caulfield12

Against DANKS lifetime... Morneau, 7 for 16, 2 doubles and 3 homers EIGHT RBI'S!!! Mauer, 8 for 12 Cuddyer, 7 for 12, 2 doubles, 3 RBI's (who will Gardy sit, Kubel, Young, Span or Gomez??..of course, Cuddyer is just off his injury and not the same player) Brendan Harris, 5 for 10, 2 doubles Jason Kubel, 3 for 7, 1 double, 1 homer, SIX RBI'S!!! Delmon Young, 3 for 9, double, RBI If I was Gardenhire, I think I'd start Cuddyer at 3B and Harris at SS. Of course, normally Punto (1 for 11) and Buscher/Harris would be playing on the left side, but it's hard to ignore Cuddyer's career numbers against Danks. Overall .363 BAA, .540 SLG, .987 OPS http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp...=9&sort=avg The thing that makes little sense is that Morneau, Mauer and Kubel (Hawk's CQ comparison notwithstanding) shouldn't hit him THAT well. Of course, Mauer absolutely kills all LHP, he's close to .400. Whoever is playing LF should just peek over the SS in short LCF and dare Mauer to hit one over his head. He hits more soft singles to LF than Luis Polonia, Wade Boggs or Ichiro.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp...=4&sort=avg Splits against Blackburn Everyone hits him well except for Cabrera, Dye and Konerko (1 for 12) BA is 2 for 3, Griffey homered off him (1 for 2) and Swisher is 3 for 9 with a double. Wise, 0 for 2. Overall, the White Sox hit him at a .319 clip with an .847 OPS. I think Ozzie will stay with Griffey in CF for tomorrow...and probably stick with Wise in LF, just because he's Ozzie and seems to like having him at the top of the line-up for now. I don't think he would bench Konerko and stick Swisher at 1B, although the career numbers would back that up. Their recent play, however, would not. It would be nice to have Anderson's defense in CF though, but this has been a back-and-forth discussion of offense versus defense since 2006 and probably will be forever with BA, wherever he ends up. Baseball, as usual, is a game of hunches and intuition.

After Floyd made the error on the throw down the line in the 6th...he went out to the mound and calmed him down instead of replacing him, which would have been the knee-jerk, chewing and chomping on the gum reaction. The pitchers have all learned to appreciate that you have to fail repeatedly (like Logan) before Ozzie truly loses confidence in you. Not only did Gavin leave the game feeling he accomplished something and righted the ship after the slip, he also got his 17th win. Amazing totals for our "fifth" starter. Good work KW! Too bad Garcia had to go out with an injury, he pitched a very gutsy game. I was getting a sinking feeling that it would be somehow "karma" that he would beat the youngster who we acquired to replace him. Ozzie also did the same thing with Garland. If you noticed, we're really set up well if we can just get through Minnesota. Dotel, Linebrink and Carrasco are all getting some confidence back and the team actually is looking like it's capable of putting a nice streak together again. Heck, maybe Ken Griffey, Jr., will get back another gear and show an amazing capacity to patrol CF in the Trop just like in the Kingdome. Farmer's call on Ramirez GS..."Oh my God, he goes deep again!" Nice to see Uribe, Dye, Buerhle, AJ and Konerko all looking good down the stretch...shades of 2005 again? I'm not going to even think about the Cubs in the WS, we have to beat the Twins first...but it's nice to have hope again after Saturday. Of course, the Twins can rise again and crush our spirits, but I just want to see/hear a great game and hopefully Danks can also man up to follow Buehrle and Floyd. That also reminds me of 05, the way the pitchers would push each other and one start seemed to boomerang with a continued run of success.

Where's one of Guillen's kids when you need 'em for translating?

Who's doing tv tomorrow with Hawk? They should get Black Jack McDowell, since it's "blackout" night.

Okay Carrasco, if you pitch decently, you might actually pitch again sometime this year!

Can KW cancel MacDougal's check and give some extra to Ramirez? He might be one of the best FA signings (contract-wise) in recent history for a player in his prime.

