I'll point this out one more time. Masset didn't walk anybody. I repeat, Masset didn't walk ANYBODY.

Thome is the first White Sox to homer twice on opening day since Sammy Sosa in 1991.

I'll point this out one more time. Masset didn't walk anybody. I repeat, Masset didn't walk ANYBODY.

He was impressive today, he used a wider variety of pitches than I saw in ST. His change/slider was dropping off the edge, curve had better bite, and he mixed in two fastballs. It was like a whole different pitcher. I wonder if his stuff just doesnt fly well in AZ, who knows.

You know what? This team looked like they wanted the win badly, and when they lost, they were not happy. Last season it almost looked as if they didnt care win or lose, this team looks to have alot of fight in it. I think we come back next game and hand it to them.

 

Oh, and who doesnt need a long reliever?

 

This is exactly what I was thinking, great post.

 

Masset looked like he came into Soxtalk and read some posts regarding him belonging at the major league level. The funny thing is that Steve Stone said this morning on the Mike north show that he thought Masset should start today because he expected a rain delay, and that you should probably save Buehrle for the next game. Stone wanted the guy in the game that ended up shutting down the Indians, go figure

This is exactly what I was thinking, great post.

 

Masset looked like he came into Soxtalk and read some posts regarding him belonging at the major league level. The funny thing is that Steve Stone said this morning on the Mike north show that he thought Masset should start today because he expected a rain delay, and that you should probably save Buehrle for the next game. Stone wanted the guy in the game that ended up shutting down the Indians, go figure

I dont feel like doing the research right now, but does Cle have better success against finesse pitchers? As soon as Masset started coming in with hard fastball, hard slider, power curve, they couldnt touch him.

 

I looked up Kenny Rogers for s***s and giggles since he's a soft thrower.

 

5.12 ERA 1.50 WHIP .286 BAA against Cle

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by RockRaines

I dont feel like doing the research right now, but does Cle have better success against finesse pitchers? As soon as Masset started coming in with hard fastball, hard slider, power curve, they couldnt touch him.

 

I looked up Kenny Rogers for s***s and giggles since he's a soft thrower.

 

5.12 ERA 1.50 WHIP .286 BAA against Cle

 

 

So why do you put in Masset to face the Indians?

 

 

Thats why.

 

 

 

 

LOL, i love that thing.

I dont feel like doing the research right now, but does Cle have better success against finesse pitchers? As soon as Masset started coming in with hard fastball, hard slider, power curve, they couldnt touch him.

 

I looked up Kenny Rogers for s***s and giggles since he's a soft thrower.

 

5.12 ERA 1.50 WHIP .286 BAA against Cle

 

To be fair, Cleveland is one of the better teams against left handed pitchers. It might not be so much the fact that Rogers is a soft thrower but moreso he is a lefty.

I just wanted to say how happy I was in the seventh, going against rafael perez? who is sick against us, and he was giving us tough pitches away and paulie and Dye went the oppo. field with them. It made my heard pump faster than normal.

I dont feel like doing the research right now, but does Cle have better success against finesse pitchers? As soon as Masset started coming in with hard fastball, hard slider, power curve, they couldnt touch him.

 

I looked up Kenny Rogers for s***s and giggles since he's a soft thrower.

 

5.12 ERA 1.50 WHIP .286 BAA against Cle

 

Dotel. I can't vouch for Masset's location because I listened to the game and didn't see it, but as somebody in this thread already pointed out, he didn't walk anybody. Stone and Farmer didn't have a lot of positive things to say about Buehrle's location either. Sounds like good location was the key with Masset's success. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm happy. We should've won, the umps directly cost the Sox three runs and indirectly cost the Sox ?? runs.

 

(1. The safe call at first on the DP in the CLE 2nd - should've been 2 outs, 1 run in, a runner on third. Even if you say Cleveland still gets all the rest of the hits in the inning, at least that one runner doesn't score on the Gutierrez homer, and needless to say if it's 2 out, 1 runner on, a 7-spot is pretty unlikely.

2-3. The Crede slide/whiffed tag at the plate and the Cabrera interference call. Two runs taken directly off the board, and who knows how many more if the inning kept going.)

 

The energy reminded me more of 2005 and even '06 vs. last year. Obviously Masset and Logan were the most optimistic parts of the game. Thome is a beast and Swisher/Cabrera set the table very nicely.

