caulfield12

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 10:18 PM) Oh look. Another White Sox prospect who everybody assumes is the next ace. He's a future pen arm. The opposite. Instead of making Aaron Poreda and Sale starters and projecting unrealistic hopes on them, I'd prefer to believe in someone who has multiple pitches....can throw his offspeed stuff in the 70's with his fastball at 93-94 and also is learning how to mix in the screwball. It's been the rule for White Sox pitchers drafted in the first. My experience has always been the least hyped prospects emerge with the White Sox. Hopefully Viciedo is an exception to that rule, we need both him and Beckham to play like they're capable of.

What else is there to be positive about? Would it be better to dissect 6-27/7-28 (0-5 this season) against Minnesota? 8 losses in a row. 1-5 against DET, another 8 game losing streak as part of that. 7-14 in the AL Central. We haven't beaten them at home since early APRIL, 2010. What else can we positively say? That Teahen should replace Morel at 3B because he actually has some pop and might get a few walks....and that might be worth negating one of the better young defenders in the game for in all likelihood the worst at that position in baseball (toss-up with Viciedo). I don't think anyone would have predicted Sergio Santos to be White Sox closer 3 years ago, either. Or that Humber would be our team MVP before tonight, along with Paulie. We always tend to do better with "under the radar" 30th round draft picks than 1st rounders. Think of players like Buehrle or Chris Young here.

We're actually 1st in the AL in defense. Quentin and Beckham have improved pretty dramatically. Morel's been very solid since the first month. Where we have seen fall-offs is with Pierre, Rios and Ramirez, but it's still a very good defensive team. Ramirez is still one of the best overall defensive shortstops in the game and Rios is still above-average. AJ has his obvious throwing issues (half of it is on the pitchers not holding anyone except for Buehrle and Danks), but he's a solid game-caller and on-field general.

The problem is that they can't. Although I don't think sitting Dunn for a couple of weeks or mystery DL'ing him for Viciedo is going to ruin him for the next 3 contract years as Rongey would argue. If anything, struggling like he is right now might have more drastic long-term consequences than sitting him for 15 days.

Fathom in the game thread made the comparison to Johan Santana (in terms of his fastball)....obviously, that's a big jump, as we're seeing with some of the Viciedo comparisons, but at least there's some hope for the future. Ozzie Guillen taking a long time to talk to the media. Maybe he's having an extended meeting with the players. Something needs to be done to right this sinking ship.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 09:51 PM) From what I've heard, Reinsdorf is really pissed off about Rios. Obviously at the way he's playing and the logic in taking on the contract. Signing Dunn is one thing, while his second half last season may have suggested a drop off, not to the extreme its been, but Rios.....................The scouting reports all were he didn't seem to care, and that's exactly how he's been playing for about a year now. Unfortunately KW can't "play chicken" with him (like with Cabrera) and just bench him permanently because he'll just sit there sulking and collecting 10% of the payroll while becoming even more of a clubhouse cancer. Seriously, just give him to the Mariners straight-up for Figgins and it couldn't really get any worse.

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2011/0...ctor_santi.html

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 09:41 PM) Holy s***. When I left BWW the Cubs were down 8-0... and they just won 10-8?? I wonder if the Sox have a comeback like that in them? Not with Alex Rios leading off.

I love how we don't even think about PHing for Rios here. Just concede the game, Ozzie. Or the entire series, for that matter. It's not like we don't have an All-Star just sitting there on the bench.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 09:36 PM) Walkoff grand slam for Hafner. They're going to be tough. I think it's either the Twins or Indians. DET has too many issues with Porcello and Scherzer, and who knows how long Penny and Verlander can stand up to the wear and tear. DET also has a ton of bullpen/relief issues to deal with. Minnesota looks to head into the 2nd half with a ton of momentum.

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2011/0...ctor_santi.html Very good Hector Santiago article...

Unreal. This is getting to be semi-sadistic to put him in the line-up at #3 or #4. Pull the plug.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 09:28 PM) Santiago's fastball looks a lot like the Johan Santana fastball of old. We might have the next member of our rotation for 2012. Who would have predicted Hector Santiago and not Sale? Did anyone even have this guy for AAP? No more Morel or Omar at #2. Dunn and Rios should never again be higher than 6-7-8.

The White Sox should just offer free rainchecks to every fan for future games until they beat the Twins just once. It would be the least JR could do to generate some goodwill. KW should personally be forced to hand them all out to every single ticketholder until we win.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 7, 2011 -> 09:22 PM) He just can't barrel-up a fastball Beckham or Konerko? Rare Juan Pierre strikeout.

Nishioka just doesn't have the arm for SS. They need to switch Casilla and Nishioka again....although it probably won't happen until the offseason.

Well, thank God for Santiago and Teahen or this game would be absolutely unbearable. The irony again with the Swisher trade is that Fautino De Los Santos is exactly the final piece we could have used in that bullpen. We're still one RH short, although Bruney's been okay. Tony Pena, yuck.

Cubs tied again. It would suck to lose that game after coming all the way back from 8-0 down. The Cardinals lost in similar fashion to the Reds the other night. Guillen caught napping with Repko appearing as a PH.

AJ didn't exactly hustle on that one. God, that's just a pathetic inning of offense after we actually threatened Pavano in the 5th. There's no choice left now. Teahen for Morel, DeAza/Lilly platoon and Viciedo for Dunn. Doesn't matter who you "mystery DL," just get it done KW.

43.75% K rate It's worse than Deer, Kingman and Reynolds.

Even if we lost six in a row, the worst we could be is 7 1/2 games back. Almost the exact same position as 2003 at the All-Star Break.

Santiago=Ehren Wasserman 2007 He's been getting his FB up in the 93 range with the four-seamer. Cubs now have the 9-8 lead. Anytime you can have almost a 20 MPH differential in pitch speed, that's usually going to be effective. Uh-oh, AJ.

Just way too many opportunities wasted with RISP. I don't know what the hell they can do. Stick Teahen at 3B and pray. Move up Beckham or Ramirez and hope they get hot again. Ramirez has really struggled in that RBI position the last 10-12 games or so.

.242 is as high as Beckham has been in a long time. 660 OPS.

Ramirez 4 for his last 37. I can't remember a line-up so collectively cold in recent memory. Just AJ and Pierre are alive. Even Paulie's in a mini-slump. Mark Teahen sighting. Pavano slams down the rosin bag, visions of blowing a 7-0 lead the last time out (well, he left down 7-4 and then the bullpen further imploded). Lousy swing by Beckham. That's a line drive in the box score, Gordon.