VAfan

QUOTE(Chisoxmatt @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 03:23 AM) This is a terrible thread.. TERRIBLE. We havent made the playoffs yet. We havent clinched the division... C'mon, don't you get the point either? Look at our club. If we make the postseason, what do we need to get to and win the World Series? It should be obvious. A reliable 4th starter ought to be priority #1. The best one we can get (depending on the price). This would be my current priority list: 1. Jason Schmidt (in part b/c I'd like to swap SS too). 2. AJ Burnett (if Miami will take Contreras as part of deal). 3. Jamie Moyer 4. Roger Clemens (would be #1, but it's not going to happen).

If the Marlins would take Contreras as part of the deal for Burnett, then I'm all for making the move, because, whatever shortcomings Burnett has as a pitcher (good for 6 innings, only pitched 200 innings once, etc.), they are less than Contreras's shortcomings, and he would have a very significant edge over any likely pitching opponent in the playoffs. Then, if we can't sign Burnett in the offseason, we'll at least have the $8 million we would have paid Jose to use to sign a 4th starter. But if the deal is to surrender 3 top prospects to rent Burnett for 3 months, then I think the price could be too high depending on the names of the prospects.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:43 PM) I think some of you really need to read this.... IT'S NOT 2003. Schmidt is one of the worst pitchers in the NL in a pitchers park this year. HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU EXPECT HIM TO COME TO THE CELL AND DO BETTER. I realize his name is all shiny and stuff BUT HE'S NO LONGER AN ACE. EVEN IF WE GOT HIM (WHICH WOULD BE IN NO WAY WORTH ANYTHING OF QUALITY) HE WOULDN'T EVEN MAKE THE PLAY OFF ROSTER BECAUSE HE'S JUST NOT THAT GOOD! Ok...Rant over.... Hey, in case you missed it, Schmidt had a pretty good year last year too. 18-7, 225 innings, 165 hits, 3.2 ERA. Then he started the year with a 2-1 record and 3.41 ERA in April. In May he went on the DL after his second start and hasn't fully returned to form since that stint, though he did post back-to-back 8 inning outings where he surrended no runs. Give me that over "Jose the head case" or "bad shoulder El Duque" every time.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:35 PM) Assuming SI.com's numbers are right...the mighty Paul Byrd is 11 and 10 Career in the postseason, with an ERA of 5.20. link To straighten out the record, what I said is: 1. El Duque can't be counted on to be healthy in October, 2. He hasn't pitched well in the postseason for some time, and since he last pitched well he has developed recurring shoulder problems, 3. That Contreras may pitch great, but he may also walk 7 batters and throw 3 wild pitches, that he's been eaten alive by Boston and LA, our two most likely postseason opponents, and his postseason record is 0-2 with a higher ERA than Paul Byrd's 5.20. (Heck, if I were an Angels fan, I'd be pushing to improve the starting pitching too.)

QUOTE(GreatScott82 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 09:34 PM) 4. Griffey Jr. (For Rowand? Thats the dumbest trade rumor I have heard in the history of life) Nobody wants Mr. Potato Chip Cracky Bones on our team. Quit living in the past people. That is hilarious. I confess to floating Mr. Potato Chip Cracky Bones at one point, but it wasn't to replace Rowand, it was to consider replacing Dye when he was below the Mendoza line and Everett hadn't shown he could play the field. Needless to say I'm not suggesting that any more.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 08:53 PM) Vizquel certainly is hitting well vs RHP, a Sox weakness. In 210 AB's, he's hitting .329/.390/.410. Exactly. And Ozuna is hitting about the same against lefties. They would make a perfect pairing at SS, and Ozuna could still spell Crede at 3B.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 08:01 PM) Why would you want to be stuck with 2 more years on Omar's contract? Vizquel is showing no signs of slowing down. And paired with Ozuna, who could start against most lefties, it would easily stretch out Vizquel's value for the 3 years on his deal. This is a logical move if the Giants will take Contreras and Uribe as cornerstone pieces to the deal, and don't demand BMac (or Jenks).

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:14 PM) As you said, those starts from Schmidt were a long time ago. Considering how much it would supposedly cost to get him here, we'd be better off with what we have. Plus, the Giants have said a few times that Schmidt won't be traded. I'm not buying SF's and the Sox' denials about Jason. This deal still makes the most sense for both teams, including the swap of shortstops. (And isn't it just the kind of deal KW would pull? After all, hasn't he added a middle infielder and starter at the trade deadline just about every year?)

