White Sox Loser

[whitesoxfan101]

If you want to point your finger at something as the reason why we are in the situation we are in. Its not our record post ASB, its not the pitching tiring, hell its not even the injuries. It was when our pitching staff put up top shelf numbers at the beginning of the season and we were bouncing around as a 500 team because our offense decided to take a few months off. The stress and the wear and tear of our pitchers having to pitch perfect, because god forbid if the offense could scratch a few runs across the board. Its when we have 8 shutouts on our offense by early June. Pitchers have a few dead arms periods over the season. But we should have 5 or more wins than we have now. If we had a mediocre offense early in the season we wouldnt be in this situation. Now we are trying to survive injuries, and some tired arms at this point. We should of never have been in this situation.

This is silly logic. Just as it was the offense's fault when we were 18-20 in mid May despite a great pitching staff, it's the pitchings fault that we are playing poor baseball the last month despite the offense being great. At the end of the day, it's a team effort if we don't make the playoffs between those two senarios that have played out, but to say the pitching is bad because it's tired from the poor offense early on is just wrong. If this pitching staff is already tired with two months to go (and it was closer to three months to go when they first started to fade in early and mid July), then they are built poorly and moreso, a bunch of wimps.

[Baines3]

The Indians did us a big favor today.

[Jake]

I find it sort of funny the talk about how the Sox "don't deserve" to be in first right now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Sox are currently on one of their longest road trips of the season right now, while Minny has been getting comfortable at home. They lost today, on the road, to a team better than the Indians. The Twins, already seeing the Sox had lost today, blew a huge game, AT HOME, against the worst team in the Central. However, they apparently are the ones that belong in first.

 

Interesting.

 

^^^^

 

People acting like we don't deserve to have won more games than Minnesota.

 

Edit: Lost less.

Edited August 3, 2008 by Tony82087

[fathom]

Looks like no Thome on Sunday, with Griffey Jr. at DH.

[Jake]

Looks like no Thome on Sunday, with Griffey Jr. at DH.

 

per?

[fathom]

per?

 

One of the Sox articles on chicagosports. I'm pretty sure PK has sucked against Greinke in his career.

Edited August 3, 2008 by fathom

[bschmaranz]

Mark just couldn't keep the ball down today. Very disappointing game, we shoulda had it.

Edited August 3, 2008 by bschmaranz

[Jake]

One of the Sox articles on chicagosports. I'm pretty sure PK has sucked against Greinke in his career.

 

So since PK has sucked against Greinke in his career and in general this season, we bench Thome and play PK?

[witesoxfan]

I think the ship has sailed as far as beating out the Twins. Not getting any sort of pitching help at the deadline was the end of this team's division title hopes. I'm not even getting worked up about the games anymore since my expectations for the season have been very much lowered. I'll obviously watch every game and so on but I'm not going to treat every loss like a kick in the balls.

 

On the other hand, I still think there's a chance at a wild card. Boston, New York, and Tampa all have difficult schedules, including a number of games against each other. Plus we've still got a number of games against those teams (which is both good and bad, depending on your perspective).

 

A Twins fan could say, essentially, the exact same thing. And they're not in first either, so it's a little more justified.

 

I'm also curious to see how Blackburn and Perkins handle the extra workload, though the same could be said for the Sox and Floyd and Danks too.

 

I just find it hilarious that people are jumping to conclusions when the Twins have a 6 game, 14 game, and 10 game roadtrips ahead of them. Over the next month and a half or so they'll play around 75% of their games on the road...that could take a toll on them as much as anything.

 

So sit back and f***ing relax...there's 50 or so games left to be played.

[retro1983hat]

I don't have the time nor the inclination to do it, but I wonder how many times this year our lead has been a half game and the Twins lost. It seems like a couple times a week.

 

We REALLY need tomorrow's win. NO, it's not a MUST win, but we need to grow a pair, and kick the crap out of KC.

