And That's a White Sox Winner!

[ptatc]

That's so Jerry Manual-ish.  Never be satisfied with 2/3 when you can get the sweep!  Tonight was a sweet win for one main reason: the Count showed some resiliency out there.  When he gave up run #3 in the 2nd, I thought it was going to be a rough outing, but then he did a great job shutting them down until the homer in the 7th.  It was really a great effort by the Count, even if it doesn't show up as a win, helping his ERA or Ks or win contribution.

 

Red 3 I believe

[Wedge]

Red 3 I believe

 

Red 3?

[Jabroni]

That's so Jerry Manual-ish.  Never be satisfied with 2/3 when you can get the sweep!  Tonight was a sweet win for one main reason: the Count showed some resiliency out there.  When he gave up run #3 in the 2nd, I thought it was going to be a rough outing, but then he did a great job shutting them down until the homer in the 7th.  It was really a great effort by the Count, even if it doesn't show up as a win, helping his ERA or Ks or win contribution.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. Yeah, we won the series but a win is a win. A win over a division rival is even more important.

 

By the way, 6-2 is the best White Sox start since 1991.

Edited April 14, 2005 by Jabroni

[TheBigHurt35]

That's so Jerry Manual-ish.  Never be satisfied with 2/3 when you can get the sweep!

 

LOL! Nice...

 

If these were the playoffs or if the season ended this month, I'd completely agree with you. But I'd rather Ozzie not make El Duque throw 130 pitches or over-work the 'pen tomorrow just to get the sweep. It's only the beginning of a very long season and sprinting early on in a marathon can be counter-productive.

 

But if we can get the sweep while avoiding the aforementioned, then full speed ahead!

[YASNY]

Man,  I absolutely love our bullpen.  For the last two years i've had no faith in anybody outside of Marte,  Shingo,  And Gordon in 2003.  Now we've got 4 if not 5 guys that we know can come in and do the job.  It's a great feeling.

 

A Kochless bullpen is nice to have.

[Jordan4life_2007]

A Kochless bullpen is nice to have.

 

lol. No argument there.

[YASNY]

It was mentioned that leaving Contreras in for the 7th inning was a bad move by Ozzie. I disagree as Contreras had settled down and pretty much had it on cruise control at that point. Also, in the game thread, someone made the unfathomable criticism about Contreras piping in a 3-2 fastball, which was the pitch that was launched. If I'm pitching in that situation, that is exactly what I want to do. I damn sure don't want to nibble and walk someone. Walks kill, period. I figure with wind blowing in and 7 fielders behind me, I'll take my chances and make the guy hit to get on. In this case, it didn't work out. 95% of the time, that pitch stays in the yard. I hope Contreras keeps that same mindset throughout the course of the year. Don't give in. Challenge 'em.

[Leonard Zelig]

I listened to the game on XM and heard the Cleveland announcers. It sounded like AJ was having a tought time in the first few innings. Anybody who saw the game have any insight?

[Jabroni]

I listened to the game on XM and heard the Cleveland announcers.  It sounded like AJ was having a tought time in the first few innings.  Anybody who saw the game have any insight?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A.J. allowed a passed ball that resulted in a run for the Indians. He also failed to handle a perfect relay throw from Ozuna in LF which allowed another run to score. But later, A.J. threw a guy out at 2nd base, hit a double, and scored the winning run of the game.

[Jabroni]

A.J. brought some attitude for our division rival last night. After Pierzynski threw out Coco Crisp at 2nd base in yesterday's game, he turned and gave a look to the Indians' dugout. The commentator inferred that A.J. mouthed to the Indians' dugout, "YES! Alright, keep sending 'em!" He was obviously mad that the Indians kept running on him. You can watch the clip at WhiteSox.com. The clip is labeled "Pierzynski catches Crisp:".

 

I love it!

Edited April 14, 2005 by Jabroni

[YASNY]

A.J. brought some attitude for our division rival last night.  After Pierzynski threw out Coco Crisp at 2nd base in yesterday's game, he turned and gave a look to the Indians' dugout.  The commentator inferred that A.J. mouthed to the Indians' dugout, "YES!  Alright, keep sending 'em!"  He was obviously mad that the Indians kept running on him.  You can watch the clip at WhiteSox.com.  The clip is labeled "Pierzynski catches Crisp:".

 

I love it!

 

AJ's attitude was the biggest reason I was in favor of signing him. I love a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder. It also seems to give the whole team an attitude. It's something that builds over time and gets more pronounced. The chip on the shoulder can turn into a swagger, a mindest that sends the message to the other team that they are going get beat.

[gettysburg32]

from MLB.com

 

White Sox keep finding right answers

Guillen pushes right buttons again in comeback win

 

CLEVELAND -- Ozzie Guillen has been insisting most people are underestimating his team, but if this keeps up, the Chicago White Sox aren't going to continue to fly under the radar much longer.