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 09:29 PM) I highly disagree. Loaiza is pitching in a pitcher's ballpark in the NL. Give him 1 more run that would be scored on him in the AL and he has a worse ERA than Contreras. Minus the last 3 of the last 4 starts, Contreras has a way better ERA than Loaiza. Since Loiaza's not available, it's a side point not worth quibbling over. But you don't see Loiaza walking 7 guys in one game with 3 wild pitches to boot.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 09:38 PM) I strongly disagree with your statement that Contreras/El Duque do not match up well with other teams 4th starters. 1. Contreras will give you good starts probably about 60% of the time, if not more. Against another team's 4th starter...it is insanity to expect better. 4th starter games come down to how well each person pitches that day and how your offense responds. 2. Let's take a quick look at this quote. Why exactly do you think that you can give David Wells another level in the playoffs, but you cannot give another level to the guy on our staff with 33 career postseason starts and a 16-9 record...El Duque? I think El Duque will be our 4th starter when playoff time comes personally...if he's healthy. If he is...I'll take his experience in big games over just about anyone. Let me be very clear on this...THE ONLY REASON WE NEED ANOTHER STARTING PITCHER IS THAT EL DUQUE SIMPLY CANNOT FINISH THE SEASON. If that is the case, we need another starter. If he can...he is as good as we will find, as is Contreras. El Duque's days of postseason dominance are history. In 2004, he started 1 game against Boston, pitched 5 innings, gave up 3 runs and 5 walks for a 5.40 ERA. In 2002, he only pitched out of the bullpen, but was credited with a loss in his 2 games. In 2001, he was 1-1, beating Oakland in the ALDS, but getting rocked by Seattle in the ALCS. He pitched well against Arizona in the WS but got no decision. Most of this was before he developed arm problems. Contreras's 2 postseason series ended with his ERA at 5.79 and 5.68 and his record 0-2. He walked 7 guys in 11 innings. All games were in relief. This is Jason Schmidt's postseason line from 2002-03. (Granted he's been hurt since too.) 4 Postseason Ser 2-2 5 5 3.06 3-1 0 1 1 32.3 26 11 9 32 I'd rather take my chances with Schmidt.

