Just talking about this last night with a fellow Sox fanatic (former minor league catcher and current scout and h.s. coach).

 

With the assumption that Floyd is DL'd (obviously, still TBD), then we both think Axelrod is called up to take his slot. Axelrod doesn't necessarily have that high big league ceiling, but he's proven that he's not likely to get rocked completely, and he has the ability to string some 0's together.

 

But, this is where it gets interesting ...

 

Don't plug-in Axelrod on Floyd's spot of Friday in Detroit. Instead, assuming he's at all on schedule, let him pitch for Quintana on Thursday in Game #4 in Baltimore. That gives Quintana that extra day of rest (and fly him into Motown early). And that sets up pretty well for the weekend in Detroit: Quintana, Liriano, Sale.

 

If you follow the schedule, you then stay in rotation for a bit until the Sunday, 9/9 Game #3 against the Royals where Peavy's turn would come up. On that day, skip Jake giving him a badly needed extra day of rest and having him available this time for Detroit, and choose one of the following for that Sunday game: (1) bring Axelrod back on short rest; (2) give a spot start to Santiago or Humber; or (3) give a spot start to a September call-up (maybe Leesman or Shirek).

 

By doing so, you set up for that four-gamer here with Detroit with your best four: Peavy, Quintana, Liriano, and Sale.

 

Neither of us are a fan of overdone rotation manipulation, but this manipulation is minor -- one extra day once for Quintana, one extra day once for Peavy -- and we set ourselves up in a really good way for the important 7 head-to-heads with the Kittie Kats!

 

Then, if we've bought a little cushion, find a way to give a bit of a blow to Sale, Quintana, and Peavy (in that order of importance of "needing" a blow) to have them hitting (pitching) on all cylinders come the Playoffs!

.

 

 

Cy, very good thoughts. I agree with most everything you said. I am def in favor of starting someone else (Ax, Humber, or Hector on Thursday afternoon in Baltimore) and then going with Q in game 1 vs Detroit. It almost makes to much sense not to do that considering it gives Q an extra day of rest as well

That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. And aren't the Tigers a worse hitting team vs. LHP, than RHP.

 

 

yes they are. however, i am not sure how I feel about running 3 lefties in a row out there against one team, mainly Q and Liriano back to back

Cy- good thoughts.

 

Axelrod is scheduled to start tonight, so we'll see if that happens.

 

If they were going to set the rotation for Peavy to face the Tigers, they would have done it over the past couple weeks. Obviously things worked out well at home this past week, but I don't understand why they didn't give those guys an extra day around the KC series, and get Peavy to face Detroit twice. But that won't happen now. Maybe once as you said.

 

As far as sending Quintana ahead to Detroit, the game is at 12:35 eastern on Thursday. He should be ok staying with the team. I do like that idea of starting somebody else on thursday, and having Q face the Tigers on Friday night.

 

Thanks for the reply. A rested Q for Game #1 in Detroit just might be a nice tone-setter (since we're likely bringing someone in for Floyd, why waste Q against the Orioles when we can push him back one measly day and have him extra well-rested for the Tigers).

 

All that said, another reason not to waste Axelrod's arm in a meaningless AAA game tonight is the pretty decent chance that rain might gum up the next four days and make a double-header very possible sometime during this Baltimore series. All arms on deck!

 

If we prefer a lefty against the Tigers, Why not have Santiago start Fridays Game. Santiago just pitched a few innings yesterday so Thursday might be too soon for him and I'd rather give any needed starts to Santiago over Humber.

 

I know that Detroit is an all important series, but we can't be so concerned about the Tiger series that we discount games against other teams. Any almost give away loss to the Orioles in this case can hurt as bad.

I find it funny that they called the Sox a second class citizen in their own city when Detroit is the armpit of America.

 

Yes.

 

To be fair, I'd be totally content with a meteor hitting Detroit and starting all over again.

 

Well, yeah, but that's because Detroit is the definition of a hell-hole.

