Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

More Boston beatdowns

I'm glad I fled to Chicago for the weekend instead of opting to spend money to head out to Boston.

Two things:

*Trading Ryan Sweeney paid dividends for the Sox once again ... thanks more to Joe Nathan.

*John Danks is getting an extra day of rest.  The team is denying there's an injury, but given the way he couldn't get the ball past anyone his last time around, the timing is somewhat scary.

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Minor league roundup:

• Durham 7, Charlotte 2
• Josh Fields scored the golden sombrero, striking out in each of his four at-bats.
• Jack Egbert struggled, allowing five runs on five hits and six walks over four innings.
• Birmingham 6, Mobile 4
• Javier Castillo went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and three runs scored.
• Lee Cruz, Brandon Allen and Miguel Negron each had two hits.
• Brian Omogrosso (1 2/3 IP), Joseph Torres, Fernando Hernandez and Jon Link threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of an ineffective Justin Cassell.
• Winston-Salem 5, Frederick 3
• Clevelan Santeliz went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk.  He struck out six, but allowed two homers.
• Matt Zaleski pitched two scoreless innings for the save.
• Brett Bonvechio, Adam Ricks and Dale Mollenhauer had two hits apiece.
• Kannapolis 8, West Virginia 1
  
• Jordan Danks and Gordon Beckham both hit solo homers.
• Christian Marrero went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
• Charlie Shirek struck out eight over seven innings, allowing a run on three hits.
• Helena 4, Great Falls 3
• Kyle Shelton went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
• Tyler Kuhn had three hits including a double and scored two runs.
• Drew O'Neil struck out three over two scoreless innings of relief.
  

Friday's minor league roundup

Hey, the Knights are playing again:

• Charlotte 7, Durham 5
• Josh Fields went 3-for-4 with a double, walk and an RBI.
• Fernando Cortez went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.
• Jerry Owens singled, drew two walks, stole two bases and scored two runs.
• Ehren Wassermann picked up the win by throwing two scoreless innings, striking out four.
• Birmingham 9, Mobile 2
• Brandon Allen drove in seven runs with two homers.
• Miguel Negron had three hits and two RBI; Javier Castillo and Robert Hudson had two hits apiece.
• Aaron Poreda allowed one earned run over six innings, striking out five.
• Winston-Salem 12, Frederick 4
  
• John Shelby went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
• Francisco Hernandez drove in five runs with two hits, including a homer.
• Dale Mollenhauer went 3-for-4.
• John Ely gave up three runs over five innings, but struck out six.
• West Virginia 8, Kannapolis 7 (Game 1, 9 innings)
• Jim Gallagher went 3-for-5 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored.
• Jordan Danks doubled twice in five at-bats; Gordon Beckham went 0-for-5.
• Kannapolis 2, West Virginia 1 (Game 2, 7 innings)
• Gordon Beckham, Eduardo Escobar and Jorge Castillo each had two hits.
• Leroy Hunt struck out three over 2 1/3 shutout innings for the win.
  
• Great Falls 6, Billings 5
• Kyle Shelton homered, doubled and drove in two.
• Doug Thennis hit a solo homer.
• Cody Allen allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings.

Thome delivery

Jim Thome finally delivered his 500th home run ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

And some hack covered the event.

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Congratulations to Joe Cowley, who announced he was cancer-free in the wake of Jay Mariotti's resignation from the Chicago Sun-Times.

He also said his melanoma did not spread into his lymph nodes, so that's excellent news as well.

Seriously, the Sun-Times newsroom must look like the scene in Airplane! where everybody's lining up to knock some sense into the hysterical lady. 



Look at everybody who has joined Cowley in sounding off on Mariotti since he left the paper:

• Michael Cooke, editor in chief
  
• Chris De Luca
• Roman Modrowski, online sports editor.
• Rick Telander
• Roger Ebert

It always makes me nervous when journalists write about other journalists, because it seems like the best possible outcome is the public not caring, with a good chance everybody will look like fools.  On the other hand, given the troubles of the paper, if this actually gets people subscribing to the paper, then maybe they should milk it for all it's worth.

Mariotti wasn't on my radar in the first place, and since you could tell the Mariotti headlines from the rest of them, I rarely even clicked on his columns by accident.

However, I'm thrilled that we won't be subjected to any more Hawk Harrelson "hiney bird" rants, which, as I've argued before, did far more harm than good.

Next up: Getting Hawk off the Minnesota Twins, who had committed six errors in four games before snapping a four-game losing streak Wednesday.  They don't always execute Hawk, and they do occasionally beat themselves, believe it or not.

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Bringing closure to the second A.J. Pierzynski-Doug Eddings incident, vice president of umpiring Mike Port said Eddings made an incorrect call after all:


If the Sox manage to win the AL Central by one game, this might be the first thing to point to.

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Who isn't bringing closure?  Jon Link.  He can take consolation in the fact that the Sox probably wouldn't have had a roster spot for him anyway in September, because he's fallen on hard times as of late.

Link failed to retire any of the three batters he faced tonight, allowing a double, single and walk that resulted in a run.  He's managed to only work two innings in his last four outings, allowing eight hits and seven runs over that stretch.

If there's good news, he only allowed one run after allowing two runs in each of his three previous outings.  I wonder if he was smiling in his team picture before all this started.

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Minor league roundup:

• Birmingham 7, Mobile 6
• Kyle McCulloch scattered 10 hits over seven innings, allowing just two runs.
• Stefan Gartrell went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
• Javier Castillo went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
  
• Lee Cruz had a pair of doubles, and Victor Mercedes had a pair of singles.
• Winston-Salem 3, Kinston 1
• Matt Long allowed one run on six hits over six innings, striking out six.
• Fellow Matts Zaleski (1 IP) and Davis kept Kinston scoreless the rest of the way.
• Joe Persichina and C.J. Retherford had two hits apiece.
• Great Falls 9, Helena
  
• Dexter Carter threw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six.
• Two of Lyndon Estill's three hits left the yard, good for three RBI.
• Tyler Kuhn drove in four during a 2-for-5 day.
• Kent Gerst went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, walk and three runs scored.
• Drew O'Neil struck out four over two scoreless innings of relief.
  
• Charlotte vs. Richmond CANCELED
• Kannapolis vs. West Virginia PPD

A painful night for General Soreness

I wasn't around for the 1973 World Series, but watching Ken Griffey Jr. playing center field Wednesday night, I think I now have an idea of what it must've looked like to see a 42-year-old Willie Mays falling down in the outfield.

