Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

Halfway home

The White Sox reached the official halfway point of their season with a 5-1 win over the Cubs, giving them a record of 46-35 after 81 games -- a 10 game improvement upon the 2007 season.

If a random guy told me the Sox would be 11 games over .500 at this point in the season, and that:

1. It's good for a 1 1/2-game lead ... over the Twins...
2. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko's contributions have been largely negligible...
3. Joe Crede is on pace for 30 errors...
4. Of the starters, Javier Vazquez and Mark Buehrle have experienced the roughest patches...
5. Pitchers haven't figured out Alexei Ramirez...
6. Carlos Quentin is arguably the midseason AL MVP...
7. Nick Masset has been a valuable piece in the bullpen...

I'm pretty sure I would have smothered him in a burlap bag and beat the crazy out of him with a sack of nickels.

Wrapping up a night with the Knights

Below is some video of Jason Bourgeois, Chris Getz and Dave Cook:



I didn't get video of their entire nights because I wanted to see some at-bats for myself, without worrying about how I'm working the camera.  So I'll fill in some gaps and elaborate on what you're looking at:

Bourgeois:  The first frame is a picture of him hitting a rocket to center, and picks up with video of him motoring around the bases.  I missed his second triple, which was a line shot to the right-center gap.  As you can see, he was crushing the ball all evening.

Getz:  As luck would have it, I didn't get video of the highlight of his night, which was a solid line-drive double down the right-field line.  You're seeing footage of his two cheap singles.  As far as I can tell, he's going to make pitchers throw him strikes, but he's not going to hammer them.

Cook:  They were working him low and away all night, but he showed he can go down and get it.  The shot to right in the video is one of two warning-track flies he hit to the right side.  Either Cook can be patient to a fault or the ump had a very large strike zone.  Cook's body language after some of the called strikes indicated the latter.

Along with the above video and the one of Clayton Richard, I put together a small photo gallery -- including a few shots of Richmond's archaic, whack-assed stadium.

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Minor league roundup:

• Norfolk 5, Charlotte 4
• Psuedo-starter Jack Egbert pitched decently, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits over five innings, with two walks and strikeouts apiece.
• Chris Getz went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
• Nick Blasi and Danny Richar added two hits apiece.
• Birmingham 5, Mississippi 2
  
• Justin Cassell allowed one earned run on five hits over six innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.
• Miguel Negron and Javier Colina both had multi-hit games with homers.
• Winston-Salem 5, Salem 3 (12 innings)
• C.J. Retherford went 3-for-6 with a double, homer and four RBI.
• Paulo Orlando doubled and tripled.
• Michael Dubee allowed three runs over five innings.
• Steven Spurgeon, Henry Mabee, Ricky Brooks and Kanekoa Teixeria combined for seven shutout innings of relief.
• Kannapolis 7, Greensboro 3 (8 innings)
• Levi Maxwell went the distance, striking out six over seven innings.
• Dale Mollenhauer had three more hits out of the leadoff spot; Mark Fleisher had three more RBI.
• Logan Johnson, Christian Marrero and John Curtis each went deep.
• Great Falls 6, Billings 4
• Brent Morel went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
• Nevin Griffith allowed three runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings.
• Charlis Burdie threw two perfect innings of relief for the win.
  
• 
  

A little (Clayton) Richard video

Below is Clayton Richard's start against Richmond tonight condensed into roughly three minutes and 45 seconds.



When Charlotte Knights manager Marc Bombard said that Richard worked faster than anybody he'd ever seen during his last start against the Triple-A Braves affiliate, I doubt he was exaggerating.  When the elements are right -- that is, when the batter doesn't step out after taking a pitch -- about six seconds pass from when the ball hits the catcher's mitt to when Richard releases the ball again.  He does not dick around.  The video ends with a three-pitch strikeout that I condensed slightly, but in real time, he disposed of the hitter in 23 seconds.

It appeared that the Braves tried to knock Richard off his game early by stepping out or calling time in the box and making Richard wait on the rubber -- which he will do.  He looks a little like Paul Byrd, rocking back and forth on the mound while waiting for the batter to set.  In fact, it's the only way he looks like Byrd.

They fazed him not, unless you consider Richard walking his first batter in 21 innings at Triple-A a victory.  He walked the leadoff batter in the second inning, and got into a little subsequent hot water when he gave up a double to the next batter, but worked around it with a soft lineout, strikeout and pop-out.

He looked to be a three-pitch pitcher -- two-seam fastball, curve and a change.  His sinker had a lot of movement on it, and he appeared to do a nice job of keeping his change away from right-handers, while using the curve against lefties.  There were four hard-hit (fair) balls on the night -- three are on the video, and the other was a liner that ended up in Javier Castillo's mitt at third.  He induces plenty of weak contact, which is why he's confident enough to be efficient as all get-out.  He needed only 72 pitches over six innings.

The only pickoff move Richard made appeared to be a show-me version that you'll see on the video.  He has to have a better one -- at least I'm hoping.  The same small sample size can be applied to his defense.  He fielded three chances cleanly, but his soft throws looked a little awkward.  One of them pulled Royce Huffman off the bag, and he barely got back in time for the out.

The biggest caveat is that Richmond's lineup was not stacked with hot prospects or even AAAA hitters.  But given that context, he did exactly what he had to do.  Outside of one bad fastball that resulted in a two-run homer, he didn't let bad hitters beat him.

A couple other notes on Charlotte's 9-3 victory over Richmond:

*Jason Bourgeois had two triples on the night, but one should've been a lineout to center.  The problem is that in Richmond's stadium around 7:10 p.m. (he was the first batter of the game), the center fielder is looking directly into the sun on balls hit right at him, while right field and left field are in the shade.  He lost a hard-hit but catchable ball off contact, and Bourgeois made it to third easily.

The second triple, however, was all his bat and speed.  He smoked some liners today.

*Cole Armstrong made his Triple-A debut and went 5-for-5.  I thought he only had four hits, because a liner to second that was effectively dropped was initially ruled an error.  He had three solid liners and one seeing-eye single through the hole on the left side.

*I have video of Chris Getz and David Cook, and will get to them when I get home.  Cook hit two warning-track shots the opposite way, while Getz got two cheap RBI early and then made better contact later.

