For Minnesota to catch us now...

[greg775]

We definitely tanked in NY and will not sweep the Royals. The question is ... will be do s*** against the Royals? That was a pathetic overall effort in New York winning just one, pathetic. I would hope we could take two of three, but who knows?

Edited September 19, 2008 by greg775

[fathom]

This thread seems like such a potential jinx.

[caulfield12]

This thread seems like such a potential jinx.

 

 

How or why the Yankees want it more than the White Sox, I'll never understand. Maybe they're simply not good enough.

 

Thome and Griffey, we read about them being so excited to get to post-season play...where are they?

[fathom]

How or why the Yankees want it more than the White Sox, I'll never understand. Maybe they're simply not good enough.

 

Thome and Griffey, we read about them being so excited to get to post-season play...where are they?

 

Don't get me wrong, it was a very inisightful post. Assuming this team will win any particular game is difficult considering how bad our hitting is on the road and how much this bullpen sucks.

[southsideirish71]

How or why the Yankees want it more than the White Sox, I'll never understand. Maybe they're simply not good enough.

 

Thome and Griffey, we read about them being so excited to get to post-season play...where are they?

 

Our offense collectively is one of the worst in the AL in September. The entire team seems to be taking the month off. they better learn how to hit soon or its going to be hard to win this thing.

 

 

 

[caulfield12]

Don't get me wrong, it was a very inisightful post. Assuming this team will win any particular game is difficult considering how bad our hitting is on the road and how much this bullpen sucks.

 

 

I know we should step back and take a proper perspective.

 

Yay! We always have 2005.

 

Yay! We don't have an ARM resetting at 8% interest or all of our next egg in AIG, Lehman or Merrill Lynch.

 

Yay! We don't have to be in Hank Paulson's unenviable position of trying to keep the entire global financial system from collapsing if he removes the wrong domino from the pile...

 

Yay! Not very many people lost their lives in Ike, compared to Katrina.

 

Yay! There's still a small chance that we can somehow win the World Series against the Cubs and vanquish a lot of chips on shoulders.

 

 

[stretchstretch]

MN just showed the White Sox what it looks like to not lay down. I'm glad they're not going to let this team get in the playoffs by pulling the kind of ridiculous performance they put in NY. If MN can beat TAM on the road by dropping a 5spot in the 9th like that and we can't take our skirts and purses off against two unknown NY pitchers then I gladly award them the division, they'll have truly earned it.

[greg775]

Thome and Griffey, we read about them being so excited to get to post-season play...where are they?

 

Good question. You could say our veterans are choking or you could say it's baseball and they are just not producing for no particular reason.

What gets me is we've been so predictable. I think a lot of us truly expected us to lose 3 of 4 or even all 4 to NY.

I truly would expect us to win 2 of 3 in KC; but hey like fathom or somebody said with our bullpen and our inconsistent hitting literally anything can happen this weekend. We easily could lose all 3.

Edited September 19, 2008 by greg775

[Flash Tizzle]

Good question. You could say our veterans are choking or you could say it's baseball and they are just not producing for no particular reason.

What gets me is we've been so predictable. I think a lot of us truly expected us to lose 3 of 4 or even all 4 to NY.

I truly would expect us to win 2 of 3 in KC; but hey like fathom or somebody said with our bullpen and our inconsistent hitting literally anything can happen this weekend. We easily could lose all 3.

Either Minnesota or the White Sox go on a three game win streak and it's over.

 

I'm not making excuses if they fail to hold onto a 1 1/2 game lead this late in the season. It's entirely in their hands. I don't care if Quentin is gone and the bullpen is the suxors. If f***ing Kansas City can win seven in a row I'm sure any team, even the Charlotte Knights, can hold this lead this late in the season.

 

What'd I like to see more from the Sox is some confidence. Don't say "I guarantee we're winning the division" but say "I have confidence in our team to do well in Minnesota." If I hear one f***ING person among Hawk/DJ, Guillen, Williams begin this defeatist attitude of giving up those three games before we've played I will have had enough of them this season. We've been over this countless times. I'd rather be overly confident and have our players think less of Minnesota (as we seemingly did every year prior to 05), then this ball licking of Lord Gardenhire and his team.

[caulfield12]

Either Minnesota or the White Sox go on a three game win streak and it's over.

 

I'm not making excuses if they fail to hold onto a 1 1/2 game lead this late in the season. It's entirely in their hands. I don't care if Quentin is gone and the bullpen is the suxors. If f***ing Kansas City can win seven in a row I'm sure any team, even the Charlotte Knights, can hold this lead this late in the season.

 

What'd I like to see more from the Sox is some confidence. Don't say "I guarantee we're winning the division" but say "I have confidence in our team to do well in Minnesota." If I hear one f***ING person among Hawk/DJ, Guillen, Williams begin this defeatist attitude of giving up those three games before we've played I will have had enough of them this season. We've been over this countless times. I'd rather be overly confident and have our players think less of Minnesota (as we seemingly did every year prior to 05), then this ball licking of Lord Gardenhire and his team.

 

 

Not to mention the fact that we will miss Liriano, he's pitching on Sunday. We don't have the spectre of Santana/Liriano hanging over us....the "sure" defeats before we even started the games in terms of the team's mentality.

[Flash Tizzle]

Not to mention the fact that we will miss Liriano, he's pitching on Sunday. We don't have the spectre of Santana/Liriano hanging over us....the "sure" defeats before we even started the games in terms of the team's mentality.

No kidding. But wait, there's always Carlos Gomez! Who wouldn't want to build a team around him?! Remember he's "tough against us." Or how about Justin Morneau? We admire him so much that our pitching continually makes sure he bats in crucial spots with runners on base!

