caulfield12

I think after the DH sweep, the Twins will be hard-pressed to pass all three teams in front of them. The odds are definitely not in their favor. What's going to have to happen is that they get Span/Kubel back and they start getting on base in front of Mauer and Cuddyer. Revere's just wearing down playing everyday and Casilla's erratic at best. I think they were 1/17 in getting on base in the DH, but even 9 hits from Mauer and Cuddyer aren't producing anything because they're mostly not for extra bases (Cuddyer's homer the exception). Plouffe has shown some definitely pop but he's still hitting in the low 200's. What they need more than anything is a good #2 hitter. It's not Casilla, and it's not Nishioka. Huge problem.

Because Buddy Bell worked so much with Teahen when he was with the Royals, that's reason 1. His success against us made him SEEM to be a better player than he actually was/is.

Greg, there are a LOT more issues than his defensive miscues late in games during April. I don't want to have this debate, but your batting average argument for Juan is about the same as saying Brent Morel should be the everyday 3B, or Omar Vizquel. But yes, Juan's definitely not a bigger problem RIGHT NOW than 3B, Dunn and Rios. That's 100% accurate. Nobody could argue otherwise. And it doesn't mean Juan has been anything but "average" or "below average" for the course of the entire season, cumulatively. The White Sox were 2nd in the AL in steals last year. This year, we're 12th. largely due to Juan and Rios...and sitting at a 55% success rate. When speed and hitting for average are his two tools, and he's down to just hitting (but with zero power), it's not going to balance out unless he hits 350-400 with RISP.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 10:45 PM) Cmon folks! Let's get excited. We did win. Offense was somewhat shaky whiffing eight times against Davies, but who cares? We won. Props to Juan, Lexi for immediately lifting the sac fly, Paulie. Good job by the relief corps not blowing it. Crain, Thornton and Sergio all were nasty. I hope we can keep beating KC; their record the last 2 months is so bad it's hard to believe. Except it was actually 9 K's, a career high...and the guy's won what, one game? In some ways, this was worse than the Bruce Chen fiasco, it's just that we got bailed out by their poor defense. Didn't feel like we BEAT them by playing better. They Royals are just so fundamentally flawed they usually get in their own way and give games away to opponents.

Moustakas has been horrible the last month. They might as well have brought in Ohman to get him to feel more confident about getting a lefty out.

Mitchell 0/3 with 3 K's, but at least 2 BB Keenyn Walker 1/2 and hitting .387

Guillen can't get a double salary unless he's working for ESPN/ESPN Deportes for one year. Or FOX, if they dared to see how long Ozzie would go before getting fired.

I think Rios is even more scary going forward than Dunn. Alex's OPS on the road is now closing in on 400 for the entire season. That's almost impossible to do. PLEASE NEVER MAKE A STATEMENT AGAIN ABOUT LEADING THE WHITE SOX in the 2nd half. Thanks for your time and consideration, guys.

Well, it's amusing that a walk-off balk and a game-changing error by Escobar have basically given the last two Sox victories in the season series to us. But we have to take every win we can get. And at least Pierre got a two-out RBI. Adam Dunn, now at .158. Alex Rios on the road, 30/187 (.160), 2 HR's, 10 RBI, 27 K's OPS closing in on 400

Nothing here to see at all. Cabrera and Francouer are the obvious targets, with Betemit being a throw-in if they need another hitter off the bench. Not sure, since I don't follow the Pirates' roster that closely.

From the way Ozzie and Cooper were conferring in the dugout, I think they forgot the rule and cost Santos/Thornton a save in the process. It doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things, but I would be pissed if I was Matt going into free agency. He has a guaranteed contract for 2-3 more years now, so it's irrelevant in that sense. You could see Matt had that look like "you've got to be kidding me, right?" when he was pulled. I think there's more value there for Thornton to get out the side 1-2-3 and keep rebuilding his confidence.

Because the tying run wasn't on deck when he entered, apparently.