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Minor league roundup:

• Mississippi 6, Birmingham 1
• Kyle McCulloch was rocked for 11 hits and six runs over 3 2/3 innings.  He walked three and struck out three.
• Shaun Babula (3 1/3 IP) and Ryan Rote held the Braves hitless the rest of the way.
• Victor Mercedes had one of the Barons' four hits, the only extra-base hit (a double) and the lone RBI.
• Lynchburg 8, Winston-Salem 7
• John Shelby doubled, tripled and scored twice.
• Brandon Allen hit a solo homer, his 13th; Brett Bonvechio drove in two.
• Anthony Carter continues to struggle in High-A ball, giving up six runs on six hits (including two homers) in four innings.
• Kanekoa Teixeira blew the save by giving up two unearned runs.
• Kannapolis 20, Greensboro 6
• Eduardo Escobar led the onslaught with four hits (two doubles), four runs and four RBI.
• Mark Fleisher joined Escobar with four hits and four driven in.
• Christian Marrero and John Curtis each had three hits, a homer and three RBI.
• Lucas Harrell struck out four over three shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk.
• Bristol 14, Bluefield 4
• Brandon Short drove in six runs as he fell short of the cycle by a homer.
• Jorge Castillo went 3-for-4 with four runs scored.  Andrew Garcia also had a three-hit day.
• Gregory Infante allowed one run over six innings while striking out seven.
• Billings 4, Great Falls 2
• Frank Rosario struck out seven over six innings of one-hit ball.
• Ronald Morales fanned three over two scoreless innings of relief.
  
• Brent Morel and Doug Thennis each had two hits.

Friday on the farm; video requests for Saturday?

Well, it appears that the Charlotte Knights are just an hour and a half down the road in Richmond, so I guess I'm going to be seeing them later tonight if weather permits.

Leave your photo/video requests here.  If Clayton Richard is indeed starting, you'll see plenty of him.

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Minor league roundup:

• Richmond 7, Charlotte 6
  • Danny Richar went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBI; he's hitting .500 (13-for-26) over his last six games.  He also stole his seventh base.
  • Jason Bourgeois went 1-for-2 with three walks and his eighth stolen base.
  • Lance Broadway gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits over six innings, walking one and striking out five.  He allowed one homer.
  • Ehren Wassermann pitched two scoreless innings in relief; Scott Sauerbeck blew it.
• Mississippi 4, Birmingham 0
  • Carlos Torres allowed two earned runs over five innings.
  • No Baron had more than one hit.
• Winston-Salem 6, Wilmington 1
  • Clevelan Santeliz pitched five innings of one-hit, shutout ball.  He did walk five, however, to go along with five strikeouts.
  • Matt Zaleski allowed one run over four innings.
  • John Shelby went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI; C.J. Retherford hit a solo homer.
• Kannapolis 8, Greensboro 2
  • Outside of a pair of solo homers, Charlie Shirek pitched well.  He allowed those two runs and two other hits over seven innings with a walk and five K's.
  • Mark Fleisher hit a three-run homer.
  • Jim Gallagher and Dale Mollenhauer each had two hits.
• Bristol 6, Bluefield 5
  • Garrett Johnson struck out seven over five shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks.
  • Andrew Garcia and Kenneth Gilbert each had multi-hit games including a homer.
  • Jorge Castillo smacked a pair of doubles.
• Great Falls 12, Missoula 3
  • Brent Morel had a five-hit day, all singles with one RBI.
  • Kenneth Williams Jr. had a double to snap his hitless streak, and also scored two runs.
  • Jordan Cheatham, Luis Sierra and Tyler Kuhn each drove in two.
  • Kevin Skogley struck out nine over five innings, in which he allowed three runs (two earned).

Beginner's luck, and help wanted

Mark Gonzalez took a nice look at what we've all been wondering for quite some time -- why can't the Sox hit pitchers they have never seen before?


At least:

1. They acknowledge it.
2. They didn't give Clayton Kershaw an easy time Thursday.
   
3. John Danks met my requirements.
   

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Meanwhile, the second Sox-Cubs weekend is upon us, and Don Cooper has the same attitude I do:


That said, I'm heading down the coast for the weekend, seeing The Hold Steady in Baltimore before going to Washington to check out the Nationals' new stadium.

If anybody wants to write a recap over the next three days, you're absolutely welcome to email one to me.  Otherwise, I'll probably be able to post minimal summaries and minor-league roundups.

Enjoy the weekend, and if you have obnoxious Cubs fans in your life, I wish you the best of luck.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 6, Norfolk 5
• Jason Bourgeois went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
• Danny Richar had two hits including a double, raising his average to .250.
• Charlie Haeger had a helluva day -- he allowed five hits and six walks in five innings, but only two runs -- and one of them was a solo homer.
• Mississippi 6, Birmingham 5
  
• Cole Armstrong had a three-hit, three-RBI day.  He doubled and scored two runs.
• Ricardo Nanita, Micah Schnurstein and Stefan Gartrell each added two hits.
• Aaron Poreda took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits over six innings.  He walked three and struck out five.
• Fernando Hernandez struck out four over two scoreless innings of work.
• Lynchburg 4, Winston-Salem 3
• Estee Harris, who I can safely say I hadn't heard of, had three hits including a solo homer.
• Paulo Orlando had two hits and two RBI from the leadoff spot; John Shelby went 2-for-4.
  
• John Ely met the requirements for a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings.  He struck out six.
• Henry Mabee took the loss in his first game at Winston-Salem.
• Kannapolis 10, Greensboro 5
• Nick Mahin drove in three runs in his second game up from rookie ball; Sergio Miranda also had three RBI.
• Dale Mollenhauer went 4-for-5 with a double from the leadoff spot, and has 13 hits in his last five games.
• Jason Rice allowed just two runs over five innings despite allowing 10 hits.
• Bristol 8, Bluefield 7
• Po-Yu Lin allowed two runs on one swing but otherwise pitched well: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
• Jordan Kendall went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
• Justin Greene keeps tripling -- he hit his fourth in nine games.
• Great Falls 7, Missoula 5
• Daniel Hudson pitched four shutout innings, striking out seven while only allowing a hit.
• Kent Gerst had three hits; Jesus Avila and Tyler Kuhn each had two.
• Kenneth Williams Jr. is hitless in his last 24 at-bats after an 0-for-4 night.

Also, Clayton Richard and Chris Getz will play in the Futures Game during the All-Star break.

When young lefties collide

Hope to have more later this morning, but good God, this game bored me.

Slight update:  John Danks has quite the task on his hands when he goes up against Clayton Kershaw today, and we'll see if he can hold his own.

