Probably, if we go
by Kenny Williams' original definition:
“When you’re playing major sports in Chicago, if you don’t have a guy
that has gone through some toughness in his life and rebounded from
those tough times so he can draw on those experiences, then he will
have a tough time here. Before a lot of these guys
even took the field before the ’08 season, we’ve been called every name
in the book and have been stepped on every way possible. But yet, they
still have the belief that they can come out here and get the job
done.’’
Vazquez was ripped apart by the New York media, and struggled to right himself before a return to glory in 2007, so sure, he's Chicago Tough©.
I don't know if he passes Jim Malone's terms, though:
"He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the
hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way!"
At any rate, I ask this question because circumstances
in Friday night's easy victory over the Rays begged, pleaded and implored Vazquez to bury a fastball in Mike DiFelice's ribs. Consider the following:
- DiFelice leaned into a slow curveball that could've been a strike, sticking his elbow down and over the plate. Somehow, home plate umpire Jerry Crawford didn't see it.
- DiFelice next came up to the plate in the fourth inning, with the Sox up 8-0.
- There were also two outs and nobody on.
If Crawford had a problem with Vazquez throwing inside, Javy could have said he was doing DiFelice a favor. For one, the Rays could've used the baserunner, and DiFelice seemed to enjoy getting hit so much the first time around that Vazquez figured he was being polite by making it easier for DiFelice to experience the pleasure all over again. I doubt Vazquez would've been ejected -- it's
not like Brian Gorman was behind the plate.
I'm only complaining about this for a couple reasons:
No. 1: He already hits a fair share of batters, often times when he's ahead in the count. A plunking on an 0-1 count started the rally that sunk him
in his first start. Going back further, six of his seven HBPs in 2007 were when he was ahead in the count, and he finished second in the AL with 15 hit batters the year before. Just once, it would be nice if he hit a batter on his terms.
No. 2: His
failing to hit a batter when it was warranted started
the whole Sean Tracey debacle.
In Vazquez's defense, he displayed truckloads of Chicago Toughness© when he pitched around that botched call and a blown rundown by getting Jason Bartlett to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, and escaping without a run crossing the plate. But if they're going to push this idea of old-fashioned, tough, gritty play to the fans, sending a message with a well-placed fastball --when called for -- should be a pretty easy sell to the guys on the field.
****************************
With two more four-run innings to
add to the list, the Sox continue to be pretty sure they don't need
a guy who can steal 50 bases. Therefore, while Jerry Owens is off the disabled list,
he's still in Charlotte:
ST. PETERSBURG -- Prior to Friday night's game against the Rays, the White Sox reinstated outfielder Jerry Owens from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him back to Triple-A Charlotte, where he had been on a rehab assignment.
"We're playing well right now," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We are not going to break the ballclub just because somebody's ready to go."
There's nothing wrong with this state of mind, but when and if the Sox are ready for a change, I wouldn't mind seeing Owens on the 25-man roster if Alexei Ramirez continues to languish below the Mendoza line for
the reasons the Cheat states.
****************************
Minor league roundup:- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 9, Charlotte 5
- Dewayne Wise hit two homers, and is pounding the ball to the tune of .382/.435/.745
- Jerry Owens and Josh Fields each went 1-for-5; Brad Eldred drove in two.
- Chris Getz went 3-for-4 with a double, raising his average to .304.
- Rob Bell was shelled for six runs in the first inning.
- Birmingham 3, Mississippi 2
- Jack Egbert survived his first start of the season coming off spring elbow troubles. He allowed a run over four innings on five hits and a walk, striking out four.
- Lucas Harrell pitched three shutout innings in relief for the win. He's allowed only two runs over his first 13 innings, allowing only nine baserunners.
- Fernando Hernandez wasn't as sharp his second inning of work with the Barons, giving up a solo homer and a walk.
- Cole Armstrong provided all the scoring with a three-run homer, his first of the year.
- Winston-Salem 9, Frederick 4
- Lee Cruz is picking up the pace: He went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI, and has five hits over his last two games to raise his average to .385.
- Javier Colina and .077-hitting Anderson Gomes also drove in two runs apiece.
- Michael Dubee allowed four runs (three earned) over seven on eight hits, striking out five.
- Kannapolis 3, Augusta 0
- Charlie Shirek tossed seven shutout innings, allowing only four hits, no walks and striking out seven. He lowered his ERA to 0.38 (1 ER over 23 2/3 IP).
- Dale Mollenhauer went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.