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Minor league roundup:

• Jacksonville 5, Birmingham 4 (10 innings)
• Lucas Harrell struggled with control (five walks) but pitched a quality start, allowing three runs on three hits over six innings.
• Jon Link blew the save, giving up two runs for the third straight outing.
• Kanekoa Teixeira threw two scoreless innings of relief.
• Javier Castillo hit a two-run homer; Robert Hudson went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Kinston 7, Winston-Salem 4 (Game 1, 7 innings)
• Anthony Carter allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings for the loss.
• C.J. Retherford had two hits and two RBI.
• Ronnie Gaines went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
  
• Winston-Salem 0, Kinston 0 (Susp. 3rd inning)
• Jacob Rasner had thrown 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
• Great Falls 7, Helena 2
• Daniel Hudson struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits.
• Jordan Cheatham went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, an RBI and his 17th steal.
• Kent Gerst, Tyler Kuhn and Johny Celis also had two-hit games.
• Charlotte vs. Norfolk PPD
• Kannapolis OFF
• Bristol OFF
  

White Sox, White House

First, Barack Obama acts likes a Sox fan on ESPN.

Then, Jeff Passan's writes a column about Carlos Quentin that can basically be boiled down to one phrase: Speak softly and carry a big stick.

So what choice do I have but to try to figure out which White Sox are which presidents?  Here's what I have so far, and feel free to help me out:



Paul Konerko: Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Konerko is the longest-tenured member of the White Sox, and his slumps tend to last for extended periods of time no matter how many changes he makes.  Also, it's unclear who would win in a foot race.

Juan Uribe: William Taft.  Stout! Portly! Rotund!  Oddly enough, when the latter became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he liked to start SCOTUS hearings with "Ooh! Ooh! Taft!"  True story.

Brian Anderson: Ulysses Grant.  Just as Grant's presidency never came close to matching his track record as a brilliant general, Anderson's major-league career has fallen well short of expectations.  Both have also been accused of carousing a little too much.

Joe Crede: Calvin Coolidge.  Doesn't say much, retreats to the country in the offseason.

Hawk Harrelson: Herbert Hoover.  H.H. the president was at the helm as the country went under, no thanks to his decisions.  You could say the same for the White Sox when they had an H.H. as the general manager.  Both saw the beginning of problems that would hamper their teams for the next decade.

Scott Linebrink: James Garfield.  Linebrink was a helluva lot more productive in his first half-season of a four-year term, but his mysterious and prolonged shoulder pain draws them together.  Like Linebrink, Garfield was hurt in early July, and by the end of August, still nobody knew if and when he was coming back.  Let's hope September is kinder to Linebrink.

Boone Logan: James Buchanan.  Enters bad situations, makes them worse, then leaves.

Orlando Cabrera: Zachary Taylor.  Both had reputations as great field generals, but their methods of leadership apparently didn't transfer over.  It's also likely Cabrera is gone after a year.

Jerry Owens: William Henry Harrison.  Neither made it out of the starting blocks.  Harrison's death marked the end of the Whigs; Owens' injury in spring training spelled the end for one-tool outfielders.

Alexei Ramirez:  James Polk.  Dark horse surprises everybody with his productivity once seizing the job.

Jim Thome: Abraham Lincoln.  Country folk from Illinois make good.  Remember, Lincoln wasn't appreciated nearly as much as he should've been during his presidency.

And here are some that come close to fitting, but not quite:

Mark Buehrle: Harry S Truman.  Both are Missourians who came from humble roots to secure their greatness in their respective fields by surprise.  The only problem: You'd think a pitcher with a slogan "The Buck Stops Here" wouldn't allow so many unearned runs.

A.J. Pierzynski:  Richard Nixon.  Except it's reversed: The public thinks Pierzynski is a crook, but he's never been caught.

John Danks:  Lyndon B. Johnson.  For his tendency to see promising starts end in disheartining losses.  Danks doesn't seem to have the dark side, though.

Gavin Floyd: Andrew Johnson.  Nice enough guy who was thrust into a situation he was utterly unprepared for, chewed up and spit out.  Floyd's working his way out of this reputation, and will kill it with a strong September.

Nick Swisher: Ronald Reagan.  Both came from California with plenty of experience in front of cameras, and opinions of their productivity and popularity vary wildly depending on whom you ask.  But Swisher doesn't have any signature moments for which he could be deified yet.

Jermaine Dye: Dwight Eisenhower.  Eisenhower really got a lot done during his two terms, but he's often overlooked because he was surrounded by more dynamic figures.  Alas, Ike's stance on Brown v. the Board of Education makes me a little too uneasy to carry it further.

That's what I have so far.  If anybody can jump in and think of comparables for Bobby Jenks, Matt Thornton and Ken Griffey Jr., then I'll gladly doff my cap.  For more information on presidents and ballplayers, consult your local library or The Hardball Times.

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Minor league roundup, Fay edition:

• Jacksonville 6, Birmingham 4
• Dewon Day, Fernando Hernandez and Brian Omogrosso failed to pitch well.
• Lee Cruz and Brandon Allen each hit solo homers.
• Helena 5, Great Falls 3
• Jesus Avila went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
• Johny Celis hit a solo homer and scored two runs.
• Joshua Billeaud allowed three earned runs over six innings.
• Enrique Lechuga tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
  
• Charlotte vs. Norfolk PPD
• Winston-Salem vs. Kinston PPD
• Kannapolis vs. Greensboro CANCELED
• Bristol vs. Pulaski CANCELED
  

A.J. knocked down; Getz sent down; Richard keeping it down

One day after capturing the hearts of the nation by stealing an obstruction call, A.J. Pierzynski had a night he'd like to forget.

In the continuation of the suspended April 28 game, Pierzynski botched two bunt attempts with a runner on first before striking out on a pitch in the dirt.  It's like the game never stopped for Pierzynski -- he was 0-for-6 with six stranded before the rains came, and with his only at-bat, pushed it to 0-for-7 with seven left on base.

He didn't have much better luck in the nightcap.  He was denied a hit-by-pitch in his second at-bat when home plate umpire Bill Welke ruled the pitch hit the knob of A.J.'s bat and not his hand, and he ended up grounding to short. 

In his final time up, Pierzynski had a chance to provide Bobby Jenks a key insurance run, and instead tapped into a 4-3 inning-ending double play, giving him a total line from both games completed Monday night:

0-for-12, 12 LOB.

I'm sure he'll get plenty of sympathy.

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After the Sox dropped the suspended game, the Sox also dropped Chris Getz from the 25-man roster, calling up Lance Broadway in case Clayton Richard needed a tandem starter.  Fortunately, Richard lasted six innings once again.

It won't be long before Getz returns, but the 10-day waiting period for recalling a player from the minors will eliminate him from playoff roster consideration should the Sox have a playoff roster to consider.

(That's barring usage of the Francisco Rodriguez loophole, but that seems more likely for a guy like Aaron Poreda.)

