Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

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 land.

Dare to compare their April and May reports.

WINSTON-SALEM DASH

Record: 3-4 (3rd) 38-30 in first half (won division)
Team offense: .745 OPS (2nd in CL)
Team pitching: 4.31 ERA (7th)

No. 1: Brent Morel
.260/.315/.428, 10 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 17-for-21 SB in 250 AB

Morel suffered a hamstring injury that threw him off his game, but he appears to have bounced back strong.  He's hitting .364/.391/.591 over the last two weeks -- and yet that only raised his OBP to .287, to give you an idea of how much he struggled in the first half of June.

The good news -- through it all, he only has three errors on the season.  He'll have plenty of time to work out his other struggles, because Dayan Viciedo will be blocking him for the duration of the season, most likely.

No. 2: Nathan Jones
at Winston-Salem: 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 16 IP, 13 H, 1 HR, 4 BB, 14 K
at Kannapolis: 2-0, 2.41 ERA, 18 2/3 IP, 8 H, 0 HR, 9 BB, 25 K

Jones has predictably seen a drop in his strikeout rate, but he's compensated by walking fewer batters.  He allowed three of his four runs in one outing, which means he's been pretty good over the other 11.  He's the best reliever on this staff by far.

No. 3: Tyler Kuhn
at Winston-Salem: .323/.353/.387, 1 3B, 2 BB, 4 K, 1-for-2 SB in 31 AB
at Kannapolis:.299/.353/.371, 10 2B, 3 3B, 18 BB, 30 K, 19-for-23 SB in 221 AB

Kuhn received a promotion to Winston-Salem as rosters shifted following Gordon Beckham's ascension, and his scrappy game has transferred well to High-A.  He still needs to become more useful in other positions besides left field, but this team is pretty thin in terms of position players.

No. 4: Hector Santiago
2-2, 5.65 ERA, 28 2/3, 27 H, 2 HR, 17 BB, 40 K

Santiago hit a road bump, getting roughed up in two consecutive outings, despite not having pitched for 11 days between them.  The start of July isn't much easier for him (see below).  The strikeout rate is pretty attractive, but the walks and flyballs suppress excitement.

No. 5: Justin Edwards
at Winston-Salem: 1-0, 7.00 ERA, 9 IP, 10 H, 4 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
at Kannapolis: 4-3, 3.80, 45 IP, 48 H, 2 HR, 7 BB, 30 K

The Sox have put Edwards on the fast track following Tommy John surgery, getting the call to Winston-Salem despite being the third- or fourth-most deserving Kannapolis pitcher.  His fastball is in the high-80s, so he has some work to do in terms of missing bats.

No. 6: Kent Gerst
at Winston-Salem: .276/.373/.483, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 23 K, 3-for-5 SB in 58 AB
at Kannapolis: .115/.233/.231, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 BB, 10 K in 26 AB

Gerst, an eighth-round pick in the 2006 draft, has been hanging around rookie ball and extended spring training the past couple of years.  He somehow got a call to Winston-Salem, and has survived thus far -- maybe because he's not exactly a regular player yet.  Still, he finished the month going 8-for-22, with nine games scattered over 17 days, so he's worth keeping an eye on.

KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS

Record: 3-2 (2nd), 37-33 in first half (3rd)
Team offense: .680 OPS (11th in SAL)
Team pitching: 3.32 ERA (5th)

No. 1: Dexter Carter
3-2, 3.73 ERA, 82 IP, 76 H, 7 HR, 22 BB, 97 K

Despite a rough finish to his June, Carter deserved to be pitching for the Dash a long time ago.  We'll see if it's because he's trade bait, or because the Sox are trying to sort out their rookie-ball situation.  There's not a whole lot to say, because it seems that as long as he's throwing strikes, he's getting guys out.

He did see a big uptick in walks in June, increasing his rate by 150 percent.  Maybe he's working on his offspeed stuff.

No. 2: Josh Phegley
3-for-4 in debut

Phegley, the Sox's sandwich pick, was scheduled to make his second start on Wednesday night, but Mother Nature had other ideas.  As is the case with Tyler Flowers, the question for Phegley won't be about his bat at this level.

No. 3: Justin Greene
.320/.399/.482, 9 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 21 BB, 51 K, 9-for-15 SB

Greene might be biding his time as the White Sox negotiate with Jared Mitchell, because he proved that the league is beneath him in June.  Greene enjoyed an 18-game hitting streak, and finished the month hitting .360/.431/.472.

No. 4: Charles Leesman
5-4, 3.01 ERA, 83 2/3 IP, 84 H, 5 HR, 30 BB, 56 K

Leesman cut his walks in June (eight over 24 1/3 innings, down from 17 over 37 in May), which helped make up for a dip in his groundball rate (down 10 percent to 44.3).  He finished the month allowing just two earned runs over his last 19 2/3 innings.

No. 5: Daniel Black
4-for-14, 0 BB, 4 K

Black's rookie ball career lasted one week.  After four hits in his first 12 at-bats, the Sox promoted their 14th-round pick from Purdue to Kannapolis.  He hit .310/.518/.667 in his final season as a Boilermaker, but fell due to concerns about his position.  Black is a big boy (6'4" or 6'5"), and has played both first base and third base in his very brief career.  He should be able to hit here, at least, and soon.

No. 6: Stephen Sauer
4-2, 3.07 ERA, 67 1/3 IP, 79 H, 2 HR, 6 BB, 69 K

Sauer isn't as impressive now that he's not striking out 50 batters for every walk, but he's still plugging along.  His groundball rate returned to Earth (down 20 percent to 52.6), but also suffered from a .409 BABIP, so maybe we'll see some true normalization in July.

No. 7: Gregory Infante
3-5, 3.26 ERA, 88 1/3 IP, 76, 4 HR, 37 BB, 75 K

Infante cut back on his walks, issuing a respectable 10 over 30 2/3 innings.  However, opponents are finding him more hittable, as his batted ball stats are going in the wrong direction.  He's treading water righ tnow.

No. 8: Dan Remenowsky
3-3, 2.20 ERA, 28 2/3 IP, 21 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 48 K

Remenowsky was touched up for a couple of runs before the All-Star break, but has resumed posting zeroes as he starts the second half.  He's due for a promotion at some point, right?

No. 9: Jon Gilmore
.241/.284/.315, 9 2B, 3 HR, 16 BB, 52 K in 270 AB

Gilmore's putting the pressure on Flowers, because there isn't a whole lot there, still.  He did have a nice month in terms of batting average (.284), but most of his power production came in the first week of the month.  He posted equally low numbers of extra-base hits and walks (five apiece), and when coupled with his team-leading 22 errors, it's hard to see any upside.

