caulfield12

Josh really looks good so far, he's running well...he made a great defensive play that was a key...I think we should still give him time to build his confidence at the bottom of the line-up. Ramirez makes a lot better contact and can run wild on the bases...and Josh will have the higher OBP at the bottom of the order, giving Getz and Alexei a chance to drive them in pretty frequently, then providing good speed in front of the heart of the line-up so we don't get stuck in this station-to-station malaise.

The thing is, Ramirez has the best bat speed on the team...and can adjust pitch to pitch better than anyone on the Sox. He's not completely helpless up there against offspeed stuff, but it's certainly not his favorite type of pitch to hit, either.

Yeah, but a proven/veteran player who will get you 20-25 steals, hit .280, not be a statue defensively and who will give you a 340-360 OBP would look VERY VERY nice now, wouldn't it??? I don't see how you can compare Crisp to Wise, or even Taveras to Wise, or Baldelli to Wise...or anyone besides David Cook/Negron to Wise, and that might be insulting to David Cook or Miguel Negron.

Konerko ripped the ball in ST and was one of our best hitters. There's no way he should be hitting 8th. They didn't even do that to him last year when he was battling three separate injuries at various times during the season. If you go by the last 6 weeks or so of the season when he was healthy and his spring performance, there's no reason NOT to expect a 850-900 OPS. He was hitting 6th today, I'm fine with that...but you don't give a declining AJ more AB's than Paul Konerko, who you're paying $13+ million per season to be a run producer.

AJ and Getz should be the bottom of the line-up on a World Series contending team. Ramirez would be hitting 2nd, 6th or 7th. We're just not that team yet...taking a chance with Rocco Baldelli wouldn't have been the worst idea in the history of the world either, if they could have gotten him for the same money Boston forked over.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Apr 7, 2009 -> 03:55 PM) Some have complained that Kenny has failed to get the part needed, but it sounds like to me he is as frustratated as anyone that we have to start with Wise in CF. I think the options out there are too costly, or are not that much of an upgrade anyway. He was probably hoping for an in house solution (Lillibridge), but that never came to fruition. Getz is not a leadoff hitter, he is a prototypical #2. Alexei isn't leadoff material either. Nor Brian Anderson. Jerry Owens was jettisoned to the softball beer leagues leaving us with DeWayne Wise. I think Kenny knows a real legit leadoff hitter who could hit you .280/.380+ with 25+ steal potential makes this team all the more dangerous and don't think he hasn't tried to right that ship. Be patient...I have a feeling Kenny will get the right guy to fill that spot sooner rather than later...Wise is going to be too much to overcome. Well, then the Royals have the two perfect ones going by that description in DeJesus and Crisp. I still have no idea why we didn't go after CoCo...he'll give you a 350 OPB or so and not hurt you offensively or defensively. I think he would actually be almost the perfect fit for this team (I know that ship has already sailed) and it's just aggravating we didn't make an offer. I can see not spending that money on Taveras...by the way, Homer Bailey is back down in the minors, I wonder if we could still make the Dye for Bailey/Dickerson trade with Jocketty?

Ramirez will be fine at #2. Even if Alisay and AJ had an identical OBP, it wouldn't be a tough decision, because Ramirez can fly around the basepaths, whereas AJ is one of our basecloggers. I heard KW say that getting more athletic from 1-2 and 8-9 in the order is his objective. Well, that's fine, as long as those four players are Ramirez, Getz, Anderson and Fields (and eventually Beckham). Someday soon, Beckham will be there in the leadoff spot, because he has all the confidence in the world to do almost anything on the diamond...we might have to move Ramirez out to CF if KW can't come up with a better solution. Getz should be left alone in the 2 hole if at all possible (but it doesn't look like it will be possible). AJ should be at the bottom of the order. If Josh Fields is hitting 9th, Alexei should have plenty of opportunities to drive in Fields and Getz. Would rather have Fields batting 2nd than AJ, fwiw.

Well, I should have waited until after the game...when I posted this, I had the idea we were going to lose and have the need to vent for the next 30 hours...so it was more for therapeutic purposes. The fact of the matter is that everyone is already on Wise, you can already hear the boos coming from the fans today. I feel sorry for him a bit, but you shouldn't be feeling sorry for your leadoff hitter after just one game in a season. So many positives: 1) Fields and Getz 2) Thome's bat 3) Buehrle's perseverance 4) the entire bullpen NEGATIVES: 1) we are slow 2) we are slow 3) we are really slow 4) we are still station-to-station offensively 5) Quentin seems to be really fighting himself at-bat

I can't believe Guillen left Wise out there in the bottom of the 9th on defense. If you can't hit a high fastball or hanging slider and the the only balls you can foul off are low in the zone, there's a major problem.

Please put Anderson in CF, stat...and hopefully we will never see Wise again this season. Now we only have to worry about Carlos Quentin's bat.

Fire away! Couldn't be a more brutal game...three strikeouts and a failed sacrifice...when he didn't execute and Olivo dove to catch it, that was his best play of the day, and would have put Fields on 2nd and now the game would be tied. But he can't even mess up correctly. Let's try Jerry Owens tomorrow. It couldn't get any worse. Everyone has seen this one coming like a deer in the headlights.

That pitch almost looked more like a cutter, which I guess is a faster slider, essentially. Wonder if they'll trot out Mr. Farnsworth to get torched by the White Sox...traditionally we own that guy. Meche has REALLY settled down, though. Any game you have that bases loaded situation and don't really take advantage, it usually comes back to haunt you, although the Royals essentially did the same thing. On a positive note, Wise is making Meche throw a few pitches to strike him out every time up. He just looks overmatched up there today against Meche.