I agree with most of this (though I'd happily have Loiaza back for Contreras). As I've said repeatedly, I think some version of Contreras-Uribe for Schmidt-Vizquel is still the best move the Sox could make at the trade deadline. ****************** Time and room for Sox to see more of that Ken-do attitude Thursday, July 7, 2005 For all its offense, Boston may not have an ace or a closer, what with Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke in limbo. The New York Yankees have turned soft — since when does owner George Steinbrenner congratulate his third-place team after a birthday victory? The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have three more words in their name than quality starters. Does Minnesota still have a team? If ever there were a time for White Sox general manager Ken Williams to put the pedal to the metal and acquire the one or two pieces it takes to complete the championship puzzle, then the 24 days that remain before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline are it. Because the South Side may never have a better chance to witness a World Series for the first time in 46 years than the present. "What may be able to change minds in this city is for us to win it all," said Williams, who knows blood when he smells it. "That's what I care about. I've been in this city for 20 years, so I know what it's all about. For our fans and for us, the big picture is what we look at." As Chet Coppock reported on Sporting News Radio last Sunday, a Sox investor indicated the team was on the verge of a deal with San Francisco that would send pitcher Jason Schmidt to the South Side, a report another team executive would not deny. If healthy — and that's a big if — Schmidt would join Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia in the deepest rotation in the big leagues. "I want a top-of-line starter," K-Will said. "You know me better than to want anything less than that." Indications are that Schmidt or any other newly acquired fourth starter would also pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason. (Remember what starter-turned-reliever Josh Beckett did for Florida against the Cubs in Game 7 of the NLCS two years ago? Then in the World Series, Beckett started Game 6 and threw a two-hit shutout against the Yankees as the Marlins clinched the title.) The deal could be expanded to include shortstop Omar Vizquel, who, like Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, is a Venezuela native. Vizquel wasn't yet available, according to a team source, but that could change if and when the fourth-place Giants decide to call it a season before the end of the month. "I prefer to fly stealth," was all Williams would say Wednesday about the trade speculation. The Sox had Vizquel at the top of their wish list last winter, only to have the Giants step in with a better offer. Shortstop Juan Uribe has been a disappointment thus far, while Omar the Playmaker remains as consistent as ever at 38. Indeed, Sox Nation should have complete faith in whatever Williams does in the next three weeks, because the guy has turned chopped steak into filet mignon for two years now. Start with free-agent pitcher Shingo Takatsu, who was signed for a mere $1 million. All he did was save 19 games. After a couple of down months this season, Takatsu appears to have his frisbee back in order again. Garcia was acquired in return for catcher Miguel Olivo and outfielder Jeremy Reed, a pair of prospects. Reed turned out to be a keeper, but Garcia would be the staff ace on almost any other team except this one. Esteban Loaiza for Jose Contreras? Call it no worse than a wash. Last offseason it was more of the same. Free agent A.J. Pierzynski was signed for $2.25 million. What? Two million bucks? For a catcher who is on pace to hit 20-plus homers and calls one of the best games around? Free agent Tadahito Iguchi arrived as a virtual unknown. Now Iguchi rates one of the best second baseman in the AL, a $2.3 million bargain. Yet another free-agent steal, pitcher Dustin Hermanson, has converted 21 of 22 save opportunities at last check. Not bad for $2 million, huh? Then there's outfielder Jermaine Dye, whose $4 million salary is one-third that of Magglio Ordonez, the guy he replaced. The critics who screamed that Ordonez should be re-signed at all costs have been very quiet lately. The only significant move that can be even remotely questioned is the one that sent slugger Carlos Lee to Milwaukee in return for outfielder Scott Podsednik and pitcher Luis Vizcaino. Yet, as dominant as Lee has been for the Brewers, Podsednik has been hell on wheels, a symbol of the speed-and-defense makeover that took place last winter. Where would the Sox be without Sco-Po to wreak havoc at the top of the order? That K-Will has pulled this off on a $75 million payroll tells me he's misplaced as a baseball general manager. The guy should be in charge of the national budget. Yet for all his success, Williams finds himself in a prickly situation at the moment. His team has a fairly comfortable 10½-game lead in the AL Central, not to mention the best record in the bigs. But while Williams keeps one eye on the next pitch, he has to focus the other on the postseason. Problem is, as much as Williams wants to tweak the roster, he has to be careful not to disrupt team chemistry, which ranks on the short list of reasons for team success this season. For instance, the Sox could make a pitch for Cincinnati center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., who at last check was on a pace for 30 home runs and 100-plus RBI and appears to be over his injury problems. Griffey is a left-handed swinger and has loads of postseason experience, both of which the Sox lack. But if you acquire Griffey, what do you tell Aaron Rowand, a guy who has run through the wall for you the last three seasons? Well, it's like this, Aaron: We really do appreciate all you've done for us, but we have a chance to acquire a future Hall of Famer who can make us better. So why don't you grab some bench for a while? "We have to be careful here, but nothing will change the fact that we've set our sights on the playoffs," K-Will said. "If we're fortunate enough to get there, then we'll focus on even greater things." It's time for Ken Williams to work some more of his magic.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 06:30 PM) He had a stretch of 4 starts where he pitched poorly in 3 of them. Besides that, he's been good. Once again, nobody uses a 5 man rotation in the post-season. Contreras would be in the pen. And you do know El Duque's career playoff record is like 9-3? Jose has had 2 pretty good starts against the Angels this year. He's given up just 5 earned runs in 13 innings. And yeah, the Red Sox have owned him. But like I said, he'd be in the pen come playoff time anyway. El Duque compiled his postseason dominance a long time ago before injuries and age made him an unreliable choice in a game 4 start. We don't know if he can even make it to August, much less be healthy in October. Which brings us back to "wild man" Contreras. Could he give us a good postseason start? Yes, it is possible. Would he? Not even his hairdresser knows. Do you want to risk it if there is still time to trade for a less risky alternative?

