Looking for ideas to lighten up the tone and mood of this blog, I went hunting through the Wayback Machine to see how I coped with 2007.
Long story short, I was able to restore The AL Central Trail in all its glory. Some of you may remember it.
******************************
Entering Sunday, White Sox starters sported a league-worst 5.17 ERA. Mark Buehrle pushed that number even higher with his three-inning, six-run outing.
Buehrle says nothing is physically wrong, and I'm inclined to believe him. I don't think cutter location is indicative of general health, and that's what has been killing him.
******************************
In White Sox Outsider 2010, the greatest book ever written about the 2009 White Sox, I wrote about Mark Kotsay:
Kotsay has a way with managers. Terry Francona was sad to see him go when Kotsay lost the numbers game in Boston, and now he has a major backer in Guillen. It's a little funny that the White Sox are his fourth organization in three years. [...]
There's no real harm in bringing Kotsay back, but hopefully the love Guillen has for Kotsay won't blind him if his season takes a turn for the worse.
I think Sunday showed that the romance is as strong as ever. I'm guessing the lineup card looks like:
In the seventh inning, Kotsay came to the plate with the bases loaded (he was 0-for-5 this season). Manny Acta called for lefty Rafael Perez (Kotsay was 0-for-9 against lefties this season). He had to be expecting Guillen to counter with Andruw Jones or somebody else; he basically made the move to get Jensen Lewis out of the game.
So Acta had to be as surprised as anybody when Kotsay didn't head back to the dugout. Kotsay (1-for-13 with a runner on third this season) didn't disappoint, popping out to Shin-Soo Choo.
Guillen is no stranger to managerial ruts, especially with regards to lineups, but his affection toward Kotsay is something else. Think about how aggressively he began pulling Mark Teahen at the end of games for a defensive replacement before Teahen injured his finger. Think about how he's limited Gordon Beckham's playing time, even pinch-hitting for Beckham in the late innings of a blowout loss.
And then think about how Kotsay was the one who pinch-hit for Beckham that game.
Can you think of any greater cases of favoritism? I mean, Kotsay with a bat is just about the equivalent of Teahen with a glove. And Kotsay with a bat against lefties is like the equivalent of Teahen with no glove.
******************************
The White Sox have the 13th pick in the draft, which takes place tonight, and all signs point to the Sox selecting a college pitcher. Some names being bandied about by various sources:
*Deck McGuire, RHP, Georgia Tech. 90-92 m.p.h. fastball, good curve and slurve, average changeup, 6-foot-6 and uses his height well.
*Brandon Workman, RHP, Texas. 90-92 m.p.h. fastball, good curve, cutter, and a work-in-progress changeup.
*Asher Wojciechowski, Citadel. 93-96 m.p.h. fastball, hard slider, but needs a third pitch.
*Barret Loux, RHP, Texas A&M. 90-92 m.p.h. fastball that appears faster, but no standout second pitch.
*Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State. Polished pitcher, strike-thrower, 90-92 m.p.h. fastball with the best changeup of a bunch and a decent curve.
******************************
Minor league roundup:
- Lehigh Valley 11, Charlotte 5
- Another good game for Tyler Flowers: 1-for-3 with a solo shot and a walk, no strikeouts.
- Brent Morel went 1-for-4 with a double; Dayan Viciedo went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout.
- Jordan Danks went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Jeff Marquez had a good start (4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K) shortened by a rain delay.
- Birmingham 8, Mobile 6 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Christian Marrero went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
- C.J. Retherford went 1-for-2 with two walks.
- Justin Edwards allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings, striking out one.
- Mobile 3, Birmingham 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Retherford went hitless in three at-bats, striking out once.
- Marrero went 1-for-3.
- Winston-Salem 4, Kinston 3
- Justin Greene doubled, tripled and walked twice in five trips to the plate.
- Eduardo Escobar went 2-for-6 with a triple and two RBI.
- Brandon Short drew three walks and struck out once over six PAs.
- Jon Gilmore went 2-for-5.
- Stephen Sauer allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings; no walks, one strikeout.
- Kyle Bellamy picked up the win with a scoreless inning, allowing two hits while fanning one.
- Kannapolis 2, Savannah 0
- Kyle Colligan hit a pair of doubles over four at-bats.
- Miguel Gonzalez went 0-for-2 with a walk.
- Andre Rienzo (4 H, 2 BB, 3 K) and Cameron Bayne (4 H, 4 K) eachthrew four scoreless innings.
