Gavin Floyd flirted with a no hitter today to lead the Sox to a 4-1 win over ESPN's love child, Boston Red Sox. The win salvages the four game series where the Sox dropped the first three games in lifeless fashion.
The Sox were bombed out of the first two games of the series by a score of 10-3, then followed those two losses with a 1-0 loss where Jake Peavy continued his dominance in this early 2012 season by pitching his second consecutive complete game.
The Sox end the up and down April at 11-11. The month saw the Sox going 4-1 against AL Central opponents Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers, Adam Dunn getting back on track pounding out five home runs, Alex Rios batting .311 and Paul Konerko crossing the 400 home run plateau. The month also saw history made on April 21 in Seattle where Phil Humber threw a perfect game.
The Sox will have an off day tomorrow then hopefully rudely welcome the current AL Central leading Cleveland Indians for a three games series. The Sox will then hit the road to face the Tigers and again Indians. They will face AL Central rivals 21 of 29 games in the month of May including ten games against the Indians. The month will also feature the first of two crosstown showdowns.
Hopefully as the weather warms up, so will the bats.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
That's two, Hector
You can't complain too much about the losses the Sox have endured
this year. They've been flat out beat most of the time, but two of
the eight losses Hector Santiago has had his hand in. More on that below.
What will probably be overlooked in this afternoon's 5-4 14 inning loss to the Oakland A's will be another solid performance by Chris Sale. He allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings. More than enough for a win. But the Sox offense was in sleep mode again as they only scored two runs in nine innings.
Paulie connected for his 400th career home run to lead off the ninth tying the game at two and pushing the game into extra innings. The game remained tied until the 14th when Alexei Ramirez hit a two out, two run double to give the Sox a 4-2 lead.
Unfortunately that wasn't enough cushion for Hector Santiago.
Santiago surrendered a game tying two run bomb off the bat of Yoenis Cespedes. The next three batters singled enabling the winning run to cross the plate.
The question now has to be raised, how much longer does Santiago close?
I'm not advocating pulling him out of the role JUST YET but you also don't want to be giving games away this early in the season. We saw this play out last year and the destruction it can cause. The Sox are a team that in order to contend will need every win they can get. Already, two games have been lost by Santiago's blown saves. Another alarming stat is the four home runs he's given up in his last six innings of work. That won't work.
You can't fault Santiago for everything though. The bats went 1-11 with RISP and made silly baserunning blunders. In the 13th, Brent Lillibridge and Gordon Beckham were called on to pinch run for Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko with nobody out.. Lillibridge was picked off second base which proved costly because two batters later Alex Rios shot a ball at A's third basemen Eric Sogard who deflected the ball all the way to the A's bullpen. Gordon tried to score from 1st but was gunned down on a nice relay play by Cliff Pennington.
The Sox fall to 10-8 and are in a three way tie for first in the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers (10-8) and the Cleveland Indians (9-7).
Tomorrow, the Sox return home to open a four game series against the Boston Red Sox. Phil Humber should get a big ovation from the home crowd as he will make his first start since his perfect game. I'm setting the over/under on perfect game montages on the U.S. Cellular Field scoreboard at 3.
What will probably be overlooked in this afternoon's 5-4 14 inning loss to the Oakland A's will be another solid performance by Chris Sale. He allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings. More than enough for a win. But the Sox offense was in sleep mode again as they only scored two runs in nine innings.
Paulie connected for his 400th career home run to lead off the ninth tying the game at two and pushing the game into extra innings. The game remained tied until the 14th when Alexei Ramirez hit a two out, two run double to give the Sox a 4-2 lead.
Unfortunately that wasn't enough cushion for Hector Santiago.
Santiago surrendered a game tying two run bomb off the bat of Yoenis Cespedes. The next three batters singled enabling the winning run to cross the plate.
The question now has to be raised, how much longer does Santiago close?
I'm not advocating pulling him out of the role JUST YET but you also don't want to be giving games away this early in the season. We saw this play out last year and the destruction it can cause. The Sox are a team that in order to contend will need every win they can get. Already, two games have been lost by Santiago's blown saves. Another alarming stat is the four home runs he's given up in his last six innings of work. That won't work.
