caulfield12

Ummmm....talking about no advance scouting. That's just crazy. Maybe with the A's out of playoff contention, they've given up looking at other teams...at least they should video/satellite or something. Good God, that's a horrible decision. Still think it was a bad decision...but it worked out for them. Can either team get a big hit with RISP?

It's interesting how some here and other websites want Danks shut down because of his innings pitched and others are advocating he throw 115-130 pitches because our bullpen is so horrid right now...that's why it's not so fun to be a manager. You have to balance short-term versus long-term benefits. Look at what Dusty Baker did to his pitching staff/s.

QUOTE (tommy @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 03:52 PM) Alexei with a bouncer right down the middle. I think the problem is that the White Sox game is moving along so slowly...and the M's comebacks against the Twins the past two weeks have been so improbable and exciting. C'mon Juan, for once, Alexei had a base stolen!

Third blown lead by the Twins against the M's in two weeks, including a rare (3rd) blown Joe Nathan save, when he had to come in to try to get out of the 8th inning. I think one of those leads (the first loss) was 6-0. Twins' fans must be going crazy, just like we are. Seemingly had the game in hand with Baker cruising. Competition now will come down to who has the worst bullpen in front of two of the best closers in the game.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 03:38 PM) I wonder if Paulie could turn into a doubles hitter this late in his career. He seems to be skinny now with a slower bat. Maybe it's just my eyes failing me. I'm just going to hope it's a lingering effect from the wrist and rib problems. Either one of them can really mess up your swing. Now I think it has become a mental thing where he's thinking too much....ahead on the off-speed stuff and way behind on fastballs, and "average" fastballs. Konerko and Carlos Lee used to be the best fastball hitters on our team. Now it's probably Ramirez and Quentin I guess...and Thome? I don't know, I haven't seen any games this year from here in Thailand, just have to go off Farmer/Stone/McDowell/Ventura, etc. 5-4 Twins. Icihiro up with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd. Nice comeback M's. The Twins' bullpen has the same exact issues as ours. Crain out. I assume they'll bring in Reyes or Breslow against Ichiro.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 03:31 PM) I gotta go back to an overriding theme that I ahve brought for a couple of years now. the advanced scouting on this team is either nonexistent or the execution is not htere. To continue to belabor a point, if a guy can not hit an offspeed pitch even if he knows it is coming, throw it. The Sox seem to think, "well he thinks a pitch he can not hit is coming, so let's throw a pitch he can hit as he won't expect it." and said player ets a hit. this is just plain sad. Well, whatever we're doing with Emil Brown, we need to stop it.

I guess we should thank Frank Thomas for four outs already this game. Wow...part of me was expecting a Grand Slam the way things were going that inning. Danks seems to be trying to be too fine...and it's hard to blame him, because with our bullpen and his general lack of run support all season long, he is fighting for every single run out there.

QUOTE (tommy @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 03:16 PM) A base hit here, scores two. Are we sure Hall could have scored on a base hit?

Thanks, Swisher. Seems like he doesn't much since the walk-off against Zumaya. He just can't seem to keep it going for an extended period of time this year....hot for a week or two, then cools off again.

However, the problem is that Danks has now thrown 63 pitches...partially thanks to Swisher...and we will have to use our entire bullpen today, as he'll be lucky to make it through five and maybe six innings today. Which means we'll have to use 1-2 relievers that OG would just as soon leave overlooked down in the bullpen.

Shades of Willie Harris out there. Swisher and Uribe errors that were completely unexpected. Emil Brown looks like an MVP candidate so far against us. Does anyone have a scouting report on what NOT to throw him? Three runners out on the bases. We always find new and interesting ways to lose in Oakland.

QUOTE (Brian @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 02:56 PM) I want speed so guys can go to 1st and 3rd. Well, I think we'll sacrifice a little speed for Quentin's homers! The other problem is when we lose Cabrera, Ramirez might be our best potential basestealer, and he's more raw in that area of his game than Willie Harris. Getz has decent speed, but I don't think many project him as much more than 10 sb's at the major league level.

