DeLuca Article...

[bjm676]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/deluca/cst-spt-deluca26.htm

 

Sox' pitching must keep delivering

April 26, 2005

 

BY CHRIS DE LUCA STAFF REPORTER 

 

When the White Sox went back to the drawing board to remake their team to match a fuzzy image in manager Ozzie Guillen's mind, they expected modest success -- not this head-turning start that has given them the best record in baseball.

 

Small-ball teams aren't supposed to make such big splashes.

 

But this Sox team seems blessed beyond expectations. It can commit four errors, look lost offensively most of the game against the worst team in baseball and still walk off the field with another victory -- as it did Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.

 

''Right now,'' Guillen told reporters Sunday, ''it feels like everything we do works out for us.''

 

Come October, no one will care how the Sox won that game. It counts the same as their 9-1 beating of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

 

Yes, we have seen two completely different sides of the Sox, and the outcome usually comes up the same: another victory.

 

How long can it last?

 

Here's a look at three reasons why the Sox should ride this wave of good luck and improved team play to the postseason, and three reasons why the well could run dry before the All-Star break. (A hint on both: It's all about pitching.)

 

 

LOOKING UP

 

THE PITCHING

 

The rebuilt offense got all the offseason attention, but general manager Ken Williams kept pointing to his retooled pitching staff -- and for good reason.

 

The Sox are 4-1 in games in which they score two runs or fewer. They were 1-44 in such games last season and 2-42 in 2003 -- meaning they already have won more games in this category three weeks into the season than the previous two seasons combined.

 

Left-hander Mark Buehrle, who makes his fifth start tonight against the Oakland Athletics, has lasted at least six innings in 32 consecutive starts, the longest such streak in the majors since Curt Schilling's 38-game stretch ended in 2003.

 

Freddy Garcia has allowed two runs or fewer in three of his four starts and joins Buehrle as the team's co-ace.

 

Fifth starter Jon Garland, who shut out the A's on Monday, is off to a 4-0 start for the first time in his career and has a 1.80 ERA.

 

The two pitchers who caused the most concern entering the season -- veterans Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras -- have exceeded early expectations. Hernandez is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA. Contreras has no decisions but a respectable 3.48 ERA, and the Sox have won three of his four starts.

 

Even word that Contreras might be lost because of a sore right hamstring isn't causing panic. That's because spring-training star Brandon McCarthy waits in the wings -- a luxury the pitching-thin Sox haven't enjoyed since 2000.

 

Despite the struggles of closer Shingo Takatsu, the Sox' bullpen remains the best in baseball in the Rolaids Team Bullpen Standings with a 5-1 record and nine saves in 11 chances for 33 points. That's 11 more than the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers and nearly double the next-best AL team, the Minnesota Twins (17 points).

 

 

A NEW OFFENSE

 

No one seems to be shedding a tear over the departures of heavy hitters Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez.

 

Bunting, stealing and moving runners over aren't as sexy as blasting home runs, but Guillen makes no apologies, saying: ''It sounds like little-girls baseball, but it's the way we have to play.''

 

The Sox, who are 9-1 in one-run games, had gone without a home run in their previous four games before Chris Widger homered on Monday. It's all part of the plan, and it works great when your leadoff hitter is batting .391 (9-for-23) in his last six games and has nine stolen bases in the first three weeks. Scott Podsednik has done more than deliver in a spot that has been a black hole for the Sox even before Ray Durham left town.

 

No. 2 hitter Tadahito Iguchi, who raised doubts in spring training that he was ready to face major-league pitching, is hitting .281 in his first 17 games.

 

Even the supposed power outage hasn't surfaced. Paul Konerko is tied for the major-league lead with seven home runs.

 

 

OZZIE GUILLEN

 

Guillen's name has been in the headlines recently. And if you just read the recent stories, you would think he's some madman on a path to self-destruction.

 

In reality, Guillen's fiery nature is exactly what the Sox need. He has cleansed the clubhouse of the malcontents while putting clubhouse fixture Frank Thomas on notice that he better get with the program. The Sox have the best chemistry they have enjoyed since 2000, when a bunch of overachieving kids ran away with the division.

 

Despite the nasty comments coming out of the manager's office, Guillen has kept the clubhouse loose. No matter how the Sox win -- as ugly as they did Sunday or playing their best baseball -- someone always seems to mention that improved chemistry is a factor.

 

 

 

LOOKING DOWN

 

THE PITCHING

 

This group has been phenomenal, but how long can it last?

 

Buehrle and Garcia seem safe bets, but the rest of the group has some question marks.

 

Garland has made a career out of being inexplicably mediocre. He seems primed for a losing stretch to balance the scales. It would be a surprise if Contreras and Hernandez each didn't break down for long stretches this season. Asking an untested McCarthy to be a midseason savior is asking a lot.

 

Confidence in Takatsu began waning last season. Dustin Hermanson could be the closer in waiting, but there must be a reason why the San Francisco Giants would let their closer walk away in the offseason.

 

A team that entered Monday 20th in the majors in fielding percentage (.981) is putting too much pressure on its pitchers.

 

 

A NEW OFFENSE

 

The numbers don't lie. Entering Monday, the Sox had the kind of offensive statistics better suited for a team striving to reach .500.

 

They were 14th in the majors in runs (86 in 19 games), 18th in batting average (.258), 20th in slugging percentage (.398) and 30th in walks (39). Their .214 average with runners in scoring position was the second-worst in the AL. And though they had stolen 18 bases, they had been caught stealing a majors-leading eight times.

 

Center fielder Aaron Rowand, a key piece to the middle of the lineup, is having a hard time living up to his new three-year, $8.5 million contract, hitting .236 with one home run. And though Podsednik's hot start has been impressive, remember that he ended the first month of last season hitting .306 before batting .212 in May, putting him on the road to that disappointing .244 mark with the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

 

REALITY CHECK

 

Guillen can work his magic for only so long.

 

The Sox have a thin bench, and an injury to a key starter -- say Podsednik or Konerko -- would put too much pressure on a pitching staff already carrying more than its share of the load.

 

Go ask Jerry Manuel how long a team that commits four errors in one game can hang around first place.

 

Magic in the majors lasts for only so long.

[AnthraxFan93]

I like what the dude has to say...execpt for the week bench. But, if Pauly goes down with an injury before we get Frank back, than yes we are screwed.

[mreye]

While I hate to hear a lot of that, it's the truth.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

While I hate to hear a lot of that, it's the truth.

 

 

Even though we're not scoring as much as we probably should be the key thing to remember is that it has been timely hitting. We're getting runs when we need them rather than 10-11 runs 1 day then nothing the next. I like this version a lot better.

[tonyho7476]

I thought we have a good bench...I didn't get that.

[Dick Allen]

This team is playing a lot like the 1990 team. I don't know if there are many people around here that remember that season. Hawk always refers to it as his favorite season. They won games like they are winning now. Not many hits, but timely ones. They also won a few games on wild pitches. Grebeck and Guillen went back to back off Nolan Ryan. It was a fun time. If you look at the stats that year, you would have thought they were a team that shouldn't contend. Fisk led them with 18 homers. Calderon lead the team with 74 rbi. There will be bumps in the road, there always is, but there is no reason the winning shouldn't continue no matter what Jeff Brantley has to say.