You all seem to miss the point. Let me make it easier. To win a series against Boston or the Angels, our chances will improve greatly if our 4th starter has a significant edge against their 4th starter, rather than a disadvantage, which is where we stand now with Contreras/El Duque as our two options. Or, to put it another way, as much as I love Buehrle/Garcia/Garland, I'm not as confident as I would like to be that we can beat Boston or the Angels if we lose the 4th game in each series. Or, to put it even another way, the Sox do not have a Schilling/Johnson type duo who can win the playoffs and World Series by themselves. We need 4 quality postseason starters to maximize our chances of winning it all.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 08:51 PM) Let me just chime in to point 1 thing out... I believe someone just advised us to make A.J. Burnett the highest paid player on our roster by giving him the $10 million+ that it'll take to sign him as a free agent. Just think about this...you're talking about making a person with a 42-43 career record our highest paid player. You can tell me wins and losses don't matter all you like...but the guy has been on some pretty good teams in Florida, and the best mark he has ever posted is 12-9. He's also 0-2 in the postseason. Giving huge contracts to pitchers with poor career records? How has that worked out for Steinbrenner? I think people just get wowed with his "stuff", which of course is why KW traded for Jose Contreras last year when we'd likely be better off with Esteban Loiaza as our 4th starter. After reading all of these posts, I'm not sold on Burnett. 1) He likely won't sign, 2) if he does, he'll cost more than he's worth, thereby undermining team chemistry, 3) Florida will want too many high prospects, and 4) won't take Contreras in the deal, thereby leaving us with 6 starters eating up way too much of the payroll, and 5) he's shown no history of being healthy and pitching a lot of innings. In other words, the return on investment may actually be negative depending on what Florida will demand in return.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 06:59 PM) 124 in 6 innings? Yikes. Well, that's the thing with strike out pitchers, I guess. They throw a lot of pitches. If you look at Burnett's game logs for this year, he is basically a 6 inning pitcher (by then he's usually above 100 pitches), and in all but one game he gave up at least 2 runs. I would love to have him in our postseason rotation, but I would go back to what I said a week ago in the omnibus trade thread. To lock up another starter for next year, the Sox have to unload Jose Contreras and his $8 million contract or it will screw up our salary structure. If Florida might take him because he's signed for next year while Burnett is not, then we ought to be able to make the deal with fewer prospects, and can press Burnett's agent about whether he'll sign for 3 more years. If Florida won't take Contreras, then I remain on the fence about this deal because I don't know what the real price would be, and I remain skeptical that Burnett will re-sign with us.

The reason I rated some of these matchups as even is that I have factored in road v. home and the potential disparity in offense between us and Boston/Angels. For example, Buehrle may pitch great and mow down the Red Sox, but he's never proven it in the postseason and he has in the past had trouble where he loses it for a single inning yet it costs him the game. One example is this year when he lost to Santana on a Sunday night game. Crede made an error and the next thing you know Torii Hunter is hitting a 3-run homer for a 4-2 MN lead. That was the ballgame. By comparison, Schilling has been a key pitcher in two WS victories on two different teams. You have to assume at this point that he will be able to go in game 1 of the ALDS. Garcia also may have the edge, but a good hitting team can get to him, while the Sox are not guaranteed to get to Clement or Washburn (though I think we'd have a better shot against Washburn). In 1 game, we'd likely have the edge, but it isn't that great. As for Wells, the man may stink during the year, but he has another groove in the postseason, while Garland would be pitching on the road where he is not best. Ozzie could possibly flip Garcia and Garland so Garland would start at the Cell, but this would be putting an inexperienced starter ahead of our starter with the most experience. Again, this is why I rate them as even. I rate Lackey as weaker and Anaheim as an easier lineup to face, which is why I give Garland the edge against the Angels. And for those of you who dismiss this as insignificant, the whole point is to see that Contreras/El Duque are no option at all at #4. You have to go a long way back to find a start where El Duque gave up 3 or fewer runs in a postseason start, and right now we can't count on him to finish August, much less be healthy in October. Contreras? Do you want to bet the season on him down 2-1 in the ALDS?