Cabrera and Dye really hit those balls well with nothing to show for it. Wow...didn't realize Juan had more doubles than Konerko. Just more evidence of Konerko's struggles this season...hopefully/finally he's coming out of it, it appears. At least there's some light at the end of the tunnel. Ooops...GIDP. So much for that rally.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 02:49 PM) I know he had said something about looking forward to the return to the Coliseum. Maybe he is just trying to hard. I wonder if he will get to play tomorrow against Gio? I imagine so, as I don't think you want Griffey trying to cover that huge CF in Oakland...and Griffey just hasn't been hitting, so pencil Swish in for CF.

Here we go again...just like yesterday. Looks like we're into our high quality bullpen in the 6th inning today. Thankfully, our "brutal" bottom of the order has come through...or Danks would once again have nothing to show for his fine pitching this year. It's almost criminal he has only 9 victories when Adam Russell is somehow 4-0.

5-0 Twins The first two games of the series are losing their drama/intrigue very quickly. I thought the starter had an ERA below 4.00, we at least had a shot at getting one victory from the M's. Maybe the Twins can destroy their bullpen for us...help us out somehow. 52 pitches through the first two innings...similar to the A's starting pitcher Smith.

Where do they get these guys? Randy Ruiz with a single, 2-0 Twins. Of course, they miss Felix Hernandez and we get to face him...although I guess we were lucky to miss Duchscherer. He always seems to dominate us.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 02:08 PM) I'm sure Devin Hester would be worse. Or Magic Johnson....the Georgetown Hoyas in the late 80's.....maybe Bill Walton. UGH...why do teams constantly let both Mauer and Morneau beat them? 1-0 Twins, Mauer homer with two outs and 1-2 count. Anyone pitching with a hyphenated last name deserves to get hit. Just kidding...just seems strange.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 02:05 PM) Gamethread was starting to look pretty slow. Must have been really slow last year about this time! Maybe it's the Olympics capturing the attention of some Sox fans?

