And the Hits Just Keep on NOT Coming

Stu Weiner, Sox Superfan

Don’t you think it’s about time the the Sox bats woke up? I know it’s been cold and wet, but the conditions are the same for both teams. Now that our pitching seems to be stablized, it’s our hitting that giving us problems. Come on – a .229 team batting average is unacceptable. And now our most productive hitter (Thome) is on the disabled list. Jon Garland said it all – the pitchers are pressing because they are getting very little support from the batters.

As I’ve stated in earlier blogs, I’m still waiting for small ball to occur on a regular basis. The runners are not trying to steal bases. There are very few hit and runs. No squeeze plays. The vast majority of our runs are being scored via the long ball. That was not supposed to be the case this year.

The White Sox must lead the league in LOB. Worse yet, we must lead the league in leaving runners in scoring position. How many times have we left the bases loaded? Konerko has had only 1-2 offensively productive games this year. Dye, my favorite player, is having a slow start. He’s hitting home runs, but with the bases empty. Anderson is useless at the plate – he has to be sent down. Cintron has one hit for the year. Iguchi looks lost at the plate. AJ is doing OK, but it could be better. Erstad is coming around, but he’s still batting in the low 200’s. Uribe has done better than I expected, but not spectacular. Crede is having his usual slow start.

I lay a good portion of the blame on Greg Walker. Is he working with these guys to find out what is wrong? Are they taking extra batting practice? Don’t tell me that things will get better when the weather warms up. Don’t tell me that the opposing pitchers are all pitching like Cy Young. It was warm last night (Saturday) with a sold-out crowd and a terrible pitcher on the mound for the Angels. Yet the Sox got shut out. And of course, in one inning, they had the bases loaded and failed to score.

We are lucky that no one in the division has taken the bull by the horns and taken advantage of the Sox slow start. Cleveland won six games in a row until losing last night. It is still a long season, and we are only 1-1/2 games out, but the hitting better come around – NOW!!!!!

Broken Halos

Cait Higgins, Sox Superfan

What a great game tonight! Jose really needed this game for his confidence. He looked really good on the mound tonight. Once again, it was nice to see the bullpen pull it out… even if there were one or two scary moments. I could do without Jose giving up a homer every start, but what can you do? A win is a win! A win against the West this early in the season is really exciting, since those teams always have our number. The rest of this weekend will be important for us, too. We need all the wins we can get, especially since the Tigers and Twins are playing eachother. With the chance that the Twins will sweep, it can push the Tigers back a few games.

I’m worried about Thome. I really hope there’s nothing wrong there. It always scares me when the guys say that they’re 100%, and then they get hurt right away. If Jermaine, Paul and A.J. keep hitting the way they’re doing, we can afford to not have Big Jim in the lineup for a few nights, while he is resting up and getting back to normal.

Losing on Sunday and on Wednesday to Detroit was pretty rough. Aardsma has been pretty tough out there on the mound, and it was too bad he had one bad inning. However, Boone Logan didn’t help the cause by giving up three hits in a row in the bottom of the ninth. To his credit, he has pitched really well since then. That is a welcome change from last year; I’d get scared when he came in because I wasn’t sure if he’d have a good outing or a bad one. The loss on Wednesday night was just ridiculous. I can’t believe it took them two walk-in runs in the bottom of the ninth for us to avoid a shut out. No one’s bats were awake, and we couldn’t string two hits together to save us! As much as I believed in us pulling it out, it all came down to Brian Anderson in the 9th, BASES LOADED with two outs. I think that coming up with a hit or even a walk could have helped him out in the confidence department. I’m afraid he psyches himself too much when he thinks he has to come up with a big hit. I do think he’s an excellent fielder, so it would be pretty sad to see him wind up back in AAA Birmingham.

Maybe having a day off yesterday because of the rain gave us a little boost. Let’s hope they keep it up.

That said, I am really happy at where we are at as the first month of the season comes to an end. I’ll be out in left field this weekend watching a rematch of the 2005 ALCS! Hopefully it will be just as exciting. I’ll also be rooting for Baltimore to pull it out against Cleveland. Till tomorrow, Sox fans!

Rain out

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
A small tear drop shed from my eye as I read that tonight’s ballgame was called due to rain. I was looking forward to heading out and seeing my first game of the season and even managed to score some tickets for the Stadium Club. At any rate I am sure I will enjoy going to a makeup game later this season.

As far as how this affects the Sox, I believe a day of rest is in order. A few light injuries have plagued the club early and some time off is just what the doctor ordered for Thome, Dye, and Mackowiak. This also gives Podsednik more time to stay on the 15 day DL- with the bats starting to come back to life it would be nice to get our base stealing spark plug back on the field.

Listening briefly to Steve Stone on the SCORE today I overheard talk of Brian Anderson being sent down to the minors. I am sure this is only a small setback in this talented outfielder’s young career and getting some regular ABs will only help to enhance his development. Stone did generate a small rumor by announcing there was no call-ups just yet to replace Anderson on the roster and this could be a sign that Kenny is dealing. Our GM is always out to surprise so this activity is sure to create some excitement!