[LosMediasBlancas]

It's nice to stay in first place, but a day out of first place in not the end of our season, contrary to the feeling of some posters on this board. As a matter of fact, the harsh reality of second place could be a nice motivator to get our game in gear.

 

 

If we were five games out of 1st place right now it would not be the end of our season. People forget how long two months is and how much can happen. But everyone will jump ship when the team falls a few games out of 1st and those same people will say they didn't when the team wins the division.

Edited August 3, 2008 by LosMediasBlancas

[caulfield12]

A Twins fan could say, essentially, the exact same thing. And they're not in first either, so it's a little more justified.

 

I'm also curious to see how Blackburn and Perkins handle the extra workload, though the same could be said for the Sox and Floyd and Danks too.

 

I just find it hilarious that people are jumping to conclusions when the Twins have a 6 game, 14 game, and 10 game roadtrips ahead of them. Over the next month and a half or so they'll play around 75% of their games on the road...that could take a toll on them as much as anything.

 

So sit back and f***ing relax...there's 50 or so games left to be played.

 

 

I think it will be interesting to see how good Liriano is this time around...psychologically, they have the edge, with Liriano's return, their overall "better" play over the last two months than the Sox and the fact that ten more of their games down the stretch are against sub .500 teams, vis a vis the White Sox.

 

As in 2003, it could go either way.

 

They have four out in Anaheim, three in Oakland and three in Toronto, as well as four at TB and a pair of series at Baltimore and Cleveland, who could turn out to be spoilers.

 

The exact numbers are 30 of their next 45 games (.6667) on the road...we're in a position to knock DET out of the hunt, and then there's the logjam with the Yankees, D-Rays and Red Sox over in the AL East.

 

 

[spiffalicious]

I don't have the time nor the inclination to do it, but I wonder how many times this year our lead has been a half game and the Twins lost. It seems like a couple times a week.

 

We REALLY need tomorrow's win. NO, it's not a MUST win, but we need to grow a pair, and kick the crap out of KC.

 

I was watching ESPN after the game on Wednesday, and they said it was the 9th or 10th time since June that the Twins have had a chance to take over first place and have failed to do so.

[LosMediasBlancas]

I don't have the time nor the inclination to do it, but I wonder how many times this year our lead has been a half game and the Twins lost. It seems like a couple times a week.

 

We REALLY need tomorrow's win. NO, it's not a MUST win, but we need to grow a pair, and kick the crap out of KC.

 

We don't need tomorrow's win more than any other win. We only need to finish on top at the end of the season. Nothing else matters.

[LosMediasBlancas]

The concept is right, but tomorrow is a very big game. I don't care who it's against, a series win on the road against ANY team is a plus. After this tough trip, ending it with a series win, and coming home on a positive note is a big plus.

 

It's a tight divisional race, every game is big. You play one game at a time and you play them hard. The lead in the division will go back and forth so often, it's unfair to put yourself on the emotional rollercoaster with every game. You don't plan a parade when the team has a two game lead and you don't put a gun in your mouth when the team is two games out.

[Frankensteiner]

A Twins fan could say, essentially, the exact same thing. And they're not in first either, so it's a little more justified.

 

The Twins have outplayed the Sox over the last month and a half. We had a 6.5 game lead and it's down to only half a game. It doesn't matter who's in first place right now, just which team looks like will be in first place by the end of September. Given that they've outplayed the Sox recently, and given that I don't really see an end to the Sox pitching struggles, I don't think the Sox can hold them off. But maybe you know something about the pitching that I don't?

 

Clearly nothing is over and the Sox could obviously still win the division. However, it is my opinion that they won't.

 

I'm also curious to see how Blackburn and Perkins handle the extra workload, though the same could be said for the Sox and Floyd and Danks too.