Oh, forgot Santos can't get the save here. This is just weird. Why take the save away from Matt? And then have Santos face a lefty? Do the White Sox get a "TEAM SAVE" but not an individually-credited one for a pitcher?

Would anyone trade Dunn for Joe Mauer's contract??? I don't think that would be a good idea. Mauer doesn't even have a homer yet this season. Why Thornton? This is weird. I know there a lot of lefties coming up, but Matt still scares us as the closer, doesn't he? OZZIE, if you put Santos in against Moustakas, you're the dumbest manager in baseball. Why would you take Thorton out there? Just to get Santos the save???? WHAT???

WHERE THE HELL WAS BAINES THERE? YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE STADIUM you're in....c'mon!!!! I guess Ramirez probably went on his own on instinct...but Baines barely glanced back. Guess it happened too quickly to stop him. Still doesn't seen that Baines was very demonstrative.

Tiger Woods isn't a winner! Still can't believe those stories that he's having financial problems. That would be simply incredible, after he appeared to be on the verge of lapping anything Michael Jordan did in terms of endorsements and his actual payout for performance. I remember all those stories of him being the first billion dollar athlete. Now? Not so much.

Lester was always the example in front of Danks, but you'd have to argue that Lester's on a whole different level...certainly the last season or two. LeBron James. Wilt Chamberlain. A-Rod. Lionel Messi. Danica Patrick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. JOKING.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 08:26 PM) I wonder what would happen if you offered him $10 mil a year but made it for like 12 years. His agent and the union would fight it. I'd be concerned about the US economic disaster looming, and hyperinflation setting in and eroding the value of that contract. Of course, if interest rates stay flat or close to zero, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Crain has been so steady all season...as expected, some big-game meltdowns, but what relief pitcher is perfect these days? None.

QUOTE (kapzk @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 08:15 PM) Really? I was hoping a bit less money maybe about 10-12, even Konerko isnt that highly paid. Maybe Buerhle would take somewhat of a discount with us. Danks I doubt would demand that much given how this season has been on him. Hopefully we can lock him up to long term somewhere between 9-11 million per Danks is going to get paid big-time, and it won't be anything close to $9-10 million for a long-term deal. Warming up to the idea of the Twins getting swept and being 2 1/2 behind us...one way or the other, we're going to have to beat the Indians and Twins head-to-head down the stretch. Buehrle has gone 13 starts without giving up more than 3 runs. And yet he's winless for a month. That's all you need to know about the Sox offensive offense.

That'll work. But Gordon, you just don't look dangerous up there. If he hit out of a bit more of a crouch and had his bat more parallel to the ground...I don't know, if I was an opposing pitcher, I'd just pump in fastball after fastball and dare him to beat me with his hands. AJ trying to get another balk call. God....the thing they need most is a REAL 3B, and they're boxed in not being able to do anything to acquire one, unless it's just a 2 month rental.

Lillibridge was out. Lucky call. Rios on the road versus Dunn's overall BA. It's the most interestingly egregious stat we can track, the battle to get to .150. I hope that wasn't Rios running at his top speed there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 08:08 PM) That level of midseason move just doesn't sound like the Twins to me. I meant the Indians. They're one more bat away (without Shoo) from being a very, very solid team. 3-2 Indians, still threatening with 1st/3rd and just one out. New pitcher for the Twins.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 08:02 PM) Rooting for the Twins when they are 1.5 games behind us? In that series just be happy one of them has to lose. I respect the Twins as a division contender more than the Indians anyway. But that all changes if they can acquire a Beltran or Jose Reyes caliber of player. 7 in a row retired.....13 consecutive starts where Buehrle hasn't given up more than 3 runs (at most). Amazingly consistent at this stage in his career. I'd almost rather go 2 seasons at $14-15 million (with Mark) than Danks for five years at the same money. Those huge, long-term pitching contracts are just so risky.

That play by Beckham was remarkably flawless and too easy looking.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Jul 18, 2011 -> 07:58 PM) At times it's hard to believe the weakest teams today like the Royals were once power houses in baseball. Pirates in the 80's/early 90's, Orioles, Royals, Astros, Padres...