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 12:22 PM) If the Sox are actually trying to compete next season, they need a veteran to back up Fields. And good luck getting a starter-quality veteran to sign a one-year deal. When Crede wasn't hitting early on in his career, he was at least contributing by playing solid defense. Josh wasn't contributing anything of value this season. That doesn't mean that you give up on the guy, but he has to show that he can hit ML pitching again before Kenny tosses him the keys to 3B. If Kenny can't land somebody like Beltre or Blake this winter, I want him to re-sign Uribe to a two-year deal to pseudo-platoon with Fields at 3B and relieve whoever is at SS and 2B next season (in sort of a super-utility role). And I disagree that Anderson was mistreated. BA had his head way up his ass in 2006 and got himself into Ozzie's doghouse. Ozzie doesn't put up with big-ego rookies, nor should he be expected to. He's since matured and is doing the things that he should've been doing all along. Despite the fact that he's still not really hitting, he's still getting significant playing time in CF. From what I understand, the M's and their new GM have decided that they really like Beltre after all, and with their overall budget being a high one, despite the drop in attendance (of course, Ichiro keeps it elevated too), they feel that both his age, his contract becoming more and more reasonable, his defense and dependability...all make Beltre a player they're less likely to shed than it has seemingly appeared. In other words, they will give him up, but they're not actively trying to do so anymore, like they are with Batista, Silva, Washburn and perhaps even Bedard.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 11:21 AM) Brutal = Uribe and then Konerko and Griffey right now I would consider brutal. How long have you been a White Sox fan? If you remember Mark Johnson and Royce Clayton in 2001 and 2002, that would be the definition of a brutal bottom of the line-up. Yeah, Konerko's not himself and Griffey's slumping big-time, but I don't think it's fair to call them "brutal." Now if you were talking about Uribe and Brian Anderson in 2006, I would also agree with you.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 09:26 AM) It was no doubt a horrible way to lose last night, but you guys have to expect s*** like this. We are not a complete baseball team at all since we have two brutal hitters every game at the bottom of the lineup, a depleted bullpen and inconsistent starters. We just need to get through this series, hopefully take the next two and remain tied or up one on the Twins. Look at their upcoming schedule, it's horrible and they suck on the road. They have played over their heads the entire year, they are bound for a bad streak because Denard Span and Brian Buscher are not .300+ hitters. They are gonna lose like 7/10 soon and the Sox just need to make sure they win at least 6/10 to get a little cushion. But since again this team is not even close to complete, they are gonna look like world-beaters one night and scum the next. I don't know how many times in the last decade someone has said something similar... Luis Rivas, Doug Mientkiewicz, Christian Guzman, Denny Hocking, Jason Tyner, Lew Ford, Nick Punto, Brian Buscher, Denard Span, etc., are not .300 hitters. How can a rotation with Slowey, Blackburn, Baker and Perkins be putting up similar numbers to our $35-40 million dollar rotation? Well, we don't know what Span is...he's an athletic first round draft pick who has played above expectations, but who expected Alexei Ramirez to be a .300 hitter, perhaps the best White Sox hitter this season after Quentin and Dye? We know that Uribe's not a great hitter, but who else are you referring to as "brutal"??? Ramirez has hit 8th for most of the season. Are you referring to Swisher? Konerko? Our offense isn't the problem, although it would certainly help if they were more consistent and put their foot on the necks of teams and garbage pitchers they should be crushing.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 09:33 AM) I don't think that's the problem. Dotel is a former closer who has several years experience in other bullpen roles. I think that it has more to do with the fact that Dotel has been an average/mediocre pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery a few years ago. His numbers over the past couple of years aren't nearly as good as what he's put up overall this season. That's not to say that Dotel can't shake these disastrous outings and finish with a very strong season, but one shouldn't be surprised that he's not exactly lights-out all of the time. And there's little evidence that moving from middle relief to setup man is responsible for it. Hasn't he been having back problems? I saw where he attributed his performance in the final Boston game (Danks' start) to fatigue from the really long Tigers game we won on Swisher's walk-off after Thornton gave up the 2nd homer to Polanco. Dotel...I don't know, obviously he's lost 3-5 MPH on his fastball. You look at his stats, and everything appears great, but then you get outings like last night. I guess it's kind of a cop-out to excuse him, he's a major league veteran, after all. It just seems when we had Dotel/Thornton, then Linebrink, then Jenks, everything just seemed to click. Ozzie's been searching for that fourth reliever for weeks now...sometimes it's Carrasco (more recently), but I think he also has to look at Ramirez and Russell to see what he can get out of those guys. Unfortunately, on-the-job training for Russell, but in the heat of a pennant race. I understand why he left Dotel in there...even though logic/match-ups might have favored Ramirez. It's simply that Ozzie Factor...he likes to believe in his players until they prove him wrong too many times, and removing Dotel would have raised more doubts in Dotel's mind about his ability to get it done. In some ways, Dotel has been very resilient in bouncing back from disasters in the late innings, but there's something about him that has always been "fragile" and has led to his moving around quite a bit throughout his career.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 09:10 AM) If Fields is going to hit .220, I'd rather go with Uribe. At least Juan is a defensive asset. If Fields isn't hitting .250+ and/or has a weak slugging percentage, there's no room for him in chicago. Either way, I don't think that Fields is ready yet. Kenny's better off giving a veteran a two-year deal and allowing Josh to work his way in. Kind of the same thing we did with Crede (Herb Perry in 2000/01)...although Crede had more of a track record (at least two All-Star teams and maybe a league MVP) in the minors than Fields. Of course, as a college player, Josh was expected to be closer than a HS player, but Josh's time as QB at OSU took time away from his baseball development. I don't think we need to sign someone for two years though...I would rather go on a year-by-year basis at the position until things are clarified. I guess, in some ways, Brian Anderson has received even worse treatment (Rowand went through the same doubts) than Fields. We'll see what Josh is made out of...and how much the injuries figured into his performance this season. It is pretty unusual when an MLB rookie puts up less than a full season with more than 20 homers and then completely disappears the next season. That talent didn't just disappear. It's not like Borchard went out and accomplished anything close to approximating Fields' 2007 season.