If we prefer a lefty against the Tigers, Why not have Santiago start Fridays Game. Santiago just pitched a few innings yesterday so Thursday might be too soon for him and I'd rather give any needed starts to Santiago over Humber.

 

I know that Detroit is an all important series, but we can't be so concerned about the Tiger series that we discount games against other teams. Any almost give away loss to the Orioles in this case can hurt as bad.

 

The way I look at it is that Floyd's injury (assuming it doesn't magically clear-up in the next day or so) means that a spot start is necessary for someone -- Santiago, Humber, or Axelrod. Personally, I prefer Axelrod because the other two have been HR throwing machines. In scouting terms, Axelrod doesn't have the raw stuff or ceiling of the other two, but on any given day I think he's a better bet to keep you close.

 

But, the point is that we have to throw one of them. Pick one. It honestly doesn't make all that much of a difference. But if we need a spot start, then why the heck would we use that spot starter against the Tigers when we could just as easily use it against the O's. And by doing it against the O's, get Q that desired extra day of rest. And by doing it against the O's, get Q to actually face the Tigers.

 

Yes, all wins are important. I don't see any spot-starter as a "give away loss" (whether against the O's or the Tigers), but in this case ... this week ... it's simple and totally minor to move Q back one day ... and a game against the Tigers (one day later) IS more important than a game against the O's (one day earlier) because winning a game against the Tigers ALSO hangs a loss on the Tigers (and that isn't the case in a win against the Orioles).

 

Not at all patting myself on the back here because finding a silver lining in the cloud of Floyd's injury and making an easy rotation adjustment isn't exactly rocket science. Honestly, I'll be very surprised if the brain-trust on the South Side don't do this (or something similar).

But, the point is that we have to throw one of them. Pick one. It honestly doesn't make all that much of a difference. But if we need a spot start, then why the heck would we use that spot starter against the Tigers when we could just as easily use it against the O's. And by doing it against the O's, get Q that desired extra day of rest. And by doing it against the O's, get Q to actually face the Tigers.

 

Another reason to do it that way: Orioles only have a +5 point OPS differential vs RHP compared to LHP, while the Tigers have a +61 point differential. So if you have a choice, you want to throw the righty against the O's and the lefty against the Tigers.

Christopher Kamka ‏@ckamka

 

Among pitchers with 120+ IP this season, Francisco Liriano leads Majors in swing & miss percentage - 13.8% (http://fangraphs.com)

Either Santiago or Quintana would be better to face the Tigers on Friday than Axelrod/Humber.

 

Setting the tone that first game out is just critically important.

 

We saw what happened last weekend series there. We lost Friday, then it really snowballed when Sale lost the Saturday game (can't remember who lost the first game, maybe it was Peavy? or Sale, then Peavy?). Just remember Saturday was a regional FOX afternoon game.

 

Scherzer and Verlander have BOTH been pitching like Cy Young candidates the last 15 or so starts out.

Edited August 27, 201213 yr by caulfield12

Daryl Van Schouwen ‏@CST_soxvan

 

White Sox have won 15 of last 19 one-run games, including four in a row. Last time Sox won 4 straight one-run games was 1996.

 

Sox' division lead has not been greater than 2.5 games during current 35-day run atop AL Central. Win Mon would make it 3. Up 3 in loss col.

2012 Winning Percentages When Trailing Entering Each Inning

Inning MLB White Sox

2 .292 .478

3 .268 .382

4 .236 .295

5 .199 .319

6 .163 .260

7 .118 .149

8 .080 .043

9 .046 .060

Data from Baseball-Reference.com; league-wide numbers through Aug. 25.

 

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writ...l#ixzz24mKWDoYn

So, we're generally well above the win percentage of being behind each inning aside from the 8th?

 

I'll take it.

Great to see Peavy pitching on friday vs Det.

Save yourself from watching Batter's Box on CSN, btw. Just don't.