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Minor league roundup:

• Mobile 6, Birmingham 5 (10 innings)
• Dan Hudson was great until the seventh inning, when he gave up four of his five runs, and four of his seven hits.  He walked one and struck out five over those 6 1/3 innings.
• C.J. Retherford went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
• Christian Marrero also had two hits and an RBI; Dayan Viciedo went 1-for-4.
• Potomac 8, Winston-Salem 4 (12 innings)
• Jacob Rasner pitched eight strong innings, allowing a pair of solo homers over eight innings.  He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five.
• Jimmy Gallagher doubled twice and drove in two runs.
• Elizabethton 8, Bristol 3
• Daniel Holmberg struggled again, allowing two hits and a walk along with two hit batters.  He retired just two batters, both by strikeouts, and four runs ended up crossing the plate.
• Miguel Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a double and an homer.
• Missoula 8, Great Falls 7
• Ryan Hamme, Kyle Colligan, Jeff Tezak and Johny Celis each went 2-for-4.
• Matt Wickswat struck out nine over 5 1/3 innings, but allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk.  Two of those hits left the yard.
• Charlotte OFF
• Kannapolis vs. Hagerstown PPD
  

I got my wish: Jhonny Nunez is now in Charlotte, replacing Brian Omogrosso, who is now on the DL.

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 KNIGHTS

Record: 37-41 (last place)
Team offense: .706 OPS (10th in IL)
Team pitching: 4.03 ERA (12th in IL)

No. 1: Brandon Allen
at Charlotte: .244/.244/.378, 3 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 8 K in 45 AB.
at Birmingham: .290/.372/.452, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR in 241 AB.

Allen began his Triple-A career with a 3-for-4, two-double night.  Since then, he has struggled with the initial adjustment, and has just three hits in his last 28 at-bats.  It's hard to see any scenario in which he gets called up before September.

No. 2: Jack Egbert
6-2, 3.67 ERA, 56 1/3 IP, 58 H, 7 HR, 11 BB, 47 K

Since aborting the bullpen experiment, Egbert has gotten his career back on track.  He's 5-2 with a 1.56 as a startre, holding hitters to a .203 average and walking just five batters over 40 1/3 innings, while striking out 33.

He's experienced some BABIP luck (.273 in June), but helped his own cause by keeping 57 percent of batted balls on the ground.  He could be the next starter called up, should the Sox need somebody besides Bartolo Colon.

No. 3: Carlos Torres
7-4, 2.41 ERA, 86 IP, 67 H, 2 HR, 35 BB, 84 K

Torres joined Egbert with an outstanding June (4-0, 1.76 ERA, .198 BAA), peaking on June 18 by throwing a five-inning perfect game.  He battled some control issues early in the month (walking 13 over 16 innings), but settled down nicely in the second half.

He also did a much better job of keeping the ball on the ground, with a 55.2 percent grounder rate (previous high -- 48.3 percent).  Couple that with halving his line drive rate from May to June (14.9 percent), and that'll make for some nice numbers.

No. 4: Adam Russell
2-2, 3.43 ERA, 25 G, 42 IP, 29 H, 4 HR, 12 BB, 39 K

Russell doesn't receive a lot of buzz, perhaps because he didn't impress much in his big-league stint last season.  Nevertheless, Nessie keeps plugging along, enjoying his best month to date.  He allowed just seven hits over 16 innings in June, and his 57.6 percent groundball rate is in line with his season average.

He's been especially tough on righties, holding them to a .183 average, three extra-base hits and four walks compared to 23 strikeouts.

No. 5: Jeff Marquez
1-5, 8.16 ERA, 28 2/3 IP, 38 H, 5 HR, 16 BB, 19 K.

Marquez came back from elbow problems to make three starts in June, and he built upon each one.  His last time out, he struck out eight hitters over five shutout innings.

There's still no evidence of any kind of extraordinary sinker, but at least his groundball rate ended up on the right side of the 50 percent marker.

No. 6: Jon Link
0-1, 3.00 ERA, 26 G, 33 IP, 28 H, 1 HR, 12 BB, 43 K

Link's strikeout rate continues to be a plus (14 in 10 2/3 innings in June), but the rest of his numbers were shakier.  He experienced some major BABIP regression, going from .192 in May to .433 in June, and it showed in his final numbers (14 hits, six runs). 

I got to see him pitch one inning in Allentown.  Nothing particularly overpowering, but perhaps I caught him on a bad day.

No. 7: Lucas Harrell
at Charlotte: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 6 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 3 K.
at Birmingham: 8-3, 3.25 ERA, 80 1/3 IP, 78 H, 4 HR, 32 BB, 51 K

Harrell might be hitting his ceiling in Charlotte, a.k.a. pitcher purgatory, but he finished his time in Birmingham by raising his groundball rate to 63.7 percent in June, which gives him a puncher's chance.  Posting a quality start in his Triple-A debut doesn't hurt his cause, either.

No. 8: Brian Omogrosso
at Charlotte: 0-0, 15.88 ERA, 4 G, 5 2/3 IP, 12 H, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
at Birmingham: 7-2, 4.19 ERA, 73 IP, 67 H, 4 HR, 40 BB, 64 K

Harrell's debut might not be that impressive, but it's way better than what Omogrosso is doing so far.  It's possible that he's having trouble adjusting to the bullpen after starting for the Barons all year long, but right now, he's just getting rocked (34 percent line drive rate).

No. 9: Brent Lillibridge
.219/.291/.313, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 11 BB, 31 K, 7-for-7 SB

A-yup.

BIRMINGHAM BARONS

Record: 4-4 second half, 48-21 first half (won division)
Team offense: .781 OPS (1st in SL)
Team pitching: 3.32 ERA (2nd in SL)

No. 1: Tyler Flowers
.292/.439/.532, 15 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 50 BB, 67 K in 216 AB

The Tyler Flowers course with "Dynamic Tension" can turn you into a beast of a man.

To put it another way, he just might be the most fearsome hitter the White Sox farm system has seen in ages.  He hit .346/.447/.641 in June, and owns an OBP of .516 against lefties.

It appears that defense is the only thing holding him back.  It would be nice to see if there's anything in Triple-A that might trip him up like it did Allen, but the Sox might want to see if there's any value whatsoever in Donny Lucy and/or Cole Armstrong.  So for now, Flowers catches every day in Double-A, waiting to strike.

Be sure to read J.J.'s interview with Flowers at White Sox Examiner.  Really good stuff.

No. 2: Dayan Viciedo
.276/.306/.381, 13 2B, 6 HR, 14 BB, 53 K in 294 AB

Viciedo's numbers still aren't impressive on the whole, but he's making every necessary improvement right now.  Last month, it was all about the quality of his contact.  This time around, it's his walks and strikeouts.  Check it out:

• April: 2 BB, 19 K
  
• May: 3 BB, 23 K
• June: 9 BB, 11 K
  

He also topped .400 in slugging for the first time in a month (.426), along with his career high in OBP (.342).  He's still committing plenty of errors, but the Sox paid him to hit, and he's following the correct curve right now.

No. 3: Jordan Danks
at Birmingham: .308/.387/.442, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 15 BB, 31 K in 120 AB
at Winston-Salem: .322/.409/.525, 11 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 18 BB, 31 K in 118 AB

Danks would be an easy second had he not visited the DL after taking a pitch to the wrist.  Last I've heard, he's been throwing OK, and will probably return to action soon.

