caulfield12

For most teams, Danks is a 2 and Floyd is a 3/4. They're never going to "lead" us to a playoff run without the other components to go really go on a run, namely Sale and Peavy, but mostly Sale going forward. They also need Molina to provide the statistical replacement value of a 3/4 starter, if not better.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 08:52 PM) just a hunch. Rios is kind of a guy without a position in the order, so why not try him in the 2-hole? One thing it would do is get him out of a lot og RBI situations which I think would be a good thing. Also gets a guy who can score from 1st on a double hitting in front of Konerko/A.J. These same arguments can be made for Ramirez, btw. Either one would be okay, as long as it's not Morel.

Rios was horrible in CF last year. He was much better in 2010, but you could go back and find at least 40-50 mistakes (mental/physical) that he made playing center. Maybe more than that. Sometimes, it felt like it was 2-3 per game for long stretches. As someone mentioned, Rios hitting well in RF and comfortable is worth much more than any possible defensive upgrade (which the majority of posters on this site would disagree with after watching the 2011 season transpire) to be gained from flipping them around again. Then you also are going to be messing around with Viciedo (for the 3rd or 4th time) moving him from LF back to RF. If you want to do that the 2nd half the season, after the All-Star Break, fine. Right now, it's way too early to be micromanaging on a game by game basis. (Yes, I realize I made a post after Tuesday's game proposing 9 changes, but the first 12 games have made it pretty clear that we're going to be in that no man's land of 75-85 wins but maybe only a 10-15% of legitimately competing for the 2nd wild card spot). If anything, the Orioles starting out well just shows how much competition there will be in the AL. You have all five AL East teams, the Rangers, Angels and Tigers to fight off. The odds are stacked against that happening, and with our projected low attendance, we're certainly not going to be taking on any additional payroll.

Losing all three of those games when we had multiple chances to tie or win (especially Tuesday with the 4-1 lead) has everyone a bit grump. That's something like 6 of our last 7 that we've lost to the Orioles at home. We no longer have much of a home field advantage. Back in 2005-2006-2008, we really protected our home turf. Recently, we seem to play better on the road. Even in 2010, I don't remember the splits, but it seems Beckham and Quentin did better on the road than at USCF.

Uh-oh, Mitchell matching the major league club, 0 for 3 with 2 K's. Down to .275. 18 k's in 51 at-bats, once again about what the major league team is averaging, 1 out of every 3 by strikeout. Santos Rodriguez was hit hard, too. Conor Jackson down to .224, Phegley still doing well, another hit and at .357.

I read the thread title and I thought it was about waiving/trading him. Don't mess with Rios' fragile psyche by changing his position now that he's comfortable and hitting in RF.

And maybe the catcher has a brain cramp and forgets to touch home plate...so he throws to first but throws it away, too? The first reaction when a catcher sees a runner going for a base is to throw there. Maybe the pitcher comes to cover the plate to remind him, but the pitcher would have been so close they might have flubbed the exchange or SOMETHING. If you at least TRY to do something, instead of standing there arguing with the ump...watch baseball in the 1950's, 60's or 70's, you never would have seen a player do something like standing there arguing with the home plate umpire. Especially when Rios was the one who stuck his bat out enough on a check swing to put himself down in the count 0-1. You have to swing at anything close to the plate. Clearly, Viciedo (previous inning) and Rios were not expecting breaking balls after a steady diet of fastballs, but you have to be prepared to at least try to foul one off and stay alive, like Alexei Ramirez did on a breaking pitch that was away and off the plate.

21. Chicago White Sox (6-5; Previous: 25) – Sox pitchers allowing so many home runs tightfisted management actually kind of happy fans throw some back. 22. Seattle Mariners (7-6; Previous: 26) – King Felix finally curious enough to ask, "Um, what exactly am I the king of again?" [ MLB Full Count: Watch live look-ins and highlights for free all season long ] 23. Oakland Athletics (6-7; Previous: 21) – Little-known fact: A's moved to San Jose two years ago, MLB and Giants yet to notice. 24. Cincinnati Reds (4-8; Previous: 13) – Report says Albert Pujols almost a Red. True, too, if by "almost" meant "flew over Ohio on way to L.A." 25. Houston Astros (4-8; Previous: 30) – Stephen Strasburg gives up two runs in six innings against Astros, assumes he must have been tipping his pitches. No, that actually happened. 26. Kansas City Royals (3-9; Previous: 20) – American Leaguers pessimistic for All-Star game, seeing as home team never wins in K.C. 27. Minnesota Twins (4-8; Previous: 22) – "Liriano" is Spanish for "my slider's almost there." yahoo.com/sports