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 07:10 PM) I agree. I am trying not to get too high. You want to start thinking about how deep we can go into the playoffs, but in the first series, we could have a couple of bad games and BOOM ... we're out. I hate to admit it, I am scared if we get to the playoffs of a slump like Thomas/Konerko/Ordonez had in 2000. Don't worry about the offense. It will be pitching that will determine our postseason fate. To that end, I keep posting that we need a 4th starter other than Contreras or El Duque to push us to the promised land. In 1983, we had the pitching (our ace-in-the-hole 4th starter Britt Burns), but then Vance Law broke for the plate after the Dybber rounded second with his head down on Julio Cruz's sharp single to left to rob us of our best scoring chance. (A wild pitch would have scored Law if he'd stayed put.) (I only caught the game on radio but can remember it like it was yesterday.) This year, I think ya gotta believe this team can go all the way, especially if we match the 1917 Sox as the only other squad to pass 100 wins.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 05:44 PM) The Southtown has no love for Uribe & I'm not sure if I have that much either. Though I would give Juan til the deadline to prove to us why we shouldn't make this trade. It doesn't say anything about Uribe being part of the deal but I didn't real were SF has any other option at SS that would be better than Juan. Money wise they are saving several million. Assists, DP, F%, ZR all factor in comparing middle IFers. Uribe 192A 39DP .974F% .840ZR Omar 213A 40DP .991F% .871ZR If Uribe was a better D player I could see the love. But he's not. Omar is getting to more balls, making less errors, & executing as many DP's. Uribe has a gun but I think Omar does as well. Offensively Omar would become the best hitter for average on the White Sox. Omar 43R, 90H, 20DB, 3TP, 1HR, 30RBI, 26FP, 14SB, .303A, .357O, .401S, 3.86#P/PA, 1.23GB/FB Uribe 25R, 57H, 12DB, 1TP, 6HR, 37RBI, 13FP, 2SB, .249A, .280O, .389S, 3.39#P/PA, 0.86GB/FB Of all the talk being batted about our Chicago White Sox this one makes the most sense. Pods, Omar, Iguchi, Thomas, Koney, Dye, Rowand, AJ, Crede Tad's comment recently implied he thinks he's a #3 hitter. Most of his life he hit #3/#4 in Japan. He referred to #2 as a bunter's role in Japan & here it's RF hitter. Tad's numbers suggest he may be right: 40R, 76H, 14D, 3T, 5HR, 33RBI, 25FP, 60K, 9SB, .280A, .337O, .410S RON .314A .346O .488S .834OPS The only serious fault there is the 60K. But being slotted between Vizquel & Thomas should improve that. The same can be said of his 22 extra base hits. He should see more fastballs with Pods &/or Omar on base. Omar at #2 will improve the pitch selection to Pods as well. If you are concerned over the roughly $9M/2yr left on his contract the White Sox do have insurance at both the major & minor leagues. Ozuna has proven to be a strong armed backup & Angel Gonzalez on the Barons. Gonzalez has been on the fast track & continues to hit at every level. His 21E though are suspect. In the earlier omnibus trade post I made an impassioned pitch for a deal the core of which was Contreras-Uribe for Schmidt-Vizquel. To that I was willing to add from our side 1) Brian Anderson, 2) one of Gload/Munoz/Diaz/Borchard, and 3) one of Takatsu/Vizcaino/Bajenaru. Now I think that it would be a bit too much given the continued questions about Schmidt's velocity, but it is still roughly the right kind of deal that could benefit both teams and not cost the Sox any impact players for this year or next. We get the 4th playoff starter we crave, and a lefty bat who is perfectly suited to hit at the bottom of the lineup and play Ozzie-ball. (Vizquel also makes the perfect pairing with Ozuna, who would get another 25 starts a year against lefties.) The Giants get major-league ready replacements to compete when BB returns. Plus they save a few million.

This article on ESPN is correct in its assessment of the Sox. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2101737 "It would seem that the White Sox don't have much fine-tuning to do, given the size of their lead. But GM Kenny Williams is looking ahead to October and knows he would be better off with another experienced starter. Roger Clemens heads his wish list, though that trade won't happen. Beyond that, the Sox will take what they can find, given questions they have about Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras."