Getz made the most of his cup of coffee, proving Ozzie Guillen right when he said about the rookie second baseman, "I like the way he does stuff."  There are still plenty of unknowns -- he only got seven at-bats and played second base, not getting a chance to showcase any possible utilityman skills.

He had a hit apiece against a lefty and a righty, struck out only once in seven at-bats, came through in his only chance with runners in scoring position and successfully stole a base in a clutch late-inning situation, which was his only attempt on the basepaths.  As far as first impressions go, Getz didn't make any mistakes in his first go-around.

Joe Crede was also called up before the first game as Dewayne Wise headed to the disabled list.  Crede quickly resumed his popping-up ways, but his defense more than made up for it in the second game.

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We may not see much more of Clayton Richard this year as the Sox shift into four-man rotation mode, but he's making a case to stick around with two wins in his last two starts.

Richard may not be any great shakes, but he has one more win than any of the Sox's fifth starters -- Danny Wright, Josh Stewart, Neal Cotts and Mike Porzio -- did in 2003, the last time the Sox and Twins went head-to-head in September, forcing the Sox to shed a starter in the final month.

I can't say I'll have much confidence when he takes the mound for the foreseeable future, especially with that pickoff move  It's 12 kinds of awful, and when he tried extra-hard to make it effective Monday night, he ended up balking.

Still, there are signs he's learning.  While his line was worse Monday night (3 ER in 6 IP) compared to his previous start (0 R in 6 IP), he was far more effective in hitting his spots.  Check out the charts, one from Aug. 19 and one from Monday:




Not surprisingly, Richard ratcheted down his fastball Monday night, losing one full mile per hour off it, and he did a much better job of keeping it down, holding the Orioles to one extra-base hit.  If Brian Anderson were playing center instead of Ken Griffey Jr., it's possible Richard might've been able to throw another six scoreless innings.  Alas.

He still has a ways to go to develop his stuff -- after all, he started the year as a mere honorable mention in Birmingham's rotation -- but he's making small strides in the meantime.  That's great to see, because if something should happen to the four horses the Sox take into the final month, it's nice to know they won't be completely screwed.

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Minor league roundup:

• Norfolk 4, Charlotte 1 (8 innings)
• Charlie Haeger did Charlie Haeger things, going the distance in defeat, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks, striking out four.
• Josh Fields and Javier Colina each had two hits.
• Royce Huffman hit a solo homer for the Knights' only run.
• Jacksonville 9, Birmingham 8 (10 innings)
• Brandon Allen hit a two-run homer.
• Stefan Gartrell went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and two RBI.
• Robert Hudson also had three hits, including a double.
• Justin Cassell allowed five runs over five innings, but four were unearned.
• Jon Link blew his seventh save, allowing three runs in an inning.   He's in a bit of a rut.
  
• Kinston 8, Winston-Salem 5
• John Shelby went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
• Salvador Sanchez and Brett Bonvechio had two hits apiece.
• Michael Dubee threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings; everybody else was scored upon.
• Pulaski 8, Bristol 2
• Brandon Short doubled twice and drove in both runs.
• A day after his cycle, Andrew Garcia went 2-for-4.
• Steven Upchurch suffered his first rough outing, giving up three homers over 4 1/3 innings, leading to seven runs.
• Helena 2, Great Falls 0
• Kevin Skogley struck out eight over eight shutout innings, only allowing four hits and a walk.
• Mike Grace had the Voyagers' lone hit, a double.
  
• Kannapolis vs. Greenville PPD
  

EDDINGS!

I normally wouldn't encourage grown men (or women) to watch professional wrestling, but in A.J. Pierzynski's case, I'm all for it. 



Pierzynski pulled the equivalent of a heel move on the basepaths Sunday afternoon, initiating the weakest of contact from Willy Aybar and drawing an interference call from good friend Doug Eddings.  Like a villain who always manages to befuddle the ref in time to smack his opponent with the ringside bell, Pierzynski once again suckered Eddings with inspiration drawn from desperation.

On Baseball Tonight, the consensus was that runners are encouraged to try to draw contact in a rundown situation, and Pierzynski basically said the same:


But I don't know if anybody else on the Sox could pull it off with the grace -- dare I say the élan -- of Pierzynski.  Considering he was running on the infield grass, he was probably out of the baseline before it even got to the point of who bumped who.

Nevertheless, Pierzynski will add another city to the list of places he won't be welcome, through no real fault of his own.  The list, as far as I know:

• Tampa: See above.
  
• Los Angeles:  Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS.
• San Francisco:  For the worst trade of the young century.
• Minnesota:  I guess it's because he plays for the Sox, but also supposedly mocked Mike Redmond's eminently mockable "Smell 'em" celebration.
• Oakland:  Killed them in the 2002 ALDS.
• Chicago's North Side:  The game-winning homer and the Michael Barrett incident.
• Cleveland:  Stepping on Aaron Boone's back.
  

Other cities join in, but those are the only teams who have a real right to gripe.  In a way, I almost feel sorry for them because they'll never know the splendor of an A.J.-aided victory.  I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

(Hat tip to Vegas Watch for the screen grab.)

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While the Pierzynski play will draw most of attention, it only happened because of some bad defense and questionable decisions by the Rays and Joe Maddon -- which was pleasant to see considering the way the Sox handed out runs early on.

The Sox defense made Mark Buehrle record extra outs, something he evidently hates doing.  A Nick Swisher error that should've ended the inning allowed Rocco Baldelli to hit a two-run homer in the first.  Pierzynski himself let a third strike bounce off his wrist, setting up an Akinori Iwamura single.

Buehrle did pitch around Orlando Cabrera's indefensible error, but then Carlos Quentin took a circuitous route to Carlos Pena's sky-high fly ball, which ended up bouncing on the warning track and scoring the go-ahead run.

But Tampa allowed the "what if" game to start an inning before Pierzynski ever became a factor.  What if:

*Shawn Riggans actually held on to Ben Zobrist's throw from left field?  It would've ended the game, as Anderson was out by plenty if Riggans wasn't handcuffed. 

*B.J. Upton hadn't lolligagged after catching Carlos Quentin's flyball?  Upton has a strong arm, so Pierzynski likely would've been dead meat at second had Upton shown any sense of urgency after making the catch.  Instead, he spent far too long with his back to the infield, which gave Pierzynski enough time to advance.

*Tampa infielders hadn't thrown the ball five billion times on a rundown with one of the slowest runners in the league?  That should really be a two-throw deal, especially since Jason Bartlett started out with Pierzynski right in front of him.