Nice inning for CR. If he can be solid, that gives us five quality guys in the bullpen...not counting on much from MacDougal and Carasco but mop-up, "maintaining the deficit" for our offense to catch back up and blowout innings.

I think Aviles is going to be exposed this year. No way he puts up the same numbers offensively as last year, and he's going to be a very much below-average defender at SS. That combo up the middle with Teahen might be the worst defensively in the entire major leagues. Teahen really misplayed that ball Getz hit into the hole and Jacobs dove over for a "gift" hustle double.

Still, Brian Anderson is FAR from the answer at leadoff. It's the SAME exact problem we've been looking straight in the face for five months now.

Well, Buehrle battled his butt off. We now shall see how good our "second tier" relievers are in the heat of a close game. Very encouraging defense today...Josh had a ball go by him because he was protecting against an Olivo bunt, but that "jump pass" might end up being the key out of the game if the White Sox can come back and win. The teams have traded numerous opportunities back and forth, with neither team getting an clutch hits to create some breathing room. Getz and Ramirez are looking like a promising keystone combo.

I feel sorry for Wise and/or Anderson, because they're going to be subjected to a ton of pressure leading off...Anderson at least has his "fanbase" to support him, but I think 98% of the fanbase doesn't have much faith or confidence in Wise. This game is looking like it will test Carasco, Richard, Dotel and MacDougal with Mark's accelerating pitch count. Buehrle just doesn't have any command today at all.

Thome would have scored because DeJesus' throw was well off...but you can't take that chance. JD just doesn't run well...but it's not very often you see a runner w/ 2 outs held up at 3B on that play. But at least Fields came through through...and Aviles has NO range whatsover, so a normal SS would have had a DP and two outs and that inning would have turned out quite differently.

I am surprised Mariotti hasn't come up with one...just to get back in the public eye. The problem, of course, is that he never breaks any news, he just takes quotes and information from other media members and repackages it as his own. So the irony is that while Jay was complaining about the newspapers being irrelevant in terms of their on-line presence, it's his style of journalism which doesn't fit the new world of twitter and blogging.

QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ Apr 7, 2009 -> 09:33 AM) I think the Twins are a pretty clear #1 in terms of rotation. However, I think the Sox have the second best rotation and second best lineup--while the Twins' lineup may be the worst in the division. If the Sox' defense is decent (which is no sure thing), then they should have a good shot at winning the division. I don't know...Baker is injured right now, and Slowey will have to prove himself year after year with his so-so stuff. OTOH, he's probably the best candidate (along with Sonnanstine) to evolve into the next Greg Maddux. Liriano might be able to throw 93-95 right now, but he still can't bust off that slider like he used to...that was his elimination pitch, like Johan's change-up that you just can't touch even if you're looking for it. I have a feeling he will never be anything but a #3 (possibly #2) for the rest of his career, before his elbow goes out again. It will be too much of temptation for him to throw that slider again, because his FB is pretty flat and is going to be hit hard if he doesn't get ahead in the count. Overall, Baker probably will be a better pitcher than Liriano from this point forward. Let's not forget, Perkins and Blackburn were VERY shaky down the stretch, Perkins was even skipped in the rotation he was doing so poorly (kind of like their pitching version of our Nick Swisher). Did anyone see Swisher's antics in the dugout yesterday when he got that PH double? Same old Nick, minus the facial hair. I just don't see him being happy getting only 150 at-bats in NY.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Apr 7, 2009 -> 10:27 AM) The key for a Buerhle today is to attack the right handed hitters in. Drive the cutter in, back them off the plate, and then dive away with the changeup. When Mark gets hurt by the Royals, its when he sets up away away away and the Royals hitters drive the ball into right center. Drive it in on their hands, and force them to pull it. Lets kick some Royal ass today. Do we really want them pulling so many balls to Josh Fields??? Well, Crisp, Butler and Teahen are the ones who have torched Mark routinely in the past...those will be three key match-ups to see how Mark is feeling out there with his stuff and a somewhat lingering concern about Mark's career workload and "dead arm" coming out of ST.

Ponson is the John Daly of MLB. However, he oozes (in a Terry Forster, tub of gooish way) with talent and goes out and beats the Dominican Republic in the WBC and yet another team thinks they can turn him around for good and gives him another chance...kind of like Jeff Weaver.

"I'm a little concerned," Redmond said. "A little more than normal." Redmond tries to avoid the training room at all costs, but he was in there after the game. "That's not a good thing," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I don't have enough of those [catchers]."

Wouldn't it make more sense to use Danks against the Twins and RA Dickey on Friday night??? Contreras has always done pretty well against the Royals...

Still, it's pretty hard to argue with their level of success in working with the same type of pitchers that Cooper has excelled with. Chris Carpenter's career was going nowhere, despite all the talent in the world. Kyle Lohse...they even got a serviceable half-season out of Kip Wells. Ankiel is a hard one to explain, he's one of those guys a Disney movie (like The Rookie) should be made about his career someday, just like Josh Hamilton. Jeff Suppan would be another who rediscovered his career there...some others had mixed success, like Pineiro, Jeff Weaver, Sidney Ponson. Matt Morris really struggled after he left that team...although most of it was injuries taking their toll and age. The Benes brothers. They've seemingly done a very good job with Wainwright.