Up until that point, Danks was handling Birmingham pretty well -- especially before the HBP.  The strikeouts are slightly problematic, but that he saw no increase in his rate from High-A to Double-A is a very promising sign.  For the next month, let's hope that his wrist problems don't linger like they did for his popular comp, Ryan Sweeney.

No. 4: Daniel Hudson
at Birmingham: 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 16 K
at Winston-Salem: 4-3, 3.40 ERA, 45 IP, 31 H, 3 HR, 13 BB, 49 K
at Kannapolis: 1-2, 1.23 ERA, 22 IP, 15 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 30 K

Here's a guy who just became a buttload more intriguing.

Hudson has been pushed aggressively by the White Sox organization, and he's pushed right back.  After hitting a speedbump in his first couple starts at Winston-Salem, Hudson dominated in outing after outing.  The Sox rewarded him with a promotion to Birmingham, and so far, so good.

But wait, there's more.  He's sitting in the mid-90s in his first couple starts with the Barons.  With Aaron Poreda staying with the White Sox, this is the pitcher to watch in the Sox system.

No. 5: John Shelby
.248/.326/.404, 20 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 30 BB, 49 K, 11-for-15 SB in 270 AB

I'm rooting for Shelby, if only because he did the improbable in improving his walks and strikeouts so dramatically.  Last year, he drew just 22 walks to 98 strikeouts in Winston-Salem, so the work he's put in on that front can't be understated easily.

The results, unfortunately, are still hard to decipher.  He hit .282/.345/.417 in June, but while he's been incredibly consistent in his walks (10 each in April, May and June), his strikeouts continue to creep up (12 to 18 to 22).  Maybe he's finding a happy medium between the hitter he wants to be and the hitter he actually is, but the jury is still out right now.

No. 6: John Ely
6-1, 3.36 ERA, 80 1/3 IP, 82 H, 6 HR, 27 BB, 68 K

I don't know if there's been a steadier pitcher in the Sox farm system than the Homewood-Flossmoor grad.  He's thrown exactly six innings in seven of his last nine starts, allowing no more than four runs (twice), not walking more than three (once).

Dig just a little bit and you'll see that he's cutting his walks nicely, with just six of them in 31 innings this past month (down from nine over 28 in May).  Pair it with continued minor improvements in his groundball rate, and Ely's having himself a nice little season.

No. 7: C.J. Retherford
.283/.325/.461, 21 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 16 BB, 40 K in 254 AB

Retherford fell upon hard times in June, hitting just .232/.280/.313 and finishing the month with a 1-for-22 skid.  It's not unlucky -- he's hitting far fewer line drives, and pounding more balls into the ground.  He's also developing increasingly wide splits between lefties and righties:

• vs. RHP: .246/.291/.415
• vs. LHP: .380/.410/.577

As is the case with Shelby, next month should be a big one in terms of his future.

No. 8: Charles Shirek
at Birmingham: 2-1, 2.45 ERA, 25 2/3 IP, 25 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 8 K
at Winston-Salem: 8-1, 3.88 ERA, 65 IP, 63 H, 0 HR, 16 BB, 44 K

Shirek has stayed healthy this season, and he's taken advantage of the good fortune.  Swings and misses are harder to come by for him, and his groundball rate isn't anything to write home about (52 percent, down 8 percent from his time with the Dash), but he's survived in his first few times out nevertheless.

No. 9: Jhonny Nunez
3-0, 2.23 ERA, 25 G, 44 1/3 IP, 37 H, 3 HR, 20 BB, 55 K

Nunez traded walks for hits in June -- he allowed just five hits over 15 2/3 innings, but walked 10 batters, which is nearly as many as he walked in the first two months combined.  Still, the 20 strikeouts are nice, and his control looks postively radiant next to fellow big-arm-shaky-track-record reliever Clevelan Santeliz, who has 22 walks to 25 K's in 29 1/3 innings.

He deserves a promotion to Charlotte soon, if only to see whether his flyball rate (40 percent) will kill him.

No. 10: Christian Marrero
at Birmingham: .244/.273/.512, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 8 K in 41 AB
at Winston-Salem: .314/.357/.482, 15 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 11 BB, 44 K in 226 AB

Marrero's surprising power output at the start of his Double-A career keeps him on the list.  Now that he's playing first base, he's going to need more of where that came from.

Honorary mention: David Cook/Stefan Gartrell
Cook: .253/.363/.515, 11 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 37 BB, 37 K in 237 AB
Gartrell: .279/.366/.523, 16 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 33 BB, 64 K in 258 AB

A tip of the hat to two organizational players having nice seasons.  I wish the Sox would promote one or both to Charlotte already, just so their prospect prospects can officially crap or get off the pot.

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Major league notes:

*First, the recap of the immensely satisfying destruction of Cliff Lee.

*In a poll of major-league players, Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen ranked 1-2 when asked which managers they wouldn't want to play for.  Thanks to the Cheat for the graphic:



Of course, aside from Terry Francona and Bobby Cox, there aren't many other managers that have been in one place long enough to draw that strong of an opinion.

*Guillen then went off on the Cubs some more.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 4, Buffalo 3
• Norris Hopper went 2-for-4 with a double; Mike Restovich did the same, except he homered.
• Adam Russell pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings for the win, striking out one.
• Wes Whisler, in all his pitch-to-contact glory: 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.
• Birmingham 5, Mobile 4 (16 innings)
• John Ely was decent, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks over six innings, striking out six.
• Jhonny Nunez threw the first two of 10 scoreless innings by Barons relievers, striking out two while allowing a hit and a walk.
• Dave Cook hit his 16th homer; Stefan Gartrell hit his 14th.
• Christian Marrero won it with a single to center, his only hit in seven at-bats.
• Dayan Viciedo went 0-for-6 with an RBI.  He was hit by a pitch and committed his 19th error.
  
• Winston-Salem 11, Potomac 6
• Brent Morel went 4-for-5 with his 10th homer, driving in three.  He also stole his 17th base.
• Tyler Kuhn was perfect at the plate -- four hits in four at-bats, including a triple.
• Nathan Jones struck out two over two shutout innings.  He allowed two hits.
• Salvador Sanchez and Greg Paiml had two hits apiece.
• Kannapolis 4, Hagerstown 2
• Stephen Sauer struck out seven over six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks.
• Charlie Burdie (2 IP) and Dan Remenowsky (1 IP) retired every batter they faced.
• Sergio Morales went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI.
• Justin Greene started a new streak, going 1-for-4 with an RBI; Kenneth Williams Jr. doubled.
• Elizabethton 8, Bristol 7
• Miguel Gonzalez hit his first homer as part of a 3-for-5, two-RBI day.
• Kyle Davis went 1-for-2 with three walks; Brady Shoemaker singled, walked and hit a sac fly in four PAs.
• Murillo Gouvea allowed three solo homers over five innings, walking three and striking out six.
• Missoula 10, Great Falls 6 (10 innings)
• Johny Celis went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two walks and two RBI.
• Zach Kayne, Ryan Hamme and Matthew Harughty joined him with two hits apiece.
• Josh Bileaud struck out eight over five innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and a walk.