*Joe Maddon let Dan Wheeler pitch to Jim Thome instead of walking him to bring Alexei Ramirez to the plate?  I probably would've taken my chances getting Thome to strike out or ground into a double play -- something he's done 12 times this season -- instead of putting Ramirez, a great contact hitter, in a situation where Wheeler has to throw him strikes.

Meanwhile, every call the Sox coaching staff made in the late innings worked, from using Bobby Jenks for two innings to pinch-hitting Paul Konerko for Juan Uribe to sending Brian Anderson.

While Anderson should've been out by 20 feet, Cox made a great call, because the Sox were 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position against the Rays this season.  Cox had two options:

1. Send a good runner and hope the throw isn't perfect, or:
2. Bank on the Sox getting two consecutive hits with RISP.

I'm happy to see he was justified, because he would've been the recipient of undue criticism had Riggans held on.

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Moving on -- like that'll be easy -- the Sox have a chance to pick up two wins for the price of one against Baltimore tonight with the continuation of the suspended game from April 28.

The Sox could make at least one adjustment for the day if Dewayne Wise goes on the DL.  It's worth noting Lance Broadway didn't pitch as he was scheduled to in Charlotte Sunday, with the Knights instead going ahead with a bullpen game.

If Broadway gets the call, the Sox will have plenty of arms to make up for the doubleheader.  Everybody but Bobby Jenks is available in the suspended game, since the other reliever used -- Scott Linebrink -- is on the disabled list.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 2, Norfolk 1 (10 innings)
• Joe Crede went 2-for-4 with a strikeout, his first two hits in 12 at-bats.
• Derek Rodriguez allowed the only run during a bullpen game, and he threw 2 2/3 innings.
• Mike MacDougal (3 IP), Scott Sauerbeck (1 IP, 3 BB!), Boone Logan (2 1/3 IP) and Franklyn German shut down the Tides.
• Robert Valido went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
• Jacksonville 2, Birmingham 1 (6 innings)
• Aaron Poreda allowed both runs (one unearned) on four hits over five innings, striking out five.
• Stefan Gartrell had both the Barons' hits.
• Kannapolis 6, Greensboro 4
• Jordan Danks went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and RBI.
• Brent Morel went 3-for-4 and homered for the second time in three games.  He also stole his fourth base.
  
• Jorge Castillo also had three hits and a pair of RBI; Christian Marrero doubled twice.
• Levi Maxwell lasted eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks, striking out three.
• Bristol 2, Pulaski 1 (10 innings)
• Andrew Garcia hit for the cycle, capping it with a walk-off.
• Gregory Infante allowed one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and K'ing four.
• Murillo Gouvea struck out five over 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief.
  
• Helena 8, Great Falls 6
• Kent Gerst went 2-for-4 with his fourth triple, an RBI and his 11th steal.
• Lee Fischer had two hits and two RBI; Tyler Kuhn also had a multi-hit game.
  
• Matt Wickswat was the only Voyager pitcher to throw well, tossing 2 2/3 shutout innings.
  

Seventh-inning retch

Ozzie Guillen has had two difficult decisions thrust upon him in the first two games of the Tampa series with regards to pulling his starting pitcher.

Friday night, Guillen sent John Danks out to start the seventh.  He gave up a double, got a lineout, then allowed a triple that drove in the go-ahead run.  Then Octavio Dotel came in and set the Rays offense on fire, a blaze neither Horacio Ramirez nor Adam Russell could whiz out.

The same situation presented itself one inning later Saturday afternoon, with Javier Vazquez beginning the eighth by allowing a single... then a walk ... then another single.  Once again, Guillen finally whipped out the hook after three batters, although unlike Danks, Vazquez left the game with zero outs.

Guillen's decision on Saturday looks worse in a way, because it could be considered making the same mistake twice in a row, but I'd call it the lesser of two evils by far for two reason:

1. When Vazquez gets going, he's hard to stop.
2. The seventh inning is death for Danks.

The difference between Vazquez in the sixth (.920 OPS allowed) and seventh innings (.658 OPS) is staggering, mainly because if he gets hammered in the early going and inefficient with his pitch count, the sixth is usually when he runs out of gas.  The gamelog shows that every time he's been sent into the eighth, it's been a great idea.

The same can't be said for Danks, who experiences the opposite of Vazquez in that he's fine in the sixth (.723 OPS), and awful the inning after (1.019).  It's not one or two bad innings inflating it, either.  Whether his pitch count is high or he's the model of effiency, whether it's a great team or an awful one, close game, blowout, hot, cold, left, right, black, white, day, night -- the seventh anything but lucky for him since mid-May:

May 13:  Down 2-0 to the Angels, Danks starts the seventh.  He retires the first guy, then loads the bases on two singles and a walk before leaving the game.

July 1:  Against Cleveland, he allowed one hit in the seventh, but actually made it through unscathed and pitched a scoreless eighth as well.

July 6:  He had a no-hitter through five against Oakland, but lost the shutout bid in the seventh.  He gave up a leadoff double, and after rallying for a strikeout, was chased from the game after a single and double turned a 3-0 ballgame into a 3-2 one.

July 12:  Went three-up, three-down in the seventh in Texas before getting hit hard in the eighth.

Aug. 6:  His night ends with two outs in the seventh after Gary Sheffield singles on an inexplicably awful pitch.

Aug. 11:  Danks carries a no-hit bid into the seventh, where he loses it in a disheartening fashion -- a single, walk, and a two-out, two-run double by J.D. Drew.

Friday's breakdown means that Danks has now faltered in four of the last five seventh innings he's been asked to pitch in, so letting him get three-deep into the seventh in a tie game against the Rays probably is a bigger mistake.

Of course, that's without factoring in the bullpens.  On Friday, Ozzie had to feel pretty confident; a day later, not so much.  So while Danks was left in two batters too long as opposed to Vazquez's one, the quality of relief pitching extends that gap.

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Briefly:

*Scott Linebrink is the focus of Toni Ginnetti's gamer, and she provides an interesting stat: The Sox are 35-5 when Linebrink pitches.  I would figure the win-loss ratio to be closer to 3:1 than 7:1.

*Bobby Thigpen won't be sad to see his record go, says Bob Verdi.

*Guillen clarified his stance on Joe Crede, saying Crede will start at third if healthy.  I didn't think that needed to be said, but I guess some didn't get it the first time.

*Crede, meanwhile, supposedly feels fine although he continues to be 0-for-Charlotte.

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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 9, Norfolk 5
• Brad Eldred went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, three runs scored and four RBI.
• Josh Fields drew three walks on top of a double, scoring three runs himself and stealing his seventh base.
  