Considering the way the White Sox offense struggled against Jorge De La Rosa, Kershaw offers a lot of the same problems.  He has an above average fastball that he can get into the high-90s, a big honkin' curve and an improving changeup.  He doesn't have De La Rosa's slider, but De La Rosa's other pitches didn't match Kershaw's in terms of stuff.

He also has yet to record his first career win, which the Sox seem to enjoy awarding to young left-handers.

The good news is that, like Danks, he's no model of efficiency.  He's only lasting 4.83 innings per start, and has walked 5.58 per nine.

This would be a good breakout game for Danks, who was as efficient as he's been in quite some time against the Cubs before getting pulled for a pinch hitter with only 85 pitches through six innings.  The only knock against him so far is that he hasn't been able to go more than six innings, but for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't his fault last week.

With the Sox only owning a half-game lead over the Twins and a series win on the line, Danks could do a lot for his cred today.  He doesn't necessarily have to outpitch Kershaw, because he 1) doesn't have his stuff, and 2) he isn't facing the Sox's lineup.  But barring the offense opening up the floodgates for once on the road, Danks will almost certainly have to outlast Kershaw.

I'd take seven innings of two-run ball right now, even if the chances are solid that he'll be down 2-0 if he pitches like that.

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Minor league roundup:

• Norfolk 6, Charlotte 1
• Dave Cook went 2-for-4, and is hitting .396.
• Javier Castillo had two hits, including a double.
• Wes Whisler pitched well enough in defeat, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings.
• Mike MacDougal gave up three runs in his inning of work.
• Mississippi 6, Birmingham 0
• Mississippi's Thomas Hanson threw a no-hitter, striking out 14 Barons.
• Miguel Negron drew two of Birmingham's three walks.
• Dewon Day gave up all six runs on eight hits over 2 1/3 innings.
• Ryan O'Malley threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.
  
• Kannapolis 2, Lexington 1
• Miguel Socolovich pitched seven excellent innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out four.  One hit was a solo homer.
• Christian Marrero had the only multi-hit game for Kanny with two singles.
• Bristol 5, Kingsport 4
• Kenneth Gilbert doubled and drove in two.
• Juan Silverio went 2-for-4 and drove in his 15th runl Brandon Short had two hits and scored twice.
  
• Brett Graffy struck out three over two scoreless innings.
• Great Falls 12, Helena 6
• Jesus Avila went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored.
• Brent Morel went 1-for-3 with two walks; the Voyagers walked 12 times on the night.
• Dexter Carter and Charlis Burdie pitched four hitless innings of relief, striking out seven.

Some road romance; Wise chips in

Had the White Sox not managed to pad their lead en route to a respectable 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night, this post would've had a different title.

After Mark Buehrle's sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a fielder's choice at third for the second out of the fourth inning, Vin Scully dropped the following line that pretty much summed up the offense's struggles away from U.S. Cellular Field (the audio's in the player):


Alas, Buehrle, with the help of the ever-improving defense behind him, held the lead long enough for the Sox to add to it, snapping their nine-game road losing streak.  We'll have to save that for later -- perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

The other strange thing about listening to Scully is that I've learned more about Dewayne Wise in one Dodgers broadcast than I have from the Sox crew over the two weeks or so Wise has been on the roster.  Along with the stuff you can find on his Baseball-Reference.com page, he also mentioned Wise had received football scholarship offers from South Carolina and Clemson, and also dropped the following with wonderful timing:


Oh, and while Scully was describing in detail the litany of Carlos Quentin's hit-by-pitch feats, Hawk Harrelson and Darrin Jackson were talking about golf swings.

That was three batters into the game.

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Speaking of Wise, he's making a name for himself with six hits in his last three starts -- so much so that he poses a difficult decision for Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams when Paul Konerko comes off the DL.

As I've written before, there isn't much reason to believe Wise can come close to sustaining this level of play, though there is the possibility that he could have it all figured out this year.  Maybe the Sox have caught an old dog in a bottle, or lightning has learned new tricks.  But even if he's merely a collection of tools without a lot of game, he still offers the Sox a few things they don't have on their bench:

1. A left-handed outfielder.
2. Speed, with basestealing ability.
3. Some pop.

Like he did on Monday, Guillen continued to praise Wise for his performance, and this is the best news in that Mark Gonzalez article:


Uribe committed only two errors in 27 games at the hot corner in 2004, the only time he has played the position in the big leagues.  For comparison's sake, Ozuna has committed five in 22 games there over the last two seasons, though there are sample size issues.

This would be a terrific time to try Uribe there, because Joe Crede may need more time to rest his stiff back, and the Dodgers are throwing two lefties the next two games, whom Crede can't hit anyway.

If I don't get my wish for a six-man bullpen, the next-best option is to have a more efficient bench.  With Wise on the roster, the only skill Ozuna offers better than anybody on the roster is bunting -- and Uribe isn't far behind in that category.  The broken leg he suffered last year sapped his speed considerably, and he has just two extra-base hits and two walks in 58 at-bats this year. 

Considering Uribe plays all three infield positions and Alexei Ramirez can take care of the middle two, Ozuna only serves a purpose when catastrophe strikes.  And if the Sox happen to lose two infielders in one game, well, Jermaine Dye can always play short.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 6, Norfolk 5
• Dave Cook went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
• Jason Bourgeois went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored; Chris Getz had four hits.
• Jack Egbert gave up three solo homers over five innings.
• Birmingham 8, Mississippi 5
• Cole Armstrong went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
• Victor Mercedes had a homer and two RBI; Javier Colina also drove in two.
• Miguel Negron and Robert Valido each had two hits.
• Justin Cassell allowed four runs (two earned) over six innings.
• Kannapolis 12, Lexington 7
• Dale Mollenhauer went 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI out of the leadoff spot.
• Logan Johnson had three hits including a homer; Christian Marrero also went 3-for-4.
• Mark Fleisher doubled twice and drove in two.
• Levi Maxwell picked up the win despite allowing six runs over five innings.
• Leroy Hunt struck out three of the four batters he faced for the win.
• Bristol 3, Kingsport 1
• Onarkys Paniagua struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run on five hits, making him the most successful Paniagua ever to play for the White Sox.
• Juan Silverio recorded the only RBI for Bristol with a sac fly.
• Helena 5, Great Falls 3
• Nevin Griffith had control problems but allowed only one unearned run through five.  He gave up three hits, walked four and struck out four.
• Lyndon Estill homered for the second straight game; Jordan Cheatham had two hits.
  

Related: Kanekoa Texeira picked up the win with a scoreless innings in the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game.

...and heeeeere come the White Sox!