The surprising White Sox continued their hot start with an impressive come-from-behind victory over Cleveland on Wednesday night at Jacobs Field. The 6-2 White Sox -- tied with Toronto for the best record in baseball pending the outcome of the Blue Jays' late game at Oakland -- are off to their best start since 1991.

 

Though their only losses came against Minnesota's Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and an extra-inning loss to Cleveland last week, this one might have been the White Sox's most impressive win yet.

 

They fell behind 3-0 in the fourth and didn't have a baserunner in the first three innings, yet whittled away at the Cleveland lead and eventually won 5-4 in 10 innings.

 

"I'm pretty impressed," Guillen said. "We're down 3-0 with this wind and this weather ..."

 

With a gametime temperature of 49 degrees and a wind chill in the 30s, it was hardly a night for baseball, let alone road comebacks. The wind was blowing in from right field, making extra base hits as dear as a cup of hot chocolate on this frigid night.

 

Guillen was right, this was impressive, even for April.

 

Guillen also deserves some of the credit for pushing all the right buttons. He went with Dustin Hermanson, rather than closer Shingko Takatsu, in the 10th inning because of a "gut feeling," and Hermanson retired the Indians on one hit for his first career American League save.

 

Guillen stayed with starter Jose Contreras, even after the veteran right-hander struggled early and had given up three runs and thrown 47 pitches during the first two innings. Contreras justified that decision by holding the Indians to a run on three hits and 57 pitches duing the final 4 2/3 innings he worked.

 

Along the way, the White Sox played better defense than the Indians, continually took the extra base and capitalized on their scoring opportunities, stranding only two runners and just one in scoring position.

 

Once again, Chicago did it all without the long ball. Of the nine hits the White Sox collected, six were singles and three were doubles.

 

"The last 10 years the game has had all of those home runs, with guys hit 70 or 66 or whatever and all of a sudden that's what everybody wanted," Guillen said. "Just pitch good and you'll have a chance to win."

 

The Sox, so far at least, appear to have made a seamless transition from power to pitching, and it starts with their starters. The rotation is 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA and six quality starts in eight games.

 

The team is playing the kind of baseball Guillen envisioned when White Sox general manager Ken Williams overhauled the roster over the winter.

 

"They're playing very well," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "They've done a very good job of keeping our offense in check."

 

The fast start could build momentum for a Chicago team which will play American League Central Division opponents in 22 of its first 28 games. Picked by many to be a division dark horse, for now, these White Sox are the pace setters.

 

 

Jim Molony is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[Steff]

Why on the Comcast White Sox post game show is there a photo of the Wrigley Field marquee right behind the host? C'mon Comcast, put a couple of hundred dollars together and switch that to USCF, at least for the White Sox shows.

 

 

There's one behind each host. Behind Bill is the US Cell one.

[LosMediasBlancas]

How did Cleve. get their 4th run last night? Must have been a homer, off of who?

[tonyho7476]

HR Off Contreras in the 7th

[RockRaines]

Sizemore beat the s*** out of one into right field.

 

I dont think we are going for the sweep, PODS and Kong are sitting down today, and I wouldnt be surprise to see timo starting as well.

[tonyho7476]

Sizemore beat the s*** out of one into right field.

 

I dont think we are going for the sweep, PODS and Kong are sitting down today, and I wouldnt be surprise to see timo starting as well.

 

Is Konerko definately sitting? I heard that he may DH, with Gload at first, and Everett in LF. Maybe it was speculation I read.

[RockRaines]

Is Konerko definately sitting?  I heard that he may DH, with Gload at first, and Everett in LF.  Maybe it was speculation I read.

I know Ozzie said he wanted to give Gload a start, so I figure he will sit down Carl or Konerko and put timo in LF

[YASNY]

Is Konerko definately sitting?  I heard that he may DH, with Gload at first, and Everett in LF.  Maybe it was speculation I read.

 

I read that somewhere as well. I believe Paul will be DH.

[jackie hayes]

Sizemore beat the s*** out of one into right field.

 

I dont think we are going for the sweep, PODS and Kong are sitting down today, and I wouldnt be surprise to see timo starting as well.

Why on earth would we not go for the sweep?

 

Settling for a series win, when you ALREADY HAVE a series win, is just taking the day off, it's stupid and lazy. I agree with Wedge, no game should ever be treated indifferently -- that was absolutely the worst moment of Manuel's tenure.

 

I'm not saying Ozzie has that attitude (I feel pretty sure he doesn't -- I think he's been pretty good about resting people w/o gutting the team), only that it's the wrong way to look at today's game. Games are important, not series.