Even though Floyd gave up the lead, I think getting out of 1st and 3rd with no outs and limiting the damage was the key. Floyd and Buehrle have definitely risen to the occasion...let's hope our best pitcher this season can beat their worst pitcher (or maybe 4th, ahead of Perkins).

QUOTE (PlunketChris @ Sep 29, 2008 -> 05:42 PM) Do you really give Javy the ball in game one? doesn't that line him up for game 5 if we get there? It's a scary proposition, but they're talking about Buehrle AGAIN starting on 3 day's rest. Not sure what I would do...Mark's pitch count and pitches under duress the last couple of times out, it's getting kind of worrisome.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Sep 29, 2008 -> 05:42 PM) I d go for Richard,rookies have turned in great performances,KRod,Brad Penny in 03,Josh Beckett...I m sick of seeing Javy wet his pants in big games Somehow, I don't think we can put Clayton Richard in the same sentence with those other guys. More like Drew Henson or Brian Griese.

I don't know about the record against LHP, but Pena and Crawford might be nullified a little bit by Richard.

Ha...Cabrera thinks you can appeal the call to 1B umpire. That's a first.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Sep 29, 2008 -> 05:33 PM) I hope we're saving our hits for tomorrow..... It would be even nicer if Dotel and Linebrink could look like legit set-up guys, so we don't have to bring in Jenks again in the 8th. We're such an enigmatic possible playoff team...so fragile.

I remember (not so fondly) when Glover was our fifth starter. Actually, he was occasionally pretty good...decent stuff. Right about the same time Rocky Biddle was also in the mix.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 29, 2008 -> 05:27 PM) Lance Broadway in the 8th. Boone or Russell in the 9th. I dare you Ozzie. I think we stay with Dotel while he has the hot hand. Cabrera, Thames and Raburn. If one batter gets on, then you go to Linebrink, or he walks ANYBODY.

The Twins' plane was supposed to leave at 8. At 6, the Tigers were up by 1. I wonder if they held the plane...I assume they would have a private charter and can wait out the result, but it would be funny if Pohlad was so cheap that they had to take a later flight and get into Chicago really late. Kind of strange emotions for them. Not to be able to celebrate on the field...think the Tigers might be pulling it out, then you're getting on a plane and heading to a place you're 2-7 with Blackburn on the mound. And Fathom, you get to see Danks face the Twins after all. Wonder if they will go with Kubel or Cuddyer?

It's telling that Ozzie has a lot more faith in Richard than Logan and Horacio Ramirez. Linebrink also on the mound. Farmer's right, if we can only with with Jenks and Thornton, we probably can't make the playoffs, and, if we do, we're history if we can't get any contributions from Dotel and Linebrink.

Cabrera...jesus. He's worse than Royce Clayton.

Go with Dotel here? Thornton? Buehrle? Just kidding...just thinking about the idea of Mark in WS 2005 or Ozuna pitching. Santiago, Granderson and Sheffield due up.

Twins are 2-7 at our park this year, and if we win this one, we'll have all the momentum. With how shaky Danks was, anything could happen, but it's going to be exciting and almost like making the playoffs. This is kind of like the 64/65 play-in game in the NCAA tournament. I think the Sox will be in the news today more than any other day of the season...lots of great exposure for Alexei if we can hold on and win.

Well, this year was worth sticking with the Sox until the end...no matter what happens tomorrow.

Do Tigers' fans say the same thing we do about ex-Royals? Seay (sort of), Grilli, Glover, Garcia...?

QUOTE (SnB @ Sep 28, 2008 -> 12:35 PM) anybody else having flashbacks to 05 when the sox had already clinched and threw out their scrubs against the indians who needed to win a few games to make the playoffs? Not really, because those Indians were so hot the final months of the season, they almost never lost. The Sox and Twins have been between 12-18 games over .500 (the Sox did peak at 20) for 95% of the final three months. If anything, this reminds me of the 2000 stumbling into the playoffs after being so hot the first half, and all the pitchers were tired/injured and the offense was MIA.

