posted on Monday, August 04, 2008 1:23 AM
by
Jim
Hot and bothered in Kansas City
If there's one thing we know about D.J. Carrasco, he seems to have issues with hitting guys. It's not that he hits too many -- it's that his timing is awful and the results are the opposite of what Ozzie Guillen wants.
With the bases loaded in the fifth inning
Sunday afternoon, Carrasco entered the game and plunked Miguel Olivo. He hit him on the hand, the third straight up-and-in pitch and one pitch after the ball hit the knob of Olivo's bat as he tried to get out of the way. Olivo charged the mound -- until he had doubts about 10 feet in front of Carrasco. The second-guessing gave A.J. Pierzynski enough time to restrain him, but Carrasco managed to get ejected because he weakly slapped Olivo on the back of the head, if you can call it that. If it were any softer, it'd be called a "caress."
Nobody seems to be calling the Carrasco plunking intentional, but it's worth mentioning that he was in the mix of HBP-sparked unhappiness in the
the July 20 Sox-Royals game. In that game, Carrasco was called in specifically to drill Billy Butler after Royals pitchers had hit five Sox in three games, with Jermaine Dye taking one on the kneecap for the final straw.
Carrasco missed then, which pissed off Guillen because the ump issued a warning and gave the Sox no further chances for retaliation. So maybe his three up-and-in sinkers were making up for lost time. Either way, it's kind of funny that in a game with no warnings, Carrasco manages to both hit a guy and get the boot.
The ejection hurt, because Carrasco was needed for mop-up duty in relief of an ineffective Clayton Richard. Guillen protested it and also got the thumb, although the crew chief later admitted
Carrasco should have remained in the game.
Future Sox-Royals games might be brimming with tension, says Ozzie:
"But be ready for the warning because I signed a five-year deal with
this club, and we're going to play Kansas City a lot. I don't say be
careful. They played with fire, and I respect everyone on the pro
level. But enough is enough."
But then again, Guillen moderated another dispute earlier in the day
according to the Kansas City Star:
Bizarre incident, too, with several White Sox players late to the field
after no doubt being caught in the clubhouse. Royals pitching coach Bob
McClure pointed and yelled at White Sox third base coach Jeff Cox, and,
believe it or not, Guillen ended up playing the peacekeeper role.
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Though he had proved himself unable to hold down the starter role after his major-league debut, I thought Richard might have a future in the bullpen after Jose Contreras returned to the lineup. Even though
he hit a wall against the Twins, he did a nice job of limiting the damage done by Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer in lefty-on-lefty match-ups.
But his inability to retire lefties (and his inability to make a 40-foot toss home) led to his demise in Kansas City. He handled Mark Teahan and Ross Gload well enough, but he couldn't set down Alex Gordon and Mitch Maier flat out pantsed him.
It's possible he still has more to offer than Boone Logan, but Richard offered nothing to feel good about Sunday.
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From the injury front:*Joe Crede did not play again Sunday,
as tightness in his back has returned.
*Scott Linebrink says
he's making strides in his recovery.