some of the same people that screamed "sample size!!!!" about batting stats could hold perspective together when this team goes on either a good or bad stretch. This stretch doesn't mean that the sox are going to lose 90 just like the winning streak didn't mean the sox would win 100. If we continue to play well against the division we will win it. If we don't, we won't. Losing 7 of 9 doesn't mean s***. We have holes, yes. So do most other teams, including competitive ones. By the end of this month we will probably have reeled off 8 of 10 and the naysayers will once again be the converted. Christ, let's all act like we've watched a full season of baseball at some point. It's actually 7 out of 10. When 50-75% of the fans disappear for starts by Humber and Floyd, I wouldn't say that's normal around here. Especially any starts made for a first-place White Sox team. When has that ever happened?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 16, 2012 -> 09:26 PM) The Sox need an upgrade at 3B? That's an astute observation. I'm Gavin Floyd's biggest critic, but what kind of logic are you using when you say the Sox needed a starting pitcher, and then ripping them for not trading a starting pitcher? I'm also, except for Marty, KWs biggest critic , and I'm sure he listened on offers for Floyd and Thornton. Considering what was received for Santos and Quentin, I'm sure those offers weren't nearly what you think they would be. The problem is, this is nothing new for Floyd. His ERA is normally about where it is right now this time of year. He'll get hot for 6 weeks, all will be forgiven. Extensions will be discussed on this board. Then he'll be mediocre again and it will be the offseason. Other GMs who would actually have to pay Gavin notice this as well. Keep in mind, KW could land Verlander and David Wright today. This still wouldn't be the Sox last 3 game losing streak of the season. And here's the column you were ripping not even a week ago: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...,6968593.column Considering that a 30+ save, close to 85% conversion rate, cost-controlled closer nets you only Nestor Molina, call me unimpressed. Maybe you're right, it's better off if we don't let Marco Paddy or KW have anything to do with any more trades. Why would they give Gavin Floyd an extension if they have a $9.5 million club option for 2013 already? They're now going to turn around and sign him to an extension for $21-27 million over 3 years? That's like signing Mark Teahen to an extension when they already controlled his rights anyway. The point is even if KW made the worst possible trades in the history of baseball for Floyd and Thornton, their salaries would be off the books, our record would arguably be the same or better and we'd have another $12-15 million to use now that we know we definitely need another starter to compete this season.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Jun 16, 2012 -> 08:44 PM) WTH happened last night.. I went to bed and we were up 6-2?? Implosion or what? Well, that definitely didn't happen, because it was 5-1. That's nothing compared to the feeling of waking up the next morning that time in September, 2005, and expecting to see a victory over the Royals and realizing we'd blown a truly huge lead and were in the process of choking away the division. A combination of Sale's wildness, pitch count, the choice to go to Jesse Crain over Nathan Jones, a 7 1/2 year minor league veteran/journeyman/AAA filler guy (Elian Herrera) consistently beating us all day long and Matt Thornton/AJ Thornton wetting the bed after the game was tied. At least Alex Rios had one of his best games ever in a Sox uniform. Unfortunately, it will most be remembered for two bullpen letdowns. Oh, and more reminders that Orlando Hudson shouldn't be playing major league 3B, certainly not for a pennant-contending team.