Dan Wright Article

[DBAHO]

From our friends at da Cubune,

 

MESA, Ariz. -- On Easter Sunday in New York, the White Sox will call on their fifth starter for the first time this season. Barring a meltdown in the next couple weeks, Dan Wright is likely to get the ball.

 

Wright took another step toward claiming the fifth starter spot Saturday against the Cubs with his third good outing.

 

Wright pitched into the fifth inning—the longest stint yet for a Sox starter—and allowed two runs on four hits, including a Sammy Sosa home run in the first.

 

"I was able to throw all my pitches and I had pretty good command," Wright said. "We made some nice plays on some hard hit balls."

 

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is cautious about naming either Wright or Jason Grilli as his fifth starter. Those two seem to have separated themselves from Neal Cotts and Jon Rauch.

 

"I can't make a crazy move and then a couple weeks later he doesn't throw the ball the way we want and have to change my mind," Guillen said.

 

Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said a big difference for Wright so far this season is his health. Wright injured his elbow late in spring training last season and then had knee problems later in the season. Now the arm is fine and, except for icing his surgically repaired right knee, he's healthy.

 

"I think I cleaned up my mechanics a little bit," Wright said. "That's helping me stay around the plate more. When I get in trouble it's because I'm behind hitters or walking hitters."

 

He walked one Saturday and has given up three walks in 92/3 innings. The two earned runs lifted his ERA to 2.79.

 

"He's having a nice spring," Cooper said of Wright. "We needed more strikes and more stuff and he's not disappointing right now."

 

Cooper credited the competition for the fifth spot for lifting up everyone's game. Although he was saddled with the 4-3 loss Saturday, Cotts gave up only one run on one hit in three innings with three strikeouts.

 

Grilli has given up three runs in seven innings in two outings. His next outing will be Monday against Colorado.

 

The Sox will have a day off Thursday and Guillen said he might have a decision by then. He wants to let whoever wins the job have a couple weeks to get ready.

 

Wright and Cotts will work in intrasquad games Thursday against Sox minor leaguers.

 

"We're going to continue to run everybody out there to get them more work," Cooper said.

 

The decision will be Guillen's first major one as manager.

 

"I don't want to talk to Ozzie too much about it, I want him to see for himself," Cooper said. "I don't want him to be swayed by my thoughts."