You can't fault Santiago for everything though. The bats went 1-11 with RISP and made silly baserunning blunders. In the 13th, Brent Lillibridge and Gordon Beckham were called on to pinch run for Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko with nobody out.. Lillibridge was picked off second base which proved costly because two batters later Alex Rios shot a ball at A's third basemen Eric Sogard who deflected the ball all the way to the A's bullpen. Gordon tried to score from 1st but was gunned down on a nice relay play by Cliff Pennington.
The Sox fall to 10-8 and are in a three way tie for first in the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers (10-8) and the Cleveland Indians (9-7).
Tomorrow, the Sox return home to open a four game series against the Boston Red Sox. Phil Humber should get a big ovation from the home crowd as he will make his first start since his perfect game. I'm setting the over/under on perfect game montages on the U.S. Cellular Field scoreboard at 3.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Who just is this White Sox team?
The Sox completed the three game sweep against the Seattle Mariners this afternoon by a final score of 7-4. The win ups their record to 9-6. Nothing spectacular by any means. But they're doing enough to keep fans interested in the early going. At this time last year the Sox had just lost their eighth game in nine tries. Then proceeded to lose two more getting swept by the Tigers before ending April 10-18. There's still plenty of time for an implosion here but they're keeping us engaged and not burying themselves in the early going like they have done the past three seasons.
So far we've seen Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit. Solid efforts by the bullpen. Jake Peavy looking good and seemingly pain free. The 21st perfect game in MLB history thrown just yesterday by Phil Humber, and Robin Ventura playing it cool in the first fifteen games of the season.
Looking around the A.L. right now there's only one team that's really slapping everybody else around. That's the Texas Rangers who end Sunday with a 13-3 record.
One thing our Sox need to do is improve their mediocre performance at The Cell.
Last season they gave the home crowd just about every reason to boo them off the field with a lousy 36-45 record on the South Side of Chicago. This year they've gone 3-4 in their first homestand. They keep that up, the fans will stay away and Kenny will give the 'ol "We can't do much without the fans support." b.s.
Regardless, the ultimate goal is meaningful baseball being played in September and October this year. While there's still a long way to go, it's nice to see, what seems to be at least, a rejuvenated baseball team .
The Sox head to probably the second worst place for them, (besides Minnesota) Oakland to face the A's. Bartolo Colon will face his former team tomorrow night while self proclaimed warrior Jake Peavy will do his best to upstage Humber. Because, that's just what competitors do!
So far we've seen Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit. Solid efforts by the bullpen. Jake Peavy looking good and seemingly pain free. The 21st perfect game in MLB history thrown just yesterday by Phil Humber, and Robin Ventura playing it cool in the first fifteen games of the season.
Looking around the A.L. right now there's only one team that's really slapping everybody else around. That's the Texas Rangers who end Sunday with a 13-3 record.
One thing our Sox need to do is improve their mediocre performance at The Cell.
Last season they gave the home crowd just about every reason to boo them off the field with a lousy 36-45 record on the South Side of Chicago. This year they've gone 3-4 in their first homestand. They keep that up, the fans will stay away and Kenny will give the 'ol "We can't do much without the fans support." b.s.
Regardless, the ultimate goal is meaningful baseball being played in September and October this year. While there's still a long way to go, it's nice to see, what seems to be at least, a rejuvenated baseball team .
The Sox head to probably the second worst place for them, (besides Minnesota) Oakland to face the A's. Bartolo Colon will face his former team tomorrow night while self proclaimed warrior Jake Peavy will do his best to upstage Humber. Because, that's just what competitors do!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Phil Humber - PERFECT GAME!
The Sox ran out of the dugout and celebrated at the pitchers mound this afternoon. No, they weren't reenacting the 2005 World Series celebration, they were piling on Phil Humber who dominated the Seattle Mariners this afternoon to throw the 21st perfect game in MLB history for the 4-0 Sox win!
Just about a year ago he took a no hitter against the Yankees into the 7th inning only to give up a base hit to Alex Rodriguez. Today, a completely different story. Only a couple hard hit balls and a low pitch count (96 total!) contributed to his masterful performance.
Paul Konerko blasted his 398th career home run to lead off the 2nd inning to give Humber an early lead to work with.
The perfect game was the third thrown in White Sox history, the second in three years. See: Buehrle, Mark - 2009.
Just about a year ago he took a no hitter against the Yankees into the 7th inning only to give up a base hit to Alex Rodriguez. Today, a completely different story. Only a couple hard hit balls and a low pitch count (96 total!) contributed to his masterful performance.
