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Calm before the storm

Just a minor-league update tonight, as I work towards a server change.  I'll have more details tomorrow night.Feel free to pick up the conversation in my absence.***************************Minor league roundup:Durham 8, Charlotte 6Behold Jeff Marquez's...
19 hours, 20 minutes ago by Jim Margalus

July 2: White Sox 4, Royals 1

This game may have been uncomfortably close considering Bruce Chen started for the Royals, but it's a six-game winning streak just the same.  It helped that Mark Buehrle was on his game, and the Royals were on theirs.Buehrle induced three double...
20 hours, 32 minutes ago by Jim Margalus

Midseason prospect rankings: Winston-Salem, Kannapolis

It was a month of transition in the lower levels of the White Sox system, especially in Winston-Salem.  The Dash were picked clean to make up for the slew of promotions at Birmingham, while some Intimidators are waiting for the 2009 draft picks to...
July 02, 2009 by Jim Margalus

July 1: White Sox 6, Indians 2

Even by Jeremy Sowers' ultra-low standards, the White Sox bludgeoned the Cleveland lefty in their third time through the order en route to their fifth straight victory.Sowers entered the game allowing a .484 batting average to hitters making their third...
July 01, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Midseason prospect rankings: Charlotte and Birmingham

It seems like just last month that we were poring over Gordon Beckham's box scores and Aaron Poreda's pitching lines.  They grow up so fast.  *sniff*If you care to reminisce, here are April and May's roundups.CHARLOTTE KNIGHTSRecord: 37-41 (last...
July 01, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 30: White Sox 11, Indians 4 (7 innings)

In his last three starts against the White Sox, Cliff Lee entered tonight's affair 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA, including a streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings.The Sox put that streak to an end tout de suite with some sweet swings from up and down the...
June 30, 2009 by Jim Margalus

One man's guess: Williams might hold, but won't fold

Many men have damaged their reputations trying to predict what Kenny Williams will do, and many more will fall.However, since I've taken the bait so many times already, there's no risk in making a bold, declarative statement.  So hell -- barring...
June 30, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 29: White Sox 6, Indians 3

Thanks to a strong effort by a Gavin Floyd and Chris Perez's best efforts to fit in with his teammates, the White Sox finally took an opening game of a series -- and finally reached .500.Floyd pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, bolstered by a couple of...
June 29, 2009 by Jim Margalus

White Sox smile time fun hour

In the spirit of a convincing and thoroughly enjoyable blanking of the Cubs, it's all fun and games today.  Let's tip a hat in the direction of the Sox for once.John DanksAlong with pitching seven scoreless innings, Danks achieved a rare feat for...
June 29, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 28: White Sox 6, Cubs 0

For all the talk about Ozzie Guillen being a hothead, the Sox stayed remarkably cool while watching the Cubs suffer another meltdown.It shouldn't come as a surprise, what with Carlos Zambrano starting and all.  Nevertheless, aside from an errant...
June 28, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Am I nuts, or...

...could the White Sox benefit from trading for Orlando Cabrera?Everybody's having the thought -- Jack McDowell included -- that Gordon Beckham should slide 40 feet to his left, leaving Alexei Ramirez to either play second or center field, depending on...
June 28, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 27: White Sox 8, Cubs 7

On the regular season's most-hyped stage, Gordon Beckham delivered his first-ever walkoff -- and the Sox from evil, while he was at it.Jayson Nix's tough walk set the stage, putting runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth.  Beckham then...
June 27, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Overmanging, overwhelmed

Two quick notes as we wait for the end of interleague play:No. 1:  Ramon Castro may as well be Corky Miller.Ozzie Guillen walked into a trap, in my opinion, when he called for A.J. Pierzynski to face Carlos Marmol in the eighth inning of Friday's...
June 27, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 26: Cubs 5, White Sox 4

The Sox had a chance to tie the game and take Jose Contreras off the hook when A.J. Pierzynski came to the plate with the bases loaded, facing Sean Marshall with one out.Gallagher had replaced Carlos Marmol, who walked two batters before encountering...
June 26, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Home field advantage not a completely foreign concept

Talking on the phone with my dad after Wednesday's game, he mentioned that he thought Alexei Ramirez had grown unfocused at shortstop.  Mind you, this was only after Ramirez failed to catch the liner he leaped for unnecessarily, swatting it with...
June 26, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 25: White Sox 6, Dodgers 5 (13 innings)

Spotting a four-run lead to a Cy Young candidate for a first-place team should result in a loss -- especially when playing defense as poorly as the Sox did.Somehow, they managed to steal it.  It just took a helluva combined effort by the bullpen...
June 25, 2009 by Jim Margalus

White Sox-Dodgers relationship forced, expensive as ever

Heading up 35th Street to U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday, my brother wondered what the attendance would be.I figured with the Los Angeles Dodgers in town, school out, the first home game after a lengthy road trip and no threat of storms, 30,000 would...
June 25, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 24: White Sox 10, Dodgers 7

After committing two errors behind Gavin Floyd and helping turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit in the second inning, the White Sox gave every indication that this was another home game not worth winning.Then they launched five more homers, and that seemed...
June 24, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Tuesday's minor league roundup

And here's my White Sox-Dodgers recap from Tuesday as well.Charlotte 3, Louisville 2Carlos Torres threw seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out four.  His ERA stands at 2.28.Adam Russell allowed a solo homer,...
June 23, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 23: Dodgers 5, White Sox 2

Thanks for nothing, White Sox.Record: 33-37 | Box score | Play-by-play...
June 23, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Beyond Linebrink: Improving the eighth inning

You know what's the scariest aspect of Scott Linebrink's 2009 season?It's not that opponents are Barry Bonds off him when he pitches on consecutive days (.348/.467/.783).  It's not that he's allowed more unearned runs than any active White Sox pitcher...
June 23, 2009 by Jim Margalus

The injury bug will not be ignored

From the Department of Cart-Before-Horse Placement:According to Guillen, however, simply locking up Podsednik for another year as insurance for Danks isn't as simple as it sounds.''Then we have a problem,'' Guillen said. ''If [general manager] Kenny [Williams]...
June 22, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 21: White Sox 4, Reds 1

Today, nothing -- not the offense, not the bullpen, not bad luck -- could prevent Mark Buehrle from getting the win.Buehrle ended his winless streak at five starts with seven shutout innings, and backed by some early offense and good fortune, he came...
June 21, 2009 by Jim Margalus

Masset helps the Sox, finally

If I had to rank my favorite moments from this season, No. 1 with a bullet would be Alexei Ramirez's homer off Nick Masset in the White Sox's 10-8 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday night.That shouldn't come as a surprise, since my feelings about Nick...
June 21, 2009 by Jim Margalus

June 20: White Sox 10, Reds 8

Nick Masset entered tonight's game 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Opponents had hit just .138 off him; righties just .086.But when facing an American League team, Masset looked just like the Nick Magic who failed repeatedly for the Sox.  In fact, this might...
June 20, 2009 by Jim Margalus

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