• Jerry Owens (2 SB, 1 CS) and Royce Huffman had three-hit games.
• Wes Whisler was batted around for 11 hits and five runs over six innings, but picked up the win.
• Ehren Wassermann threw two more scoreless innings, striking out three.  Jason Childers closed it in the ninth.
• Jacksonville 3, Birmingham 2
• Kyle McCulloch threw six shutout innings, striking out six while allowing four hits and four walks.
• Jon Link blew the save, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while only retiring one batter.
• Jared Price hit a solo homer.
• Victor Mercedes and Robert Hudson had two hits apiece.
• Winston-Salem 10, Myrtle Beach 4
• John Shelby went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored.
• Salvador Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
• Ronnie Gaines and Francisco Hernandez also had three hits apiece.
• John Ely gave up four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings, striking out five.
• Ricky Brooks (2 IP), Henry Mabee and Matt Davis kept it scoreless the rest of the way.
• Kannapolis 8, Greensboro 2
• Jordan Danks hit a grand slam, part of a 2-for-4 day.  He scored two runs.
• Jim Gallagher doubled and drove in two; Eduardo Escobar and Matt Inouye had two hits.
• Gordon Beckham wore the collar, going 0-for-4.
• Adam Bowling allowed one run over five innings.
• Nathan Jones struck out five of the six batters he faced.
• Bluefield 2, Bristol 0
• Garrett Johnson took the loss, allowing two runs over five innings but striking out six.
• Shane Buriff struck out three over two scoreless innings.
• Singles by John Kateon and Brandon Short comprised Bristol's entire offense.
• Great Falls 3, Missoula 1
• Dexter Carter struck out eight over six strong innings, allowing a run on four hits and a walk.
• Enrique Lechuga (2 IP) and Dan Remenowski closed it out in scoreless fashion.
• Tyler Kuhn and Jesus Avila had two-hit games.
• Zach Larson went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
  

Ooh! Ooh! Uribe!

Saturday is Travers day, so no compelling Sox insights from me tonight.

What I do have -- and thanks to Gary for alerting me -- is Joe Cowley's appearance on Mully & Hanley on The Score, in which Cowley gave some pretty interesting insight on what it's like to cover Juan Uribe.

The audio is to the right.  He's originally talking about how Ken Griffey Jr. had to take a day to get acclimated to the White Sox clubhouse, and the rest is comedy gold.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Indianapolis 3, Charlotte 2
• Two groundouts, a popout and a flyout for Joe Crede, who's still 0-for-Charlotte.
• Dave Cook hit a two-run homer.
• Jack Egbert allowing three runs on eight hits over seven innings, with three strikeouts to no walks.
• Birmingham 3, Huntsville 2
• Lucas Harrell allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out three to one walk.
• Kanekoa Teixeira pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
• Brandon Allen went 2-for-3 with a solo shot.
• Winston-Salem 1, Myrtle Beach 0 (11 innings)
• Matt Long threw six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk to four strikeouts.
• Michael Dubee struck out five over three innings; Matt Zaleski picked up the win with the final two innings.
• Greg Paiml had three hits; Sergio Miranda provided the pinch-hit game-winning single.
• Kannapolis 3, Augusta 2
• Brent Morel doubled, hit a solo homer and scored two runs.
• Jordan Danks and Gordon Beckham had a single apiece; Danks had a walk, Beckham an RBI.
  
• Charlie Shirek allowed two runs over six innings.
• Leroy Hunt and Santo Luis struck out five over three shutout innings.
• Bristol 5, Bluefield 1
• Onarkys Paniagua threw seven strong innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits, striking out five.
• Brandon Short hit a two-run homer; Juan Silverio had three hits.
• Missoula 4, Great Falls 2 (10 innings)
  
• Jordan Cheatham doubled up on doubles and drove in a run.
• Luis Sierra and Kyle Shelton also had two-hit games.
• Daniel Hudson struck out eight over six innings, with a solo homer the only damage.
  

J.O. and the September call-ups

As far as I can tell, it was a regular lineup out there in Charlotte Thursday night with the exception of one person:

JERRY OWENS.

You've been warned.

Of course, the fact is that even if Owens doesn't get called up, we'll see him in Chicago shortly when rosters expand for the final month of the season.  With the off day, it's a good time as any to figure out who will be joining him.

The 40-man roster is full as it stands, but two guys could easily be moved to free up space:

*Dewon Day.  Last year, Day struck out batters at an incredible rate in the minors and earned a call-up.  He got shelled and hasn't been the same. He's 1-9 between Charlotte and Birmingham with a 5.97 ERA with a 1.63 WHIP, and his K rate has been cut in half.  It's safe to say he wouldn't be missed.

*Donny Lucy.  He doesn't have to be cut, as he suffered a dislocated kneecap in early May that ended his season.  He's still on the 15-day DL, and can be moved to the 60-day if need be.

After that point, it will either cost the Sox money (Mike MacDougal) or somebody who could still theoretically contribute at a major-league level, like Ehren Wassermann.  But they'll need to free up at least one spot when considering the list of potential call-up candidates below, which I've ranked in terms of likeliness:

(Red denotes players not on 40-man roster)

No. 1:  Aaron Poreda.  He's a two-pitch pitcher right now with an iffy changeup, but if nothing else, he'd be a terrific second-option against left-handers, considering he's both striking them out at a much higher rate than righties and getting more grounders off them. 

No. 2:  Lance Broadway.  Though his numbers are as uimpressive as his stuff, he's gotten guys out at the major-league level both as a starter and reliever.  Like Owens, he could be on the team before the end of August.

No. 3:  Josh Fields.  Would theoretically fill a need as a power bat on the bench from the right-handed side, something the Sox don't have.  I say theoretically because Brian Anderson has homered at a greater rate in Chicago (seven in 150 at-bats) than Fields has in Charlotte (10 in 254), and nobody considers BA a thumper (except the ladieeeeees).

(On a related note, check out the sponsor for Anderson's Baseball-Reference.com page:  "WifeSchol.net -- The key to a happy marriage!")

No. 4:  Cole Armstrong.  He's your typical third catcher.  His average finally fell below .300 at Charlotte as Capt. Regression T. Mean paid him a visit this month (he's 7-for-45 in August), but he'll get the call and be useful.

No. 5:  Ehren Wassermann.  The fact that he has a couple successful multiple-inning mop-up outings under his belt probably earns him another shot.  Since returning to Charlotte, he's pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out 11.  He may very well be on the Jeff Bajenaru Career Path, except he wasn't born again in a Starbucks.

No. 6:  Jason Bourgeois.  His ability to play multiple positions and run the bases give him a reason to be up there, but his subpar August (.253/.297/.337) might not provide a big enough kick after a terrific previous two months (.354 BA in June and July) to give him a 40-man roster spot.  He's 11-for-12 stealing bases since the break, better than Owens' 9-for-11, and Kenny Williams is a fan, for what it's worth.