 

I just find it hilarious that people are jumping to conclusions when the Twins have a 6 game, 14 game, and 10 game roadtrips ahead of them. Over the next month and a half or so they'll play around 75% of their games on the road...that could take a toll on them as much as anything.

 

Twins have more games on the road but the Sox have a harder SOS with 10 more games than the Twins against .500+ teams. I think the schedules even out as far as difficulty is concerned.

[DrunkBomber]

The Twins have outplayed the Sox over the last month and a half. We had a 6.5 game lead and it's down to only half a game. It doesn't matter who's in first place right now, just which team looks like will be in first place by the end of September. Given that they've outplayed the Sox recently, and given that I don't really see an end to the Sox pitching struggles, I don't think the Sox can hold them off. But maybe you know something about the pitching that I don't?

 

Clearly nothing is over and the Sox could obviously still win the division. However, it is my opinion that they won't.

 

 

 

Twins have more games on the road but the Sox have a harder SOS with 10 more games than the Twins against .500+ teams. I think the schedules even out as far as difficulty is concerned.

All the dems need to thank the GOP for having their convention in MN. I think the Twins play something like 14 consecutive road games.

[witesoxfan]

The Twins have outplayed the Sox over the last month and a half. We had a 6.5 game lead and it's down to only half a game. It doesn't matter who's in first place right now, just which team looks like will be in first place by the end of September. Given that they've outplayed the Sox recently, and given that I don't really see an end to the Sox pitching struggles, I don't think the Sox can hold them off. But maybe you know something about the pitching that I don't?

 

Clearly nothing is over and the Sox could obviously still win the division. However, it is my opinion that they won't.

 

No, I'm clearly willing to give the pitching some time to correct itself. I also see this as the time of year when the Sox pitching generally always struggles a bit due to the heat. The offense usually comes through too.

 

It was also within the past month or so that built up that 6.5 game lead, and then they lost it; so is the nature of the White Sox entire team. They will click and be among the best teams in the league for a 2 week stretch, and then they'll suck for a week or so. If you catch them when they suck, they look terrible and are very easy to beat.

 

My only major concern at this point is the defensive liabilities that the White Sox now appear to have. Thank God the Sox didn't just let go of Uribe, because without him on the roster, it would be really, really ugly right now.

 

 

 

Twins have more games on the road but the Sox have a harder SOS with 10 more games than the Twins against .500+ teams. I think the schedules even out as far as difficulty is concerned.

 

I'll disagree completely; the Sox play any opponent like they are a .500 team, and further, every other team in the AL (outside of New York, who's at about .500, and LA, who is ridiculously good) struggles on the road too, so that's another factor people aren't considering. Point blank, when the Sox are at home, they are almost always the better team. The Twins are also a sub .500 team on the road and a 14 game roadtrip would exhaust any team.

 

I will say that if I had to give my opinion on this, the Sox are going to go into September with about a 4.5 game lead in the division because 16 of the next 19 are at home and they have a day off before the second toughest roadstand (I consider Oakland harder than Boston simply because they always struggle against Oakland and it is so far out west); I'm also a little more optimistic that the pitching will turn around and that I've seen enough of this offense to know that it's inconsistent as s*** but that the Griffey addition will hopefully bring a little more of that to the team.

[caulfield12]

All the dems need to thank the GOP for having their convention in MN. I think the Twins play something like 14 consecutive road games.

 

 

Interesting stat of the day...Twins are 4-12 when they are exactly 1/2 game out of first place.

 

Well, if ever there's a day that will test the Sox holding onto first, it's today, with Ginter/Liriano and Richard on the mound, Twins at home and the White Sox on the road.

 

Which, of course, probably means Richard will get his first win and Liriano will get shelled.

[elrockinMT]

PK looked fantastic today, and Thome has been very consistent lately (in that he's been great).

 

 

I am hoping too that PK is breaking out of that slump. If he is he needs to be playing on a consistent basis.

