The Rest of the Month

[upnorthsox]

Toronto doesn't scare me without Delgado, if you pitch around Wells they aren't so tough. We miss Halladay, Bush and Lilly suck, and we'll see how the rookie Chacin does going up against an ace while he's trying to avoid a sweep at home. I think he'll choke.

 

The D-Rays have a nice get on base and run team but their pitching staff sucks so bad that if we can't break out the whooping sticks on them then this month+ has been a mirage. They have little power to speak of also.

 

The O's are going to score some runs, but if you can keep them in the park you can outpitch them. The crowd will also be a factor and could be worth one win. I say Gar sets the tone in game 1 and we take 3 of 4.

 

Texas just flat out scares me, if we split with them on the home and home I'll be happy.

 

I never worry about beating the scrubs, it's a Sox thing.

 

The battle of the roations with the Angels should be fun, too bad the 4 game set is out west where I'd be happy to split.

 

Depending on how long we can ride this current win streak I think we have a shot at winning 20 this month, even with the better offenses we're facing.

[Al Lopez Ghost (old)]

I'd like to agree with that, but if the Yankees' rotation gets healthy, they are pretty damn good.

 

What the Yankees' players really have to do is get younger, and that's hard to do.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

This is an interesting topic. Two things will play out during this month. We will find out if good pitching beats good hitting. We will also find out if the Sox will break out of their collective hitting slump. Both actually need to happen if we want to prove ourselves out. In my opinion we cannot continue to win like yesterday, we need to hit the damn ball.

 

 

Not so much Toronto because they are only 3 over 500 but Baltimore is going to be a real test for us. We're gonna see, during that series, just how good our staff really is.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Not so much Toronto because they are only 3 over 500 but Baltimore is going to be a real test for us.  We're gonna see, during that series, just how good our staff really is.

 

O's got a LOTTA stix on that club and 3 starters with good ERAs.....and even 'the chubster' Ponson is solid once in a while.

[JUGGERNAUT]

Make or Break? Um No. The White Sox can afford to lose 4 more games than the Twins from now until the break & still retain 1st place.

 

How likely is that to happen? Not very.

in IL play the WSox will play COL, CHC while Minny plays SFG, & MIL.

The Brewers are getting surprisingly good pitching & are playing better than the Flubs. SFG are a much harder club to beat than COL.

 

Likewise there is no breathing room for Minny. After 3 gms in TAM, it's all +500 teams from the AL & NL plus CLE until they face DET in late Jun. In early JUL if we lose in OAK again, Minny takes on LAA at Ana.

 

It's not Make or Break. It's leave them in your dust or have them on your bummer. Either way you're looking back at them.

[witesoxfan]

After 3 gms in TAM, it's all +500 teams from the AL & NL plus CLE until they face DET in late Jun. 

 

I assume by this you are saying Cleveland is a better team than Detroit. I'd disagree a lot.

 

Cleveland's offense has been horrid, and while that will improve, it will not be just insane like it was last year, and their pitching staff is very overrated in my eyes. Sabathia is decent, Westbrook is solid, but Lee, Millwood, and Elarton are all very hittable. The pen is mediocre too.

 

Meanwhile, Detroit's offense is rock solid again, and the pitching staff is on the rise. I think Detroit finishes in 3rd place in the division this year, so long as Jon Garland isn't throwing behind Rondell's back every time

[AnthraxFan93]

We need a big cusion come August. A 5 game lead could evaporate in two weeks during that month. We need to just keep rolling now,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

TO me you think we are not as good as advertised, with that statement.

[JUGGERNAUT]

I assume by this you are saying Cleveland is a better team than Detroit.  I'd disagree a lot.

 

Cleveland's offense has been horrid, and while that will improve, it will not be just insane like it was last year, and their pitching staff is very overrated in my eyes.  Sabathia is decent, Westbrook is solid, but Lee, Millwood, and Elarton are all very hittable.  The pen is mediocre too.

 

Meanwhile, Detroit's offense is rock solid again, and the pitching staff is on the rise.  I think Detroit finishes in 3rd place in the division this year, so long as Jon Garland isn't throwing behind Rondell's back every time 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I disagree. It goes w/out saying that Detroit has the best lineup. But it's rotation & pen are very suspect. They remind me an awful lot of the 2004 White Sox with an ailiing Maggs. Pitching & defense is the hardest thing to improve as a season goes on so I don't think it spells well for them. I would be very surprised if they scored more runs than they gave up before the season ends.

 

On the other hand Cleveland's rotation & pen has been surprisingly good. You might not think so but the numbers say otherwise. Their offense has been horrible but it's more likely for that to pick up than it is for the pitching to slack off.

[Chisoxmatt]

This month probably will make or break us. We need to start hitting.. and i definitely think we will. VERY SOON.

[YASNY]

Prior to the season, I said that it was important for us to get off to good start because we are playing teams in our division. Mission f***ing accomplished!!

 

With our pitching staff, I don't see us having any killer losing streaks. We may hit a speed bump from time to time, but I see us getting through May with close to same lead we currently have, at the worst. We should be able to maintain it, then when it comes to head to head against the Twins, then we need to kick ass. Those games will determine the division.

[beck72]

I don't see this as a "make or break month". The Sox, with a good month though, could make themselves a solid shot for making the playoffs. Getting to 20 games above .500 after only 2 months could give them a big enough cushion to play .500 ball the rest of the way and still make the wild card or win the division.

 

But I'm still looking at the Sox one game at a time and one series at a time.

[DBAHO]

1 good month doesn't win you a season. To win 90 games, we just have to go a little over .500 the rest of the way, and that should be the main aim from here on out. Anything extra I would probably consider a bonus.

[YASNY]

1 good month doesn't win you a season. To win 90 games, we just have to go a little over .500 the rest of the way, and that should be the main aim from here on out. Anything extra I would probably consider a bonus.

 

90 is not going to be enough.

[DBAHO]

90 is not going to be enough.

I don't know about that. Minny should be roughly around the 90-95 mark give or take. 90 wins could be enough for a wild card spot even, but it's still way too early too tell how many wins we're going to need to make the playoffs.

[TLAK]

90 is not going to be enough.

Since divisional play and disregarding strike years, the average playoff team won 95 1/2 games, roughly 28 over .500. The Sox are 15 over now so need to climb another 13 during the next 5 months. To get there would take a 73 - 60 record, a .549 clip.

 

This is possible. Not a lock but well within this teams capability. Don't ice the Champagne yet but you might want to keep an eye on the ads for a good sale on Korbel. Just in case.

[upnorthsox]

Even if 90 ends up being enough you don't want to limp into the playoffs having played .500 ball the final 3/4 of the season.

[nitetrain8601]

It isn't going to make us, but it sure as hell could break us. Guys need to break out of their slumps.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Guys need to break out of their slumps.

 

 

Ask and you shall recieve.

 

[nitetrain8601]

Ask and you shall recieve.

 

 

HECK YEA!!! That was great. Now we need to win the world series.