White Sox @ Oakland 4.25 game thread 2:35pm

[greg775]

I just got to work.

The Sox actually blew that 2 run lead????

My god.

[greg775]

I read some of the thread. You are right. He's got to be done as closer.

Case closed. He can't close any more.

On to next guy in bullpen by committee.

[caulfield12]

we were in "win now" mode last year and this year's team is better. Besides how does signing Gonzalez do ANYTHING detrimental to this team's future?

 

 

As soon as you see McPherson/Lillibridge at 3B, Lillibridge/Kuhn at 2B and Fukudome playing everyday instead of Viciedo....then you can start talking about Mike Gonzalez.

 

Otherwise, they're going to stick with the plan.

 

The only alteration to it might be sending Santiago down to the minors as a starter again. But that still gives them two lefties in the pen, they don't necessarily have to carry 3.

 

 

P.S. Not only did Balta jinx the win by calling us out, he singlehandedly brought Hosmer and Alex Gordon to life, too.

 

So, of course, when we do play the Royals, they'll look nothing like the current team that just lost 12 in a row.

Edited April 26, 2012 by caulfield12

[greg775]

It just makes very little sense to have your 4th or 5th best reliever being your closer.

 

 

I will lose respect for Robin if Santiago is the one player he decides to knee jerk out of his role.

 

There's an argument to be made about whether he should have started there, but he saved 4 in a row and you can't pull players just like that. It'll ruin the clubhouse.

 

 

Well, Greg can finally be happy. He got what he predicted about 23 times earlier in this game.

 

 

With the way some of you armchair manage, I have to wonder how many posters here have played competitive baseball.

 

1.) Fathom is right. How can any sane person argue this? That's the post of the year.

2.) Ruin the clubhouse? Cmon. We have a lot of veterans. When closers blow a couple saves and they are not named Rivera they get demoted, at least to closer by committee.

3.) Yeah I wanted us to lose .Get real.

4.) Who cares? What do you mean by "competitive baseball?" At least through high school? I think a lot of us played h.s. ball. College? There are a lot of s***ty college baseball teams out there and small college teams. Is that competitive enough for you?

[oldsox]

It's easy to second guess Robin on this one. I mean, Santiago gives up 5 hits in the inning. Managers often don't like to take out the closer, even if he's getting hammered. Do or die syndrome. Cannot hurt the closer's feelings, so you leave him in there.

[mcgrad70]

I will be SHOCKED if Santiago isn't the next guy to close a saveable game.

 

Yet another indictment of the talent evaluating abilities of the current GM.

I didn't think much of Santos either.

 

[mcgrad70]

Screwball not screwing.

 

Or is it? Hmm, wordplay

 

Williams is screwing us with his screwball closer

 

[mcgrad70]

He's pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and 4 homers. Robin would lose respect if he kept throwing him out there blowing leads. Most of the time he's been brought in with a 2 or 3 run lead so he could still give up a run or 2 and be OK, but its time to move him out of that role especially with 3 or 4 other guys pitching lights out.

 

If he had a track record as a closer, I'd agree with you, but he has no track record. He's in over his head right now. Maybe he'll get another opportunity another time.

 

Another time...perhaps the next millenium

 

[Jordan4life_2007]

lol@mcgrad. You are truly awful. I can't stand Kenny. But you are way beyond irrational.

[mcgrad70]

Santiago to the minors and we keep watching Beckham, Morel and Viciedo fail?

 

Okay.

 

But Santiago should be tried as a starter, anyway.

 

That will be the FLIGHT FROM HELL coming back home, though.

 

And the Red Sox will be coming in with a 3 game streak...we win four in a row, twice now, give it right back.

 

Once again, the perfect game or no hitter ends up having a bounceback effect on the team.

 

More than half the current roster needs to be in the minors.

 

[caulfield12]

Ummmm....this is the same team that's currently in first place in the AL Central.

 

Should Detroit also send half of its roster to the minors?

 

If not, then they're either underachieving or we're overachieving, based on expectations....which one is it?

 

Detroit just lost a game to the Mariners at home, a team we just swept on the road.

 

 

And McGrad, if half of our roster was in the minor leagues, then you'd only be b****ing/moaning/whining complaining about the minor leaguers who replaced them, right?

 

Beckham, Morel, Viciedo, Escobar, Stewart and Santiago, you can argue they should be in the minors, sure.

 

Same with Flowers and Lillibridge, I guess, if you want to push the case.

 

 

They would be replaced by Tyler Kuhn, Dallas McPherson, Dan Johnson, Jordan Danks/Conor Jackson, Dylan Axelrod/Terry Doyle and Eric Stults/Brian Bruney.

 

That's the team you'd prefer to see out on the field against the RED SOX, REALLY?