Paul Konerko blasted his 398th career home run to lead off the 2nd inning to give Humber an early lead to work with.
The perfect game was the third thrown in White Sox history, the second in three years. See: Buehrle, Mark - 2009.
Sox/Mariners Game 2, The Week That Was
The Sox were able to get back above .500 last night with a 7-3 win against the Seattle Mariners. Adam Dunn continued his hot hitting by blasting two home runs ending the night with five RBI's. Not too bad, sir. Not too bad.
The nice win follows their abysmal performance this week against the Baltimore Orioles where they dropped 3 of 4 to the current AL East leading team. But let's not start saying "Baltimore sure looks good this year."
They don't. They are doing their usual hot April/May start only to finish well under .500 and in last place like they do pretty much every season.
The series against the Orioles had some ugly numbers on and off the field, as well. The highest paid attendance for the series was for the Wednesday game at 13,818. Brutal, just brutal. But hey, I didn't have to wait in line for a beer that night!
Anyway, Robin will try and secure the series win with Phil Humber on the mound this afternoon backed with the usual lineup...
1. De Aza cf
2. Morel 3b
3. Dunn dh
4. Konerko 1b
5. Pierzynski c
6. Rios rf
7. Ramirez ss
8. Viciedo lf
9. Beckham 2b
The game is on FOX for whatever reason today so it will be a 3:05pm start time. You got to think someone is getting fired at FOX as I write this for deciding to put these two teams on national television.
I can hear the pregame now; "Most of you will see the Yankees battle the Red Sox this afternoon. The rest will see...uh...is this right? The Chicago White Sox against the Seattle Mariners? Really? OK."
The nice win follows their abysmal performance this week against the Baltimore Orioles where they dropped 3 of 4 to the current AL East leading team. But let's not start saying "Baltimore sure looks good this year."
They don't. They are doing their usual hot April/May start only to finish well under .500 and in last place like they do pretty much every season.
The series against the Orioles had some ugly numbers on and off the field, as well. The highest paid attendance for the series was for the Wednesday game at 13,818. Brutal, just brutal. But hey, I didn't have to wait in line for a beer that night!
Anyway, Robin will try and secure the series win with Phil Humber on the mound this afternoon backed with the usual lineup...
1. De Aza cf
2. Morel 3b
3. Dunn dh
4. Konerko 1b
5. Pierzynski c
6. Rios rf
7. Ramirez ss
8. Viciedo lf
9. Beckham 2b
The game is on FOX for whatever reason today so it will be a 3:05pm start time. You got to think someone is getting fired at FOX as I write this for deciding to put these two teams on national television.
I can hear the pregame now; "Most of you will see the Yankees battle the Red Sox this afternoon. The rest will see...uh...is this right? The Chicago White Sox against the Seattle Mariners? Really? OK."
Monday, April 16, 2012
I Saw This Movie Last Year
The Baltimore Orioles hit three home runs in the final two innings (One with two outs in the 9th.) and scored six more times in the 10th to beat our Sox 10-4 on a chilly Monday night.
The Sox were holding onto a 4-1 lead in the 8th before the wheels feel off. Jesse Crain surrendered what looked to be a meaningless solo home run to cut the Sox lead in half. Then closer Hector Santiago gave up two solo bombs in the 9th. The O's brutalized Zack Stewart in the 10th to make sure there were no White Sox comebacks and to demoralize fans of the Pale Hose.
In a game that was played in front of about 10 people, the outcome eerily reminded me of some of those bad April & May losses from last season.
Just as some were feeling a little good about this team they give you the middle finger.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Saturday Morning Funny
A good friend of mine e-mailed me this video the other day. It could be made for a lot of teams (including our very own) but I got a good laugh out of it. Enjoy!
Team Effort Downs Detroit
On a picture perfect day on the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox opened the home portion of their schedule against the defending AL Central Champion, Detroit Tigers. Jake Peavy was locked in a pitchers duel with the Tigers' Matt Scherzer for the first scoreless four frames.
Peavy struck out the first two Tiger hitters to start the game but Miguel Cabrera decided to slow things down a bit. Cabrera took offense to the batters box and caused a 10 minute delay while head groundskeeper Roger Bossard and his crew had to make a pretty new box for Cabrera. After all that, Cabrera popped out to end the inning. Maybe Miguel just needed to sneak a drink...
