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Ozzie Unconcerned


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PHOENIX -- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Monday morning he wasn't worried about relief pitcher Shingo Takatsu. After Takatsu gave up a run and three hits facing four batters in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, Guillen said he's still not concerned.

 

"He threw the ball a lot better than he has in the past," Guillen said.

 

General manager Ken Williams said he expected Takatsu to be this season's version of Tom Gordon. Right now, though, Takatsu is shaping up as a specialist to face right-handed hitters. That's a situation Guillen doesn't want. "Then I have [Kelly] Wunsch and him as specialists—lefty and righty," Guillen said. "That means I have to use two pitchers in one inning for no reason." Takatsu has given up 12 hits in 28 official at-bats (.428) and has an ERA of 10.80. …

 

Different sorts of pain

 

Center fielder Aaron Rowand still has to ice both wrists after spraining them a week ago, but he said the pain is subsiding and is not affecting him much at the plate. Rowand was 0-for-3 Monday but is hitting .419. ... Guillen's uniform was stolen when his rental car was broken into Sunday night in Peoria, Ariz. Thieves smashed the back window of the car at the hotel he stayed at after the game against the Mariners. ...

 

Success starts at top

 

The Sox are counting on Willie Harris or Juan Uribe to improve the leadoff spot. Sox leadoff hitters had a .333 on-base percentage last season, which was the American League average but just sixth among the nine spots in the Sox's lineup. "The leadoff spot is a big key to everything," Guillen said. "The team I came from had the best first- and second-place hitters in the game [Florida's Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo.]" Harris was 0-for-4 Monday, dropping his spring on-base percentage to .333. Uribe's on-base percentage is just .243 in 12 games. ...

 

Closer Billy Koch gave up his first runs of the spring Monday. He surrendered three runs and three hits in one inning. He had been perfect in six innings, allowing four hits. ... Guillen said beginning sometime this week, he'll start managing as if it were the regular season. "The bullpen will be here every day," he said. "No later than Friday we'll have everybody in and play the way we're going to play in the season." The opener is less than two weeks away. "It's easier once the season starts because I can do my matchups," he said. "Here I have to get guys innings to pitch, and most of the time we don't have the entire lineup."

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This is Takatsu's 1st spring facing MLB hitters, so to think he was gonna come in and adjust to these hitters right away is probably unfair to him. He got hit hard in ST, and may take some lumps during the season, but once he gets adjusted to them, I think we'll all be happy with the results.

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The Sox picture Shingo as this year's Tom Gordon.  Yet, I seem to fear that he'll be this year's Rick White.

That would easily be the worst case scenario. He was neva goin to set the world on fire straight away, so I'm willin to giv Mr. Zero at least 2 to 3 months to settle in the regular season.

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The Sox picture Shingo as this year's Tom Gordon.  Yet, I seem to fear that he'll be this year's Rick White.

I am beginning to wonder also. Shingo has really looked sharp to the right handed hitter. In yesterday's game and one other I remember this ST the batter stabds there taking a called third and being totally confused by the pitch and its movement. However, against lefties it's a different thing. Hopefully it will work out becasue I think two situational arms (Wunsch for lefties and Shingo for the righties) is totally absurd.

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Guillen's uniform was stolen when his rental car was broken into Sunday night in Peoria, Ariz. Thieves smashed the back window of the car at the hotel he stayed at after the game against the Mariners. ...

:o :headshake :ph34r:

That's just horrible. :fyou Thieves

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This is Takatsu's 1st spring facing MLB hitters, so to think he was gonna come in and adjust to these hitters right away is probably unfair to him.  He got hit hard in ST, and may take some lumps during the season, but once he gets adjusted to them, I think we'll all be happy with the results.

I thought the pitchers had the edge the first time around :unsure:

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