caulfield12

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 08:25 PM) I appreciate all of the thoughtful comments, as usual. I'm not normally a big fan of platooning players, but when you have combinations of inept hitters versus either left or right handed pitching, and there are capable replacements, why not? A hitter like Dunn is so bad versus LHP, and he has to bat in the middle of the order to be useful, in any case. A hitter like Conor Jackson, who completley dominated LHP when he was healthy, has to be seriously considered as a viable solution to the hole in the lineup that Dunn represents vs. LHP. I'm watching Jackson's daily progress at Charlotte, and hoping that he soon displays his ability to hit, especially vs. lefties. Even then, Charlotte isn't Chicago. Here's the problem with Jackson. Not that he put up a 660 OPS against LH pitching with well over 100 at-bats (0 homers) last year. It's that, even at his best, his #1 ability is walking to 1B. Which is probably Adam Dunn's best skill set against LHP as well. Who is going to drive either Dunn or Jackson in (let's say they're hitting 5th or 6th in the order) at the bottom of the line-up? That's why OPS can sometimes be misleading. A lot of Jackson's is OBP and less slugging...against LHP, we need the opposite, more power hitting and less base clogging. If we had consistent threats up and down the line-up, I might agree that Jackson would fit in better. But it's also been 4 years since he was a productive, everyday player. Stranger things have happened, sure, but the odds of Jackson being in Chicago in the first two months are about the same as Jake Peavy throwing 96 or 97 again.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/14/35545...best-years.html

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 08:09 PM) The Royals pitching just got absolutely abused by the Tribe over the weekend. KC fans starting to grumble a bit about Yost. He was smart to stand up for his players in the bench clearing stuff Sat night cause if KC keeps this up, Yost or GM are in trouble. After losing to Verlander Monday night KC will be 0-4 at home. Royals have embarrassing commercials this year like the Sox "All In" which backfired last year. "It's Our Time" is the motto and KC's pitching coupled with some injury problems make it seem like the Royals may suck again this year. And Hochevar had a ball blasted off his ankle on Friday. I notice his spot in the rotation is listed at TBA/TBD. Anything more on that injury? I'm guessing the x-rays came back negative. Pitching has always been the problem with the Royals, although Duffy has looked promising and has 93-96 MPH heat from the left side, the Royals' version of Chris Sale. Whenever you're counting on Bruce Chen as one of your top 3 starters going into a season, you know you're in trouble (and yes, he did perform well last year, even had an ERA below 4.00 I think). But to count on or expect a repeat season? Look on the bright side. Nobody is this bad. So just how bad are we talking? Pitching meltdowns in four consecutive games. Big innings in the last three games. Allowing the opposition to bat around four times since they played the national anthem on Friday. I said that the first trip through the pitching rotation could not have gone much better for the Royals. The second trip could not have gone much worse. Let’s break the big inning down: there were two errors in the bottom half of the third inning — first baseman Eric Hosmer’s dropped pop-up and first-base umpire Lance Barrett’s missed call. Chris Getz had just made a spectacular play to get Michael Brantley for the third out when Barrett called Brantley safe. Royals starter Luis Mendoza let his frustration show, and, whether the call hurt Mendoza’s concentration or not, the inning ended six runs later. You can’t blame Barrett for all six runs. He may have opened the door for the Indians, but Mendoza let them through. After the missed call, Mendoza gave up a single, a double, an intentional walk, a home run, a walk, a walk and a single. Over the course of the three hour, 20-minute game, the Royals’ pitchers walked seven batters and four of them scored. Pitching like this raises an important question: How come Mitch Maier is not in the rotation? When the Royals get down by a lot early, it takes them out of their game. They can’t steal, bunt or take the extra base. Being down by a lot means they have to play a conservative brand of baseball, which is not their style. The bright side to the bad start at home has been the offense. They have battled back. Hold the opposition down to a reasonable number of runs and they ought to have a chance.By the way, the Royals’ “Our Time” theme is probably going to take a beating for a while. Just remember, Yost and the players didn’t come up with that slogan. They were given copy to read for the cameras, and they read it. Read more here: http://royals.kansascity.com/games/353/#storylink=cpy

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 07:52 PM) He apparently changed up his swing in the offseason so this may be legit. Time for another Phil Rogers article on what would have happened had we kept Young (instead of BA) and/or drafted Curtis Granderson. Or not traded for Javy, etc.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 07:42 PM) The pitching is too good to waste this season, if there is any chance to compete. I'm all for giving the youngsters Morel, Beckham, de Aza and Flowers plenty of playing time, but if there is a way to maximize the offensive potential, why not try to do that? Regarding Escobar, yes I would send him down for Conor Jackson, as soon as Jackson demonstrates that he's back to his normal level of performance. They have Lillibridge to fill in at infield position, if they need it. Removing the "hole" in the middle of the lineup vs. LHP is a higher priority than a utility infielder. If the infield defense were a weak point, that would be another story. However, all of our infielders are superb, and this team does not need a defensive replacement at those positions. Theoretically, Flowers could be the RH half of a DH combo with Dunn. With how hot AJ's been going, he's the only one providing protection to Konerko in that line-up. It's definitely not coming from Rios. So the question is where Flowers is going to get AB's if we're going to give Lillibridge the AB's against LHPers (sitting Dunn). Until Jackson proves himself, and he hasn't really been healthy for a full season since 2008...they will look at Brent as the first option over Jackson and leave DeAza in CF to play everyday because of the lack of another decent leadoff hitter on this team. It could come down to who does Robin want to sit more against LHP, Dunn or DeAza? At any rate, there probably won't be any major changes (except for Morel's role in the 2 spot) for another 2-3 weeks. Then you're probably going to have to move Ramirez or AJ back to the 2nd spot at some point if Morel continues to struggle, with Viciedo moved up. But that doesn't leave Konerko with much protection against LHP behind him. What are Lillibridge's splits as the leadoff hitter again? I'd have to look them up.

Nightmares of that Berken guy pitching against the big league Sox team....or did we rock him? It seems like he pitched really well. Carlos Sanchez 3 for 3, up to .364 Rangel Rongey RavIOLIO...was 2/5, up to .389 K. Walker took an 0/5 and 2 K's Saladino, Wilkins and Kenneth "Don't Call Me Ken" Williams, Jr. all below Mendoza line, Saladino really in a tailspin. Mitchell with 11 walks, 11 K's, 5 XB hits and a 1.053 OPS. Here's hoping he becomes our version of Austin Jackson but with more pop in his bat. Definitely hits it hard when he does make contact. Can we combine Tyler Kuhn, Lillibridge and Esobar into one player? Then we'd really have something. Hopefully we get something out of Santos Rodriguez...we seem to be cornering the market on fire-breathing lefties out of the pen.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 08:13 PM) trollin' trollin' trollin' Thanks, Fred Durst.

On the inside, the words "Happy Flight" are engraved. Rafael Furcal coined the phrase once the Cardinals started winning on getaway days. If the Cardinals were getting on an airplane the same day as a ballgame, they had an amazing streak of winning. Hence, they'd wish each other a "Happy Flight" after taking care of business on the field. That's exactly the feeling the White Sox are trying to establish this year. We had that tie game against the Astros before the season started, the loss in Texas and then the 2nd game in CLE. So 1-1-1 in terms of "happy flights."

