posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 2:20 AM
by
Jim
The road to partition
First off, some unrelated off-day theatre:
Now, on to the gravely serious matters:
The White Sox open up a big three-game series in Detroit tonight. Last time they traveled to the Motor City, they had all the momentum in the world with seven consecutive wins over Kansas City and Minnesota at home, only to suffer a
three-
game sweep by the Tigers at Comerica Field.
The pitching didn't exactly stack up in their favor, and they got off to a bad start when Ozzie Guillen, in one of his worst games as manager this year, left Jose Contreras in way, way too long. It ended up with a loss against Nate Robertson, a pitcher they usually beat. Detroit took the victory, then seized the day. Justin Verlander threw rocket darts and Kenny Rogers did Kenny Rogers things, and the Sox left Detroit with nothing to show for it.
They Sox have a slightly easier matchup on paper this time around, because they'll miss Rogers ("I wouldn't say they've been missing him, Bob"). They'll get Robertson, Verlander and Zach Miner,
whom they have pounded in the past. Meanwhile, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Javier Vazquez will take the mound for the Sox, so they'll have far fewer excuses if they falter again.
A Detroit sweep would thrust the Tigers squarely into the thick of things, as they sit 5 1/2 games out of first at this point. A Chicago sweep wouldn't end the Tigers' season, but it would severely cripple them. So Game 1 is looking pretty big for both teams, and I would advise
Gavin Floyd to continue to shut down the Tiger lineup. Bold choice, I know.
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On the injury front:For the next few days, Crede will undergo extensive treatment on the
area, using the contrast of going back and forth from hot to cold, and
doing whatever else planned to get more blood flow in the area and
loosen up the back. As Crede expressed after Tuesday's victory, it's
better to be safe in the short term than risk it and be out for an
extended period.
"This can lead to worse things," Crede said. "I would rather take a step back than keep pushing it and sit out much longer."
It's reported as a stiffness instead of a shooting pain like last year, so that's good to hear.
Also good to hear: Juan Uribe is a career .325/.357/.550 hitter in 40 at-bats off Robertson, should he get the start tonight. He's reached base in
eight of his last 14 plate appearances, so if he's indeed in the midst of one of his patented hot streaks, this would be an ideal time for it.
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On the rumor front, the only one with any considerable steam was the
Uribe-Alex Cora one, and
the Boston Globe says talks are dead. A few hours before,
Ken Rosenthal fleshed it out a little more with an additional idea:
One scenario would be for the White Sox to use Cora at least
part-time at second, move rookie Alexei Ramirez to short and trade
shortstop Orlando Cabrera. However, one possible deal — Cabrera
to the Dodgers for right-hander Derek Lowe — has not been discussed,
according to a high-ranking executive with one of those clubs.
Rosenthal also notes the Sox were
trying to create a package for perpetual-Cub-to-be Brian Roberts, but the Orioles' asking price was too high.
I can't see any of these deals happening, but the Lowe-Cabrera one is kind of funny. Considering Lowe is making $10 million and is a free agent after the season, it'd be like the Jon Garland trade never happened. Aside from Lowe being a Type A free agent.
Otherwise,
the Sox are still linked to Huston Street, but the market will be rather competitive for his services.
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Minor league roundup:- Indianapolis 8, Charlotte 3
- Charlie Haeger pitched six strong innings but ran into a wall in the seventh. Final line: 6 1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
- Javier Colina doubled, tripled and drove in a run.
- Jason Bourgeois went 1-for-4 with a walk and his 19th stolen base.
- Birmingham 11, Mississippi 6
- Lee Cruz went 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored.
- Miguel Negron, Javier Castillo and Robert Valido joined Cruz with three-hit days.
- Aaron Poreda only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five.
- Kanekoa Teixeira piched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his Double-A debut.
- Winston-Salem 3, Salem 0
- John Ely brought an end to a four-start streak of awfulness with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering eight hits and fanning six.
- C.J. Retherford went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
- Bristol 3, Johnson City 2
- Onarkys Paniagua threw seven strong innings, allowing one hit on five hits and walk with six K's.
- Hancer Vargas went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Missoula 10, Great Falls 6
- Tyler Kuhn was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored.
- Lyndon Estill hit a solo homer and walked three times; Johny Celis went 3-for-5.
- Kevin Skogley allowed six runs on six hits over six innings, walking two and striking out eight.
- Kannapolis OFF