So after tonight, the rotation is:

 

1. Sale - at Bal, at Det, vs KC, vs Det, at KC, vs Cle, vs TB

2. Floyd's spot -at Bal, vs Min, vs KC, at Min, at KC, vs Cle, vs TB

3. Quintana- at Bal, vs Min, vs Det, at Min, at LAA, vs Cle, at Cle

4. Peavy- at Det, vs Min, vs Det, at Min, at LAA, vs TB, at Cle

5. Liriano- at Det, vs KC, vs Det, at KC, at LAA, vs TB, at Cle

 

Sale there for 163. Peavy can pitch Game 2 of the DS if they don't have to play extra games. And now the best pitchers face the Tigers.

 

Works for me.

Edited August 27, 201213 yr by flavum

Great to see Peavy pitching on friday vs Det.

 

Is this based on Phil Rogers? Or some other source? I haven't heard any source other than Rogers (he IS right sometimes, but I think he's just barely adequate as a supposed baseball insider).

 

In any case, I think the idea of using Floyd's injury to get a spot start for someone (I'd prefer Axelrod, Santiago, and Humber ... in that order) and helping to best set-up for Detroit with minimal other changes to the rotation rocks. We'd wind-up with Peavy, Liriano, and Sale for Detroit Round I; Quintana, Peavy, Liriano, and Sale for Detroit Round II. Smart baseball to wind-up with your top three starters getting 6 out of the 7 cracks at Detroit, with the 7th going to your 4th starter (Quintana), and never exposing your 5th starter (any of the spot-guys or current version of Gavin).

 

And yes, despite statistics (and I'm a Quintana fan and think the ballsy youngster has a legitimate chance of being a decent #3), I'd have to consider one Frankie Liriano as one of our top 3. He's a vet with electric stuff and we traded for him to pitch in some of our important games!

Is this based on Phil Rogers? Or some other source? I haven't heard any source other than Rogers (he IS right sometimes, but I think he's just barely adequate as a supposed baseball insider).

 

Mark Gonzales, the Trib beat writer, tweeted that Peavy was pitching Friday. Humber or Santiago will get Peavy's Wednesday start in Baltimore.

Mark Gonzales, the Trib beat writer, tweeted that Peavy was pitching Friday. Humber or Santiago will get Peavy's Wednesday start in Baltimore.

 

Thanks man. Gonzalez is a decent beat writer. Not a fan of blowhard Phil Rogers ... especially for anything Sox related.

 

Still like Axelrod (if they DL'd Floyd) better than either Santiago or Humber as a spot-starter, mainly because I have more confidence he can avoid a blowout and keep the ball in the park, but I love that Floyd's injury set us up so nicely for both series against the Tigs.

Thanks man. Gonzalez is a decent beat writer. Not a fan of blowhard Phil Rogers ... especially for anything Sox related.

 

Still like Axelrod (if they DL'd Floyd) better than either Santiago or Humber as a spot-starter, mainly because I have more confidence he can avoid a blowout and keep the ball in the park, but I love that Floyd's injury set us up so nicely for both series against the Tigs.

 

No need to DL anybody now when you can bring up anybody you want on Saturday.

Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales

 

Axelrod likely to start Wednesday, Liriano nagged by cramps in his left leg

Erik Bedard was released. I expect him to be signed in a couple of days.

Erik Bedard was released. I expect him to be signed in a couple of days.

 

Wow. I still think I'd prefer Santiago/Humber/Axelrod instead. Bedard has tons of talent of course, but the NL has been destroying him this season, and there's not much time to get him turned around.

Axelrod was scratched from his regular start for Charlotte last night.

There will be more pitchers like Bedard and Dice K hitting the waiver wire but as a first place team it might be pretty hard to get a quality arm off the wire

http://twitpic.com/and8q7

 

Somebody leaked the Phillies schedule for next year.

 

Sox go there next July 12-14 right before the All-Star Break.

 

 

Edited August 28, 201213 yr by flavum