Getting back on the good foot, here's some video of the White Sox's first-round pick, Gordon Beckham, hitting a solo two-run homer in the eighth-inning that rejuvenated the Georgia offense and helped them take the first game of the best-of-three College World Series.



Rally-killing homer, my ass.

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Three West Coast-related thoughts:

No. 1:  Here's hoping the Extra Innings Gods are kind and allow me to hear one White Sox game as called by Vin Scully.  I'm guessing the last White Sox-Dodgers game he announced was Game 6 of the 1959 World Series, when he was only nine years into his broadcasting career.

No. 2:  Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 31st save tonight in the Angels' 77th game of the season.  He's on pace for 65, which means he's threatening one of only two records of importance held by White Sox.

Eric Gagne came the closest to reaching Bobby Thigpen's mark of 57 saves when he finished the 2003 season with 55, but he recorded his 31st save in the Dodgers' 89th game.  John Smoltz, who also racked up 55 saves the year before, needed 88 games to reach 31.

As far as I can tell, Mariano Rivera was the next-closest to Rodriguez's mark, as he recorded 31 saves in 83 games.  Thigpen himself needed 87, which shows how hot and cold closers can run.  But the Angels have the combination of a pedestrian offense and a well-managed pitching staff that could render Thigpen's mark obsolete.

No. 3:  Good news:  The Dodgers' offense ranks 26th in baseball with a .710 OPS, and 24th in runs.  Bad news:  They have the ninth-best ERA, including the fourth-best bullpen ERA, with Scott Proctor the only weak link among the relievers.

If the pitching can at least get back on track, it'll be a successful road trip.  That... and actually, you know, winning a game.

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Ozzie Guillen is a Dewayne Wise fan:


And if things aren't bad enough for Jerry Owens, even Joe Cowley is rubbing it in:


Not like anybody in the media ever clamored for Owens or anything.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 8, Norfolk 1
• Clayton Richard allowed one run on five hits over six innings.  He neither walked nor struck out anybody.
  
• Javier Castillo doubled, tripled and drove in three runs; Noah Hall also had two hits and three RBI.
• Danny Richar, Dave Cook and Fernando Cortez each had two hits; Jason Bourgeois homered.
• West Virginia 8, Kannapolis 2
• Lucas Harrell struggled, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings.
• Mark Fleisher hit a pair of doubles, driving in one; Dale Mollenhauer also had two hits.
• Kingsport 1, Bristol 0
• Gregory Infante took the loss, allowing one unearned run over six innings.  He struck out six.
• John Doyle pitched three shutout innings, striking out four.
• Justin Greene hit his third triple in six games.
• Great Falls 9, Helena 6
• Mike Grace, Lyndon Estill and Jesus Avila all went deep.
• Kenneth Williams Jr. was caught stealing for the first time.
  
• Birmingham OFF
• Winston-Salem OFF

Crosstown overload

Considering I didn't care much for reading about or watching the crosstown series before it all started, I'm certainly less inclined to think about it now.

So ... I've got nothing.  The floor is yours.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 7, Lehigh Valley 2
• Dave Cook went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and three runs scored.
• Danny Richar had three hits, with a double, and a two RBI.
• Jason Bourgeois hit a solo homer; Javier Castillo drove in three runs.
• Lance Broadway pitched five shutout innings, scattering eight hits and a walks.  He didn't record a strikeout.
• Birmingham 12, Jacksonville 4
• Stefan Gartrell drove in seven runs during a 3-for-3 day.  He hit a grand slam and a three-run homer.
• Victor Mercedes hit a three-run homer.
• Micah Schnurstein went 4-for-5; Cole Armstrong had three hits.
• Kyle McCulloch struck out seven over seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits.
• Winston-Salem 4, Wilmington 3
• Matt Long allowed two runs over five innings; Jacob Rasner picked up the win allowing one run over three innings of relief.
• C.J. Lang had the only multi-hit game and the only extra-base hit.
• West Virginia 8, Kannapolis 7 (7 innings)
• Jim Gallagher had three hits and three RBI.  He's hitting .388 in June.
• Sergio Miranda had two hits, a walk and three runs scored; Lee Cruz drove in two.
• Charlie Shirek allowed six runs (four earned) over five innings on eight hits.
• Great Falls 6, Billings 5
• Kent Gerst homered for the second straight game, a two-run shot.
• Eduardo Escobar went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
• Charlis Burdie picked up the win in relief with five strikeouts over two perfect innings.
• Bristol vs. Burlington PPD
  

But the fact is I was napping...

... 'cause Contreras, the bed was crapping ...

Let's try to figure out where Saturday's flop against the Cubs fits in the Jose Contreras Distraction Scale:

10.0:  Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit.
9.0: Served with divorce papers.
8.0: Served with subpoena in a smuggling investigation.
7.0: Prescription for back pills wasn't ready.
6.0: Missing family in Cuba. (n/a)
5.0: Ill-fitting cup.
4.0: Filled car up with unleaded instead of plus though dashboard recommended otherwise.
3.0: McDonald's cashier wouldn't give him 10 percent discount.
2.0: He is assessed for street repairs -- $40 per house, $115 per hotel.
1.0: Struggling with the English language.

Whatever the case may be, Contreras clearly didn't have it today.  To some point, I can understand why Ozzie Guillen stuck with him for as long as he did, but this goes back to what I bitched wrote about last week: the uselessness of having two long relievers when the manager doesn't like to use one.

Guillen will give his starters every chance to get through five innings, but if there was a starter begging to receive the early exit, Contreras was the guy.  He had no forkball, which means he had to keep dropping down, which, as we know, spells disaster.  After the third consecutive single, it would've been an ideal time to try Boone Logan.

Nick Masset and Adam Russell ended up throwing their two innings apiece, but well after the game was out of hand.  That defeats the purpose of having a seven-man bullpen with two long relievers.  It's supposed to give the manager a luxury of using an early hook without worrying about taxing the relief corps heavily.  By the time Masset got in the game, Russell's real utility had already expired.

That's my biggest beef with Guillen's handling of Contreras.  It's not because he made a wrong assessment of his starter, but because he missed a rare opportunity to use a pitcher the Sox don't have much use for.

Now the focus turns to Javier Vazquez, who has allowed 14 runs and a 1.000 OPS over his last three starts (17 1/3 innings).  If he wants to re-establish his ace status, tonight would be the night to do it, since the game is:

1. Against a first-place team.
2. Against a high-quality pitcher.
   
3. On the road.
4. Needed to stop a skid.

Yup, this is the situation that defines a No. 1 starter.

