RockRaines Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Garland's shoulder complicates slow start Pitcher has 'knot;' Guillen stays patient By Dave van Dyck Tribune staff reporter March 9, 2007, 9:44 PM CST TUCSON, Ariz. -- It's only 11 games into spring training, but the White Sox's record is 2-9, they have lost five straight games, they have been outscored 72-51 and their top four starters have a combined record of 1-5 with an ERA of 10.36. When is it time to start worrying and perhaps have one of those kick-in-the-pants meetings to prevent a repeat of last year's 1-4 start to the regular season? Click here to find out more! "Right now I think it's too early," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I will pick my spot. I told them, 'Don't let me pick my spot to have a meeting.' In the meanwhile, I said at the staff meeting, 'I don't like the results of the games, but I'm satisfied with the way we're playing.' "We have to turn the corner pretty soon and start playing real baseball." The latest bit of bad news is that Friday's starting and losing pitcher, Jon Garland, has a shoulder problem—"a knot," he called it—similar to the one that plagued him last spring, although it disappeared early in the regular season. With Friday's three-inning pounding by the Diamondbacks (eight hits and four runs in three innings), Garland has an 11.25 ERA after three starts. "I kind of have that same feeling that I did toward the end of spring last year—it feels tight," he said. "Last year, somehow, it worked its way out and, hopefully, it works its way out this year. "It doesn't hurt because I can go out and throw the ball and it doesn't hurt. It just feels tight. I think it's just a knot deep in there. It's holding me back. But I'll work through it and continue on with my business. I'll be right there." Garland complained of the same symptoms last spring and was slugged for nine runs in 51/3 innings in his first regular-season game in Kansas City. But he went 14-4 in his last 20 starts and won 18 games for the second straight season. "Gar has his own way to get ready for the season," Guillen said. "I think he's throwing better right now than he did last year. Last year was a real struggle. [The tightness] is something that's minor and, hopefully, it goes away quick enough. "I don't worry about that. I always tell the guys, 'Let me know if you have any injury problems before you go and perform.' I don't really worry about it." Guillen, however, has other worries. Javier Vazquez is 0-2 with a 15.19 ERA, Mark Buehrle is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and Jose Contreras is 0-1 with a 6.00. Plus, Tadahito Iguchi is hitting .111, Jim Thome .154, Jermaine Dye .158 and Brian Anderson .211. Add that on to the losing record and it's a spring much like last year's when the Sox were 3-8 at this time and struggling in all phases. Meanwhile, Guillen is keeping his patience, for now. "I'm getting tired of losing. It's no fun," he said. "It's no fun to come in here at 6 in the morning and go back home and call your family and say, 'Another one.' "In the meanwhile, we're satisfied with what we did. The guys have had good at-bats. The results are not there. "Hopefully, the next couple of days the guys get better and turn it up a notch." [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Oh, so I guess his poor start wasn't the result of 'working on pitches' as many here assumed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 08:12 PM) Oh, so I guess his poor start wasn't the result of 'working on pitches' as many here assumed.... I know this is shocking coming from me, but I feel like our starting pitching could really be a disaster this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkmoney Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 i know this is just spring training, and sorta early into spring training. but can the pitchers (and hitters) just like turn it on for opening day..? kinda getting scared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 QUOTE(bkmoney @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 03:17 PM) i know this is just spring training, and sorta early into spring training. but can the pitchers (and hitters) just like turn it on for opening day..? kinda getting scared The pitchers have to stretch out their arms. You can't go from just throwing on the side to throwing 100 pitches, so no they can't just turn it on. Normally they are just trying to work on their mechanics and throw strikes. They will also build up their velocity. For hitters, they are just trying to get reps. Getting back into game speed, etc. Now all players and teams do things differently. Some of the younger guys are going 110 mph trying to get aa spot and impress, while others are just building up for opening day. That is why you will see odd scores and odd records in ST and very rarely does anything translate to the regular season. The last week of ST, you will normally see things get closer to normal as teams narrow down their rosters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 02:12 PM) Oh, so I guess his poor start wasn't the result of 'working on pitches' as many here assumed.... 200 IP 4.5 ERA 112 k's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 02:14 PM) I know this is shocking coming from me, but I feel like our starting pitching could really be a disaster this season. I know people don't consider wins in evaluating players, but if you were take the victories from our starters last season and apply it to 2007, it's going to be difficult for our staff to compensate for Garcia. We can't have Floyd giving us under 10 wins unless Contreras, Vazquez, Buehrle, and the bullpen improve. The offense can't regress, either. I don't believe our rotation will be a disaster, but it won't be enough to reach the playoffs if their statistics are comparable to last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Give it another week. Like RME JICO said, pitchers need to stretch out their arms. They aren't going to have pinpoint control and have their best stuff through just a couple innings pitched. Give them another week or so, and we will be able to evaluate the pitchers a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 09:22 PM) Give it another week. Like RME JICO said, pitchers need to stretch out their arms. They aren't going to have pinpoint control and have their best stuff through just a couple innings pitched. Give them another week or so, and we will be able to evaluate the pitchers a lot better. I just hate hearing Garland compare it to how he felt last year at the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoota Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 (edited) QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 10, 2007 -> 02:14 PM) I know this is shocking coming from me, but I feel like our starting pitching could really be a disaster this season. It's making me nervous too. Worst case scenario: Garland's knot is a career-ending shoulder injury; Contreras is still injured and never again dominates like he did in 2005; Buehrle pitches like he did in the second-half last year; Vazquez maintains his mediocrity; and Floyd pitches like Sox 5th starters of old. What takes my emotion from concerned to nervous is the high level of competition in the AL Central. Edited March 10, 2007 by shoota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LVSoxFan Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Guys it's spring training. I'd rather have them get all their sucking out of the way out in Arizona rather than, say, after the ASB last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosMediasBlancas Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 If you guys are gonna do your usual stepping out onto the ledge again, at least wait until the new pavement I put down for 2007 is dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Kid Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I love the underdog role thrust on the Sox this year. I can't wait for the season to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LVSoxFan Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I like it too. There was just too much damn pressure in 2006; I could feel it. I wouldn't mind staying "off the radar" this season, at least in the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 the first half of last season was so much fun, i didn't feel much pressure from a WS, the only pressure came from trying to win the central with 2 great teams competing against us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 QUOTE(bmags @ Mar 11, 2007 -> 11:13 PM) the first half of last season was so much fun, i didn't feel much pressure from a WS, the only pressure came from trying to win the central with 2 great teams competing against us. I agree, and it didn't appear as though the Sox had much pressure on them either. One of the best offenses in the majors (probably the best), top 5 pitching staff (until like mid-June anyways), and everything was clicking. The pressure didn't get turned up until the pitching started falling apart and Podsednik decided he needed to start looking at strike 3 all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I don't like the fact that Garland threw again today, and the soreness is not gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines When do the Sox start getting concerned? Pitching coach Don Cooper has called a meeting of the arms for Monday. Presumably, the theme will be, "Start pitching." "We're going to talk as a unit and make sure that no matter what happens in the game, I can live with it as long as we're preparing the right way for April 2," said Cooper, speaking of the Sox's opener against the Indians. It's arriving to a point where "it's only the beginning of spring training" no longer applies. Even our coaching staff realizes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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