White Sox Offense Shows Faint Life Signs
In Star Trek The Next Generation, there's always the scene where the crew has been hit by something and someone with a tri-corder scans the red-shirted crewman lying on the ground and says "Captain, I'm detecting faint life signs." Well, call my bottle of Killian's half full, but my tri-corder scan of the White Sox offense is also detecting faint life signs.
Last night against Oakland, the Sox got timely hitting from people like Rob Mackowiak and Darrin Erstad, Even Alex Cintron chipped in to help defeat the Athletics 8-5. And, it wasn't like the Sox were facing a stiff. Joe Blanton is a pretty good pitcher.
However, with the optimism comes a cause for concern. To win at any level of baseball, you have to hit the ball, catch the ball and pitch the ball. The Sox are beginning to hit. Their starting pitching has kept them in almost every game this year. But the defense and the bullpen are starting to rear their ugly heads.
Mackowiak is having serious issues in left field. He butchered Jack Cust's two out fly ball to left, first not seeing it off the bat and then losing it in the lights. Pablo Ozuna, while a good defensive player, makes poor choices in where he throws the ball. Jermaine Dye also looks a little out of snyc in right field.
Then there is the bullpen. Ozzie, trying to build confidence in Mike MacDougal, put the struggling set-up man on the mound in the top of the eighth with a five run lead. What does MacDougal do? He walks two out of the first three guys he faces. Then, after he strikes out Jason Kendall for the second out, he gives up a single to Shannon Stewart. Boone Logan, who was miscast in the role he played last night, entered the game and promptly gave up a single to Nick Swisher making it 8-5. In the ninth, Bobby Jenks came in and created some excitement when he gave up a lead-off walk and a single before setting down the next three A's hitters.
So, what do you do if you are Ozzie Guillen? Your only dependable bullpen pitchers are Matt Thornton (and he's iffy) and Jenks. Andrew Sisco is a disaster. Mike MacDougal is a disaster. Boone Logan is a disaster. It's time for Kenny Williams to pick up the phone and start smiling and dialing. Maybe Chad Cordero from Washington. Possibly Derrick Turnbow from Milwaukee. But some kind of new blood for this bullpen because unless the Sox can score eight runs a game, Logan, MacDougal and Sisco will kill them.
I would consider Nick Masset for something later in the game. Use Logan and Sisco in long and/or mop up relief. Use MacDougal in the sixth or seventh. Give struggling David Aardsma another shot at the eighth and see if he responds. And find somebody in the minors or somewhere that can take some of the heat off the pen.
You get the feeling that this team is walking on egg shells thinking "I I don't flawlessly execute my job, we won't win." That kind of pressure loses ball games, not wins them.
Two other items of note: Jermaine Dye was tossed out of the game by combative umpire Chris Guccione in the fifth inning. I'm not going to argue that Dye didn't deserve it, but then Guccione never backed down and took a couple of steps toward the Sox dugout as Dye moved away. Sunday, umpire Joe West followed the Cubs Cliff Floyd toward the Cub dugout and then tossed him. Can't Bob Watson or somebody tell the umpires that they are not the show? Please?
A.J. Pierzynski bruised his hand after being hit with a tipped ball in the ninth inning. If Pierzynski is day to day and can't go tonight, it's the Toby Hall show behind the plate. Gentlemen, start you engines.
Lightning Round
- Boy, Prince Fielder is a professional hitter. Two bombs at pitcher friendly Dodger stadium last night in a 9-5 win over the Dodgers. Good pitching from Jeff Suppan too. Let's see if they can put the rough patch behind them as they go for their third win in a row tonight.
- In the chase for Lord Stanley's cup, the Anaheim Ducks are just cracking up over comments made by NBC's Brett Hull Sunday. After the Ducks beat the Red Wings 2-1 in overtime, Hull said the Detroit was actually the better team that day and that they could easily come back and win games six and seven. The Ducks have Hull's role on TV sniffed out, so they didn't take offense. Game six tonight at the Pond. BTW, here are some outstanding comments on the Saturday's Heidi Hockey game from Big Al at The Wayne Fontes Experience.
- So, what if Rick Hendrick is actually bluffing and he could find room for Junior at Hendrick motor sports? Who would go away? In my view, the problem is not so much firing a driver and giving Junior his ride. It's firing a sponsor to absorb the people that Junior brings with him. If Hendrick can do that, he is a magician. He better do it quick though.
- Looks like Mama's boy is on his way to So. Cal. Pete Carrol, please post an assistant coach on your back at all times.
- The foodies wince as Mario Batali clogs the market.
- Looks like WRKO in Boston will not have former Imus producer Bernard McGuirk on anytime soon (he was scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday) because of protests from black community leaders. So now, is this how our game is being played? If we make enough noise, we'll deny a man the right to work. Why don't these groups work to heal the problem rather than ratchet it up to a another level? And, we thank our friends at AP for continuing to use the words "racist" and "slur" in every story they crank out about this. People, get over it.
- I know this was in The Onion, but if sounds so RIAA.
- A man who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, smokes, drinks and eats fried chicken everyday. A shining beacon of hope and inspiration for the rest of us.
- Brian Griffin in concert-80's style. Nice cover, Seth.
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