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... while Ozzie and Lou started rapping, like they never had before:



Yup.  That's Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella trading rhymes.  Deadspin calls it "the worst rap in the history of car commercials," although I would nominate:

Push it!
Pull it!
Tow it to Oak Mill Ford!
Yeah, do it like Stu
And you'll save, too!

But the fact that I still remember that ad for Oak Mill Ford makes it a good one.  And since they now made me aware of Chevrolet Tent Event, it appears GM got what it wanted out of it, too.

Nevermore, fellas.

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Minor league roundup:

• Lehigh Valley 3, Charlotte 2
• Dave Cook hit his first homer at Charlotte, and Brad Eldred his own solo shot, his 26th.
• Chris Getz went 3-for-4 with a double, and Javier Castillo had two hits.
• Charlie Haeger didn't deserve to get stuck with the loss -- in relief of Esteban Loaiza, he allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk over six innings, striking out six.
• Birmingham 2, Jacksonville 0
• Carlos Torres pitched eight shutout innings, scattering six hits and three walks while striking out eight.
• Jon Link pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save.
• Ricardo Nanita went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Former Sox farmhand B.J. LaMura, dealt when the Sox acquired Sandy Alomar Jr. for the 14th time, took the loss.
  
• Winston-Salem 10, Wilmington 8
• Paulo Orlando had a perfect day, going 5-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI.
  
• John Shelby went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
• Brandon Allen, C.J. Retherford and Brett Bonvechio joined Shelby with two hits of their own.
  
• Anthony Carter picked up his first win at High-A ball, allowing two runs over six innings on five hits and two walks.  He didn't record a strikeout.
• Kannapolis 14, West Virginia 3
• Mark Fleisher's grand slam highlighted a 2-for-4, five-RBI night.
• Jim Gallagher had four hits in six at-bats, and Sergio Miranda went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.
• Sergio Morales reached base four times and scored three runs, and Dale Mollenhauer and Logan Johnson also had two hits.
• Jason Rice picked up the win with six innings of two-run ball.
• Bristol 10, Burlington 4
• Juan Silverio drove in seven runs, with a grand slam among his three hits.
• Justin Greene scored four runs, racking up three hits, two doubles and a walk out of the leadoff spot.
• Garrett Johnson struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs (one earned).
• Great Falls 4, Billings 3 (10 innings)
• Eduardo Escobar went 4-for-5 with a double out of the leadoff spot.
• Fourth-round pick Brent Morel went 2-for-3, with his second triple in four games.
• 2006 eighth-round pick Kent Gerst went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI and a walk.
• Starter Daniel Hudson pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four.

There's your home field advantage

It was only a matter of time before National League rules would pose a problem for Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox, and of course it had to happen under the spotlight of the crosstown series Friday afternoon.

John Danks had completed six innings in under 90 pitches for the first time since April 26 and was growing stronger as the game went on, which is an oddity so far in his young career.  Unfortunately, he had the misfortune of batting first in the seventh, and Guillen chose to pinch-hit for him and rely on his bullpen to carry the weight the rest of the way.

The decision wasn't wrong, because Juan Uribe delivered a leadoff single in his place.  And the idea of bringing in Octavio Dotel to face lefty-crushing Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez seemed pretty solid.  I certainly wouldn't have bet on them both homering to tie the game before Dotel recorded an out.

Alas, that's the rub with the National League.  If the game had been played in U.S. Cellular Field, Danks would've come out for the seventh for the first time in more than a month with Ozzie ready to go to the bullpen at the first -- or maybe second -- sign of trouble.  Ozzie's standard practice of handling starters doesn't work as well in the National League, and he was forced to make up his mind earlier than he probably would have liked.

Danks wasn't exactly happy with the decision, though he couldn't overargue it:


Under different circumstances, this would've been the perfect time to let Danks try wearing the big boy pants.  His next start will take place under the American League rulebook, so he should expect to be rewarded for an efficient outing if he can start stringing them together.

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

Two thoughts about the bullpen, which I will deftly tie together:

No. 1:  Matt Thornton has been really, really, really good.  The posturepedic lefty has more strikeouts (35) than innings pitched (28), and more innings pitched than baserunners (26).  Opponents are batting .135 off him.

No. 2:  Dotel seems ... off.  I can't quite put my finger on it with numbers, because there's nothing in his line drive, strikeout or walk rates that would indicate trouble.  Maybe it's because it's been three weeks since he pitched a drama-free outing, but it seems like he's just not as sharp with his locations.  Maybe I'm wrong, and feel free to offer a counterargument.

Even if Dotel is fine, it's worth noting that he's already pitched more innings this year (34 1/3) than he did in all of 2007 (30), and he's coming close to topping his total of his previous two seasons combined.  Another way to put it is that this is the most he's worked since 2004, and we're not even at the halfway point in the season.

It might be a good time to start giving Thornton some full seventh innings in an effort to even the workload.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 8, Lehigh Valley 2
• Jason Bourgeois went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored from the leadoff spot, and is now hitting an even .400 in June (30-for-75).
• Brad Eldred was Captain Three True Outcomes -- he hit a three-run homer, walked and struck out twice in four plate appearances.
• Danny Richar went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
• Wes Whisler allowed two runs over six innings, allowing seven hits and no walks while striking out two.
• Scott Sauerbeck, Ehren Wassermann and Mike MacDougal each tossed a scoreless inning.
• Birmingham 2, Jacksonville 1 (10 innings)
• Aaron Poreda struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk.
• John Lujan allowed a solo homer over three innings of relief, and Jon Link picked up the win with a perfect inning.
• Victor Mercedes hit a solo homer, and Stefan Gartrell went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Winston-Salem 7, Wilmington 6
• Brett Bonvechio, who I'd never heard of before (26-year-old first baseman), doubled twice and drove in two.
• Francisco Hernandez drove in two runs; John Shelby went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Ricky Brooks picked up the win with a perfect inning, in which he struck out the side.
• Kannapolis 5, West Virginia 2
• Jim Gallagher hit his sixth homer, a three-run shot.
• Anderson Gomes had two hits and two RBI.
• Miguel Socolovich allowed two runs over six innings; Tyson Corley and Henry Mabee combined for three scoreless innings.
• Bristol 7, Burlington 6
• Andrew Garcia homered and drove in four runs.
• Juan Silverio and Jedon Matthews each had two hits.
• Brent DeFoor struck out four over two shutout innings of relief.
• Billings 4, Great Falls 1
• Cody Allen took the loss, allowing two runs over five innings, striking out five.
• Great Falls was held to three hits.
  