QUOTE (jenks45monster @ Aug 15, 2008 -> 10:59 PM) They just signed Eric Hosmer (#3 overall pick in 2008 draft) and Tim Melville (went in the 4th round; had first round talent - dropped due to money issues) We can potentially be looking at a lineup like this in 2011: C - Miguel Olivo DH - Billy Butler (As Hawk says: "This kid's gonna be a great hitter some day.") 1B - Eric Hosmer (#3 overall pick in 2008 draft) 2B - Mike Aviles (I can see him sliding over to 2B to make room for Mike Moustakas; looking pretty damn good this year, though I hate his batting stance) SS - Mike Moustakas (#2 overall pick in 2007 draft) 3B - Alex Gordon (#2 overall pick in 2005 draft; very high ceiling) LF - Mark Teahen CF - Mitch Maier (#30 overall pick in 2003 draft; high ceiling;) RF - David DeJesus Some notable pitchers: P - Luke Hochevar (#1 overall pick in 2006 draft; VERY high ceiling) P - Joakim Soria (All-Star this year) P - Zack Greinke (#6 overall pick in 2002 draft; high ceiling; only 24 years old) P - Tim Melville (High ceiling; first round draft talent; dropped because of money) Notable pitcher - Brian Bannister (already 27 years old but has solid potential) Of course this would be the line-up if everybody on that list pans out (which I doubt). If the majority of them do pan out, I would be very, very afraid of a lineup like this. I don't think Teahen, DeJesus and Olivo are in their long-term plans at all. Teahen is basically Casey Blake-Lite (he looked much better a couple of seasons ago, and was hitting more doubles and homers)...and DeJesus is a very good player who's not a superstar and doesn't hit for enough power or steal enough bases to make $10 million plus per year, but he will be too expensive for the Royals soon, and he doesn't have much of an arm for CF, nor hit for enough power for the corners. We'll just have to wait and see...you'd think, like the Rays, that eventually those high draft picks would lead to some success at the major league level. I think Aviles will need to prove himself every season...as a player signed for only $1000, he has the body of a catcher and a very low OBP. Lots of people in KC got excited about Berroa (he beat Matsui for ROY) and nothing came of his career. In KC, there was a lot of hope in early 2003...and that was a mirage. Then they also had a team with Beltran, Dye, Sweeney and had to break it up and sell off the pieces. David Glass surprised a lot of people by signing Meche for the money that they did, and it did give them a measure of respectability around the league that they were willing to compete for some of the best FA talent. If you look at the Royals' record of first round draft picks since around 1990, it has been even worse than the White Sox. That's the main reason the franchise has been struggling for the last 15 years or so. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/alltime/draft?team=kan Just look at their list from around 1988. Joe Vitiello 1991 7th pick Jeff Granger 1993 5th pick Dan Reichert 1997 7th pick (he had a really nasty slider, but his build was so slight, he broke down) Jeff Austin 1998 4th pick Kyle Sndyer 1999 7th pick Mike Stodolka 2000 4th pick Colt Griffin 2001 9th pick (he was kind of one of those "The Rookie" legends, he hit 100 MPH on a tryout radar gun but never came close) Chris Lubanski 2003 5th pick That's not counting Hugh Walker, Jim Pittsley (very tall dude), Matt Smith, Juan Lebron, Dee Brown and Matt Burch...another list of first rounders who had no or minimal impact on the Royals. We missed big-time with Borchard, but he wasn't even a Top 10 pick)...he was #12 I think. Although with the money they gave him, he was the equivalent of Porcello last year with the Tigers.