No. 7:  Boone Logan.  Four hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings doens't provide any reason for optimism, but a good week could put him back in the conversation.

No. 8:  Jack Egbert.  He's never pitched out of the bullpen to my knowledge, so he probably won't be much of a factor despite his improved second half.

No. 9:  Charlie Haeger.  His best attribute is his ability to take multiple-inning beatings in back-to-back days.  Probably a pass.

No. 10:  Jason Childers.  If roster considerations weren't a factor, he probably would've been in the bullpen a long time ago.  However, his 86 m.p.h. fastball might mean he'd rival Wassermann in frequent flier miles accumulated between Charlotte and Chicago.

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

I've been thinking about baseball movies since my colleague wrote a piece about "Bull Durham" getting its due at the Baseball Hall of Fame five years after Dale Petroskey's senseless decision to cancel the 15-year anniversary event.

Specifically, "Field of Dreams."  What if, instead of pulling a Gustavo Molina and hitting a sac fly in his first major-league at-bat, Archie Graham pulls an Adam Greenberg and gets nailed in the head?  After all, he winked at the pitcher, which was just stupid considering they played without helmets, and considering one of the Black Sox was on the mound, nobody in the battery had heard of Ray Chapman yet.

There wouldn't have been a doctor around for miles, which adds a layer of irony yet maintains the lesson about Graham being grateful for his medical career.  And James Earl Jones probably would've freaked out, which would have been a delight.

I can't quite figure out if Ray Kinsella's daughter ever falls from the bleachers, but I suppose that wouldn't be necessary.  Even if it got that far, I would eventually hope Ray and Annie would notice their daughter's face turning blue.

That part is immaterial, though, because the moral of the story had already changed from "baseball brings people together, time and time again," to "don't plow under your corn."  And that would make the Iowans who criticized him at the supply store and from the side of the road the unsung heroes.

After I mapped this out, I realized two things:

1. I always have more time on my hands than I think I do.
2. The pro-corn lobby could totally make a great short propaganda piece out of it.
   

I am willing to listen to all offers, American Coalition for Ethanol.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 2, Indianapolis 1
• Josh Fields went 2-for-4 with his 10th homer and two RBI.
• Joe Crede went 0-for-3, grounding into a double play before being liftedn in the eighth.
  
• Jason Bourgeois had three hits, including a double.
• Tomo Ohka continued his fine second half, striking out eight over six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and a walk.
• Derek Rodriguez (1 IP) and Jason Childers (2 IP) held them scoreless.
• Birmingham 7, Huntsville 4
• Dewon Day is no longer winless, allowing one run over five innings.
• John Lujan threw three perfect innings of relief, striking out two.
• Brandon Allen went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer.
• Victor Mercedes hit a solo shot as part of a two-hit game.
• Miguel Negron, C.J. Lang, Javier Castillo and Robert Hudson each had two hits.
• Winston-Salem 3, Wilmington 2
• Greg Paiml went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
• Sergio Miranda also had two hits, one a double.
• Jacob Rasner struck out nine over six innings, allowing two runs.
• Henry Mabee (2 IP) and Matt Davis (1 IP) finished the game.
• Augusta 4, Kannapolis 2
• Mark Fleisher hit a two-run homer; Brent Morel had two hits, one a double.
• Jordan Danks doubled; Gordon Beckham went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Jason Rice allowed four runs (two earned) over six innings, striking out six.
• Charlis Burdie struck out three over two scoreless innings.
• Bristol 19, Bluefield 5
• Kenneth Gilbert drove in five runs with a pair of doubles.
• Jedon Matthews went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
• Justin Greene, Andrew Garcia and Shaydon Buckride each had three hits.
• Charles Leesman threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
• Great Falls OFF
  

Home run snubs and subtraction by adductors

Nick Swisher returned to a taciturn dugout Wednesday afternoon following his 20th homer of the season -- and the 100th of his career. -- forcing him to do the bump by himself.

In a way, it was somewhat fitting, because Swisher's had a fairly quiet ride to that mark.  Not quite a Juan Uribe-type "..the hell?" reaction after realizing he's put together a 20-70 season once again through all the ugly swings, but I suppose that's what happens when you have two awesome months and three awful ones.  Swisher's OPSes by month:

• April: .709.
• May: .547.
• June: 1.032
• July: .676
• August: 1.077

If he were to finish up with a merely good September -- think .850 OPS or so -- that would basically bring his numbers back to the ballpark of what the Sox were expecting -- .250/.370/.450.  It's on the low end of projections, but considering the terrible luck he endured through the first two months, it could be far worse at this point.

(Hat tip to Palehosed.com for the video, a site of which I became aware today.)

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

Ken Griffey Jr., meanwhile, joined Swisher in the four-homer parade Wednesday afternoon, hitting his first home run in a White Sox uniform.  He, too, received the cold shoulder upon his return to the dugout, but he got the last laugh:


Today was actually optimal usage of General Soreness -- slightly by accident.  He was originally set to start for Jermaine Dye in right field, which sounds half-right to me.  Dye had a lousy day at the plate Tuesday night, making six outs in four at-bats with two double-play balls, so there's no problem giving him a day off.  I'm just not a fan of Griffey in the outfield at all.

But then Jim Thome was scratched with slight soreness in his right leg, and Griffey took over DH duties with Swisher moving to right and Dewayne Wise taking over in center.  Much better.

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

But Wise injured himself making a diving catch in the fifth inning, Scott Podsednik-style:


Wise, though he was playing well, was a luxury on the roster with Brian Anderson's continued development into a solid fourth outfielder.  Anderson doubled in today's game, raising his line to .240/.275/.453.  The on-base percentage is still ugly, but the 18 extra-base hits in 150 at-bats is quite handsome.

But it'll be interesting to see what the Sox do with the roster spot.  It's quite possible it could open the door for...

JERRY OWENS.

Well, first things first -- if Joe Crede ever gets healthy enough to get out of Charlotte, then there you go.  The Sox have five outfielders, along with Chris Getz and Alexei Ramirez should all three outfielders collide converging on the world's highest pop-up, injuring each other in the process.

The Sox also have just six relievers, still.  Aaron Poreda could join the club -- or less-inspired choices along the same vein like Ehren Wassermann or Jason Childers -- although with September 10 days away and off days both today and next Thursday, the extra arm isn't imperative, either.

But if Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams make a speedy-outfielder-for-speedy-outfielder swap, then Owens would probably be the favorite considering he's 1) on the 40-man roster, and 2) left-handed.