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 a collapse over the next few weeks, I am convinced that Kenny Williams isn't going to sell.

Here's what does it for me:

IP	H	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
76 1/3	52	21	60	2.00	0.96

That line represents the combined Junes for Gavin Floyd and John Danks.  Floyd saw Danks' seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Sunday and raised him two more outs, blanking the Indians for 7 2/3 innings in the White Sox's 6-3 victory over Cleveland.

As long as the Sox's young starters are locked in and Mark Buehrle is healthy, this is a team that's much closer to competing than they are to falling off a cliff.  But allow me to flesh out my thoughts further.

Cash in?  For what?

By my count, there's one guy on the White Sox with optimal trade value: Bobby Jenks.

Now that he's back to striking out a batter an inning, it's hard to find a way to knock his performance.  And while he's going to get expensive eventually, he's still two years away from free agency.  Any team that needs a big-time bullpen arm would want Jenks.

Nobody else on the Sox could command that kind of return.  Octavio Dotel is very tradeable, but probably only for a Jon Link-type arm.  Maybe a little more if the team in question won't hesitate to offer Dotel arbitration.

Jim Thome has a complete no-trade clause, and any team closer to a World Series ring doesn't need a full-time DH at his salary.  Not to mention that he's not worth any draft picks.  Paul Konerko and Scott Linebrink aren't exceptional enough at their salary commitments, plus they have no-trade protection.

Even if you think the Sox's Cubans could trudge forward without Jose Contreras, he just tweaked his back in his last start.  Half a season of a high-maintenance "37-year-old" probably isn't going to net a player who can improve a team.

That leaves Jermaine Dye, and even though his name has been tied to the San Francisco Giants as they try to restore the 2005 team, the Sox would be better off planning for a reduced one-year extension instead of trading him.

Salary relief isn't necessary

This became pretty clear when Kenny Williams showed himself as willing to trade league-minimum types for Jake Peavy's $52 million contract.

The Sox are carrying a $96 million payroll this year.  They have just $45 million committed toward their 2009 salary.  If you want to count Jenks in next year's plans, consider it $53 million. 

On top of that, Doug Laumann has not referred to any budgetary concerns in their quest to sign picks with signability issues.

Maybe the Sox could save $5 million or more in ditching a veteran by July 31, but the net cost would show a lower figure -- especially since, as Ozzie Guillen put it, the fans don't show when the team is (expletive).

The next wave is already setting up shop

For the next couple of years, the Sox have a chance of running out a five-man rotation that costs less than $25 million, especially if Aaron Poreda can stick as a starter.

They have half of the diamond covered with long-term solutions at depressed prices (Gordon Beckham, Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez and eventually Tyler Flowers).  Brandon Allen could be in the plans as soon as the start of next year, and Jordan Danks won't be far behind.  In 2011, Dayan Viciedo becomes another true impact possibility, and maybe even Jared Mitchell if all goes well.

Even if a couple of the names above fall flat at the big-league level, they're giving Williams plenty of reasons to supplement them with a veteran core...

What has the past told us?

...if Williams doesn't trade them.

After the 2007 season, everybody expected Kenny Williams to officially close the window of opportunity.  Instead, he extended Dye, Buehrle and A.J. Pierzynski, traded his most attractive asset for an older shortstop and mortgaged the farm for Nick Swisher.  It worked.

Williams is nearly impossible to predict, but here are two things I know about him:

No. 1:  He doesn't make obvious decisions in obvious situations. 

This is a guy who let a 90-win team sink under its own weight, then went and bolstered a 72-win team.  Given that this team is literally a .500 club, there may not be a clear-cut path Williams "should" pursue. 

It's probably something along the lines of, "Get something for Dye, Thome and Dotel, because you aren't going to get draft picks," so I'm going to go in the opposite direction.

No. 2:  He's loath to make public concessions.

Williams does know when start over, and 2007 is a good example.  He chose to reshape his rotation aggressively by trading for Danks and Floyd, but they had to take their lumps before his vision came to fruition.

This time around, the new guys are getting the hard-knocks treatment, but the Sox aren't taking on water yet.  I don't see Williams bowing out, especially with the money coming off the books.

So, hold or buy?

When the idea of a playoff push deserved a Jim Mora-style reaction earlier this month, I didn't see Williams making a trade simply to make a trade.

Even though they're in better position to buy, I haven't changed my mind on that front.

At the risk of reading too much into one incident, I'm going to bank on the Peavy non-trade being the template for the White Sox's deadline maneuvering -- sidling up to other teams and saying, "Hey, baby, if you don't want that extended contract in this economy ... here's my number."

If the deadline comes and goes without any activity from the Sox, I wouldn't be surprised -- especially if Quentin is anywhere near 100 percent after the All-Star break.  That's a big acquisition in and of itself.  Alternatively, I can see this year being an active one for post-deadline deals with payrolls being an issue.

What I can't see is any scenario that makes the Sox a lesser team in August.  Nor can I see any reason to be disappointed by that prospect.

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I haven't compiled a list of trade candidates (the Cheat has tried to figure out Williams' "safe" column) but here's one hunch I'll throw out.

Dan Hudson and Dexter Carter each began the year in Kannapolis.  Hudson received a promotion to Winston-Salem, took a few lumps, then dominated to such an extent that the Sox boosted him to Birmingham.

Carter, on the other hand, remains in Kanny despite a strikeout-to-walk ratio that's roughly 4:1.

It reminds me of the second time the Sox traded Gio Gonzalez.  Though he appeared to have mastered Double-A despite spending the entire previous season at that level, the Sox refrained from testing him in Charlotte.  Then they dealt him in the package for Swisher, and given his struggles in the majors with Oakland, the Sox did indeed appear to trade him at his peak value.

Using seat-of-the-pants analysis, it wouldn't surprise me if the Sox are waiting until the deadline before giving Carter more difficult competition.  They'd rather have his adjustment period take place in August than July, if you get my drift.

Although, now that I think about it, the same thing could be said for Flowers.  I hate it when I scare myself.

***************************

The Cleveland Indians, on the other hand, are definitely in sell mode, and I've found a couple of interesting reads exploring their fate.

Jerry Crasnick at ESPN.com touches on a lot of the same points made by a better Let's Go Tribe piece that beat him to the punch by a week, but this part is worth singling out from a Sox fan's perspective:


Jay at Let's Go Tribe says the problem may be that the "bright, people-oriented, innovative thinkers" all think the same things.  If the relationship between Williams and Guillen is any indication, it's likely that the Sox front office might encounter slightly more internal dissonance.

***************************

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 12, Buffalo 7 (10 innings)
• Lucas Harrell threw a quality start in his Triple-A debut despite allowing too many baserunners.  Six innings, three runs on nine hits and three walks.  He struck out three and recorded 11 groundouts.
• Three-hit games: Norris Hopper (three RBI), Miguel Negron (double, two RBI, two walks), Josh Kroeger (double, RBI) and Wilson Betemit (double, two RBI).
• Cole Armstrong hit his third homer, a solo shot.
• Brian Omogrosso continues to struggle, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over an inning of work.  He struck out one.
• Brandon Allen went 0-for-6.
• Mobile 6, Birmingham 5
• Tyler Flowers went 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, not to mention his second stolen base.
  
• John Shelby went 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and his 11th steal.
• Stefan Gartrell hit a solo homer, his 13th of the year.
• Justin Cassel, who switched places with Harrell, allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out four.
• Dayan Viciedo went 1-for-5; Christian Marrero drew the collar.
• Potomac 6, Winston-Salem 2
• Making his first start since his no-hitter, Levi Maxwell strugged: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.
  
• Jimmy Gallagher went 2-for-4, providing the runs with a two-run homer.
• Brent Morel went 1-for-4.
• Elizabethton 11, Bristol 5
• Steven Upchurch didn't have much: 4 2/3 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR.
• Jimmy Ballinger (11th round) was also hit around in his debut, allowing two runs on five hits over 2 1/3 IP.  One walk, two K's.
• Misael Tavarez went 3-for-4 with a double; Shaydon Buckridge drove in three.
• Great Falls 7, Missoula 4
• Zach Kayne and Nicholas Ciolli both went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Kevin Dubler and Orlando Santos joined them with two hits apiece.
• Brett Graffy struck out five over three scoreless innings of relief, allowing three hits and a walk.
  

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 Danks

Along with pitching seven scoreless innings, Danks achieved a rare feat for a Sox pitcher -- a retaliatory pitch that 1) came before the warning was issued, and 2) actually, you know, hit the batter.  Ryan Freel paid the price for Carlos Zambrano's idiocy:


Freel then blew on his arm and dusted it off, as if to say, "That didn't hurt."  Danks then extended his thumb and pinky finger and cocked his wrist a few times, as if to say, "Probably because you're half in the bag, Drunko."

Or maybe I'm just imagining that part.

Ozzie Guillen

The Sox manager stood up for his squad's fans when Lou Piniella prodded them about attendance issues in the Dodger series:


I think my reasoning is better, of course, but I appreciate the compliment.  It's better than five to seven years ago, when Jerry Reinsdorf often criticized his customers.

For whatever reason, I was also digging the repeated hit-and-run action on Zambrano.

Dewayne Wise

Speaking of hit-and-runs, Wise came through on one today, reaching out and gently pulling a low and outside pitch toward the direction of the hole.  It didn't get all the way through, but it was good enough for an infield single and an RBI.

Truth be told, Wise has dusted himself off quite nicely after getting booed mercilessly in the first week of the season.  He's 7-for-19 over the last week of ballgames, including two walks, two HBPs and two steals.

Here's something odd:  In the time that Wise was on the DL, Brian Anderson hit .293/.356/.378.  Since Wise's return, Anderson is hitting .176/.282/.250.  As long as one of them hits, the Sox can get by.  Hopefully Guillen will ride the hot bat.  Hopefully the two-headed monster can give him at least one.

Even though there's plenty of talk about Carlos Quentin's return -- which would push Scott Podsednik to center -- I really don't see him being a factor this year.

Alexei Ramirez

Ramirez made amends for his uninspiring play with a big day off Zambrano and the Cubs, going 3-for-5 with a two-run homer that kick-started the Sox offense.

More important was the backhanded stab and heads-up throw to third that helped Danks escape a bases-loaded jam.  That'll help get some people off his back, and change up the subject lines in Guillen's email account:


So. There you go.

Gordon Beckham

From what I'm hearing and reading, "Your Love" is starting to catch on throughout the ballpark.  If so, that is awesome.  I'm all for a cheesy-yet-enjoyable song for the Sox to call their own.

While they ushered Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" into the stadium in the '70s, it's so widely adopted now that nobody knows the origin.  The Sox rode "Don't Stop Believin'" for a while, but that's been used before and since for rallying purposes by other teams.

I'm not aware of any teams using "Your Love" so regularly, and I can't think of any reason why they would.  This is a thrilling development.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 7, Buffalo 3
• Carlos Torres borrowed Jeff Marquez's power sinker: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR.  He got 15 groundouts.
• Brandon Allen went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
• Brent Lillibridge tripled and drove in three.
• Lance Broadway took the beating for Buffalo, allowing all seven runs over his five innings.
  
• Birmingham 7, Mobile 1
• John Shelby terrorized Mobile at the top of the order, going 2-for-3 with a double, triple, two walks, two RBI and his 10th steal.
• Dayan Viciedo doubled twice and drew a walk.
• Tyler Flowers went 2-for-5 with a solo shot.
• Dave Cook and Stefan Gartrell each had two hits; Christian Marrero doubled in four at-bats.
• Charlie Shirek threw seven strong innings, scattering eight hits and a walk while striking out two.  He struck out two, but got 13 groundouts.
• Clevelan Santeliz closed it out with a pair of scoreless innings.
  
• Winston-Salem 13, Potomac 10
• Brent Morel hit a pair of homers, driving in five.  He also drew a walk.
• Dale Mollenhauer, Greg Paiml and Kent Gerst had two hits apiece; Logan Johnson went 4-for-4.
• Justin Edwards gave up four homers over four innings, leading to eight runs (seven earned).
• Kannapolis 7, Hickory 3
• Gregory Infante enjoyed his strongest outing in more than a month. He allowed just three hits, didn't walk anybody and struck out seven over seven.
• Serving as DH, Josh Phegley went 3-for-4 in his professional debut. 
• Mizzou's Lee Fischer went 2-for-3, doubling and driving in two.
• Jose Vargas hit a three-run homer.
• Justin Greene's hit streak ended at 18, as he went 0-for-5.
• Great Falls 6, Billings 4
  
• Kyle Colligan doubled, tripled and drove in two.
• Nicholas Ciolli went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
• Ryan Hamme singled twice and racked up three RBI.
• Cameron Bayne (1 IP) and Enrique Lechuga (3 IP) provided hitless relief.
• Princeton 5, Bristol 4 (12 innings)
• Still rough going for Nevin Griffith, who allowed four hits and three walks over four innings.  He did strike out four.
• Santos Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one.
• Christopher Zagyi struck out three over two innings.
• Harold Baines hit an RBI double.
  

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 need.

The problem is twofold, however:

1. Beckham was having the same amount of trouble handling short in the minors.  Not that he couldn't eventually grasp it, but as much as he was ahead of the learning curve in terms of hitting, he was equally behind it defensively.
   
2. Wherever the Sox stick Beckham, they have to commit to it.

Factor in that Ramirez was by no means bad before the wave of brain cramps, and that strikes me as too big of a panic move at this juncture.  If anything, Ramirez should get a couple days off with Jayson Nix taking his place, and then see if that clears his head any.

Besides, if the Sox are going to try to patch up the position in a rough manner, they should go ahead and trade for Cabrera.  Mainly just for the spectacle.

Sure, he's been lousy at the plate.  And, according to UZR and plus-minus, equally putrid in the field.  It's so bad that he has openly acknowledged it to reporters:


Smells like a bargain to me.  You know what would fire him up?  Getting traded back to Chicago to play for a manager he didn't like and a media that he ran from, that's what!  The last time he joined a pennant race in the midseason, he landed a $32 million contract!

I'm mostly kidding, but at the same time, when the Sox third basemen aren't getting the proper cues for pitch location and end up way off the line when they shouldn't be ... let's just say it isn't the dumbest thought I've ever had.

********************************

...am I right to take every Paul Konerko comment regarding Frank Thomas in a backhanded fashion?

It doesn't help that this one's pretty much on a tee (emphasis mine):


There's a reason for thinking that.  In the first spring after the Sox ditched Thomas and opted to trade for Jim Thome, he made another comment along the same lines.  From a Chicago Tribune story from Feb. 26, 2006:


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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 4, Buffalo 1
• Jack Egbert continues to put the "star" in "starter": 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.  The run was a solo homer.
• Randy Williams struck out the side for the save.
• Brandon Allen ended an 0-for-16 skid with a double.
• Wilson Betemit went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and two strikeouts; Brent Lillibridge singled twice.
• Birmingham 3, Mississippi 1 (Susp. 3rd inning)
• Tyler Flowers hit a two-run homer, his 11th;Javier Colina hit a solo shot.
• Matt Zaleski started, giving up a solo homer.
• Frederick 8, Winston-Salem 5
• Dale Mollenhauer hit a grand slam, one of two hits on the day.
• Jim Gallagher went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Tyler Kuhn went 1-for-3 with a sac bunt; Brent Morel went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
• Anthony Carter struggled, allowing nine hits, three walks and five runs over six innings.
• Kannapolis 8, Hickory 7
• Dexter Carter struggled with control: 4 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 2 HBP, 1 HR.
• Leroy Hunt hit three batters himself, but ended up throwing three scoreless innings.
• Justin Greene has hit in 18 straight after a 2-for-5 game.  He also stole his ninth base.
• Drew Garcia and Brandon Short each had three hits; Garcia scored three runs.
• Daniel Black and Eduardo Escobar each went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
  
• Dan Remenowsky closed it out by striking out two in a scoreless ninth, allowing a hit.
• Bristol 9, Princeton 0
• Phil Negus (18th round) started the game with four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.
• Second-round pick Daniel Holmberg allowed a hit and two walks, striking out one in his inning of work.
• Joe Serafin (37th round) closed it out by striking out five over the final four.  A walk was the only imperfection.
• Miguel Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
• Kyle Davis went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk; Ryan Lee drove in three by going 2-for-4 with a triple.
• Great Falls 5, Billings 3
• Kyle Colligan (12th rounder) went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.
• Nicholas Ciolli (10th round) had two hits in four at-bats.
• Robert Cummings (28th round) hit a solo homer.
• Sixth-round pick Justin Collop allowed one unearned run over two innings in his debut. One hit, run and strikeout.

Josh Phegley, whom the Sox selected with the pick they gained from losing Cabrera, signed with the Sox, as did five other draft picks.  Phegley will start the year in Kannapolis.

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 game.  In one sentence, it mattered more who was on the mound than who was at the plate.

Marmol entered the game walking more than a batter an inning, and he had walked two in the inning when Castro strolled to the plate.  He really had problems locating his slider, and Castro, who has a decent eye, probably would've made Marmol at least throw him strikes.

On top of that, Marmol has been one of a few Cub relievers who have given Lou Piniella fits this season.  Piniella hasn't had a whole lot of luck mixing and matching, and when factoring in the bad defense behind Marmol preceding Pierzynski's plate appearance, the Sox truly had both of them on the ropes.

And finally, Castro, unlike most of the other backstops the Sox have used to back up Pierzynski, is a major-league hitter.

That's why I didn't like the Pierzynski move.  By calling for the left-handed hitter, Guillen basically forced Piniella to make the only move he could make, because there was a zero percent chance Marmol would stay in the game.

With Pierzynski back to struggling against lefties, and Gallagher holding lefties to a .204 average, the situation played out pretty much like the stats would suggest.  The Cheat informed me that Pierzynski has more GIDPs (12) than hits with runners in scoring position (11-for-46).

Miller, by the way, was traded to Cincinnati for Norris Hopper.  Since Charlotte was playing Louisville, the players involved in the move didn't move all that much.

No. 2:  Brian Anderson shouldn't be considered the center fielder of any future.

Remember when I said that Anderson struggles when falling behind 0-1?   He's gotten worse.

At the end of May, he was sitting on the Mendoza Line after the pitcher fired a first-pitch strike.  Following an 0-for-3 day on Friday, during which he fell behind in every at-bat, Anderson is now hitting .141 (10-for-71).  If he can't look for a fastball, he's totally bewildered.

Hell, right now, pitchers can throw him all fastballs after a first-pitch strike.  His last at-bat against Randy Wells (a three-pitch strikeout) was particularly putrid.  He's back to swinging the railroad tie -- the back shoulder and back knee dip before he even begins bringing the bat through the zone.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 6, Louisville 0
• Jeff Marquez struck out eight over five innings, scattering three hits and three walks.
  
• Cole Armstrong went 2-for-3 with his second homer, a three-run shot.
• Derek Rodriguez struck out four over two innings.
• Adam Russell and Jon Link threw an innings apiece.
• Birmingham 8, Mississippi 4
• Dave Cook doubled, homered and drove in three.
• John Shelby and Stefan Gartrell had two hits apiece.
• C.J. Retherford went 1-for-5; Tyler Flowers went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Kyle McCulloch allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over six innings.  He struck out two.
  
• Winston-Salem 4, Frederick 3
• Seth Loman went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer.
• Jacob Rasner allowed one run on two hits and a walk over five, striking out five.
• Brent Morel wore the collar with two K's; Tyler Kuhn hit a sac fly and walked in four plate appearances.
• Hickory 4, Kannapolis 3 (12 innings)
• Justin Greene went 2-for-6, and has hit in 17 straight.
• Drew Garcia (doubled), Sergio Morales (homer), Daniel Black (A-ball debut) and Brandon Short (walk) had two hits apiece.
• Charles Leesman threw a quality start, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings.  He struck out four, and allowed a solo homer.
• Charlis Burdie struck out five over two scoreless innings, and Dan Remenowsky added two more.
• Princeton 7, Bristol 1
• Brady Shoemaker went 2-for-4.
• Santos Rodriguez pitched a scoreless innings, allowing a hit, a walk and striking out one.
• Great Falls 11, Billings 10
  
• Jordan Cheatham went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.
  
• Jesus Avila and Todd Gossage had two hits and three RBI apiece.
• Daniel Albritton threw 4 1/3 innings strong innings (1 R, 3 H,  3 K) in relief of Matt Wickswat and Brett Graffy, both of whom struggled.
  

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 his forearms instead of snagging it with his mitt.

After his two-error performance on Thursday afternoon -- including a completely baffling lob that pulled Paul Konerko off the bag and led to a run -- Ozzie Guillen came down on him much, much harder:


It'll be interesting to see if Guillen will bench Ramirez, who has played in 69 of the first 72 games, mainly because it raises the possibility that Gordon Beckham could make his debut at shortstop.  Still, I'd rather see Jayson Nix there.  If Guilen wants to ensure an upgrade in defense for at least one day, Nix presents the best bet.

****************************

Thank goodness the Sox are playing on the right side of town, because Guillen could use the designated hitter.  After running through the decent 85 percent of his bullpen, the last thing he needs is a tough decision about whether to pull his starter before he's ready to come out.

Jose Contreras is raring to take advantage of that, and if he continues his streak of strong starts, he's prepared for an uncertain future:


I still have doubts about both Contreras' trade value, as well as the Sox's desire to get rid of him.  He's a high-maintenance guy in terms of health and mechanics, and it's not like the Sox can trade Don Cooper with him.  At the same time, given the immense amount of respect Contreras receives from his fellow countrymen, the Sox might want to keep him in the family as incentive for Cubans both inside and outside the Sox system.  I don't think a Jon Link-Michael Dubee type would help offset that impact.

Here's an idea -- perhaps Guillen can tell Ramirez the next time he makes one of those weak-sauce throws, Contreras will have to pack his bags.

****************************

About that bullpen -- which allowed just one unearned run over 8 2/3 innings, and held the Dodgers hitless over the last six -- my focus turns to two guys.

No. 1:  Aaron Poreda.

Poreda recorded his first major-league win with a 1-2-3 inning on Thursday, and Guillen couldn't be happier for him:


Considering he's the most rested non-Gobble reliever, he'll probably get a chance for an encore against the Cubs today.  And that's a good thing.

No. 2:  Octavio Dotel.

One thing I remember about Dotel from last season is that when he hits a rut, he wants to pitch his way out of it.  Time off doesn't seem to do him any good.

Guillen's giving him plenty of rope.  He's now appeared in three straight games, and his last two outings might suggest that he's turning the corner.

Dotel has retired the last eight batters he's faced, and was spectacular over two scoreless innings on Thursday.  Take a look at his Pitch f/x data, specifically the third chart.  You'll see that he got ahead with his first pitch, and then mostly stayed out of the middle of the plate the rest of the at-bat.

If he's back on track, it's a whole different bullpen.  At least until a potential trade next month.

****************************

Friday reading:

*Kenny Williams receives nods of approval by both Phil Rogers and Joe Cowley.  At least in comparison to Jim Hendry.

*Rick Morrissey realizes the Crosstown Classic isn't as fun as it never was.  To me, at least.

*Paul Konerko says more captainly things, praising Josh Fields' attitude (which Guillen did, too) and defending Sox fans.

*Andrew previews the Sox-Cubs series.

I can't say I'm thrilled that the Tigers swept the Cubs, because that only hurts the Sox.  On the other hand, the four-game losing streak does kill the convenient narrative that the last Sox-Cubs game turned around the season on the North Side, and that ain't bad.

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Minor league roundup:

• Louisville 7, Charlotte 0
• Wes Whisler allowed five runs (four earned) over five innings on nine hits and three walks.  He struck out three.
• Ehren Wassermann struck out four over two perfect innings.
• Brian Omogrosso served up two solo homers in two innings.  He struck out four, walked one, and threw a wild pitch.
• Brent Lillibridge went 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Birmingham 7, Mississippi 5 (11 innings)
• Dan Hudson struck out eight over five innings, but control issues led to some inefficiency.  He walked three on top of five hits, leading to three runs and forcing him to throw 93 pitches.
• Dave Cook went 3-for-6 with his 14th homer, a game-winning two-run shot in the top of the 11th.
• Christian Marrero went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI, a walk and a sac fly.  He was picked off second.
• John Shelby went 1-for-6; pinch-hitting Tyler Flowers walked.
• Frederick 5, Winston-Salem 4
• Johnnie Lowe struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks.
• Nathan Jones might've had his roughest day of the year: 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.
• Dale Mollenhauer doubled, walked and drove in two; Seth Loman doubled and homered.
• Brent Morel went 1-for-4.
• Hickory 6, Kannapolis 5
• Justin Greene doubled, homered and drove in three.  He has now hit in 16 straight.
• Jon Gilmore went 2-for-4 with his third steal, but also committed his 21st error.
• Stephen Sauer allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits over six innings.  No walks, five strikeouts, one homer allowed.
• Tyson Corley allowed the other two over the final 2 2/3 innings, just his second and third earned runs of the year.
  
• Greeneville 3, Bristol 2
• Brazil native Murillo Gouvea struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, including a homer.
• Brazil, Indiana native Brady Shoemaker (19th round) went 3-for-4 with a double.
• Daniel Wiltz (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K) and Christopher Zaygi (1 1/3, 2 H, 2 K) provided scoreless relief.
• Great Falls 17, Billings 4
• Chase Blackwood went 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and two RBI.
• Jeff Tezak (24th round) had three hits, including a triple, and drove in three.
• Kyle Colligan (12th round) tripled, walked and drove in a pair.
• Jordan Cheatham and Zach Kayne each went 2-for-6.
• Josh Billeaud allowed one run on five hits and a walk over six innings.  He fanned five.

Also, Flowers and Viciedo are heading to the Futures Game.

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 be a slightly conservative estimate.

As it turned out, Hawk Harrelson wasn't lying when he stressed how many good seats were available for the series.  My estimate was generous by about eight grand.  The upper deck didn't need to exist, and it looked like a couple big groups wrote down the wrong date for their outings in sections 104 and 105.

Of course, one key item I failed to realize until after the game: The Sox labeled the whole Dodgers series a "premier" affair.

Not only was I less surprised when the Sox and Dodgers drew 2,000 fewer fans on Wednesday night -- I was also thrilled.  With the way the Sox keep forcing this awkward partnership with the Dodgers as some sort of long-standing, symbiotic relationship, they deserve to have a less-than-half-full U.S. Cellular Field.

Sharing a stadium with the Dodgers evidently throws the entire judgment of the White Sox's marketing department out of whack. 



Let's go back to spring training, when the White Sox decided to have the highest ticket prices in the Cactus League simply because the Dodgers were doing it.  The explanation from Scott Reifert:


That rationale is as senseless now as it was then.  By marking this game as "premier," the Sox jacked up prices a whopping $14 around the entire ballpark -- a different price from the majority of games on the Sox schedule.

Hey, maybe the Sox failed to draw because their fans were too confused by the sudden change in ticket prices.  Maybe outside the park, throngs of people wearing Konerko jerseys stood slack-jawed in the box office lines, overcome with sheer befuddlement by the prospect of forking over a different amount of money.

I'm sure you're tired of me bringing up the Glendale situation by now.  However, I wasn't the only one to notice the bizarre atmosphere at The Cell on Tuesday.

Let's talk about the video montages.

It's one thing to have clips of the White Sox and Dodgers from 1959.  Ted Kluszewski hitting one deep, Al Smith getting the beer shower, the Sherrys celebrating on the mound... all those make perfect sense.  Whether it's a happy or sad memory for Sox fans, all the events from that World Series are huge ones in the history of the franchise.

It's another thing to replay the Dodgers' glory days when they had no connection to the White Sox.

I don't know how many times I saw Tommy LaSorda on the jumbotron, but whatever the total, it was infinity times more than Sox fans ever saw LaSorda in either Comiskey Park.  The Dodgers' tubby ex-manager retired in 1996.  Interleague play began in 1997.  Their paths never crossed in the regular season.

Orel Hershiser, shown being mobbed by his teammates numerous times on The Cell's big board, did pitch against the White Sox in six games. However, he wore a Cleveland Indians uniform each time.  Likewise, Kirk Gibson faced the White Sox as a Tiger and a Royal (and hit pretty well against them), but Sox fans never saw the gimpy Gibson who fist-pumped his way around the bases after his unlikely homer off Dennis Eckersley.

That didn't stop the Sox from rehashing all those moments repeatedly.  My brother, who has never been to spring training and doesn't have my ax to grind, said it was like the Sox prepared a gigantic, intricate hat-tipping in advance.  It certainly didn't help that the Sox offense followed suit and made Hiroki Kuroda's night an easy one.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm the quintessential White Sox fan, but there aren't many reasons for fans to have extraordinary excitement in this series as a whole, much less one that can support grossly inflated ticket prices.

Look at the situation the Tampa Bay Rays face right now.  Like the Sox, they have a Tuesday-Thursday series with the team they lost to in the World Series.  Like the Sox, the Rays are seeing an equally disappointing turnout.

This sounds crazy, but maybe the fans aren't all that interested in seeing the team that kicked their team's ass.  For a way-too-large percentage of White Sox fans, 1959 was their only chance to see their team win a championship, and it ended in a crushing six-game defeat.

Of course, today will probably see an attendance boost because the Sox are honoring the 50th anniversary of the Go-Go Sox.  If it doesn't crack 30,000 for the ceremony, then that's even more indicative of the indifference.

Personally, I'm hoping for the "under."  My brother and I are just two guys, but what we saw Tuesday didn't seem like a tribute to White Sox history as much as it was in honor of Jerry Reinsdorf's terrific business relationship with the Dodgers, and one that doesn't trickle down to benefit us in any way.

*********************************

On a more pleasant note, first-round pick Jared Mitchell hit a three-run homer in the first inning to lead the LSU Tigers to the NCAA championship with an 11-4 victory over Texas.  Here's the video:



Mitchell was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

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While I was away:

*Kenny Williams gives us a quote to store away:


*Josh Fields said he made some adjustments to his swing while sitting on the bench.  That wouldn't be the first time we've heard that, but he did jump on a 94 m.p.h. fastball.  That's a way to keep people's minds open.

*The Cheat says Gordon Beckham's music choice might be behind his struggles at home.

Also, one day after making two tremendous plays against the Dodgers on Tuesday, Beckham let one clank off his glove in the second inning on Wednesday, leading to two more runs.  I'm guessing people might want to hold off on the defensive improvement pieces, because it's going to take a while before he's reliable.

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Minor league roundup:

• Louisville 5, Charlotte 0
• Justin Cassell allowed seven hits (two homers) and two walks over six innings, resulting in all five runs.
• Miguel Negron had two of the Knights' five hits.
  
• Mississippi 4, Birmingham 3
• Dayan Viciedo went 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Christian Marrero hit a solo shot, his second in Double-A.
• Tyler Flowers entered the game as a pinch hitter and walked twice.
• John Ely tossed a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings, striking out five.
• Clevelan Santeliz threw two scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.32.  One walk, one strikeout.
• Bristol 4, Greeneville 3
• Steven Upchurch was solid: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
• Joseph Serafin, Santos Rodriguez and Brent DeFoor each threw a scoreless inning.
• 18-year-old catcher Miguel Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a double.
• Misael Tavarez hit a solo shot; Daniel Black went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
  
• Great Falls 5, Billings 3
  
• Nick Ciolli and Kyle Colligan had two hits and an RBI apiece.
  
• Dan Puls struck out three over two scoreless innings.
• Joucer Martinez allowed two runs on three hits and four walks over five innings, striking out five.
• Winston-Salem OFF
• Kannapolis OFF
  

Tuesday's minor league roundup

And here's my White Sox-Dodgers recap from Tuesday as well.

• Charlotte 3, Louisville 2
• Carlos 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, but closed it out by striking out two over the final two innings.
• Eider Torres hit a solo shot; Josh Kroeger had three hits.
• Brandon Allen went 0-for-3 with an RBI.
  
• Mississippi 6, Birmingham 1
• Tyler Flowers doubled twice; Dayan Viciedo went 1-for-4 but committed his 17th error.
  
• Stefan Gartrell doubled, walked, drove in the lone run and stole his fifth base.
• Lucas Harrell struggled mightily, walking six on top of five hits over five innings, leading to five runs.
• Carolina League North All-Stars 8, South All-Stars 7
  
• Dan Remenowsky struck out both batters he faced.
• Greeneville 6, Bristol 2
• Nevin Griffith struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery, allowing six hits and four walks over five innings.  He struck out three.
• Billings 9, Great Falls 1
  

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 this season.

No, what's scariest to me is his total number of inherited runners.  Here's how Sox pitchers on the 25-man roster stack up in that category:

1. Matt Thornton, 19
   
2. D.J. Carrasco, 14
3. Clayton Richard, 12
   
4. Octavio Dotel, 12
5. Jimmy Gobble, 6
   
6. Bobby Jenks, 3
7. Aaron Poreda, 2
8. Scott Linebrink, 1

(And he scored!)

Plainly put, his job can't get much easier.  He's already entering games with the bases clear and with plenty of time to warm up.  Now, the only other option is to give him garbage-time opportunities.  Say what you want about Octavio Dotel, who also can't locate his off-speed stuff right now (his velocity is fine, Knox -- the Comcast/WGN gun isn't), but he's often forced to get ready in a hurry.

On the other hand, if this breaks Ozzie Guillen's recent habit of compartmentalizing the pieces of his bullpen, maybe it's a very expensive blessing in disguise.  Two good things can come out of this:

No. 1:  It could force Guillen to ride the hot hand.  There are some ways to mix and match with this bullpen in key late inning situations.  Guillen already uses Dotel when he needs a strikeout, which is a good place to start.  However, he could go further to handle the dreaded eighth inning:

*Jimmy Gobble has been pretty good lately.  It may be time to trust him in a high-leverage one-out situation, which would theoretically give...

*...Matt Thornton more full-inning, setup-type opportunities.  His splits, while still pretty wide, have been normalizing lately, back to where he's great against lefties and solid against righties.  If nothing else, he should be in any eighth inning where two of the three hitters are left-handed.  Fun fact: Only two of his last 18 outings have started in the eighth with nobody out.

Here's my favorite idea:

*D.J. Carrasco has been effective against both lefties and righties this season.  He's also been pretty good in the few high-leverage situations (.200/.238/.350 against) he's seen.  The trick with Carrasco is that