Dayan Viciedo got the scoring going with a solo home run in the 5th inning. The Sox then tacked on two more in the 6th on a Paul Konerko RBI single. Paulie then gassed himself scoring from first on A.J. Pierzysnki's triple into the right field corner.
Jake's day was done after he gave up a two-run home run to Delmon Young in the 7th. Peavy pitched 6 2/3 innings only giving up two hits, two runs, and fanning eight Tiger hitters. He walked off the mound to a rousing ovation from the sell out crowed at The Cell.
The bullpen, who has been stellar so far, should be thanking the defense for bailing them out of some jams. The highlight reel play came in the 8th inning. The Sox were up 3-2 with the Tigers threatening with runners on the corners and one out with Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Cabrera shot a ball up the middle that Alexei Ramirez was able to dive and flip with his glove to Gordon Beckham who made a quick throw to first to end the inning.
From there, the Sox added two more runs in the 8th and Hector Santiago closed the door to preserve the 5-2 home opener win.
There were some negatives on and off the field. First, the Sox struck out fifteen times at the plate! Seven of those strikeouts came from Adam Dunn and Gordon Beckham.
The Sox still haven't figured out how to move large crowds into the stadium. The line outside gate 5 was something out of a security check line at an airport with the lines of fans reaching back into the parking lot. Also, as I mentioned the other day, the Sox sold standing room tickets which made moving around in the outfield concourse nearly impossible.
But none of those minor issues should take away from a great opener and Sox win. Gavin Floyd throws against the Tigers Saturday for the mid-afternoon start. Hopefully the rain holds off and our Sox can keep things entertaining in his early 2012 season.
Dayan Viciedo got the scoring going with a solo home run in the 5th inning. The Sox then tacked on two more in the 6th on a Paul Konerko RBI single. Paulie then gassed himself scoring from first on A.J. Pierzysnki's triple into the right field corner.
Jake's day was done after he gave up a two-run home run to Delmon Young in the 7th. Peavy pitched 6 2/3 innings only giving up two hits, two runs, and fanning eight Tiger hitters. He walked off the mound to a rousing ovation from the sell out crowed at The Cell.
The bullpen, who has been stellar so far, should be thanking the defense for bailing them out of some jams. The highlight reel play came in the 8th inning. The Sox were up 3-2 with the Tigers threatening with runners on the corners and one out with Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Cabrera shot a ball up the middle that Alexei Ramirez was able to dive and flip with his glove to Gordon Beckham who made a quick throw to first to end the inning.
From there, the Sox added two more runs in the 8th and Hector Santiago closed the door to preserve the 5-2 home opener win.
There were some negatives on and off the field. First, the Sox struck out fifteen times at the plate! Seven of those strikeouts came from Adam Dunn and Gordon Beckham.
The Sox still haven't figured out how to move large crowds into the stadium. The line outside gate 5 was something out of a security check line at an airport with the lines of fans reaching back into the parking lot. Also, as I mentioned the other day, the Sox sold standing room tickets which made moving around in the outfield concourse nearly impossible.
 |
| Shit show in the outfield. |
Friday, April 13, 2012
Opening Day Memories
Today will mark my 11th consecutive home opener. Opening Day, regardless if it's the season or home opener, is always a great day. From the team introductions, a packed house, fly over, and hot dog buns that aren't stale, opening day is always a highlight of a long season.
Here are a few memories from past openers.
April 13, 2004 - The Sox blasted the Kansas City Royals 12-5 in Ozzie Gullien's first home game as manager. The wind was swirling and the temperatures were in the 40s during gametime. Fans also got to see a new and improved ballpark. This was the debut the lopped off upper deck and new overhang.
April 4, 2005 - The Championship season began at home with Mark Buehrle throwing a gem against the Cleveland Indians. Do you remember who saved the 1-0 win? That's right, Mr. Zero himself, Shingo Takatsu.
April 2, 2006 - Just one year later the Sox were coming off a World Series victory and the stage was set for banner night. In a touching pre-game ceremony the Sox unveiled their new championship banners before taking the field as defending World Champions for the first time since April 16, 1918. After the two hour plus rain delay that began in the 3rd inning, Jim Thome (making his Sox debut) hit an absolute bomb in the forth inning to highlight the 10-4 win.