Sox-Cubs, a.k.a. the two worst weekends of the season

The White Sox and Cubs enter their first series of the season with significant leads in their respective divisions for the first time since interleague play began.

Some say that gives the games a deeper meaning.  I think it makes it all the more pointless.

The crosstown classic that became largely irrelevant after the Sox won an actual World Series -- and just not the city's version -- is now just a huge distraction that puts the teams involved at a disadvantage within their divisions.  Using personal feelings to dismiss the series' importance is no longer necessary.

Look at it this way:  Both teams have six games against a first-place opponent over the next two weekends while their division rivals get at least one set against second- or third-tier opponents.  Here's who the other teams will be facing:

• Cleveland: Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Minnesota: Arizona and Milwaukee
• Detroit: San Diego and Colorado
• St. Louis: Boston and Kansas City
• Milwaukee: Baltimore and Minnesota

Two hot Chicago teams clashing makes good TV, but strength of schedule has no bearing in baseball.  That the houses will be packed and ratings up doesn't change the fact that a Sox-Royals and a Cubs-Pirates series mean a lot more for their playoff chances.

Really, the best thing about the crosstown series this year is that it could be used to destroy itself.  Interleague play is hokey as is, and when the Sox and Cubs meet, I can't think of a less enjoyable brand of baseball.

For one, it means I have to read about the Cubs.  I don't hate them by any means, and the Cubs fans I know are quality baseball fans, so I have no problem following the results of their games.  But it does irritate me at times like now, when I go to ESPN.com and see seven Cubs stories in the centerpiece, and have to pick through wondrous tales of their wholly unremarkable history because they might contain something about this upcoming series.  I'm not allowed to ignore them, and that frustrates me.

And then there are the actual games.  I've attended one apiece on both sides of town, and they're not fun.  The reason the atmosphere is "supercharged" is because the stands are packed with too many people who staple their self-esteem to the outcome of six rather meaningless games.  The games may be louder, but the volume has the overtones of desperation.

(I can always tell when the series is approaching by the increasing number of people who reach my site by Googling things like  "Cubs jokes" or "White Sox insults," which I think illustrates my point quite nicely.)

Package it all together, and it's way too much angst and agita for a series that ultimately accomplishes nothing.  Hell, you can derive more meaning from the three-game set with the Rockies. They're a common opponent of the Sox, Indians and Tigers, so you can compare the outcomes and see who did a better job taking advantage of a struggling team.

Ideally, the Sox would take all six games and the Cubs end up losing the NL Central to the Brewers by two.  Maybe the lack of a cash cow in the postseason would outweigh the value of a contrived in-season moneymaker and force Major League Baseball to cut the number of Sox-Cubs games in half.

Or maybe I'm the outlier, and everybody who cares about baseball in Chicago has these games marked on their calendar.  Personally, I've circled the June 30 game against the Indians to denote my favorite part of interleague play:

The end of it.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Lehigh Valley 8, Charlotte 2
• Jack Egbert gave up seven runs on six hits over five innings.  Two of those hits were homers, and one was a grand slam.
• D.J. Carrasco struck out four over 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
• Jason Bourgeois went 2-for-4 with a solo homer.
• Jacksonville 8, Birmingham 5
• Dewon Day walked five over two innings, and when paired with two hits meant four runs.
• Miguel Negron hit a two-run homer, and Stefan Gartrell hit a solo shot.
• Cole Armstrong played for the first time since June 11, going 1-for-5.
• Winston-Salem 4, Potomac 2
• Jacob Rasner pitched three scoreless innings of relief, and Kanekoa Teixeira picked up his 13th save.
• Salvador Sanchez, C.J. Retherford and C.J. Lang each had two hits.
• West Virginia 10, Birmingham 2
• Levi Maxwell gave up six earned runs on nine hits over four innings, inflating his ERA to 2.72.
• Santo Luis struck out five over two innings of relief.
• Sergio Miranda went 3-for-3; Jim Gallagher went 2-for-5 with a double.
• Johnson City 4, Bristol 3
• Jedon Matthews went 3-for-4, falling a double short of the cycle, scoring two runs and driving in one.
• Joucer Martinez allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings.
• Michael Lewis added 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
• Justin Greene had three hits, including a solo homer.
• Great Falls 6, Helena 5
• Nevin Griffith allowed two unearned runs on four hits over five innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.
  
• Kenneth Williams went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two stolen bases.
• Nick Mahin went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer.

Toby Hall: Power threat

After he hit his first homer in a White Sox uniform -- and only nine months into his career on the South Side -- let's update the backup catcher chart in honor of Toby Hall:



See?  He's every bit as good as I thought he'd be.  It just took him a little longer than I expected, that's all.

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

Other items of interest:

*Teddy Greenstein rates the Chicago broadcast booths, giving Hawk Harrelson and Darrin Jackson a B+.

To my surprise, I've become more of a Jackson fan and a Hawk detractor.  Jackson seems to have a genuine curiosity about the current game (I recall him citing "Mythbusters" earlier this year), and I get the feeling he's smarter than Harrelson either makes him or lets him.  He's starting to show his own style when he calls his innings, which are markedly smoother than in previous years.

I'll disagree with Greenstein when he says DJ is "never annoying," because "Oh, Do Tell" is lame, he's not good at southern folksy (which he picks up from Hawk) and he has the tendency to go way too early into postgame wrap-up mode.  I will say he's definitely made strides, and I'd probably give him a B.  Hawk?  C-, bordering on D+, for reasons I don't need to get into.

*Jim Thome behaved in a brusque manner unbecoming of a gentleman:


Bully, Masher.  Bully.

*Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen took shots at the Cubs in their own styles.

Williams with a flame thrower:  "The unfortunate thing for me is it's a shame that a certain segment of Chicago refused to enjoy a baseball championship being brought to their city. The only thing I can say is, 'Happy anniversary.'''

Guillen with an elbow to the ribs:  ''Lou Piniella does two things better than me: Managing and eating.''