 

The negatives - Does Cleveland have Mark completely figured out? Juan Uribe, why? If Ozzie wants Ramirez in, why not play him at his natural position, 2B, and play your best defensive CF in Anderson? Nothing Ramirez did in CF cost the White Sox today, but a couple of those plays were shaky, and Uribe at the plate...

After the second inning, I about gave up on the game. Once someone told me Thome hit another home run, I started keeping tabs again. And it felt like a playoff game to me the rest of the way. With most everything conspiring against the Sox, they almost pulled out the win, and that's pretty incredible, especially given how this team would lay down and die last year.

To be fair, Cleveland is one of the better teams against left handed pitchers. It might not be so much the fact that Rogers is a soft thrower but moreso he is a lefty.

The last 2 years, Hafner has actually been slightly better against lefties than righties. Sizemore was terrible in 06 against lefties but figured things out in 07 and actually had a higher BA against lefties (somewhat lower slugging though).

I'm happy. We should've won, the umps directly cost the Sox three runs and indirectly cost the Sox ?? runs.

Welcome to Soxtalk!

After the second inning, I about gave up on the game. Once someone told me Thome hit another home run, I started keeping tabs again. And it felt like a playoff game to me the rest of the way. With most everything conspiring against the Sox, they almost pulled out the win, and that's pretty incredible, especially given how this team would lay down and die last year.

 

It was a fantastic game. Two mistakes in the second inning cost them dearly. I don't see Cabrera missing a ground ball like that much more often this year. Overall, if they can replace the bat of one of Ramirez, Crede or Uribe (and keep some adequate defense at the spot), I think this offense has the potential to put up a lot of runs and hurt some good pitchers. That's if they keep the same plate discipline.

 

There's a lot riding on Jerry Owens and Danny Richar when they return from the DL.

I'm happy with the way some of the Sox hitters were patient against CC and worked counts. I was estatic when they went the opposite way like Dye and Thome did. I LOVED they showed fight and they went down swinging and have the feeling they're gonna kick the holy hell outta Cle in the next two games!

 

And if I'm an Indian fan, I'm scared as hell that my closer blows. If Joe was swinging the bat well, he'd parked a couple of those hangers into Lake Erie.

 

 

Positive thought: Did Uribe look thinner today, or was it just an illusion caused by him spinning like a helicopter at the plate?

I'll say something else though...I was pretty happy with the philosophy at the plate today with many of the hitters and about taking the pitch the other way. Seems like Walker has tried to instill that this year.

He's lost every single game he's played for us. Every single game. He's almost as bad as Sabathia. Worthless.

that's what i want to know about it

Dotel doesn't deserve any blame

 

Its Buehrle who is the reason we lost, not the umpires and not Dotel.. our "Ace" sucked, plain and simple

 

1.2 IP 7 ER from our #1

 

that is why we lost

 

No argument there

We have a better OF than last year (Swisher)

 

We have a better SS than last year (OCab)

 

We should get better production from 3B compared to last year (if Crede does not pick it up, I am sure Fields will be up)

 

We have a better BP than last year (see today's game - Masset; Boone looked good; Dotel needs to pick it up)

 

We hit LH pitching better than last year (see today's game)

 

And yet, all we heard all off-season was all kinds of whining and how we had not really improved. Swish and OCab are huge improvements to our O yet people are so blind here all they did in the off season was b!tch b!tch and b!tch more.....and some of these folks here have the nerve to call Cub fans bandwagon.

I'll stay positive as well.

Great game.

But it is frustrating to hit like that and lose.

Oh well. Hope the boys keep fighting every day.

Hard to accept that one as a lose but overall many positives. I love the energy I saw on the field from players.

 

Don't we seem to play a lot of games against Cleveland like this? They can hit and I officially hate them. But, if we can have an offense like this, I think we will be fine. I will settle for a 6-6 start this year.

Great Game, loved the energy and what OC and Swisher brought to the top of to the order. Logan look very good. Jim Thome is on pace for 324 HR and and 648 RBI; This season is in the bag

The game held positives aside from the obvious. It was good to see the Sox didn't just give up and die like they would have last year...that means a whole hell of a lot to me as a fan.

 

My one complaint is OCab...not because he's not good, I'm happy to have him...it's just that calling him OCab doesn't flow. Hard to explain, but it just seems wierd when saying it out loud...

 

We need to come up with something better than OCab. As someone else referred to him as OC or The OC, at least it flows.