After his worst game as a pro, Gordon Beckham is getting a couple of days off.
Which could mean that he's staring today, given Ozzie Guillen's track record this season.
There's no doubt something is wrong with Beckham's swing, but it shouldn't be news. His hands take a bigger loop, his swing becomes more uppercutty, and his head pulls off the ball. He showed this tendency in college, and it was a surprise that it never really manifested itself during his minor-league days.
It did surface for a few weeks last season, so there's plenty of evidence suggesting he'll climb his way out of this. I can't see Beckham returning to the minors. but if that has to happen, you can effectively get this season a body bag.
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It's early May, which means it's time for Joe Cowley to talk about choirboys.
Maybe that's why it's hard for the South Side to wrap its arms aroundthis group of players. Too many thinkers, not enough doers. Too manychoirboys, not enough Carls.
If you don't remember his story from last May:
Frankly, for the first time in the Ozzie Guillen era, the White Sox are a rather boring group -- a swaggerless collection of mostly choirboys.
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Christian Marrero Reading Room:
*Bruce Levine says the White Sox are interesting in Lance Berkman. He's off to a slow start with the Astros since getting off the DL, but historically, he'd be the kind of hitter the Sox need -- strong against righties with a good BABIP. The Sox may be too far out of it to sacrifice the prospect haul that a guy of Berkman's caliber would typically be worth.
*Alex Rios is feeling more comfortable, and gives Ozzie Guillen a strong endorsement.
*Scott Merkin profiles Andruw Jones and his successful first month.
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Minor league roundup:
- Charlotte 6, Pawtucket 3
- Dayan Viciedo doubled, homered and drove in two.
- Jordan Danks (two K's) and C.J. Retherford (one) each went 0-for-4.
- Tyler Flowers had a single in four at-bats.
- Jeff Marquez pitched a quality start, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.
- Birmingham 5, Mississippi 3
- John Shelby homered, singled and walked. He also struck out once.
- Brent Morel went 1-for-3 with an RBI, walk and strikeout.
- Christian Marrero walked twice and struck out once in four PAs.
- Frederick 5, Winston-Salem 4
- Nathan Jones was decent: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
- Dan Remenowsky pitched a scoreless innings, with a strikeout and a walk.
- Eduardo Escobar and Brandon Short had two hits apiece.
- Kannapolis 8, Lexington 6
- Have a game, Brady Shoemaker: 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and four RBI.
- Nick Ciolli went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
- Kyle Colligan singled and struck out in five at-bats.
- Miguel Gonzalez and Trayce Thompson each went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Ryan Buch had his first truly tough outing, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk while just retiring one batter.
- Joe Serafin met the bare minimum for a quality start.