April 2, 2007 - This forgettable season began with a 12-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Grady Sizemore hit the second pitch of the game out to the seats in right field. The Indians didn't stop abusing Jose Contreras there, they tagged him for eight runs in 1+ inning of work.
April 7, 2008 - Joe Crede highlighted the 7-4 win with a grand slam in the 7th inning against the Minnesota Twins. The game was a precursor to the exciting year on the South Side as the two teams battled for first place all season until needing a 163rd game to decide the AL Central Championship. Unlike the week prior, the Sox did not let us down by winning the tiebreaker game at a "blacked out" Cell, 1-0.
April 5, 2010 - You couldn't have asked for a better day than this. Temperatures hit 71 degrees and the Sox battered the Cleveland Indians 6-0 highlighted by Paul Konerko's first inning solo home run and Mark Buehrle's seven inning, three hit shutout performance.
I'll report from The Cell later on with photos, observations, and hopefully a White Sox winner.
Here are a few memories from past openers.
April 13, 2004 - The Sox blasted the Kansas City Royals 12-5 in Ozzie Gullien's first home game as manager. The wind was swirling and the temperatures were in the 40s during gametime. Fans also got to see a new and improved ballpark. This was the debut the lopped off upper deck and new overhang.
April 4, 2005 - The Championship season began at home with Mark Buehrle throwing a gem against the Cleveland Indians. Do you remember who saved the 1-0 win? That's right, Mr. Zero himself, Shingo Takatsu.
April 2, 2006 - Just one year later the Sox were coming off a World Series victory and the stage was set for banner night. In a touching pre-game ceremony the Sox unveiled their new championship banners before taking the field as defending World Champions for the first time since April 16, 1918. After the two hour plus rain delay that began in the 3rd inning, Jim Thome (making his Sox debut) hit an absolute bomb in the forth inning to highlight the 10-4 win.
April 2, 2007 - This forgettable season began with a 12-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Grady Sizemore hit the second pitch of the game out to the seats in right field. The Indians didn't stop abusing Jose Contreras there, they tagged him for eight runs in 1+ inning of work.
April 7, 2008 - Joe Crede highlighted the 7-4 win with a grand slam in the 7th inning against the Minnesota Twins. The game was a precursor to the exciting year on the South Side as the two teams battled for first place all season until needing a 163rd game to decide the AL Central Championship. Unlike the week prior, the Sox did not let us down by winning the tiebreaker game at a "blacked out" Cell, 1-0.
April 5, 2010 - You couldn't have asked for a better day than this. Temperatures hit 71 degrees and the Sox battered the Cleveland Indians 6-0 highlighted by Paul Konerko's first inning solo home run and Mark Buehrle's seven inning, three hit shutout performance.
I'll report from The Cell later on with photos, observations, and hopefully a White Sox winner.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Progressive Field Always Looks Miserable
I'm not knocking Indians' fans for not showing up to games (The Sox have their own attendance woes.) but whenever I'm watching a game that takes place in Cleveland's Progressive Field, the place looks like it's in the middle of a nuclear winter.
Tuesday's game was postponed due to "adverse weather conditions", meaning the Sox' rotation was shuffled a bit during their first set of games for the season. Phil Humber will make his first start on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles and John Danks made his normal start yesterday afternoon against the Tribe.
Danks finally got some run support in yesterday's 10-6 win. Which is good because Danks worked in and out of trouble in his 5 2/3 innings of work. Danks gave up four runs on seven hits and five walks. To be fair, A.J. and the guys behind him didn't help matters with sloppy defense.
Luckily, the offense finally was able to score with guys in scoring position, 6-9 with RISP to be exact. A.J. Pierzynski's early season power serge continued with his second home run of the season in the sixth. The three run blast put the Sox up 10-4 at that point.
The Sox come off the road trip with a record of 3-2, which is about what you'd expect. (A series loss against the two time AL Champion Texas Rangers and a shortened series win against fellow lackluster AL Central team, Cleveland Indians.)
But the best part of the day was hearing that Justin Verlander blew his own game in Detroit. So unless Jim Leyland is going to pull a Gardenhire, the Sox will miss the hard throwing right-hander in the opening home series starting Friday. They'll still have to deal with the unstoppable rebel force that is the Tigers' lineup and their impressive pitching staff.
