caulfield12

Elijah Dukes? Really? And that Nationals aren't going to just give us Dukes, or the Astros Michael Bourn. We would be better off going after Blanco than that. Lillibridge hasn't proven he can be effective as an everyday player in AAA, let alone at the major league level. To think of moving Ramirez to CF when he's just getting comfortable there just isn't going to happen. The ONLY question is whether he will put Owens in the line-up tomorrow against Porcello and go w/ the straight platoon everyone envisioned at the beginning of ST. One would THINK after the way Owens played that BA would have another chance to start 5-6 times per week (and after Owens was removed from the 40 man roster), but who knows? We're just lucky one of our division rivals didn't claim Owens just to keep him in AAA...because it's far from clear that either Lillibridge or Getz can get the job done leading off.

Late April supposedly for Nix.

3 choices....Owens, Kroeger or Miguel Negron. All three are lefties. Kroeger can't play CF, but he had the most consistent spring training of any of our hitters that didn't make the team. He can also play LF, RF and 1B...about as well as Wilson Betemit plays 2B/SS. Negron has the most natural ability and is a better CFer than Owens, but he's very raw/inexperienced in many facets, even though he is older. You have to guess they'll bring up Owens, simply because Getz and Lillibridge have been so-so leading off so far, and that's a lot of pressure on both those youngsters without any back-up. Why oh, why, KW...didn't you trade a B/C prospect for Josh Anderson???

I've seen a couple of 93 and one at 96 after he was pissed off after the homer, when he was facing Inge. Cold weather...Gavin just doesn't seem to be loose and he has no confidence with his command and he's standing straight up (as noted by Hawk and Stone). A lot of times, it's simply throwing two seam versus four seam fastballs, too. HOME RUN DERBY. So much for the theories about Quentin's wrist not being ready to go.

Hafner, Garko and Victor Martinez are already DH's, basically. He would make no sense. Manny would make MORE sense, but there's no way in hell that Dolan will shell out $25 million (or anything close to that) for one season of Manny. They're a lot better off with DeRosa AND Wood and another player for the same price.

We've been "spun," whether you want to go along with that or not, that it's really getting Swisher off the books that allowed us to throw the money at Viciedo. So if you think of it as Betemit and Viciedo for Swisher, it's not so bad at all...and Swisher 1) couldn't be a CFer again for us 2) or a leadoff hitter. His act will eventually wear thin in NYC, too. If you want to extend it even further, all the money that we saved with Betemit/Lillibridge/Nix over Uribe has been invested elsewhere, too...and/or gives us the flexibility to make a move (adding a salary at midseason).

WHITE SOX VS. MINER Wilson Betemit 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Paul Konerko 13 6 1 0 0 2 1 2 .462 .467 .538 1.005 Jermaine Dye 12 5 2 0 2 5 1 0 .417 .462 1.083 1.545 Josh Fields 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 .400 .400 .800 A.J. Pierzynski 11 3 0 0 1 2 1 1 .273 .333 .545 .879 Alexei Ramirez 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .200 .200 .200 .400 Carlos Quentin 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .167 .375 .167 .542 Jim Thome 11 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 .091 .231 .091 .322 Brian Anderson 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .500 .000 .500

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-1...0,1589155.story Sox fell from 9th to 15th...I guess that's a little bit harsh, but I think he did that before the results of all the Sunday games were in. Then again, maybe it is fair when you go only .500 at home against 2 divisional rivals, where you'd hope to go 4-2 in that stretch. The Indians took the biggest fall, all the way down to 28th...but you can't really imagine them staying there all season. Surely, they will have the patented Indians' statistical comeback when nothing is on the line and they're trying to chase down the leaders in July and August and look suddenly like the best team in baseball for 3-4 weeks.

I'm assuming they took x-rays and it was just a "soft tissue" injury or bruise/contusion. If not, we would have heard about him going on the DL...and then the clamor for Beckham could start again. By the way, has anyone heard a progress update on Nix's rehabilitation? When he might come off the DL...or pass through waivers? It doesn't seem that they will send Lillibridge down, so I guess they'll just outright him to Charlotte eventually. The only thing I can find on-line is a comment that Nix will be out until late April with a quadriceps injury.

I think it's safe to say at least 1/3rd of White Sox fans weren't sure of Chris Getz...probably even more than that coming into ST. Many thought (and a few still still think) he was more suited to be a utility infielder or Aaron Miles type of player, but not an everyday infielder. And, if you took a poll today, there's many fans who would have preferred Orlando Hudson/Figgins/Roberts or even starting Beckham right away at the major league level. I think that comment goes to that uncertainty among people outside Soxtalk who don't really even know much about him at all.

Royals also rallied in the 8th to win one against the Yankees...and the Indians won their first game of the year as well. Hafner already has 3 homers, so maybe he's not done after all. We still won't want anything to do with Nick Swisher playing CF or leading off.

