Double plays kept Gavin Floyd's name in the headlines during
his near no-hitter today. Two twin killings minimized the damage from his early control issues, when he issued walks (to leadoff men, when ahead 0-2) that could knock a pitcher out of a game early.
A.J. Pierzynski agreed:
"That double play was huge for him -- confidence-wise," said Pierzynski, who noted Floyd was "effectively wild."
Turning two is turning out to be perhaps the only real strength of the Sox defense, considering they are
25th in defensive efficiency and
tied for 28th in throwing out basestealers. They would be dead last in the latter category had Victor Martinez not hyperextended his leg trying to steal second Opening Day.
However, when it comes to total double plays,
the Sox rank second behind Oakland -- and first if figuring double plays per game, since the Sox have 17 in 10 games, as opposed to Oakland's 19 in 12.
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Double plays by the numbers: |
- 6-4-3: Eight times
- 5-4-3: Three times
- 1-6-3: Two times
- 4-6-3: Two times
- 4-3-6: One time
- 7-3: One time
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More impressive is the fact that the Sox didn't complete one double play in the opening series against Cleveland. In fact, they were better known for failing to bail out their pitchers. In the opener, Mark Buehrle threw two potential double play balls, but the Sox couldn't turn either of them, and seven runs crossed the plate that inning as a result.
They made up for lost time with 10 double plays in the first series against Detroit, and have excelled in that particular facet since.
Juan Uribe in particular has been stout on the pivot (as he is in most other places), and his ball transfer skills have translated from short to second. Magglio Ordonez may have been safe at first on the 5-4-3 he hit in the fourth inning, but Uribe's arm persuaded the ump. The ball was weakly hit, and Joe Crede couldn't put a lot of heat on the feed because he nearly stepped on his mitt fielding the chopper, but Uribe managed to get the ball out of his glove and on to first, even with Gary Sheffield bearing down on him.
One of the biggest concerns defensively with regards to moving Uribe to second was whether he'd be wasting his arm strength, which was his one above-average tool after his range began to fade. He uses it to his advantage on the pivot, because he'll often throw behind second.
For example, on the flashy 6-4-3 Orlando Cabrera started
Friday night, Uribe took a step away from first after the force and threw off his back foot in time to get Carlos Guillen at first. His arm makes him less susceptible to getting knocked down, and hopefully will prevent situations where his legs get taken out and he throws the ball into the fifth row of the stands.
Another good sign: The Sox have turned a 1-6-3 double play two games in a row, with Jose Contreras and Scott Linebrink starting them. That was a major issue defensively for the Sox last year. You may remember that an errant throw by Jon Garland last June led to
Hawk Harrelson's first explosive "Dadgummit!"**************************
Minor league round-up:- Charlotte 9, Columbus 4
- Jerry Owens went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run scored in his first rehab stint start.
- Josh Fields went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, steal and walk; Jason Bourgeois tripled and doubled.
- Brad Eldred homered; Donny Lucy went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
- Wes Whisler pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
- Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 4 (11 innings)
- Ricardo Nanita went 3-for-5 with a double and 3 RBI
- Nanita and Maurice Gartrell had five of Birmingham's seven hits. The Barons are batting .211 as a team.
- John Lujan threw three scoreless innings as part of a group effort with reliever Carlos Torres starting.
- Jon Link took the loss by giving up an RBI single with two outs.
- Salem 10, Winston-Salem 4
- Salvador Sanchez and Lee Cruz both homered.
- Javier Colina had one hit and three walks, and is eight for his first 14.
- Starter Ricky Brooks gave up two runs over four innings; Israel Chirino gave up six runs over 2 1/3.
- Hickory 14, Kannapolis 1
- Johnnie Lowe was shelled for 10 runs (7 earned) over 3 1/3 innings.
- Santo Luis struck out six over 3 2/3 innings; he allowed a run on four hits, but didn't walk a batter.
- Joe Persichina and Logan Johnson each had two hits. Johnson is 12-for-26.