Thursday's off day will give the Sox a breather before they play (in theory) 17 consecutive games starting Friday. Look for at least one of the games this weekend to be postponed as Saturday is supposed to be a washout in the Chicago area.
Tuesday's game was postponed due to "adverse weather conditions", meaning the Sox' rotation was shuffled a bit during their first set of games for the season. Phil Humber will make his first start on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles and John Danks made his normal start yesterday afternoon against the Tribe.
Danks finally got some run support in yesterday's 10-6 win. Which is good because Danks worked in and out of trouble in his 5 2/3 innings of work. Danks gave up four runs on seven hits and five walks. To be fair, A.J. and the guys behind him didn't help matters with sloppy defense.
Luckily, the offense finally was able to score with guys in scoring position, 6-9 with RISP to be exact. A.J. Pierzynski's early season power serge continued with his second home run of the season in the sixth. The three run blast put the Sox up 10-4 at that point.
The Sox come off the road trip with a record of 3-2, which is about what you'd expect. (A series loss against the two time AL Champion Texas Rangers and a shortened series win against fellow lackluster AL Central team, Cleveland Indians.)
But the best part of the day was hearing that Justin Verlander blew his own game in Detroit. So unless Jim Leyland is going to pull a Gardenhire, the Sox will miss the hard throwing right-hander in the opening home series starting Friday. They'll still have to deal with the unstoppable rebel force that is the Tigers' lineup and their impressive pitching staff.
Thursday's off day will give the Sox a breather before they play (in theory) 17 consecutive games starting Friday. Look for at least one of the games this weekend to be postponed as Saturday is supposed to be a washout in the Chicago area.
Monday, April 9, 2012
For $80 you can stand in the outfield concourse for the home opener
The Sox released a press release today stating that A LIMITED NUMBER OF STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR OPENING DAY!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!
The press release did not say how much that would set you back. Well, going through Ticketmaster it showed $80 before the Will-Call charge.
$80 to stand in the outfield concourse. I thought we weren't "All In" anymore.
If you fell over yourself and ran through Ticketmaster to buy up this hot item, shame on you. Even though Ticketmaster is directing you to standing room tickets you can head over to StubHub where 500 level tickets range from $60-$100. Still pricy, but if you're going to shell out the money for a ticket, you might as well have a seat. Keep an eye out on StubHub as prices are sure to come down by Friday. Ticketmaster and the Sox are known to release tickets as well as the game gets closer.
The press release did not say how much that would set you back. Well, going through Ticketmaster it showed $80 before the Will-Call charge.
$80 to stand in the outfield concourse. I thought we weren't "All In" anymore.
If you fell over yourself and ran through Ticketmaster to buy up this hot item, shame on you. Even though Ticketmaster is directing you to standing room tickets you can head over to StubHub where 500 level tickets range from $60-$100. Still pricy, but if you're going to shell out the money for a ticket, you might as well have a seat. Keep an eye out on StubHub as prices are sure to come down by Friday. Ticketmaster and the Sox are known to release tickets as well as the game gets closer.
Hawk Line Of The Game - 4/9/12
"We had a stretch of 35 games that I said at the time was the toughest 35 game stretch of a team I had been associated with as a player or announcer."
-Referring to the 35 game stretch the 2000 White Sox went through starting with their seven game road trip in Cleveland and New York. The Sox, of course won all seven games en route to the AL Central title.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Laying An Egg
Dumb Easter-themed headline, but that's all I got right now.
This game was pretty much the shit Sox fans have been watching the last few seasons. The Sox were 0-8 with RISP, made stupid base running mistakes, and watched the opposing defense take away every possible hit that could've got something going. If that doesn't piss you off, how about going 2-19 with RISP for the entire series. Good times.
Gavin Floyd was battling his usual demons on mound giving up three blasts to Ranger hitters. The three home runs hit by David Murphy, Josh Hamilton & Adrian Beltre combined to travel about 10,000 feet.
Sox rookie Nate Jones pitched a scoreless frame in his first major league appearance highlighted by striking out Josh Hamilton.
Other than that, nothing to see here. Sox lose 5-0 and drop their first series of the 2012 season.
The 1-2 White Sox travel to Cleveland to take on their AL Central rivals Monday - Wednesday before heading to U.S. Cellular Field for the home opener on April 13. Thanks to the Blue Jays, the Indians bullpen should be a little worn so hopefully the Sox bats can get going.