Seriously, Owens has played some of his best baseball as of late for the Knights. Since the All-Star break, he's hit .340/.409/.371 with nine steals in 11 attempts, much better than his first-half stats that included a .326 OBP and a 63 percent success rate on the basepaths.  Considering Wise started exactly two games in since Griffey joined the club, it's not like he would be a threat to steal any legitimate playing time.

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

By the way, if you want to read some baffling analysis of the Crede-Uribe battle over third base, check out Mike Nadel.  I'd recommend reading it for the shock value, as it's hard to downplay a chronic back injury more than he did, but if you want to get the gist of it in two points:


Except it isn't.  OK, I'll give him the point about it being the same Crede who played in the All-Star game, as he showed the world how he pops up to second when he isn't right, physically.


Nadel hadn't watched Crede play defense this year.  Nadel also must not have been aware that Crede was hitting a cool .189/.211/.340 in the month-plus before he hit the disabled list.  Nadel also fails to inform us how the 2006 shooting incident and prior spring training complaints apply to this situation.

But hey, if Crede's past accomplishments can be applied to this season with no additional work required, then I'm all for it.  While we're at it, I also have some Paulie Points I'd like to redeem.

It all could be moot, though.  Crede didn't play again for Charlotte tonight after an 0-for-2 performance Tuesday, and I can't imagine it's because he has some great at-bats in him that he doesn't want to waste in Triple-A.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 5, Indianapolis 4 (11 innings)
• Dave Cook went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer.
• Jerry Owens went 4-for-6 with two stolen bases.
• Brad Eldred had two hits including his 34th homer.
• Charlie Haeger met the requirements for the quality start, allowing three hits and five walks while K'ing five.
  
• Boone Logan gave up a solo homer over two innings; Ehren Wassermann struck out the side for the win.
• Birmingham 8, Huntsville 2
• Lee Cruz went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI.
• Brandon Allen and Jared Price hit solo homers.
• Justin Cassel allowed two runs on three hits and three hits over six innings with five strikeouts.
• Winston-Salem 3, Salem 2
• Anthony Carter threw six shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five.
• Adam Ricks went 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.
• Kannapolis 3, Augusta 1
• Miguel Socolovich struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks.
• Santo Luis threw two scoreless innings, striking out three.
• Jordan Danks went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his pro debut.
  
• Gordon Beckham went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
• Jim Gallagher had two hits and an RBI.
• Bristol 4, Danville 1
• Steven Upchurch allowed one unearned run over seven innings, with four hits, no walks and five strikeouts.
• Brent DeFoor threw two scoreless innings for the save.
• John Kateon hit a solo homer; Hancer Vargas had two hits.
• Great Falls 8, Casper 1
• Kyle Shelton drove in six runs on a 3-for-5 day, including a three-run homer.
• Kent Gerst had three hits; Tyler Kuhn went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and three runs scored.
• Joshua Billeaud allowed one run over five innings for the win, striking out five.

A start with some teeth

The White Sox needed 37 fewer games to win 72 games this season compared to their 2007 counterparts, and it came via the season's most unlikely pitching performance:

Clayton Richard's first major-league victory.

Over Felix Hernandez.

With six shutout innings.

Lance Broadway coming up and holding down the Royals well enough before heading back to Charlotte is one thing.  This is another. 

The Mariners entered Tuesday night with a .315 average in August, and averaging 5.4 runs a game.  Richard and his Joker face held them to five hits and a walk.

However, next Monday's start is still up for grabs:

I wouldn't feel too comfortable with Richard if I were Guillen, because he didn't really pay for the pitches he left up in the zone aside from one double:



Based on what I've seen from Richard so far, and what Broadway showed in his one start against the Royals, I'd probably be more inclined to go with Broadway for two reasons:

No. 1:  Broadway strikes me as a better bet to go six innings, which is crucial during a pennant race, when every start matters.

No. 2:  Richard strikes me as awkward in the field.  He committed his second error Tuesday, and his pickoff move is ugly as sin.

That said, if this were 2007 and the Sox were out of contention, I'd put all the starts in Richard's wheelbarrow.  I had no clue he could ramp his fastball up to 94-95, though to my defense, there wasn't a radar gun in Richmond's stadium.  I did get his defensive skills right, for what it's worth.

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

Carlos Quentin is a really good ballplayer.

Oh, I'm supposed to say more?  OK, um...

Well, for one, Tuesday night he extended his multi-hit hitting streak to five games, with two hits in each of them.

He's reached base 34 times over the last 13 games, and he's driven in 13 runs in the same time span.

He has more walks and HBPs (77) than strikeouts (75).

His sixth steal of the year, a heads-up swipe of third base, makes it a good time to mention that he's by far the Sox's best baserunner this year, with 10 bases gained.  Brian Anderson is next at +7.  And perhaps most importantly...

He's already matched his July walk total of eight this month, with 12 days left in August.  That was the one stat column that had taken a hit as the second half got under way, but it appears that Quentin has managed to resuscitate it.

Right now, the biggest concern about his game is the MVP talk, which seems to make him extremely uncomfortable.  The only way to stop that is to start tanking, so here's hoping he can tolerate it the rest of the year.

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

Ken Griffey Jr. really isn't a good ballplayer.

Oh, I'm supposed to say more?  OK, well....

General Soreness came through in one respect Tuesday night, delivering a sac fly for the game's first run.  He went 0-for-3 the rest of the night, including a rally-killing double play to end the third.  Since Griffey joined the team, here's what he's done compared to the guys from which he's stealing playing time:

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	BA	OBP	SLG
Griffey	43	9	0	0	0	4	3	10	.209	.250	.225
Konerko	43	13	2	0	3	8	14	8	.302	.467	.558
Thome	58	13	3	0	6	12	7	16	.224	.308	.586
Swisher	45	13	2	0	4	9	8	5	.289	.418	.600

Hell, even in Anderson's last 43 at-bats -- spread out over the last two months, mind you -- he's hitting .233/.267/.558 with four homers.  And he can run the bases and play a fine center field on top of it.

So that raises the question:  What exactly do the Sox think they'll get from Griffey that they're not getting from anybody else they can put in his place?

I can understand that they want to give him something to feel good about in his new surroundings.  However, as it stands, Griffey is the fifth-most deserving of playing time at his possible positions behind an awesome-bringing Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Anderson and even Dewayne F. Wise, a guy who wasn't on a 40-man roster at the start of the season and has survived the waivers process once already.

It's a pennant race!  Griffey may own 600 homers and a purty swing, but that isn't going to win ballgames, and neither is his performance at the plate or in the field.  Since everybody else is holding up their end of the deal, I'm really not sure what the Sox are waiting for.

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

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 4, Indianapolis 3
• Lance Broadway threw a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings, striking out three.
• Brad Eldred hit his 33rd homer, a two-run shot.
• Joe Crede went 0-for-2 before being lifted in the sixth.
  