As it stands now, we would face Boston in a best-of-5 ALDS, and then likely the Angels in a best of 7 ALCS. What would the starting pitching matchups be for those series? (For Boston, I'm going to assume they trade for a closer and move Schilling to #1 by season's end because a closer is worthless if your starter gets shelled.) You can't predict series ending early, so let's just compare the top 4 starters from each team: ALDS: Buerhle v. Schilling (even) Garcia v. Clement (even) Garland v. Wells (even) Contreras/El Duque v. Wakefield (adv. Boston) ALCS: Buerhle v. Colon (even) Garcia v. Washburn (even) Garland v. Lackey (adv. ChiSox) Contreras/El Duque v. Byrd (adv. Angels) Now in both of these scenarios, the biggest thing driving my belief that the Sox need to trade for a starter is the 4th game matchups. There is no way the Sox should pitch anyone on short rest, so you need a 4th starter in each series unless you are lucky enough to get a sweep. I think Buehrle, Garcia and Garland may get it done, but given our relative lack of postseason experience and the fact we are facing stronger hitting clubs, we need every edge we can get. Go out and get a better 4th playoff starter Kenny. Please.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 06:20 PM) If this move goes down I'd do it, assuming Kenny is confident he could pull a Wagner or Guardado from his sleeve. Trade for Burnett and Guardado? Who wouldn't be giddy about that until you realize both may be gone next year, along with all the prospects that would be required to secure them.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 04:12 PM) It was just one month ago today that Jose was sitting on a 3.13 era. He went into a funk. But how surprised can you really be? For the most part, Jose has been good. He was cheated of atleast 3 wins earlier in the seaosn when he was pitching lights out. If his era were to remain around 4 or even lower, could anybody really complain? The guy is our 4th if not 5th best starter. As far as the playoffs go? What team uses a 5 man rotation in the playoffs? Jose would undoubtedly be moved to the pen. Leaving us with Buehrle, Garica, Garland, and Hernandez as our playoff rotation. You say Buehrle/Garland/Garica have no playoff experience? And? What should we do, trade for 3 or 4 guys that do? It doesn't work that way. There's not a whole lot of quality starting pitching on the market. We're one of the few teams in baseball that can say we sport 5 legitimate starters. We don't need to trade away the farm when we already have a solid 5 man rotation. I think Contreras earlier in the season was pitching about as well as he can. And if you look at his numbers over his short MLB career, he has now fallen into form by following a good month with a bad one. Basically he's a pitcher with good stuff who can't harness it consistently. He's not a guy I would be confident in trotting out in a game 4 of the ALDS or ALCS. I also think he would be worthless in the bullpen in the postseason. So if we haven't traded him, I would just leave him off the postseason roster. But I also think it is critical to our postseason success that we have a 4th starter that will have a big edge over anyone our opponents will trot out for that game. Because even if Buerhle/Garcia/Garland go 2-1, winning that 4th game can make all the difference. Contreras doesn't give us that edge, nor does El Duque. We need someone better than the Angels' Paul Byrd and the BoSox' Tim Wakefield to put up some names of who we might face. Do you think Contreras is better than both of them in a big game in their home ballparks knowing that both the Angels and BoSox have murdered him in the past? The Sox can't just hope Contreras gets magically better by then. They need to make a plan now for beating those teams and those pitchers if we want to make it to the World Series.

Nice post. Getting Pods elected over Jeter was a real eye opener, and a great day to be a Sox fan. I think it also helped unify this team even more and made them feel great that they have people behind them. Here in DC, you can chalk up a huge portion of the Expos rise as the Nats to the team having a home and the backing of new fans. It really helps athletes play better. I hope it propels the Sox to even greater heights in the second half, where the only improvement we could make is to start taking it to the better teams the way we have pounded the weaker teams. GO SOX!

Wow, one major league inning and it's the second coming of Goose Gossage. I like it. One of the things teams get at the trade deadline is some new blood. It livens up even the best of teams. But that new blood doesn't have to come via trade if there is a secret weapon getting prepped in the minors. It sounds like Bobby Jenks could move the Sox bullpen from deep to unhittable.

Wow, not a single negative comment - nor even a lingering doubt - among anyone who has posted so far. I don't want to rain on the parade, but my sense is: 1. Contreras is a servicable 4th or 5th starter because he's healthy and seems to pitch well enough to win about half of the time. He can even occasionally pitch a great game. 2. He's completely unreliable, however, especially against good teams, so he's essentially worthless in the postseason. (Over the last three years he's 0-1 v. LAA (21.00 ERA) and 1-4 v. Bos (13.50 ERA).) I wouldn't even have him on the roster if we still have him. I guess I also remain concerned that our top 3 pitchers may not be able to win a series against Boston or the Angels by themselves. Buehrle and Garland have essentially zero experience in the postseason (Buehrle pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief), and Garcia is a very good pitcher but can be beaten by good hitting teams. So I hope KW is still looking for that 4th, reliable, guy who will win for us in the ALDS, ALCS, and WS. Contreras is not it. And if we had a separate post about El Duque, I don't think he's it either.