caulfield12

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.

Don't think we'll see Papa Grande Valverde in this game. Not with Porcello retiring 10 in a row and pitch count in the 80's still. Cabrera with a great defensive play at 3rd. Fukudome loses a double there, tough luck. Except for trying to make a bare-handed play on a ball he could have gloved and thrown, Cabrera has played very very well at third, much more comfortable and far better than expected. Valverde's warming, so we at least have a final chance against a new pitcher.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 02:19 PM) Looks like the velo is down a bit for Stewart. Nice play AJ It is a bit strange. Considering his history as a reliever, you'd expect he would throw 92-94 MPH out of the bullpen. Instead, he's at 90-91. Unless he's one of those guys whose fastballs flatten out and have less movement at higher velocities, whereas the sinking fastball is more effective in the low 90's, like what we usually saw out of Jon Garland. At least it was 3 up, 3 down. Bullpen continues to impress, 3 IP and no runs surrendered. Especially considering it's the last two members of our pen against one of the two best offenses in the game.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 02:13 PM) WGN graphic says AJ is batting .273 and has .261 OBP does not compute But an 859 OPS, we'll take that. Surely it will fall into the mid to low 700's eventually. Morel sporting a .359 OPS, that's not so easy to do. Well, it's only 24 AB's, I guess.

Yeah, Dunn's been working the counts a lot more this year, seeing a ton of pitches. Last year, you felt like he was behind in the count 0-2 or 1-2 about 80% of the time and had no chance. What's the odds the Tigers score against Stewart? Well, he had to pitch at some point.

Viciedo's played at least like an average defensive LFer to start this season, and his arm almost allowed him to throw out Jackson at 2B the other day when he was stretching it for a double. He won't get 20 PO's like Alex Gordon did, but I wouldn't be surprised to see 8-10 over the course of the year. 13 k's in 29 ab's for Adam. By the way, when he got doubled off 2nd, was it just bad luck or was it bad baserunning? Fluke? Indians are just killing the Royals this series. Three in a row in KC, all of them slaughters. They even managed to knock out Hochevar, a bit of surprise considering how flat CLE looked against us at home.

Back to the same problem from 2009-2011. We're putting so much pressure on the pitchers with our lack of offense, eventually it's going to start wearing on the pitching staff. They can't throw a shutout or 1 hitter every time out. Of course, this Tigers' line-up is hard to keep down for 3 consecutive games, even by the 2005 White Sox staff.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 09:43 AM) Some of these are maybe arguable, but of people who never played in the majors before reaching the Sox: Alexei Ramirez Dayan Viciedo Addison Reed John Danks Nate Jones Eduardo Escobar Brent Lillibridge (maybe he got a September callup) Tyler Flowers and that list doesn't have the people precluded by the question. It also doesn't include talent traded to other teams but developed in the Sox system. On another note, I am somewhat disappointed that KW hasn't been fighting those rankings with some marketing, not because the rankings are legitimate, but because they may affect the trade value of our players. Sure, we don't have the bullets to trade for an impact starter now, but if some hype were generated around the likes of Mitchell or Thompson, maybe we'd be in a different position. GM's may or may not put any stock in these rankings, but it could still influence their behavior because fans DO care about them. These rankings could determine fan reaction to a trade, which is probably fairly important given that fans are the ultimate source of revenue. KW should have been hyping our prospects the whole time regardless of the relative impotence of BP's projections. Except Danks didn't spend any time with us in the minors, Lillibridge was largely developed by the Braves, it's at least 50/50 with Flowers being groomed into a top prospect with the Braves (along with PED use, we should take credit for much of his defensive development), then Ramirez/Viciedo were internationally experienced Free Agents and again Ramirez was already a finished product. Same with DeAza. Even Sale was more "talent selection" rather than development. You could really say the same about Beckham. The only players we've nurtured from start to finish have been Morel, Addison Reed, Nathan Jones, Escobar and 50-75% Viciedo.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 08:43 AM) Yeah, I have no idea where he's going with the title. You can make an argument that minor league rankings don't matter that much or they aren't very accurate, which seems to kind of be KW's point in the article. However, this "stay out of our business" title is clearly part of Marty's anti-KW agenda. He's basically announced recently that he's going back to twitter again (now that Ozzie and Oney are gone and things have cooled a bit with past controversies over the drafting of whose children was prioritized) and making it MORE of his job to get out to the minor league affiliates and interacting with the media. This kind of runs counter to the whole idea of anyone staying out of White Sox minor league business. Or, if our spin is really that we have 9 home-grown players and that we've produced a treasure trove of short relievers in Santiago, Jones, Sale, etc., then say that. But you can never assess a system based on developing relievers when the system has been so bereft of impact bats for the last decade. Because of that, we've been forced to part with the likes of Hudson and Gio to get more veteran experience (Jackson/Swisher) that could help to "win now" instead of some point in the indefinite future. But if Beckham and Morel can't stick as starters in 2013/2014, what have we actually produced of value, other than Sale and hopefully Santiago?

Nationals should have traded for Edwin Jackson earlier. 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's They've pushed to do the same thing with Roberto Clemente, to have a day where all Latin players wear #21, but that's been a lot more controversial....because Clemente wasn't the first Latin ballplayer, but he was clearly one of the most outspoken, perhaps the most revered because of his humanitarian work and the manner in which he died tragically...and also the fact that it's hard to pick someone who is Puerto Rican while not offending Dominican, Mexican, Venezuelan, Panamanian, etc., players.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 08:32 AM) Man, these game threads get crazy in a hurry! please! FIRESAAAALE!!!!!!!!!! Let's hope we don't have a real FIRESALE and have to trade Chris at any point in the next 4-5 years.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 09:15 AM) I cancelled a date with a hot Ukrainian stripper to watch this game so we better get a W today! Now why on earth would you ever do that? Let's see, it's 525 pm in KIEV now, you could always go out for dinner with her and get back by 9 p.m. Or meet her afterhours at a club. Those girls usually don't like to go out until 11-12 at night and come back home at 3-4-5 a.m. depending on how much ecstasy they're using, lol.

So what is it that you want KW to do? Include himself in the second Hunger Games movie? Be a part of Battle Royale III in Japan and maybe unearth another Takatsu/Fukudome/Iguchi simultaneously?

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/15/2748...n-of-miami.html My parents watched Guillen get turned into a piñata last week, an uneducated man groveling after wading into political waters over his head, and it brought back bad memories of punishment for speech, so they didn’t want him fired, either, even as it got them called communists by loud and angry neighbors. I can’t help but wonder, strong as my conviction can be sometimes, if my opinion might be different, or dissolved completely into intolerance, if I had come to find my mother in tears over what Guillen had said. But context matters here. It always should, no matter how high the flames have climbed. Guillen didn’t take sides with Castro’s policies or tyranny. He marveled at Castro’s ability to stay alive while surrounded by people who wanted him dead. He did this in his second language and even changed “I love Castro” to “I respect Castro,” a rare self-filtering for him, though that seemed to get lost in the subsequent hysteria. The Marlins, very white at the top, can’t dare explain the nuance of this because everything around them is so volatile and, besides, what’s the point? But marveling at the old dictator still being alive isn’t nearly the same as being pro-Castro. This was a bombastic, flippant man who has always been rewarded for being bombastic and flippant saying something bombastic and flippant. And he’s allowed to marvel at Castro’s longevity, as many people do, in every city but the one that built his team a stadium because, well, the logical truth in what he’s saying gets engulfed by this emotional one: It is so very crushing for his customers to remind them that Castro has outlived the parents and grandparents who fled him. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/15/2748...l#storylink=cpy

Except you have the issue of those 9 home-grown players not even being close to the equivalent of a superstar-level of player, with the possible exception of Chris Sale, if he can stay healthy. Beckham, at his very best, was going to be an 825-875 OPS, maybe 900 (if he could improve his walk ratio) type of hitter, but a little big less than a superstar. Not quite the power of an Utley or even Pedroia, more of a doubles hitter. Of course, at one point, the Padres were in preliminary talks to deal one of the top five young hitters in the game for him, although that had just as much to do with economics (one year of their Gonzalez for 5 of Beckham's future years, I think) as actual fair market value of two players in a similar contractual situation. Somehow, KW has been able to unearth a Bobby Jenks here, a Santos there, a Humber...enough to offset some of the biggest mistakes, which stand out as the two Swisher trades and the Holmberg/Hudson for Edwin Jackson move. The funny thing is we still might be able to survive Molina and Zach Stewart flopping if our veterans perform and our bullpen continues to perform well. Or look at the Twins and the players they've brought to the big leagues in the last 3 years. How many of them could you even name? If they're just filling roster spots but not making significant contributions or giving you beyond replacement level value, it's not helping to put a winning product out on that field in the end.

Paul Sullivan used to get more attention when he was writing the Sox beat stories than Gonzales, who I consider to be more professional and less opinionated or playing favorites. Telander's always been a favorite. Haugh's okay. Phil Rogers is what he is. Van Dyck and Ginnetti have been doing more of the Sox game stories this year, Cowley just writes his "editorial column" and doesn't pretend to be objective anymore. Then you have Rozner (who's not bad) and Imrem and mostly Scot Gregor with the Daily Herald. Ever since Mariotti left, things have been a lot quieter.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/14419 Players at age 34-35 to put up 150+ OPS seasons in baseball history. http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/whitesox-ta...?blockID=647180 Depending on what stat you use, he's been anywhere from the 2nd (to Votto) to #5-6 hitter in all of MLB based on OPS from 2010-2011.

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ Apr 14, 2012 -> 08:07 PM) I just don't see how this team will score runs. There's a (very) realistic chance the Sox end up getting replacement level value offensively from Beckham, Rios, Dunn, Morel, AJ, etc. The Sox are just fortunate they play 81 games per year at the Cell, so their run total will look inflated compared to where it would look in a more normal ballpark. AJ has been their second best or best offensive player. It will probably average out in the end to his normal totals of 12-16 homers and 50-60 RBI's, but that's better than replacement level for a catcher. Dunn will be fine if they start protecting him more against LHP. He's fouling off a lot more pitches (he saw 30 on Friday alone) and he'll square more than his share up in the future. He's actually 5/15 against RHP and 0/11 against LHP. Of course, when you're paying a guy $13-14 million per season, you signed him to hit everyday. Morel's shown encouraging signs the last 2-3 games. Beckham can be replaced by Lillibridge, but we can't easily replace Morel and Beckham, because their defense is just as important as their offense to a team oriented around pitching and winning close games. In the end, this team will go as far as their starting pitching and bullpen take them. Other than the Tigers and Royals, there aren't any offenses that are strong in the AL Central. We match up just fine with the Indians and Twins from an offensive standpoint.

I'm sure his smarmy retort is that he's no longer the White Sox beat writer and doesn't write game stories or follow the team on a game-by-game basis. That he's paid to write feature/editorial/opinion/entertainment columns, which don't have a requirement of demonstrating any level of objectivity. Notice the guy he mostly quoted is a former Sox pitcher in Dotel? Plus, Ozzie Guillen is very close with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez to a lesser extent. Obviously, he's no longer very welcome in the Sox clubhouse. Robin is too professional to do anything but treat him just like any other member of the media, but most in the locker room have a long memory, and Cowley's now on the wrong/losing side of the Guillen/KW showdown from last year.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/cowley/1188...-mentality.html From his one reliable quote/source left on the team, along with maybe AJ and Matt Thornton. Funny, maybe with Ozzie gone, Cowley probably decided he had to find someone else left to defend with the Sox, and now it's Peavy. Notice he spent more of his time in the Tigers clubhouse talking to their players than he did interacting with anyone else from the White Sox? And I'm sure he will never get tired of reminding everyone that the Tigers have the most talented team in the division (or maybe AL if you add Victor Martinez to that line-up) and that the White Sox will fade again in September. That never gets old for him. Notice he hasn't written one official column about Guillen since the story broke? Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens Tuesday night in Miami.

Very good article by Rick Morrissey on Guillen. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/11852551-41...a-surprise.html Didn't know he has a Guillen book coming out soon, perfect timing for that one. Also didn't realize Ozzie claimed he was drunk/hung over when he interviewed with KW twice in late 2003. Funny that Morrissey is doing interviews with Russian radio stations, but the story was so huge last week...and will pick up again Monday/Tuesday when Guillen returns to managing again.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...,3750059.column Sounds like Williams is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing.

There's no reason not to play Fukudome and Lillibridge. Rios and Beckham can sit. Escobar, however, shouldn't be in the line-up. Van Dyck, www.chicagotribune.com/sports "Those are the guys you're going against for the playoffs," manager Robin Ventura said. "It's nice to start off that way. It is April, though, but it's better than losing those games and saying (as an excuse that) it's a long season. "For right now, I like the feel of the team and the way they come every day prepared to play. It's important to be 4-0 in your division, but it's more important for me how we're approaching it day-in and day-out." Last season, when the Sox finished 16 games out of first place, they lost 13 of 18 games against the Tigers. In fact, the Tigers had won 11 of the previous 14 games at U.S. Cellular Field. "This team is so new. Nothing from last year feels part of this team," captain Paul Konerko said. "That's a good thing. … All we can hope is we're in the mix in the end. "All I know for sure is those two games are over. I don't know anything else. (But) it's nice to get those two games in the books." The Sox have outscored the mighty Tigers' offense 10-3, with starters Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd holding them to five hits and two runs over 122/3 innings. On Saturday, Floyd allowed only three hits in his six innings but walked three and hit three other batters. Twice he left the bases loaded. He got two innings of one-run relief from Jesse Crain and a perfect ninth from Matt Thornton as the bullpen has compiled a 1.96 ERA this season. "We feed off each other," Floyd said. "It's a long season, but we'll try to keep doing it because we're trying to win them all." For Flowers, it was the first homer of the season in his first start as catcher. He also threw out a would-be base-stealer and stole a base of his own, which ties him with De Aza for the team lead. "Every once in a while. I think Tyler can run a little bit," Ventura said. "So, on occasion, (if) nobody is paying attention, he's given the ability to run." On Sunday, the Sox will go for a sweep behind Chris Sale. "The start is two months into the season and that's a long way away," Konerko said. "But we're doing it right, taking it inning-by-inning without thinking too many big things. Our thoughts are small. It's the way it should be."

I wouldn't put it past Bossard. With Peavy pitching, every little inch counts that they can move the opposing batters up against Peavy's fastball. Little things like this are great for baseball and rivalries, like the Twins turning the vents on and off depending on who was batting, or signalling pitches/location with the outfield scoreboard. Of course, they can't admit a team with 3 superstars could actually lose to the White Sox fair and square.