• Javier Colina went 2-for-2 to raise his average to .410.
• Ehren Wassermann (1 1/3 IP) and Jason Childers (1 IP) retired the last seven hitters of the game.
• Birmingham 7, Huntsville 5
  
• Victor Mercedes hit for the cycle during a 5-for-6 day, with two singles and two RBI.
  
• Aaron Poreda allowed one unearned run over six ininngs, K'ing six while allowing six hits and two walks.
• Brian Omogrosso and Jon Link were each scored upon in relief.
• Lee Cruz went 3-for-5 with a double.
  
• Winston-Salem 10, Salem 1
• John Shelby and Estee Harris each went 2-for-5 with a homer.
• C.J. Retherford had three hits; Brett Bonvechio and Greg Paiml had two apiece.
• Dale Mollenhauer drove in two runs.
• Clevelan Santeliz struck out six over six innings, allowing a run on just two hits and a walk.
• Augusta 10, Kannapolis 4
• Eduardo Escobar, Jim Gallagher and Christian Marrero each had two hits.
• Gordon Beckham was back in the lineup, going 1-for-4.
• Levi Maxwell had a poor outing, giving up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits over five.
• Bristol 11, Danville 3
• Jedon Matthews went 4-for-5 with three doubles and four RBI.
• Kenneth Gilbert had four hits, including a double, and drove in two.
• Kevin Dubler, Brandon Short and Juan Silverio had multi-hit games.
• Gregory Infante allowed three runs on three hits over 6 2/3 innings, with no walks and two strikeouts.
• Kevin Asselin struck out three over a perfect 2 1/3 innings.
• Casper 9, Great Falls 1
• Jordan Cheatham went 1-for-1 with two walks and the lone RBI.
• Po-Yu Lin struck out two over 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
  

On Richard, Ramirez, Crede and pie-related carnage

In spite of himself, Clayton Richard will get the start against the Seattle Mariners tonight.

I really called that one, huh?  At least he gets a creampuff assignment in Felix Hernandez, a.k.a. the only Seattle starter worth his considerable weight, so enjoy that one-game lead while you can, kids.

Richard will work largely without a net, as D.J. Carrasco threw 1 1/3 innings against Seattle Monday night, and has worked in three of the last four games.  Horacio Ramirez will be available for a couple of bailout innings, but otherwise, it'll be up to Richard to see if he can finish the fifth inning for once.

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

During Monday's game, Alexei Ramirez came to the plate with the bases loaded after Nick Swisher's RBI single.  Seattle catcher Jeff Clement walked to the mound to confer with Miguel Batista, and here's my guess at the conversation:

Clement:  Hey, who sings that song... "Anyone can see the road, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah ... whenever you're lonely, when you're something something."
Batista:  Oh, I remember that.  Um.  Hm.
Clement:  I think it began with an "F."  It's been in my head all day.
Batista:  Five for Fighting?
Clement:  Maybe.  No, they sang ballady stuff.  "Superman."
Batista:  I thought that was Three Doors Down.
Clement:  No, that was "Kryptonite."
Batista:  Ah.  Right.
Clement:  But Five For Fighting ... close.  It was a sports name.
Umpire:  OK, guys, let's get back to work.
Clement:  I'll figure it out.  (jogs back to plate)
Batista:  (yelling to Clement) So what am I supposed to throw?
Clement:  (stops halfway) Oh!  Fastball!

I can't think of another legitimate excuse for how two professional baseball players armed with scouting reports came together to discuss what to throw Ramirez -- who swings at any first pitch that vaguely resembles a heater vaguely resembling a strike -- and concluded that a fastball in the zone would be the ideal way to start.

Ramirez, of course, shot a single right through Batista's wickets for a run.  And then with Uribe at the plate next, Batista starts him off with a curve that misses just low -- something Ramirez would've swung over or chopped foul nine out of 10 times.

What's even harder to explain is the next time Ramirez came to the plate in the seventh inning, he had two on and one out, and the Mariners still in the game at 9-5.  And guess what Jake Woods throws him?

A first-pitch fastball!  And Ramirez socks it into the left-field seats to blow open the ballgame. 

Granted, Ramirez's progress has been nothing short of remarkable.  He's hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, and he's jacked his slugging percentage up to .484 with three homers in his last five games, which is roughly is 67th-percentile PECOTA projection.

On the other hand, I can't help but think that teams have to smarten up at some point.  He's arguably the most predictable hitter in the league, and even if he's improved at fending off pitches he doesn't like (he has), you gotta think teams will stop playing to his strengths so damn directly.

Joe Sheehan made a pretty fair comparison in a chat Monday:


That sounds about right, though in Ramirez's defense, he was thrown into the deep end, and even if his game resembles kicking and flailing, he's done an incredible job staying afloat.  Dunston was groomed in the minor leagues, spending a full season in rookie ball, A-ball, and Triple-A before sticking with the Cubs.  The results are the same, but Ramirez gets points for a much tougher jump.

That said, I'm still bracing for a fall to Earth.  I'm just not entirely sure it'll happen by the end of this season.  He would help matters by shoring up his defense, which has been spotty at best lately.  It was hard to tell who was to blame for Ramirez catching Mark Buehrle's attempt to start a double play 10 feet behind second base, but it wouldn't be the first positioning error he's made either way.

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

He doesn't own the title for the most unfortunate season (Jerry Owens), or the most frustrating (Jose Contreras), but Joe Crede definitely has the roller-coaster act down.

The Sox tried trading him during the spring but found no takers due to an abysmal bat and surprisingly iffy throwing arm.  Then the regular season comes, and the guy hits like mad, even though he still struggles with routine plays.  And then his back flares up.  And then he stops hitting.  And then he makes the All-Star team.  And then he can't play.  And then he can't even rehab.

Had he performed up to his usual defensive standards, he would've summed up his entire career over the course of three months.  Instead, Juan Uribe is the one with the Gold Glove, rendering Crede an afterthought in the process:


Hell, Uribe has even walked three times in the last two games.  A burst of plate patience isn't unprecedented for him, as he walked in three straight games in April last season before sinking into his season-long slumber, but Ozzie's right to ride him for as long as he can.

Meanwhile, it's going to be a lot of fun to see how Crede and Scott Boras handle his impending free agency.  Crede's not going to have a lot of leverage if he can't reclaim a starting spot away from friggin' Uribe, recent hot streak or not.

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

Toby Hall almost hurt himself in an unsuccessful attempt to smash a shaving-cream pie into Jermaine Dye's face in the post-game interview with Comcast Sports Network.  Hall was seen showing discomfort with his right shoulder, but said he was fine: