posted on Sunday, May 20, 2007 11:19 PM
by
Jim
Look whose back is back
Two disadvantages to not watching
today's game on TV:
- I didn't really see how much Alfonso Soriano gave up on the foul ball to left in the top of the second, since I was sitting in the upper deck on the left-hand side. I did enjoy watching the replay just now.
- We had no explanation for Joe Crede leaving the game.
Unfortunately, it isn't hard to guess why Crede might leave the game, and
the predictable reared its ugly head:
Sunday's news wasn't all positive for the White Sox, as Joe Crede
exited after three innings with tightness in his lower back. Guillen
knew the pain had worsened for Crede by the way he was moving around
the clubhouse Sunday morning, and Crede added it was more extreme than
at any other time this season.
Neither individual believes the problem would require a trip to
the disabled list. Guillen planned to rest Crede on Monday and possibly
a little longer, while Crede believed Sunday's cortisone shot and
anti-inflammatory medication would help quiet the pain.
"We'll see how it feels tomorrow and have a better feel for the
situation," said Crede. "I played all day yesterday and it was there a
little bit. But today it kind of locked up on me in the fourth, where I
couldn't straighten out my back."
With Crede rocking a .578 OPS after today's abbreviated 1-for-1, I'm wondering if he regrets
his decision to not undergo surgery in the offseason. Although he's been hitting more line drives as of late, it's hard to say that he could've started much worse.
Some good news? Josh Fields had a monster weekend against Toledo, going 4-for-7 with three walks, a homer, five RBI and a stolen base. He struck out once.
**************
Call me crazy, but did anyone think Carlos Zambrano's plunking of Juan Uribe with two outs in the top of the seventh might have been intentional?
There were a few reasons why Zambrano might take matters into his own hands. In no order:
- He would've forced Ozzie to use a pinch-hitter for Mike MacDougal, and in turn, put the Sox in a situation where they enter the late innings with three relievers burned.
- He might've rather wanted to face Thome as the potential last out of an inning rather than leading off.
- He's nuts.
It was probably an accident, but when Zambrano hits somebody with a first pitch and there are possible reasons, it's worth examining them.
*************
If Neal Cotts and David Aardsma were trying to make their former teams jealous, it didn't work this series around. The damage:
- Aardsma: 1.1 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 1 HR
- Cotts: .1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 grand slam.
I'd still rather have Aardsma, but he didn't have squat working for him this weekend.