*History indicates the Pirates have a good shot at avoiding the sweep.  They're throwing Phil Dumatrait out there, who is:

1. Left-handed.
2. Somebody the Sox have never faced.
3. Not prone to surrendering homers.
   

C'mon, Sox.  Surprise me.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Birmingham 2, Jacksonville 1
• Justin Cassell tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four.
• Miguel Negron had two hits; .213-hitting Robert Valido had the lone RBI.
• Potomac 6, Winston-Salem 1
• Good news: John Ely struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings.  Bad news:  He gave up four homers.
• The Warthogs managed only five hits.
• Bristol 8, Johnson City 5
• Possible AARP member Juan Silverio homered, and now has five RBI in his first two games.
• Jose Vargas also went deep, and Misael Tavarez and Orlando Santos each had two-hit nights.
• Murillo Gouvea struck out four over three scoreless innings of relief.
• Great Falls 7, Helena 5 (12 innings)
  
• Ronald Morales definitely earned the win in relief -- six strikeouts over 3 1/3 perfect innings.
• Shortstop Eduardo Escobar went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBI from the leadoff spot.
• Some guy named Kenneth Williams went 1-for-5 with a triple and a walk.
• Charlotte OFF
• Kannapolis OFF
  

Putting the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional'

I know what some of you are thinking.

After a 16-run, 19-hit, seven-walk, four-homer outburst against the Pirates Tuesday night, you're probably wishing the Sox saved some runs for the rest of the series.

Don't worry about it.  Whether the Sox score one run or 31 runs against former Sox fan Tom Gorzelanny later tonight, the Sox absolutely had to crush Ian Snell and Co. Tuesday for reasons that were evident in Snell's scouting report and became ever more clear over the course of the evening.

Namely, the opposition hit .325 off his fastball coming in, and he shies away from establishing the inside corner to right-handed hitters.  Once Sox hitters saw what his breaking stuff looked like, it should have been bombs away.  Pittsburgh color guy John Wehner noted that after Nick Swisher fell behind to 0-2, he didn't even move his hands on three straight breaking pitches in the dirt.

If the Sox, a fastball-hitting team if there ever was one, were going to explode, tonight was the night -- especially when the Pirate relievers showed the same tendencies as Snell.

That's not saying they shouldn't have success against Gorzellany, who has a 6.65 ERA and 46 walks to 35 strikeouts in 65 innings.  But he's a different case merely because he's left-handed.  A non-changeup, meh-fastball throwing right-hander is the dream opponent for pretty much the entire White Sox lineup, and if they couldn't break out the lumber against him, then I would be officially drop into panic mode.   As it is, I'm merely at "concerned."

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

Adam Russell made about as good of a first impression as one can making his major-league debut in the ninth-inning of an 11-run ballgame, mainly because he didn't dick around.  He went three up, three down, throwing eight of his 11 pitches for strikes and working faster than any Sox right-hander this year.

Of course, Nick Masset only needed 10 pitches to get through the eighth, so it's unlikely another inning of work would have taxed him.  The only thing keeping me from complaining about the seven-man bullpen more is the fact that Josh Fields is on the DL with a strained right knee. Javier Colina was promoted to Charlotte and is starting at third.

I suppose Russell is already a step ahead of Dewon Day, so he's got that going for him, which is nice.

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

Speaking of injuries at Charlotte, how much does Jerry Owens' year suck so far?  Not only did the Sox pick Dewayne Wise over him yet again when they needed another outfielder, but then he went and hurt himself in the first inning of the aftermath.  From the Richmond Times-Dispatch's account:


I also thought the rationale for picking Wise over Owens was interesting:


June stats:

• Wise: .255/.330/.400 in 40 ABs.
• Owens: .317/.364/.333 in 60 ABs.

Wise has the advantage OPS-wise, but there's probably a slight edge to Owens when considering OBP is more valuable than slugging, especially for a team like the Sox which has plenty of the latter and not enough of the former.

Pulling out the jump to conclusions mat, I'd wager to guess that Scott Podsednik's on-off relationship with his groin the past two years set the precedent for how Owens should be treated in Guillen's mind.  If this doesn't seal the casket of Speed-For-Speed's-Sake Ozzie, I don't know what will convince people.

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

A couple of quotes I found interesting, starting with Charlotte manager Marc Bombard on Clayton Richard:


Richard had an outstanding night, which you will see below.  Meanwhile, here's Mark Buehrle responding to a question about Jerry Manuel, who is the interim coach of the Mets in the wake of Willie Randolph's firing:


The jump to conclusions mat leads me to believe that Aug. 28, 2003, still irks Buehrle a little bit.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 6, Richmond 5 (Game 1, 7 innings)
• Dave Cook went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
• Jason Bourgeois had three hits including a double and two runs scored, along with an outfield assist.
• Four of the five runs Lance Broadway allowed came in the first inning.  He allowed eight hits and two walks over five innings.
  
• Charlotte 5, Richmond 1 (Game 2, 7 innings)
• Clayton Richard threw a three-hitter, with seven strikeouts to zero walks.
• Danny Richar drew three walks and doubled in the other PA.
• Royce Huffman went 3-for-4 with two RBI; Dave Cook doubled and walked.
• Jacksonville 7, Birmingham 2
• Kyle McCulloch allowed four runs (three earned) over seven innings, allowing a whopping 11 hits, walking two and striking out two.
• Miguel Negron and Javier Colina each had two hits apiece; the rest of the lineup went 1-for-24.
• Potomac 5, Winston-Salem 3
• C.J. Retherford went 2-for-4, homered and drove in all three of the Warthogs' runs.
• Greg Paiml went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles.
• Matt Long allowed two runs over five innings; Michael Dubee threw two scoreless innings.
• Kannapolis OFF

Rookie Ball Opening Night:

• Johnson City 6, Bristol 3 (12 innings)
• Lucas Harrell allowed one run and struck out five over three innings in a rehab start.
• Gregory Infante, Garrett Johnson and Kevin Asselin combined to allow one earned run over eight innings of relief, striking out 11.
• Supposed 16-year-old phenom shortstop Juan Silverio drove in three runs on a 2-for-4 night.
• Orlando Santos, Misael Tavarez and Jordan Kendall had two hits apiece.
  
• Great Falls 9, Helena 0
• Kevin Skogley struck out eight over seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and no walks.
• Charlis Burdie struck out five over two innings of relief.
• Jordan Cheatham went 3-for-5 with three RBI; Jesus Avila and Johny Celis had two hits apiece.
  
• Eduardo Escobar hit a solo homer, and Doug Thennis also left the yard.
  

Word up Thome -- literally

If you couldn't tell, the Jim Thome sign generator is now up and operational.  And like I said before with the Orlando Cabrera sign generator, if anybody with a TV tuner/capture device on their computers can give me a higher-quality image, I would gladly swap it out.

Also, if anybody finds a link to the Swisher ads, please pass it along.