Birmingham isn't going to go 141-1 after all. Barons have already made 3 errors on the day, with only two of Harrell's runs were earned. Beckham with his 2nd error already, Allen with his first. Flowers, Cook and Retherford are sitting today. 4-0 Lookouts in the top of the fourth. Viciedo 3 for 14 (all singles) with 7 K's and two errors...he's DHing today. Beckham is still at .438, Allen .429. Barons just picked up 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth...Beckham had an RBI double (8 for 17 now), Allen a walk and Viciedo a SAC fly. Beckham scored on a wild pitch. Threat of rained/shortened game at this point. Beckham adds another walk to his OBP. Viciedo with a double into the RCF gap, now 4/15 (.267) Future Sox CF John Shelby III rips a two run double into the gap to knot it all up at 6-6 in the bottom of the 7th, getting Harrell off the ropes despite 6 runs given up.

It's becoming apparent they might need to move Viciedo into LF...possibly RF. Looks like (for now) Josh will really hold onto 3B for awhile. The real interesting question is what will happen with Beckham/Ramirez/Getz?? Will Getz or Ramirez be moved to CF? Can they wait long enough for Shelby or Jordan Danks without making a move to improve that position for at least this season and even 2010?

Poreda had to throw 83 pitches (only 46 strikes/37 balls) to get through just four innings. That's not going to work. Lambo (LF) for the Lookouts (Dodgers) has a double, triple and single in this game. He's their best prospect, 6/14 on the season so far. I guess the word's out on Flowers...he gave up 3 stolen bases tonight, and one was picked off 1B (Hoffman) by Poreda. Going to bottom of the 9th down 4-2, with Shelby, Beckham, Flowers and Allen batting... Shelby K's (1 for 5) Beckham drives the ball to LCF pretty well but its caught (1 for 5...now 7/15) Flowers singles into gap but is held to a single...as his run means nothing (5/15) Allen grounds out to end the game and ends up going 4 for 5 on the night (all four were singles) 4-2 Lookouts win

Shelby CF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .231 Beckham SS 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 Flowers C 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 .273 Allen 1B 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .455 Viciedo 3B 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 Cook, D LF 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .100 Gartrell RF 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 Cruz, L DH 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 Retherford 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182 Poreda P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Rote P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Aselton P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Tyler Flowers with his first homer of the season...but Barons losing 4-1 going into the bottom of the 8th. Brandon Allen just had his fourth single of the game, now 4/4 tonight. Cook just singled...11 hits, 1 run, 10 are singles, with Flowers' HR. Poreda was so-so, only one earned run in 4 IP. 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's Viciedo made his second error in 3 games (both fielding).

No excuse for walks there with a 5-0 lead and Dotel's stuff...just come right after the bottom of the order, make them all hit their way on base.

That's pretty familiar, Joe! It will be interesting to see, I guess Wise will be back in CF tomorrow, I don't think Ozzie will use this line-up two days in a row, although Corky and Betemit had hits, Lillibridge got on base once and had a good sacrifice...

Let's keep scoring, please! It seems that every time we have the Twins down, we don't step on their throats and put them away, but slowly let them fight back into the game one or two runs at a time. If BA would have picked up those final two RBI's to expand the lead to 7, this game would feel a lot more comfortable. We've seen too many Twins' comebacks to think any game is over yet.

Colon was supposed to go six innings, that's what Cooper was expecting. Hopefully those last two runs don't come back to haunt us...thanks, BA. Dotel/Thornton/Linebrink/Jenks. No MacDougal for sure...he might never pitch again for the Sox, at best, he has one more shot. What has Colon's velocity been today? They're not showing any pitch speeds at MLB GameCenter.

Is Wilson Betemit really a better option than Thome against LHP??? I guess his OPS against lefties is around .650...but Thome just doesn't hit Liriano. The decision to start and lead off Lillibridge, well, we shall we how it goes. Doesn't sound too promising, but stranger thing have happened. It can't be any worse than what we've seen so far, that much is for sure. If we do manage to win, there will be a huge logjam near first place and then the Indians at 0-5.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 11, 2009 -> 12:56 PM) Quite the exaggeration. This lineup isn't good today, but that's the problem when you have a terrible back-up catcher and utility player. I'm as pessimistic and passionate as anyone, but people seem to be in freak out mode way too early right now. Of course the White Sox line-up is better...but our AA line-up actually might be capable of putting up better numbers against Liriano today, simply because some of our players are really starting to press a little bit. I'm just looking forward to the day we havea more balanced line-up, more athleticism, better defensive ability...this just seems to me like a bridge or transition year, with no real solid degree of confidence that we can compete with the teams from the AL East.

That means they now have to go to Zach Jackson, Aaron Laffey or Sowers as their fifth starter. Things are getting ugly already in CLE, they could be 0-5 after today...right now they are down 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th. 4-3 Tigers over the Rangers...Rodney with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Tigers have officially awakened, 3-3 record now. We will be facing Miner, Galarraga and Porcello.

TOR up 3-0 early on the Indians with Doc Halladay pitching. (White Sox fans have been joined by Indians fans booing their team as well). Indians just blew a 2nd and 3rd, no outs situation....two strikeouts in a row by Halladay, then a flyout to Vernon Wells.

Shelby, Beckham, Flowers, Allen, Cook, Viciedo, Gartrell and Retherford would generate more offense against the Liriano/Twins than our major league line-up. Very sad.

Well, with our starting line-up as comprised today, the game might not be worth watching except as a comedy track and MLB record for strikeouts being threatened by Liriano.