I guarantee AJ Pierzynski would have remembered the situation and run to first. He would have been out, but at least he would have been thinking up there correctly, with his head in the game. Just when you want to actually cheer for Alex Rios and believe for about the 10th time he's turning things around with the White Sox....he does something like that to make you angry with him again and you want to see him benched.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 03:22 PM) For those that couldn't see the 9th, what happened with Rios? He took a high but clearly in the strike zone breaking ball over the plate for strike 3. Then stood at the plate arguing with the umpire while he got tagged out. There was very little chance he would have been safe, as the ball got away from the catcher's glove maybe 10-15 feet.....but he should have run to force the catcher to make the throw, maybe it gets away miraculously and the White Sox tie up the ballgame somehow. Just selfish instincts there to completely forget the situation.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 03:21 PM) I'm still kinda shocked that Ventura didn't have Fukudome bat for Escobar. Never a good thing to have the worst two players on your roster (Stewart and Escobar) play important roles in a close game. Fukudome is also good at drawing a walk, which Escobar most precisely is not.

Dammit Rios, instead of arguing with the ump, you could have tried to run to 1B like you're supposed to. That first foul really got the at-bat off to a bad start. Once again, another game in this series ends with the bases loaded and goes against us.

15 K's. Soon to be 16? Harrelson gets to take another shot at the umpiring, lol.

6/7 throwing out runners. Funny thing is we need Flowers' offense a lot more than defense, the opposite of when we acquired him. Guess we miss Felix. Actually wanted to see how our hitters fared against him, but it's probably better for Beckham and Morel to face struggling pitches like Noesi and Millwood.

QUOTE (kapzk @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 03:00 PM) So we are striking out this bad against starters who don't exactly have the flashiest K/9, I could only imagine when we face guys that are strikeout pitchers We usually have hit Felix Hernandez in the past. Even Brian Anderson.

QUOTE (IowanSoxFan @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 02:56 PM) Jesus, didn't even realize that the game had started. Oh well, doesn't look like I wanted to see it. Yep, it's Gavin, it's April, and we still can't hit with RISP. Nothing new there. Might almost be better off watching the movie BATTLESHIP, although that's just as predictable, maybe moreso than the Sox. How was Stewart ever a top relief candidate with the Reds throwing at 90-91 MPH? Hmmm....it's like Nick Masset and the disappearing fastball. Did they not want to announce the attendance intentionally?

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 02:52 PM) DV looks lost. Very few major league hitters hitters are going to hit that 3rd strike when their timing mechanism is geared for 97-99 MPH fastballs.

Viciedo at least SHOWED the ability to time a 97-98 MPH fastball. So he has the chance to hit it, if he's looking for it. That's about the only positive to take from that inning, and the fact that Alex Rios is finally starting to look like a major league hitter again. 101 K's.

DAMMIT Tank. Horrible game. 100 K's now. Hat trick.

Fastball Viciedo, be READY.

The irony is accomplishing those 12 K's without either Morel or Beckham, or Fukudome for that matter.

99 K's and counting. The next one will be 100 in 12 games (8.33 per game). Great heater vs. Konerko bat match-up. It's not fair how good the Rangers' system if they can just release this guy or not protect him.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 02:38 PM) Why not just walk Konerko and AJ every AB? Would we win another game this season? Up until a week ago, that would have worked. But Rios and Ramirez have been pretty dangerous. Maybe walk AJ, though, and try to get the DP ball from Rios or Alexei. Somehow, I wouldn't be shocked if it was Nathan Jones and not Addison Reed eventually emerging as the closer.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 19, 2012 -> 02:32 PM) His mental errors on the field are way too similar to Pierre last year. The funny thing is that I was listening to a Dodgers' broadcast maybe 3-4 years ago and Vin Scully said he NEVER saw Pierre make a mental mistake on the field of play. Kind of lapsed there with Ozzie, although a lot of his errors were physical as well as mental ones. Hawk loves Adam Jones, lol. Reimold has looked REALLY good this season, too. Wonder who Adam Jones goes to as a FA? He'd be a very good fit for the Cubs if they didn't have Jackson coming up, because Byrd's nearing the end of the line as a productive player. Heck, he'd look really good for the Sox, too, but not for $15-16 million per season.

That ball was actually out over the plate, but 70% of Dunn's K's have to have been on low and inside (mostly balls) sliders/cutters/curves at his kneecaps.