[WCSox]

If you want to point your finger at something as the reason why we are in the situation we are in. Its not our record post ASB, its not the pitching tiring, hell its not even the injuries. It was when our pitching staff put up top shelf numbers at the beginning of the season and we were bouncing around as a 500 team because our offense decided to take a few months off. The stress and the wear and tear of our pitchers having to pitch perfect, because god forbid if the offense could scratch a few runs across the board. Its when we have 8 shutouts on our offense by early June. Pitchers have a few dead arms periods over the season

 

I'm not sure if the pressure of having to pitch perfect put any actual physical wear and tear on our pitchers' arms, but I agree that one would have to expect a drop-off in performance over the course of the season due to dead arms and the fact that many of them were pitching way over their heads (Dotel, Logan, Floyd, Contreras, etc.). One would've hoped that PK and Swish would've picked their games up by now to help overcome that, but that hasn't happened.

 

The bottom line is that the Sox are about a 90-72 team. Pretty good and MUCH better than one would've expected back in March, but maybe not a playoff team with a surprisingly-strong AL East. It's going to come down to whether or not the Sox can win the Central, because I'm pretty sure that the Wild Card will come out of the East.

 

[Frankensteiner]

I'll disagree completely; the Sox play any opponent like they are a .500 team, and further, every other team in the AL (outside of New York, who's at about .500, and LA, who is ridiculously good) struggles on the road too, so that's another factor people aren't considering. Point blank, when the Sox are at home, they are almost always the better team. The Twins are also a sub .500 team on the road and a 14 game roadtrip would exhaust any team.

 

I will say that if I had to give my opinion on this, the Sox are going to go into September with about a 4.5 game lead in the division because 16 of the next 19 are at home and they have a day off before the second toughest roadstand (I consider Oakland harder than Boston simply because they always struggle against Oakland and it is so far out west); I'm also a little more optimistic that the pitching will turn around and that I've seen enough of this offense to know that it's inconsistent as s*** but that the Griffey addition will hopefully bring a little more of that to the team.

 

Look at the Twins road series this month: 3 Sea, 3 KC, 4 LAA, 3 Sea, 4 Oak. I see them going no worse than 10-7 in that stretch. Oakland and Seattle absolutely blow right now, and unlike the Sox, the Twins can handle KC just fine. They swept them @ KC earlier in the season. The Twins are not a good road team but I think their road record is a little misleading right now because they've already played through the most difficult part of their road schedule (multiple series at Chicago and Detroit, and road series at Oakland --when they were still good--, Texas, Boston, and New York).

 

I would say you are out of your mind if you think the Sox will have a 4.5 game lead at the end of the month. Although I do hope you're right. I'll be happy if Sox are within 2 games of the Twins.

[Milkman delivers]

Look at the Twins road series this month: 3 Sea, 3 KC, 4 LAA, 3 Sea, 4 Oak. I see them going no worse than 10-7 in that stretch. Oakland and Seattle absolutely blow right now, and unlike the Sox, the Twins can handle KC just fine. They swept them @ KC earlier in the season. The Twins are not a good road team but I think their road record is a little misleading right now because they've already played through the most difficult part of their road schedule (multiple series at Chicago and Detroit, and road series at Oakland --when they were still good--, Texas, Boston, and New York).

 

I would say you are out of your mind if you think the Sox will have a 4.5 game lead at the end of the month. Although I do hope you're right. I'll be happy if Sox are within 2 games of the Twins.

 

I actually think it'll be the other way around.

[Frankensteiner]

I am so glad KW did nothing to improve our pitching at the deadline. Like I said, that is going to be the nail in our coffin.

[WCSox]

I am so glad KW did nothing to improve our pitching at the deadline. Like I said, that is going to be the nail in our coffin.

 

Somebody like Maddux or Lowe to round out the back of the rotation would've been nice and possibly doable. But the impact guys like CC and Harden tend to go to teams that actually have young players of value to offer.