Wise, again? Well, I'm not sure Anderson was due for another start...and picking between Swisher and Wise now is like choosing between halitosis and gingivitis.

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 10:59 PM) Let's look at what's left of this team We have a incredibly fatigued pitching staff We have two youngsters in Danks and Floyd who have absolutely no experience pitching in pressure situations We have a veteran with "Great Stuff" that can't pitch on 3 days rest, nor can he pitch in big-games, and has been questioned by more than two (at least) members of the White Sox (AJ and Ozzie, probably more) We have a veteran with big-game experience and success, but is pitching on short rest We have an incredibly inconsistent offense that can only score runs via the homerun, period. These hitters will be shutdown in Tampa Bay. --- The Indians are playing with drive, determination, and focus that they will resemble this type of team in 2009. They also probably have a few players trying to play spoiler after what happened to them in 2005. Basically, the Tribe are playing with a purpose. Their team has come together, and has played incredible baseball after Sabathia was traded. As Stone said during the game, after he was dealt, "It's as if a huge weight had been lifted off the shoulders of Indians players". The White Sox, have no desire, no heart, no sense of urgency. Even if they had all of the previous things, their pitching staff is cooked. They are physically and mentally weak, and are not capable of winning big games outside of Mark Buerhle. Unfortunately, even with our most capable pitcher taking the mound tomorrow, his offense will get shutdown and will be unable to score any runs off Cy Young candidate Brian Bollington (sp?). Meanwhile, the bullpen will enter the game and give up a minimum of three runs, putting the game out of reach. The Twins will not lose their game tomorrow, and it will wrap up the season for the 2008 White Sox. My opinions on a few things: Our pitching staff is sautee'd, marinated, and burnt to a crisp. With an incapable offense starting off the season, followed by a ridiculously poor September, the pitching staff's arms are more than likely overused and incredibly fatigued, reducing their command as well as velocity. Follow the overuse up, with short rest and you have almost zero percent change of them being effective in a playoff series. It would be a 3 game, monster blowout by Tampa Bay. Our team has also seen untold amounts of injuries this year, which have lead to a lineup of pressing sluggers, trying to do way too much at the plate, resulting in weak pop-ups, strikeouts, and double-plays. Lack of any team speed (When Cabrerra, or Ramirez get on base they are as cemented to the bag as any of our lumberjacks would be), enforces our 1-dimensional approach, which ends up being an incredibly easy lineup to face, even for young inexperienced pitchers. What I feel needs to be changed for 2009: Insert some speed at the top of the order, along with some baseball IQ as well (Ramirez lacks this). Quentin will resume his spot at #3, which he's perfect for filling. Either Konerko, Dye, or Thome needs to somehow be convinced of a trade, as having almost 50% of our lineup consisting of DH-type players, reduces this teams chances of winning games due to their station-to-station approach. Our pitching staff is a toss-up for 2009. Will the overuse of 2008 reflect in their ability and performance next year? It's hard to say. It certainly has shown to affect other teams pitchers (As well as our own in 2006). Pitchers such as Verlander, Carmona, etc. have shown an inability to rebound after a year of post-season play. I, as well as many others here, do not like our chances of winning this division (However possible it still may be). With that said, our chances in the playoffs due to the overuse of our pitching staff as well as injuries (Contreras, Linebrink), and required use of pitchers such as Richard, Wasserman, Carrasco, etc. from the pen, would be slim at best. I've been incredibly frustrated as of late, and have said things from the heart and not from the mind which have been untrue. But having a clear head now, these are my true feelings on the future of this team Ramirez, before the last couple of weeks, was perhaps one of the best "pure" baseball players on this team. Sometimes he makes physical errors, and his defense has been shady the last 2 months...but he's still got the fastest bat on this team (along with Quentin) and he's in the prime of his career. He's one of the few players on this team that can actually bunt for a hit. I just think the long season has finally caught up with him, compared to playing in Cuba last year. He's very thin, I'm surprised he didn't start to struggle in August, but he is used to the heat from living 90 miles south of Key West.