greasywheels121 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/8499237 Best yet to come for White Sox ace Garland By Scott Miller CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Oh, the anticipation. Until this year, Jon Garland's professional life had been like an old ketchup commercial. Folks in Chicago reached the point where they wanted to tip his 6-foot-6 body upside down, shake and pound. When, Jon, when? His answers would come in drips and drabs, with flashes of brilliance but without a steady flow. So eventually the pack heaved one big sigh and moved on up the road in search of the next great thing. The Chicago White Sox never did. "Hey, not everybody who comes to the big leagues grabs the brass ring the first time around," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper says. "Heck, some of the best guys haven't done it." When, Jon, when? "The kid's got a great arm," manager Ozzie Guillen says. "One bad inning, he would get himself in trouble. "This year, (opponents) are only scoring one run, when before they would have scored five." Garland headed west as the hottest pitcher in baseball this week, only to have the Los Angeles Angels douse him with a 4-0 splash of cold water Monday night. A kid pitcher named Ervin Santana, making only the second big-league start of his career for the Angels, threw a beautiful five-hit, complete-game shutout. There wasn't much Garland could do, short of taking a bat to the plate himself. Even at the conclusion of his first loss of the season, though, the Sox right-hander still had one thing going for him: Let Santana, on the night of his life, step toward the expectations. At 25, Garland has emerged intact on the other side. Yes, at 25. Seems like he's far older than that, given how long those questions surrounding him have lingered. "I think it's tougher on a starting pitcher," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko says. "His first few years here, Gar was still in his first or second year starting in the big leagues and they were looking to match him up against the other team's second and third starters. He wasn't allowed to learn." Some butterflies emerge from the cocoon early, some late. Just as you don't rush nature, you don't hurry a developing pitcher. They arrive when they arrive. In racing out to an 8-1 start with a 2.56 ERA -- he led the American League in victories entering the game, was second in complete games and ranked third in ERA -- Garland finally has taken flight. "Every start I make, I'm taking a step," he says. "It's not a matter of a certain year. I have more time under my belt and more confidence on the mound. I can see it. My teammates can see it. I'm making good pitches when I need to." Guillen said after Monday's game that Garland threw as well as he has all season. It wasn't a hollow statement. He allowed 11 hits over seven innings -- including several bloops and bleeders -- and still held the Angels to three runs during his time on the hill. It was an unusual sight for 2005, watching Garland lose. But the game also served as Exhibit A for Guillen's observation that, where the tall right-hander would have turned a one-run inning into a five-run rally earlier in his career, he's now holding things together much better. The Sox have seen it all season with Garland, starting with his first assignment this year against Minnesota. Pitching with a 3-0 lead, Garland served up a game-tying home run to Shannon Stewart -- and quickly stared down further trouble. "You could see it in his face," catcher A.J. Pierzynski says. "He still believed in what he was doing." Pitching in Toronto on May 6, Garland reached deep into his bag of tricks and discovered nothing but a couple of onions and an old potato. It was the only time this season he's had nothing, yet despite allowing six runs in 5 2/3 innings, Garland battled long and hard enough to run his record to 6-0. Probably his most impressive moments this season, though, came in his two starts leading up to Monday's against the Angels. Facing a first-and-third situation with two out and the Sox clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth inning against Baltimore on May 12, Garland threw a beautiful full-count change-up to whiff Miguel Tejada. "We knew it was his last hitter and we hadn't thrown a right-handed hitter a change-up the whole game," Pierzynski says. "So we decided, what the heck. "If he didn't believe in it, he couldn't have thrown it." Very next start, against Texas, on May 17, the Rangers had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth and the Sox again holding to a one-run lead. Garland shocked Alfonso Soriano with another knee-bending change-up for another strikeout. "That's just something you don't see guys do unless they have the confidence to be able to do it," Pierzynski says. Says Konerko: "I think A.J. has helped out as far as having a feel for what to call. And when you're confident, you have no fear of throwing any pitch at any time. I see him throwing them all, and making good pitches." The White Sox also have upgraded their defense this season, and Konerko sees the effects of that, too. Garland is not a strikeout pitcher. He relies on placement, on coaxing the batters to hit the ball in the general vicinity of where he wants them to hit it, rather than where they prefer to dump it. He's fanned only 31 batters this season in 66 2/3 innings, which pretty much tells you that he'd better have defenders behind him who can cover lots of ground and catch everything hit to them. "I don't think he'd admit it in the past, but our defense wasn't always the best behind him," Konerko says. "On nights he was pitching, I can remember games where we let him down." Now? "I think he feels a lot more confident throwing strikes," Konerko says. Says Cooper: "He's always had the physical stuff. Now his approach is different. He's more confident. He's coming at people. He's dictating counts. He's getting early outs. Because of that, his walks are down. (His pitches) are down when they need to be down, in when they need to be in." The results are evident in the fireworks that now accompany each of Garland's starts. The questions have been replaced by exclamations. A 12-game winner in each of the past three seasons for the White Sox, Garland has learned the art of balancing on his own. The training wheels are off. "He's grown up before our eyes," Pierzynski says. "People expected so much from him so soon. Heck, he's just 25 and he's got five years in the majors already." Ah, but now, when people say the best is yet to come, they're saying it with confidence. 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Whitesoxfan56 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 UM...well Buehrle is the Ace so the article is wrong before i even started reading it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Just to save you guys time... This thread will now debate the term "Ace" for the next 4-6 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddisonStSox Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 24, 2005 -> 11:49 AM) Just to save you guys time... This thread will now debate the term "Ace" for the next 4-6 pages. To further enhance your reading pleasure... Who gives a s***? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ May 24, 2005 -> 12:52 PM) To further enhance your reading pleasure... Who gives a s***? I was going to link up Flaxx's Whale s*** pic, but it is gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 personally i liked the article and yes, jon is an ace at the moment. case closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesoxfan56 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 NO buehrle is the ace....wow garland had 8 good starts...holy s*** make a spot for him in cooperstown...buehrle has done it since he came up...therefor Buehrle is the ace.case closed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyho7476 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 In my opinion, none of our pitchers are 'aces'....Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling...these guys were/are 'aces' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 QUOTE(Whitesoxfan56 @ May 24, 2005 -> 03:24 PM) NO buehrle is the ace....wow garland had 8 good starts...holy s*** make a spot for him in cooperstown...buehrle has done it since he came up...therefor Buehrle is the ace.case closed dude stop getting your panties in a bunch, it says ace not THE ace - a staff can have more than one, nimrod. (and Randy and Schilling are no longer aces in my book) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 You are all a bunch of aces........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 So far this year Garland is the ace of our staff but as a whole its obviously Buehrle.... But right now im really high on Garland... as far as im concerned he didnt give up a run last night. Crede gave up 2 runs... and than he totally made the pitch to get himself out of the jam and again our defense wasnt there to make the play.. Timo shouldnt of been playing that deep i bet Rowand would of made the play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuehrleTheAce Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 24, 2005 -> 01:49 PM) Just to save you guys time... This thread will now debate the term "Ace" for the next 4-6 pages. Man, that's the FIRST thing I thought too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Garland didn't have anything close to his best stuff last night and he only gave up 3 runs in 7 innings to a very good hitting Angels team. I'd call him and ace right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUGGERNAUT Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 31K in 66+ IP. Comparison's: Santana 04: 265K's, 228 IP Halladay 03: 204 K's, 266 IP Power-wise he resembles Arroyo (BOS). The 8-1 is impressive but it's a long season. Right now Buehrle is more likely to win the Cy Young than Garland. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alp05.htm Buehrle, Mark CHW L 2.47npera(2nd in AL), 76.2ip(1st in AL), 3.05era, 46K, 7W(tied for 2nd in AL), 9.16MOB(2nd in AL), 5.24POWER, .590 OPSv(2nd in AL) His K's are right in line with Halladay & Colon this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 24, 2005 -> 11:49 AM) Just to save you guys time... This thread will now debate the term "Ace" for the next 4-6 pages. Ladies and gentlemen, Nostrodamus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitetrain8601 Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Garland is AN Ace this year. So is El Duque and Buehrle for us. Contreras and Garcia have been #2 pitchers. Yes guys, it's possible to have more than 1 ace on your staff. Garland at least is turning into one. Hell, I really don't give a damn. They're both on our team, so I support them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedge Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ May 25, 2005 -> 10:33 AM) Garland is AN Ace this year. So is El Duque and Buehrle for us. Contreras and Garcia have been #2 pitchers. Yes guys, it's possible to have more than 1 ace on your staff. Garland at least is turning into one. Many considered the A's to have three aces: Hudson, Mulder, and Zito. If you're going to be giving Zito the ace tag, then I think Buehrle at the very least deserves it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Cy Young awards have a tendency to influence people's definition of "ace". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyho7476 Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(YASNY @ May 25, 2005 -> 12:17 PM) Cy Young awards have a tendency to influence people's definition of "ace". yeah, that is kind of how I think...I don't think there are more than a handful of aces out there...and I think I stopped thinking of Buerhle as an ace when he had that horrible start to 2003. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ May 25, 2005 -> 12:21 PM) yeah, that is kind of how I think...I don't think there are more than a handful of aces out there...and I think I stopped thinking of Buerhle as an ace when he had that horrible start to 2003. I was referring to the Zito remark that Wedge made. He earned the title of "ace". I also feel he has since lost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(YASNY @ May 25, 2005 -> 12:17 PM) Cy Young awards have a tendency to influence people's definition of "ace". Why do you say that? Isnt Esteban Loaiza an ace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(Wedge @ May 25, 2005 -> 04:36 PM) Many considered the A's to have three aces: Hudson, Mulder, and Zito. If you're going to be giving Zito the ace tag, then I think Buehrle at the very least deserves it as well. Zito was an ace... i dont think anyone considers him one anymore really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitetrain8601 Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Zito right now would be a good 3rd starter, but no way is he an ace any more. He's lost it for some reason. Buehrle - Ace Garland - Ace Hernandez - Ace Contreras - #2 Garcia - #2 I think the title ace goes from year to year. Look at Sidney Ponson. He was an "ace" three years back. He's no longer an ace this year and he wasn't one last year. Ace is a title that can be taken from you and given to you in any year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 I wouldnt label El Duque as ace... he has been very effective so far but he has been hit pretty hard even with the low era and than an ace has to go more than what 2.2 innings :puke Buehrle and Garland = Aces Garcia, Contreras, and El Duque = solid 2's thats rating them on how they have done on this season so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitetrain8601 Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ May 25, 2005 -> 01:03 PM) I wouldnt label El Duque as ace... he has been very effective so far but he has been hit pretty hard even with the low era and than an ace has to go more than what 2.2 innings :puke Buehrle and Garland = Aces Garcia, Contreras, and El Duque = solid 2's thats rating them on how they have done on this season so far. I consider him an ace, because he's a stopper. I might have those two mixed up though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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