Two unexpectedly late starts in a row mean just the facts today:
*Jake Peavy is just about done for the season, as his latissimus dorsi strain turned into a detached lat after an MRI on Wednesday. I don't know about you, but the first thing I picture is boiled rib meat falling off the bone. So much for the optimism I felt on Tuesday, as the Sox are usually pretty good about not understating an injury on an initial claim. But this is pretty rare.
*Jeff Marquez will take his place for the next couple of days, giving Tony Pena a chance to rest in case short relief is needed. Marquez is still the same guy, just healthy. He's having a decent year in the Cy Young categories (7-4, 4.02 ERA), but he still doesn't strike anybody out, and his groundball rate is 45.3 percent, putting his "power sinker" in the White Sox Phantom Pitch Hall of Fame with Nick Masset's 98-m.p.h. heater and Mike MacDougal's "strike one."
But he's well rested, service time is a non-issue, and Daniel Hudson will likely take his place when Peavy's start rolls around.
*Carlos Quentin was scratched for a second straight day, and will probably miss today's game against the Angels as well. This certainly feels like it's foreshadowing something terrible, given the way Peavy's injury snuck up.
*Yet with the bad news, Freddy Garcia proved to be a stopper once again (even dealing with three of five errors!), and Brent Lillibridge a capable DH with two RBI. This season gets stranger and stranger.
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Minor league roundup:
- Durham 6, Charlotte 4
- Alejandro De Aza went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, striking out once.
- Stefan Gartrell homered and singled over four at-bats.
- Brent Morel (playing short) went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Jordan Danks struck out three times in four hitless trips to the plate.
- Jhonny Nunez allowed an unearned run on two hits and two walks over two innings, striking out one.
- Mississippi 6, Birmingham 2
- Christian Marrero singled and struck out over five ABs.
- Justin Greene went 0-for-4; C.J. Retherford 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Myrtle Beach 5, Winston-Salem 2
- Jon Gilmore went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two strikeouts.
- Brandon Short singled, walked and struck out.
- Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-4 with a triple; Jose Martinez was 0-for-4 with two K's.
- Stephen Sauer allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings, walking one and striking out four.
- Kannapolis 7, Greeneville 4
- Andre Rienzo struck out seven over six innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks.
- Nick Ciolli went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI. He struck out once.
- Kyle Colligan and Brady Shoemaker were both 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Bristol 3, Kingsport 2
- Ryan Buch allowed a run on four hits and a walk over five innings, striking out four.
- Daniel Black hit a homer and struck out twice over four at-bats.
- Rangel Ravelo was 1-for-3 with a walk, strikeout and two RBI.
- Tyler Saladino went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk.
- Great Falls 4, Helena 3 (11 innings)
- David Holmberg allowed a run on six hits and three walks over six innings, striking out two.
- Juan Silverio went 2-for-4 with an RBI, walk and strikeout.
- Ross Wilson had a single over five at-bats.