A quick note on our loss to Detroit last night- Chad Durbin? I know Thome and Dye were sitting out but how does this guy come in and put up goose eggs against us in our own park? That is enough to make any Sox fan ill! We need some runs against weaker pitching and who is going to put an end to starting the game off by giving up 3+ runs in the 1st inning? When hitters are put in a hole early they sometimes get desperate. Lets come out of the gates hurling some shutout ball for a change.

Lastly I would like to send a shout out to John Danks- keep on fighting! It is great to see this youngster battling every 5th start and demonstrating some great talent plus glimpses of what we will be seeing from him in the near future. He has the ability to hurl some nasty pitches and is very capable of making hitters look foolish on occasion. He will eventually mature into something special and the runs will start to pour in to support his first MLB win and many more to come.

Paulie, Paulie, Paulie

Stu Weiner, Sox Superfan

Although many of you may blame yesterday’s loss on David Aaardsma for giving up the 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, it is my belief that the game never should have been that close in the first place. The White Sox had numerous opportunities to score runs, but failed to do so. So if we want to blame someone, how about Paul Konerko!!!

I have always been one of Paulie’s biggest fans. I was thrilled beyond belief when he re-signed with the Sox after the World Series victory. I respect him for not taking more money to go somewhere else. He has been a consistent force in the White Sox lineup – until this year. And I still think he will have a good year.

However, at the current time, he is a liability to the Sox. It is one thing to start out the year slowly, but another to be a total bus. He has left runners on base all season long, including two times in the past week where he left 8 men on base. The other day, he struck out twice with the bases loaded. Yesterday he had an opportunity to put the game away in the top of the ninth with runners on first and third, with one out – and he hits into a double-play. He was 0-6 for the day with three strikeouts, and never got the ball out of the infield.

You cannot have an automatic out in the clean-up spot. Jim Thome is leading the league in walks for a good reason – they are pitching around him to get to Paulie. When your third place hitter gets intentionally walked to get to your clean-up hitter, there is a problem.

The solution? Let him sit for a few games. Put Erstad at first base and leave Macowiak or Ozuna in the outfield (not Anderson – that’s replacing an automatic out with another automatic out). Let the other one DH, or let Molina catch and have AJ DH. Give Paulie extended batting practice and let him work with Greg Walker to find out what is wrong.

What would you do if another player of lesser caliber was doing that badly? You would either sit him down or move him down in the batting order. Why should it be any different with Paulie?

One more thing. If Paulie does sit for a few games, do NOT have him pinch hit in a key situation. That always fascinates me about so many managers. They sit a guy down because he isn’t hitting, and then they pinch-hit him in a key situation. To me, that makes no sense. Is it because they want to boost his confidence? Wrong – the team comes first – you do what is best for the team, not an individual.

It’s alive!

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
We are approaching the end of our first month of baseball and the bats seem to be waking up! We have not seen anything too monumental but when our lineup puts out eleven runs in two wins then I certainly will not complain about it. That should be enough considering how well our pitching has been. Danks did not do so well against the Tigers last night but he seems to be in a great developmental stage. Our bullpen is just about lights out and I could not be happier with the combination of Thornton, McDougal, Aardsma(thanks Cubbies!), Massett(congrats on your first MLB win), and Jenks. Of course, how could I forget, THANK YOU MARK BUERHLE! This all time great Sox lefty has given us years of joy and to see him attain an accomplishment like that is a thing all Sox fans will cherish. I am looking forward to seeing him signed by Kenny & Co. to a long term deal and retire a Chicago White Sox!

With that being said I am most looking forward to our Sox sticking it to the Tigers and showing all of MLB that they were nothing but overachievers in ‘06.

Where is Small Ball?

Stu Weiner, Sox Superfan

Like every other Sox fan, I am extremely excited about Buehrle’s no-hitter. And like most Sox fans, I wish Kenny would sign him for a few more years (along with Dye). But I am really concerned about how the Sox are scoring runs these days. It’s all home runs.

The Sox only scored one run the other day – a home run by Thome. The game before that, I believe they scored all their runs on home runs. Last night they scored 6 runs, all on home runs. What ever happened to getting back to small ball? We cannnot depend upon home runs to win every game. While Jim Thome has 5 home runs, most of them, if not all of them, have been with no runners on base. Luckily, last night, Dye’s home run was a grand slam.

I like home runs, but I was looking forward to some “Ozzie ball.” Where are out stolen bases, bunts, squeeze plays, hit and runs? Those things are just as exciting as home runs.

NO HITTER NO HITTER NO HITTER

Cait Higgins, Sox Superfan

Greatest game ever, besides the World Series, of course. I am so excited that I can say “no hitter!!!!!!!!!!” What a game! Jermaine Dye GRAND SLAM! Thome TWO HOME RUNS. I don’t even know what else to say about this game.

Mark needed a good game, and he certainly got one. It was hard to fathom Mark giving up one walk, to Sammy Sosa! Of course, he promptly picked him off. Awesome. I really enjoyed seening the defense really back him up. Also, the offense really came alive. Mark. Buehrle. one. walk. NO. HITTER.