This game was pretty much the shit Sox fans have been watching the last few seasons. The Sox were 0-8 with RISP, made stupid base running mistakes, and watched the opposing defense take away every possible hit that could've got something going. If that doesn't piss you off, how about going 2-19 with RISP for the entire series. Good times.
Gavin Floyd was battling his usual demons on mound giving up three blasts to Ranger hitters. The three home runs hit by David Murphy, Josh Hamilton & Adrian Beltre combined to travel about 10,000 feet.
Sox rookie Nate Jones pitched a scoreless frame in his first major league appearance highlighted by striking out Josh Hamilton.
Other than that, nothing to see here. Sox lose 5-0 and drop their first series of the 2012 season.
The 1-2 White Sox travel to Cleveland to take on their AL Central rivals Monday - Wednesday before heading to U.S. Cellular Field for the home opener on April 13. Thanks to the Blue Jays, the Indians bullpen should be a little worn so hopefully the Sox bats can get going.
Sunday Viewing
Before the Sox conclude their opening series in Texas tonight, the Bulls will be facing off against a potential first round playoff opponent, New York Knicks. The top team in the Eastern Conference tips off at noon while the Sox are in prime time on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Meaning you'll probably hear a lot about the upcoming match ups between the Red Sox and Yankees.
The Sox are coming off a nice win where Alex Rios provided a 9th inning solo home run to give the Sox the 4-3 lead. Robin Ventura went with Hector Santiago in the bottom of the 9th which basically points to him being our closer...for now at least.
The Sox are coming off a nice win where Alex Rios provided a 9th inning solo home run to give the Sox the 4-3 lead. Robin Ventura went with Hector Santiago in the bottom of the 9th which basically points to him being our closer...for now at least.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sox waste Danks' solid Opening Day start
Usually too much is made out of Opening Day wins or losses. So I'll keep this brief.
Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and John Danks all did their part in today's opener against the two time AL Champion Texas Rangers. Unfortunately it wasn't enough as the rest of the team was stifled by Rangers' starter Colby Lewis. The Rangers' starter threw six innings only giving up two runs to the Pale Hose.
Adam Dunn cut the Rangers lead to 2-1 with solo 431ft moonshot in the 6th. In the same inning, Alex Rios seemed to get a shot of life off an Alexei Ramirez bloop single. Rios was running on the pitch and scored to tie the game.
Danks gave up the winning run in the bottom half of the 6th and our Sox weren't able to get anything else going as they went 0-7 with RISP. They also struck out 13 fucking times today. Brent Morel went 0-4 striking out all four plate appearances.
Joe Nathan retired the Sox in order in the 9th. Yes, ex-Twin Joe Nathan. The guy probably got wood in the bullpen when he was called to close the game.
The Sox will seek their first win on the 2012 campaign tomorrow night. Jake Peavy will try not to blow his arm out in his first start of the season.
Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and John Danks all did their part in today's opener against the two time AL Champion Texas Rangers. Unfortunately it wasn't enough as the rest of the team was stifled by Rangers' starter Colby Lewis. The Rangers' starter threw six innings only giving up two runs to the Pale Hose.
Adam Dunn cut the Rangers lead to 2-1 with solo 431ft moonshot in the 6th. In the same inning, Alex Rios seemed to get a shot of life off an Alexei Ramirez bloop single. Rios was running on the pitch and scored to tie the game.
Danks gave up the winning run in the bottom half of the 6th and our Sox weren't able to get anything else going as they went 0-7 with RISP. They also struck out 13 fucking times today. Brent Morel went 0-4 striking out all four plate appearances.
Joe Nathan retired the Sox in order in the 9th. Yes, ex-Twin Joe Nathan. The guy probably got wood in the bullpen when he was called to close the game.
The Sox will seek their first win on the 2012 campaign tomorrow night. Jake Peavy will try not to blow his arm out in his first start of the season.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A Few Things To Pique Your Interest
As many baseball "experts" will tell you, our Sox are not destined for glory this year. I've seen ranges from 65 wins to 80. Nothing special by any stretch of the imagination. 80 wins is actually an improvement from last year!
While I share the same feeling about this lot, there are several things I'm interested in seeing play out in 2012. At least until it's too brutal to keep watching...