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

Off days are mailbag days, and there's some good fodder.  Mark Gonzalez was feisty:


OH SNAP.  ANNA JUST GOT SERVED.  And then there's this one:


Time for a sell-off, even though it will cost the Sox money, they won't get anything back in return, and won't lessen the price of a ticket to send a Triple-A team out there.  Meanwhile, here's a good one in Scott Merkin's column:


Carlos Quentin?  Sent down twice.  Maybe the key is to do it in even numbers.

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

Minor league roundup:

Note:  Josh Fields did not play for Charlotte tonight.  No official word yet, but somebody on SoxTalk says he's going back on the DL.

• Richmond 4, Charlotte 0
• Esteban Loaiza gave up two runs on four hits over three innings, with no walks or strikeouts.
• Getz went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
• Dave Cook went 1-for-3 with a double and walk, and is off to a 7-for-20 start in Triple-A.
  
• Birmingham OFF
• Winston-Salem OFF
• Kannapolis OFF

Introducing the Orlando Cabrera sign generator

Hey kids!  Want to make one of these?



It's easy to do with the Orlando Cabrera sign generator!  Just click on the picture or the link, follow the instructions, and you'll have the White Sox shortstop saying whatever you'd like in no time.

Two notes:

1. Big ups to Adrienne for getting this thing working.

2. I'm unable to find any of the other commercials online, but if anybody happens to have a TV tuner/capture card device and can grab some high-quality screenshots of Cabrera, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko or Nick Swisher, send it my way.

Konerko hurts cage in cage

The White Sox may have to prepare for life without Paul Konerko for the next few weeks:


A few weeks ago, the Sox could've been able to live with this just fine.  But then Konerko went on a seven-game hitting streak, and although it was snapped Saturday against the Rockies, he did reach base with a walk.  He also has been one of the few Sox to visibly make some adjustments, opting to go the opposite way more often.

If it were Jim Thome, it really wouldn't matter who the Sox would call up, but since Konerko anchors a position, replacing him becomes more difficult.  The possibilites, in terms of ease of fit:

1. Brad Eldred.  He's become somewhat of a popular choice, and because of homers in both parts of a doubleheader Saturday, he now leads the International League in homers, one ahead of Detroit's Mike Hessman.  He also represents an obvious first baseman-for-first baseman switch.

But the same caveats always surrounding Eldred still apply -- he has 76 strikeouts in 69 games.  That's about on par with Hessman, who has 277 minor-league homers and eight big-league ones, mainly because he strikes out roughly once every three at-bats.  And Elrdred doesn't draw walks, either, something Hessman can do a little.

As much as it might be fun to see him connect, he does nothing to solve the Sox's offensive issues.

2. Jerry Owens.  Ugh.  He becomes a possibility because if Konerko is out, Swisher will handle first, which leaves an opening for a fourth outfielder.

He is having a great June, to the tune of .345/.393/.364, and the Sox could use that OBP.  But the Sox don't have a need for a guy who gets himself thrown out on the bases, because they've been doing that plenty already.  Owens is only 4-for-8 this month on stolen base attempts, and if that part of his game isn't working for him, his value is severely diminished.

(In fairness to Owens, there could very well be zero drop-off in terms of catcher defense in Triple-A, since that's where great-glove-no-bat types like Chris Stewart wait to get a chance to back somebody up.  Still, it's in no way encouraging.)

3. Josh Fields.  Where would he play?  He hasn't played first anywhere to my knowledge, and while they say anybody could play it, Carlos Guillen would beg to differ.

Maybe he could play it.  Or maybe Ozzie Guillen could run Jim Thome out there and pray he doesn't aggravate his back.  But left field is no longer an option with Carlos Quentin both holding down the position offensively and struggling defensively, so it's hard to see Fields getting much playing time unless the Sox know something about his first-base abilities that we don't.

4. Chris Getz.  Another outside shot, because Alexei Ramirez can play center and be enough of a fourth outfielder, and Getz has played some shortstop and left field along with plenty of action at second.

He's hitting .306/.352/.454, but has a massive 370 split in OPS between home and road, clearing 1.000 in Charlotte's tiny park and struggling away from it. 

As a last resort, Jermaine Dye is also a possibility in the most generous interpretation of the word.  He has only played one game at first base, and that was back in 2005. But it might be fun to see how creative the Sox can get.

One thing I will say is that I now know what an intercostal muscle is.  Like with Scott Podsednik and Owens and their troublesome adductors, at least I'm learning something out of this.

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

Looking at the lede of Dave Van Dyck's story in the Trib:


First two weeks:  .256/.353/.461

Next month:  .235/.315/.380

Week after:  .287/.360/.456

Week after:  .254/.301/.379

Week after:  .347/.407/.634

Week after:  .201/.264/.295 (does not yet include Sunday's game).

The scales favor "a bad one," but if you want to be a little kinder, you could say "dysfunctional at best."

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

Minor league roundup:

• Richmond 3, Charlotte 1
• Charlie Haeger put together a sixth straight quality start, but took the loss -- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR.
• Jason Bourgeois had the only multi-hit game with two singles; .118-hitting Jared Price provided the only run with a solo shot.
• Jerry Owens and Josh Fields both went 0-for-4; Danny Richar had a hit.
• Birmingham 3, Carolina 1
• Carlos Torres allowed one run on four hits and three walks over seven innings, striking out seven.
• Miguel Negron doubled and drove in two; Ricardo Nanita hit a solo homer.
• John Lujan and Jon Link each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
• Winston-Salem 5, Wilmington 3 (Game 1, 10 innings)
• Brandon Allen went 2-for-4 with a solo homer; Anderson Gomes had two hits and two RBI.
• Matt Davis picked up the win with three scoreless innings of relief.
• Wilmington 8, Winston-Salem 3 (Game 2, 7 innings)
• Anthony Carter was hammered for six runs over two innings in his start, allowing five hits and two walks while only striking out one. All runs were scored in the second.
  
• John Shelby went 2-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases, his 16th and 17th of the season.  He also committed an error and had an outfield assist.
• Paulo Orlando, C.J. Lang and Billy Killian each had two hits as well.
• Kannapolis 5, Lexington 3
• Charlie Shirek is back -- six shutout innings, one hit allowed, no walks, three strikeouts.  He retired the first 16 men he faced, and there may have been an issue with the single, because the recap says it was hit to second baseman Dale Mollenhauer, and Mollenhauer was ejected thereafter.
• Jim Gallagher went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored.
• Matt Inouye followed up his five-hit day with two doubles in three at-bats.
• Logan Johnson and Mark Fleisher each drove in two.