QUOTE (sunofgold @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 06:36 PM) To their credit, Morel and Beckham play excellent defense. They just need to have some better ABs and be average hitters. Just average! lol! For some reason, I feel more confident that Morel can break out of his slump than Beckham. There really is no answer for the #2 slot. Morel at least can bunt (I think...lol). I know that Beckham cannot bunt. Maybe the answer eventually will be bench Beckham (make him your utility player) and start Escobar and/or Lillibridge and try one of them in the 2nd spot. No guarantee that works but you have to try something. Benching Beckham won't do anything. He has to be playing regularly in Chicago or Charlotte, one or the other. Escobar is definitely not the long-term solution, based on his 666 minor league OPS. Lillibridge MIGHT be, although the odds are he's better off as a limited-exposure, super utility player in the Pablo Ozuna/Craig Grebeck/Joe McEwing mold.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 06:47 PM) Thoughtful post. Escobar could bat 2nd or as you said Fukodome against RH's and Alexei against LH's. Connor Jackson would have to be incredible in the minors to earn any time on the 25 let alone split time with Dunn. Move up Viciedo move down Morel and I'm one of Morel's biggest supporters. Eduardo Escobar has a CAREER OPS of 666 in the minor leagues. Can you think of any player in recent history who has come up with an OPS number of under 700 in the minors and been better than a replacement level player offensively? It just doesn't happen. And then we're going to hit him 2nd? It's just like giving the most plate appearances on the team to Juan Pierre. We can't count on Escobar solely based on a great spring training and 2 hits in 7 AB's early in 2012. It's almost like making Corky Miller the everyday catcher based on his first 10-15 ab's when he was with us...you have to look at his background and record of performance over the last 3-4-5 years.

The main question I would ask is, what is the purpose of this season? Is it to compete for the AL Central or develop for future years down the road? By your decision to not bench Morel and/or Beckham, it seems you have the "we have to find out if these guys can play everyday and be part of the future" idea in mind. On the other hand, can you really "fix" the rest of the offense with 3 platoons if Beckham and Morel put up OPS numbers in the 500's? Based on spring training, Dunn was able to handle left-handed pitching quite well. But if you went by 2010 and the first week of 2011 alone, you would certainly be justified looking at him as a platoon candidate. It just doesn't seem like the kind of decision Ventura is going to make from just 10 or 11 at-bats in the first week of the season, especially since Holland and Harrison are two of the better lefties in the game and Dunn had never seen Wilk before Saturday. I'm also guessing this means you're going to send Escobar down OR Jones/Stewart, yes? Perhaps we can get away with making Nathan Jones the long man, but from the first two times out, this doesn't seem to be what Ventura is looking for out of him... If Lillibridge is splitting time with DeAza, then you're REALLY thin at back-up infield...of course, you could always move Brent from CF to one of the infield positions, but that takes away some of your flexibility. And the players that Escobar and Lillibridge would normally pinch run for are not the players they would replace on the infield (Morel, Ramirez, Beckham). Then you have the economics of the situation. The fact that Dunn and Rios are each owed roughly $40-45 million, and by making them both strictly platoon players, it makes it that much more impossible to ever get those contracts off the books for KW, without eating huge chunks of salary. Yes, it's a compelling argument that Fukudome always does well in April play, but Rios is so sensitive (not sure what would be a better term) that in all probability only playing 25-35% of the time (against LHP) would bring about further deterioration in his skills, attitude and performance. As with Dunn's first handful of AB's, Ventura's not going to go there this early in the season. And finally, Lillibridge looks to have back his REALLY long swing. By projecting them into the line-up based on limited 2012 success, how much is that success likely to repeat itself if you look at Brent's career track record as a major league hitter? 25%? Obviously, he's only getting limited AB's, so it's not fair to judge him based on a few PH appearances...but expecting Lillibridge to hit 15+ homers again is just like projecting Brent Morel to hit 18-24 homers based on the last six weeks of 2011. And we saw how well that performance from the end of last season has carried over to this one.

Mcgrad still hasn't joined this thread but maybe it's coming, if what he posts is anything like the game thread at the end. There's a difference between being negative/pessimistic and bitter, almost hateful towards the White Sox and their owner. If you don't derive any pleasure from something in life, except when it's disappointing...maybe it's better to find a different hobby, like reading....although I can imagine mcgrad getting mad at book publishers or movie studios for putting out terrible product, too. As long as this isn't the last time they're in first place all season long, I'll be contented.