I guess I should take time to write about how sad I am that Scott Podsednik is back on the DL. What a work ethic! He goes in on his day off and tweaks his groin! Unbelievable! Hopefully he will be ready to go sooner than later. Meanwhile, I’ll be in left field patiently awaiting his return.

NO HITTER! 6-0 WIN! GO GO WHITE SOX!!!!!!!!!

Offensive bats

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
On another cold Chicago day Sammy Sosa and the Texas Rangers invaded White Sox park. The game was moving along with neither side able to score against some solid pitching. Then just one pitch after Jim Thome lost his bat in the stands after a foul ball the Good Guys broke through. Thome launched a solo shot to straight center. This was a good sight but unfortunately it turned out to be the lone bright spot for Sox fans.

Jon Garland pitched good but eventually the Rangers bats busted through with Brad Wilkerson and red hot Ian Kinsler doing most of the damage with homers in the 5th and 7th innings respectively. It must weigh heavy on a pitcher to keep throwing goose eggs on the board while your offense continues to sputter. Every single bat in the lineup is struggling with only Thome hitting over .220 in the early part of this season. At this point there is no chemistry with hitters still trying to find their grooves. I would say the Sox need a lineup change with some new blood off the bench or players moving up or down in the batting order but as far as I have seen Ozzie has done a pretty good job of mixing things up.

Now I am going to come up with a new solution- NO MORE CHANGES! I believe Ozzie has been shaking things up too much. If we leave our prime players in their comfortable spots then maybe they will shake out of this funk, pick up some chemistry, and feel their way through to reaching their potential. Figure on regular CF and LF, leave Iguchi in the 2 spot and Juan Uribe is probably the only other Sox who has been hitting so leave him at SS. Lets see if we can wake up the bats with some stability!

Cleveland Finale

Michael Bottigliero, Sox Superfan
Our bats went silent on a day I had been looking forward to. I was excited to watch baseball on a day honoring an all time great- Jackie Robinson. This is a man who had the courage to go against the grain, to stand up for himself and in the process stand against inequalities and prejudices. For all players and fans to stand together and celebrate this man was a great step toward uniting our country and possibly the world.

Aside from all of the honoring of Jackie and all he stood for I was still disappointed as a Sox fan on Sunday. I am no fan of C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indians. I can agree that C.C. has talent but it drives me crazy to see a young man so disgustingly out of shape and obviously obese pitching in MLB and being labelled an “athlete”. I am also shocked to see him listed at only 290 lbs.- that man has to weigh at least 350! Seeing lackluster swings at some of his breaking balls and the Indians scoring two runs on one hit made for quite a sickening afternoon. I almost had to make a run for the can when I saw C.C. pumping his fist (like he did something great) after he and his lucky Indians caught the break of this young season in the 8th inning. How the Indians were so fortunate to have Mackowiak’s ball hit off Sabathia’s chubby fingers and land in Casey Blake’s charmed glove is beyond me. That would have scored the tying run and the Good Guys would have had two runners on with Iguchi up next.

My consolation is we will see those guys later and have our chance to beat them down like we did in ‘05. We were able to shut down their lineup with the improving Danks and a revived Contreras. The pitching staff has been a huge bright spot for over a week and with the sticks we have in this lineup I believe no Sox fan has anything to worry about.

He looks up…

Cait Higgins, Sox Superfan

How great was it to see Podsednik’s bat wake up? I have gotten the luxury of seeing all of his homeruns in the past two seasons (including one walk off home run in Game 2). He never seems to think he should have it one that far. Take Monday night for example, he walked back into the dugout with this look of awe on his face almost like, “Was that supposed to happen?” I love it. I also love seeing numbers in the .400s for a batting avg. so early in the season. Keep it up, Pods!

Anyway, I agree with what was said about the lack of “Grinder Ball” in the game last night. On Monday, it seemed like it was all falling into place together. I guess I was most disappointed in the fact that we couldn’t score more than one run last night. Jon Garland was golden on the mound. Absolutely stellar. I hate to lay all the blame on Bobby, but I honestly think it would have taken a miracle for Scott to perfectly execute those two plays to keep us tied up. If your closer gives up two or more hits in a row, I think it’s time to take him out.

As I write this, we have just strung three hits together. I was going to write about how Mark was getting pounded, but I think things might just be looking up! I was happy to see Jermaine finally get a hit and bring his .100 batting average up a little. I was unhappy to see what just went down with the terrible rundown that happened between Iguchi and the A’s… I’ve already seen that this season, and I hope I don’t have to see it again.

Finally, I’ve been really angry at the media lately calling our beloved White Sox “weather wimps” because our game on Friday night got cancelled due to extreme wind chills. Please. It’s not like people that have to report the news, like Ryan Baker, would enjoy sitting in 10 degree wind chills with the chance of snow. He should lighten up on us a little bit. The Cubs got snowed out today, so it will be interesting to see how they give them a pass. Let’s see if they call them “weather wimps” on the news tonight. I was at the games Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday and the temp didn’t get above 45 the whole time! At game time on Wednesday, the temp was 25 with 45 mph winds, and 10 degree wind chills. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit through that again on Friday night, either. Oh well, Go Sox!