We made foxsports.com in a bad way

[southsideirish71]

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2617738

 

Coming into the season, expectations were that baseball's weakest division, the AL Central, would be one of those nip-and-tuckers that isn't decided until the waning days of September. How things change. It's not even August yet, and the race in the Central is ready to come out of the oven.

 

I'm not referring entirely to the Minnesota Twins' recent sweep of the Chicago White Sox, which put the former, at this writing, 3 1/2 games up on the latter. That's certainly a critical turn of events, but we can put the lid on the division because the White Sox are simply ill-equipped to challenge the Twins the rest of the way.

 

The White Sox have definitely missed Magglio Ordonez's bat in the lineup. (Jonathan Daniel / GettyImages)

 

While Chicago's run differential is easily the best in the division and suggests the team is underperforming, the loss of its two best hitters, Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez, is a grave blow. The team was somewhat accustomed to the Ordonez quandary, having had him for only 52 games this season, but Thomas is simply irreplaceable. On-base percentage is the most important traditional offensive statistic, and Thomas' mark this season of .436 leads the AL. Slugging percentage is the second-most important traditional offensive statistic, and Thomas' SLG of .563 ranks seventh in the AL (tied with teammate Paul Konerko). Say what you will about Thomas' occasional attitudinal lapses, but he was a legitimate MVP candidate this season before he went down. Carl Everett has his merits, but he's not a suitable proxy for one of the best hitters in baseball.

 

Thomas' injury, more than anything else, has shanghaied the Sox's hopes of making the postseason. It's possible his broken foot will heal in time for him to see action in the final two weeks of the season, but by then it'll be too late. What's left is an offense that can still knock the ball around, but it's also one with serious OBP issues.

 

That's not all that's too blame. Skipper Ozzie Guillen may seem a rah-rah type who's obscenely popular on the South Side, but he's proving himself to be an incapable decision-maker in the dugout. Take, for instance, the critical get-away tilt against the Twins this past Wednesday. In the seventh inning of a one-run game, Jose Valentin gets hosed trying to steal third with zero outs. A scant few pitches later, Juan Uribe, who somehow failed to take second on the throw that got Valentin at third, is gunned down at second for the penultimate out of the inning. Why is Guillen flashing the steal sign in these situations? If they went of their own volition, why isn't Guillen flashing the "keep your ass on the bag" sign?

 

Then there's the decision to let Timo Perez hit against J.C. Romero. Yes, it "worked" in the sense that Perez was able to drag a bunt past Romero, but results-based evaluation of a manager's decision is a slippery slope indeed. The point is that Perez should bat against a left-hander about as often as Dom DeLuise should eat dessert.

 

To crystallize these tactical problems on a macro level, consider that the Sox trail only the Yankees and Red Sox in slugging in the AL. Now consider that the White Sox are second only to the Angels in the AL in sacrifice bunts. This is a team that, when it's on, can knock the snot out of the ball. Bunting like it's 1915 may curry favor with those who don't know better, but it's taking runs off the board over the long haul. To paraphrase Butterman's and the Bad News Bears' entreaty to the fans at the Astrodome, "Let them hit!"

 

 

Justin Morneau has shown he deserves to stay with the Twins, even with the return of Doug Mienkiewicz. (Jim Mone / AP)

 

That the Central is already decided also has a little something to do with the fact that the Twins are poised to play better baseball over the balance of the season. Team brass has finally and belatedly come around to the idea that Doug Mientkiewicz can't hold Justin Morneau's nether garments in terms of offensive production. The Twins now have a middle-of-the-order threat in Morneau, and he should be there for the next decade or so. Whether or not Minky heads for points East in a trade is immaterial; the Twins know that Morneau is far and away the more productive player, and going forward he'll be in the lineup regularly.

 

When catching prodigy Joe Mauer has been healthy this season, he's hit like a house afire. The problem, of course, has been that his knee (which raises grave concerns for the future) hasn't allowed him much playing time. But he's presently convalescing and should be ready to come off the DL in early August. He'll be a hulking upgrade over the banjo-hitting Henry Blanco.

 

Then, of course, the Twins appear to be poised to land deadline darling Kris Benson of the Pirates. While Benson's merits are dubious and generally overstated, he will provide improvement to the back of the Minnesota rotation. To boot, the Twins, if reports are to be believed, will get him at a nominal cost.

 

All in all, the Twins aren't a great team by any estimation, but, thanks to injuries and mismanagement on the Sox's side, they're easily the best team in the AL Central. The standings may look reasonably close at this juncture, but the Big Hurt-less Sox don't have a prayer.

 

Sorry South Siders, but it looks like your karmic energy can be better spent rooting for the demise of the Cubs.

 

Dayn Perry is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com and can be reached at his e-mail address: [email protected].

[dasox24]

This has already been posted. Can a mod merge the threads?