QUOTE (mcgrad70 @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 04:29 PM) No, I'm not joking. Morel is not major league ballplayer. Name me one contending team where he's starts...just one You silly geese on this site need to watch other teams play. Reinsdorf has just deluded your senses as to what constitutes quality baseball. Give him you hard-earned money because you appreciate the game....what a load The same player who was part of the team with the 6th best record in the majors coming into today. Who'd gone 3-2 against the two best teams in the AL (Rangers and Tigers) before this game. Where were you the last 4 games? I can name 29 other teams with players that are struggling. Which teams have the "perfect" line-up that you're talking about, not named the Tigers, Angels, Yankees or Rangers? Did you really expect us to be competing with those teams coming into 2012? Have you watched the Mariners, A's or Twins play this season? The Indians before this series in KC? The Cubs? The Marlins? Which teams do you support with your hard-earned money?

Dunn showed up and would have had his 2nd homer if not for the wind in RF. We would have taken a .233 average if most Sox fans were asked a prediction for Dunn after one week of play. Viciedo with another liner that got out quickly...so low the wind couldn't knock it down. But, as the AB against Valverde demonstrated, he's still a split second behind on fastballs, guessing too much when the opposing pitcher can throw in the mid 90's to try to get a head start. Beckham didn't do anything bad, because he wasn't playing. Reed looked vulnerable for the first time, but Nathan Jones put himself into a horrible situation and pitched out of it. Sale struggled all game with his control and a questionable strike zone after the easy first inning. Questionable decisions by Ventura to let Sale go out again for the 6th and to take out Stewart after a 1-2-3 7th, as well as leaving in Ohman to face right-handed batters. Still, this just felt like one of those 54 games you lose every year. Beckham and Morel have no business challenging Adam Dunn for the team K lead. And questions will abound about Morel, who has accumulated 11 K's in 26 ab's in the 2 spot.

QUOTE (sunofgold @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 04:05 PM) Not sure why Ventura doesn't trust Stewart. He could have even brought Stewart in the sixth to start the inning. He is the long reliever and that seemed like a spot for the long reliever since our Sale threw so many pitches and could only go five. Didn't like Sale starting the sixth. He already threw 100 pitches. Tiggs were having good ABs against him. Sale must have been tiring. Because he got absolutely destroyed every time out at the end of ST and that's still in Robin's mind, probably. That and he had an ERA of near 7 against every team in the majors not named the Twins' AAA/AA line-up. 13 runs for CLE now today against KC. They definitely woke up their bats. Dunn now 7/30, .233. The R/L splits are crazy again, though. AJ with another early season RBI, 8. Doesn't feel like he's started out with 10 RBI's in April for a LONG, LONG time.

We better put away the Orioles, because Verlander is going to face a demoralized Royals team. 8, 11 and 12 runs scored by the Indians against KC this weekend.

You can't throw pitch after pitch after pitch in the same location...eventually Fielder will dial it in, even though that pitch was a bit off the plate.

QUOTE (kapzk @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 03:54 PM) Leaving in Ohman assures that he gave up on the game Well, clearly Ventura trusts the veteran Ohman over what he saw out of Stewart this spring. It will take some time for Zach to re-earn Robin's confidence. It's one thing to face the bottom of the order, it's quite another to go through the heart of the line-up unscathed.

Reached back for a little something extra there, 95 and on the black. Impossible pitch to hit, we've really controlled Cabrera this series.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 03:51 PM) So I thought Reed threw harder than he's shown this year. Anyone know his average fastball velocity? 92-93-94 His bread and butter pitch has always been the slider.

Well, that's what happens when you get behind in the count 0-2. Credit to Ventura for not giving up this game and trying to use Ohman and Reed instead of leaving Stewart in there.

Morel battled there, but you simply can't have 11 k's in 26 ab's out of your 2 hole hitter, especially when he's not hitting for power. To put it in perspective, he's on about the same pace as Cespedes and Dunn, who are both 13/29 in their K/AB rate.

Only the 2nd walk for DeAza on the young season so far. C'mon Morel, we need you.

Chance for Alejandro to pop one out to tie it up. Finally, 3 good swings in one inning off Porcello, finally ran out of gas. At the very least, we're fighting back and putting an ounce of doubt in the Tiggers.

Atta boy, Dayan. Big swing, big pop. Swing hard in case you hit it. Too bad Cabrera made that play or suddenly it would be a very close game, 3-2.