[GreatScott82]

If we go up to Minny with anything less than a 2.5 game lead we are in BIG trouble. Yea KC has won 7 in a row, but if we can't take 2 of 3 vs them we don't deserve to win the division. Since the Royals are smacking the hell out of the ball, our starters are most likely going to have to go 7-8 innings strong each game. OUr bullpen now is looking more and more like the 2007 pen each day. There is no excuse for us to not score alot of runs this series:

 

Game 1: Mark Buerhle 13-11, 3.85 era vs Brian Bannister 8-15, 5.77 era

Game 2: Gavin Floyd 16-7, 3.73 era vs Kyle Davies 7-7, 4.32 era

Game 3: John Danks 10-8, 3.32 era vs Brandon Duckworth, 5.19 era

 

We are throwing our best three starters out there vs 3 guys with an average era of 5.09. I like our chances this series. But then again the Sox couldn't do crap against a struggling Phil Hughes so who knows what to expect....

 

[G&T]

Can someone tell Jermaine Dye to get a hit? That is all.

[Texsox]

Perspective.

 

If we were offered a ten game sprint to the playoffs against Minny at the start of the season, we would have greedily taken it. Then if we were given a head start in that sprint, woo woo.

 

Enjoy the games, win or lose playing games this late that actually matter is a blessing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

f*** I don't believe that crap. My goodness will they win one f***ing game soon? I could see 1 win this weekend then a sweep, then 1-2 to close out the season.

[GreatScott82]

Perspective.

 

If we were offered a ten game sprint to the playoffs against Minny at the start of the season, we would have greedily taken it. Then if we were given a head start in that sprint, woo woo.

 

Enjoy the games, win or lose playing games this late that actually matter is a blessing.

 

f*** I don't believe that crap. My goodness will they win one f***ing game soon? I could see 1 win this weekend then a sweep, then 1-2 to close out the season.

 

Haha yea im not one of those fans who is 'just happy' to be in this position. We are in this position, great, nobody expected it, but who cares. There is still pleanty of work that needs to be done. Im not even going to say tonight is a 'must win' anymore. Just play good solid baseball. Im tired of this crap. They need a 2.5 game lead heading into Minny, i think everyone knows that. Just get it done, have some fun and lets go to the playoffs where anythng can happen, we can thank the 2006 St. Louis Cards who won it all with just 83 regular season wins for that statement.

[kapkomet]

Haha yea im not one of those fans who is 'just happy' to be in this position. We are in this position, great, nobody expected it, but who cares. There is still pleanty of work that needs to be done. Im not even going to say tonight is a 'must win' anymore. Just play good solid baseball. Im tired of this crap. They need a 2.5 game lead heading into Minny, i think everyone knows that. Just get it done, have some fun and lets go to the playoffs where anythng can happen, we can thank the 2006 St. Louis Cards who won it all with just 83 regular season wins for that statement.

We all know from 2005 that it's getting hot at the right time.

 

They just need to get in the playoffs, get that monkey off their back, and let it fly and see what happens.

 

[Buehrle>Wood]

We all know from 2005 that it's getting hot at the right time.

 

That really doesn't apply to a team that was far and away the best team in MLB that season. They were just that good, outside of one month. We really haven't been all to spectacular that much this season.

[southsider2k5]

That really doesn't apply to a team that was far and away the best team in MLB that season. They were just that good, outside of one month. We really haven't been all to spectacular that much this season.

 

We were actually very close to having the best record in baseball about the time that Jenks and Linebrink got hurt.

[The Ginger Kid]

We all know from 2005 that it's getting hot at the right time.

 

They just need to get in the playoffs, get that monkey off their back, and let it fly and see what happens.

it's funny, i was reading the game summary from yesterday's date in '05, the loss to the tribe on Boone's shot at the cell. Marte was crap and the bats went to bed, kong popped out with the go ahead run on base in the 9th. It was just an overriding sense of DOOM and panic. But once they got that monkey off their back they clicked, as you said. But do you think there is pressure to close it out this season like there was then, when they watched a 15 game lead slip away?

[witesoxfan]

That really doesn't apply to a team that was far and away the best team in MLB that season. They were just that good, outside of one month. We really haven't been all to spectacular that much this season.

 

The only two things this team current does not have that the 2005 team did have are an effective bullpen and a player who is starting and stealing a lot of bases. This offense, though more inconsistent, is far better than the 2005 offense and the rotation is very close to being just as good (though I do have my fears about Vazquez in the playoffs).

 

I have hope for this team in the playoffs if they can make it, but Thornton and Jenks have to keep pitching well and if two of the Richard-Dotel-Carrasco-Ramirez-MacDougal (if he's on the playoff roster, which is sketchy) group pitch well, this team will have a shot. Getting Quentin relatively healthy would be nice too, but that's a coinflip at this point.

 

It would be nice if they start hitting though. Seeing as how they've historically hit the absolute s*** out of the three they're facing this weekend, it would be nice if it started happening again. A 24 run series would be just OK with me so long as they don't score 22 of them in one game.

[ObamaKnowsBest]

another loss for minny

[caulfield12]

One thing I'm not quite understanding is why they wouldn't want to have Danks face Minnesota.

 

Minnesota has a much better record against RHP's than LHP's, and this has especially been borne out over the last 6-8 weeks of the season. It was the primary reason we used Clayton Richard against them the last time we faced them.

 

Buehrle has the most wins of his career (team-wise) against the Twins, so I understand why he's slated to go, despite how poorly he has pitched on the road most of this season (5+ ERA, 4-9 record after tonight).