- How does this team respond to the mess that was 2011? After the disastrous 2007 season the Sox won the AL Central in 2008. You'd have to go back to the 1997-1999 seasons where the Sox posted consecutive losing seasons.
- Adam Dunn: He can't possibly be the worthless player he was last year. Can he?
- Alex Rios: Speaking of worthless, Rios has apparently gone back to view tape of his batting stance from his "glory" days in Toronto to get his numbers up. That's great and all, but does he care enough to hit the cut off man and not air mail a ball over AJ's head? Probably not.
- John Danks: Is this the year he takes the next step and becomes the staff ace we've been waiting for? He's certainly getting paid like one. (At least by White Sox standards.)
- Jake Peavy: What date should we set for him to make his first trip to the DL?
- Robin: There's no sample size to predict how Robin will be as manager. Nobody knows how he'll manage (or mismanage) a game. Can Robin be the guy to eventually take us back to the Promise Land?
None of these questions will be answered on Opening Day or in April & May. (Perhaps the Peavy DL stint. But I'll give the guy a chance.) So we at least have these to pique our interest. If nothing else, it's baseball. It's the White Sox. We'll be watching.
While I share the same feeling about this lot, there are several things I'm interested in seeing play out in 2012. At least until it's too brutal to keep watching...
- How does this team respond to the mess that was 2011? After the disastrous 2007 season the Sox won the AL Central in 2008. You'd have to go back to the 1997-1999 seasons where the Sox posted consecutive losing seasons.
- Adam Dunn: He can't possibly be the worthless player he was last year. Can he?
- Alex Rios: Speaking of worthless, Rios has apparently gone back to view tape of his batting stance from his "glory" days in Toronto to get his numbers up. That's great and all, but does he care enough to hit the cut off man and not air mail a ball over AJ's head? Probably not.
- John Danks: Is this the year he takes the next step and becomes the staff ace we've been waiting for? He's certainly getting paid like one. (At least by White Sox standards.)
- Jake Peavy: What date should we set for him to make his first trip to the DL?
- Robin: There's no sample size to predict how Robin will be as manager. Nobody knows how he'll manage (or mismanage) a game. Can Robin be the guy to eventually take us back to the Promise Land?
None of these questions will be answered on Opening Day or in April & May. (Perhaps the Peavy DL stint. But I'll give the guy a chance.) So we at least have these to pique our interest. If nothing else, it's baseball. It's the White Sox. We'll be watching.
Sit back. Relax. And strap it down!
On the eve of my favorite holiday, Opening Day, I kick off my first venture into the blog world with "Section 148: An Account of My Abusive Relationship With the Chicago White Sox".
As all Sox fans know, there are far too many more downs than ups with this team.
Since the glory year of 2005 our Sox have fallen back into the wasteland of the American League. There has been one other playoff appearance and some mediocre to piss poor seasons sprinkled throughout. But as Kenny Williams would remind us; "We won 90 games in 2006!" Hoo-ray!
I know I share the same feelings with many of my White Sox brethren that there's no greater joy when our team is on top. Unfortunately that is few and far between as this team can be a trying experience.
The hope here is to provide the after game drink. Some laughs and thoughts of our team as they march through this 2012 season and beyond. There could be some bad flashbacks, some hope, and maybe even some glory.
As I figure out how to work this thing there will be more content. I write this on April 5, 2012 and the Sox are already behind in AL Central by a 1/2 game. It could be as close as we get all season.
As always, GO SOX.
Sit back. Relax. And strap it down!
As all Sox fans know, there are far too many more downs than ups with this team.
Since the glory year of 2005 our Sox have fallen back into the wasteland of the American League. There has been one other playoff appearance and some mediocre to piss poor seasons sprinkled throughout. But as Kenny Williams would remind us; "We won 90 games in 2006!" Hoo-ray!
I know I share the same feelings with many of my White Sox brethren that there's no greater joy when our team is on top. Unfortunately that is few and far between as this team can be a trying experience.
The hope here is to provide the after game drink. Some laughs and thoughts of our team as they march through this 2012 season and beyond. There could be some bad flashbacks, some hope, and maybe even some glory.
As I figure out how to work this thing there will be more content. I write this on April 5, 2012 and the Sox are already behind in AL Central by a 1/2 game. It could be as close as we get all season.
As always, GO SOX.
Sit back. Relax. And strap it down!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)