Not that they had a chance after Wednesday night, but suffering a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins effectively seals the White Sox's fate. The Twins could lose every single one of their remaining games, and .500 ball for the Sox wouldn't be good enough.
So here's what I'm looking forward to seeing as the Sox wrap up the final 2 1/2 weeks off the season.
Big numbers
*Paul Konerko goes for 40 homers.
Konerko's 37th homer on Thursday night might register as one of my favorite homers hit by anybody, ever, especially during the regular season. The JOE! CREDE! homer is No. 1 with a bullet, but Konerko tops it in toughness, considering the previous pitch he saw hit him in the face.
I'd probably say:
- JOE! CREDE!
- Jim Thome in Game 163.
- Konerko saves face.
Anyway, Konerko needs three homers to reach 40 for the third time in his career. He also needs 13 RBI to set a new career best (117 in 2004), and his OPS sits at 1.006. It would be his first time finishing the season with four figures in that category.
*Juan Pierre shoots for 60 steals
With two more stolen bases, the White Sox leadoff man will become only the second White Sox to ever swipe at least 60 bags in a season. He'll also pass Scott Podsednik's 2005 season in the process. No. 1 seems to be a bit out of his reach (Rudy Law's 77 in 1983), but if he can reach 65, he'll reach a preseason goal ... set by Jerry Owens in spring training of 2008.
(I dug that post out of the Wayback Machine, and it's a chestnut of a time capsule. You have Owens, Danny Richar, Brian Anderson, Gustavo Molina, Nick Swisher SwaggerStorm, John Danks learning a cutter ... it's all there! All your favorites! It would take you years of time and thousands of dollars to get all those names in one set...)
*Manny Ramirez goes for one of anything.
Brent Morel has two more extra-base hits and one more RBI than Ramirez does in a White Sox uniform -- and Ramirez has 44 more plate appearances. It'd be remarkable if Ramirez finished his South Side stint with a batting average that matches his slugging percentage.
*Mark Kotsay tries to defeat the platoon.
Kotsay is 0-for-24 against left-handed pitching this season, which is absurd. It'd be one thing if he wailed and bailed, but he has two walks and two strikeouts against lefties. He should have managed one bloop, one gork, one infield single by now with all that contact.
*Milestones
Omar Vizquel needs eight hits for 2,800 ... Mark Buehrle needs to win his last three starts to get to 150 ... Ozzie Guillen needs nine wins for 600.
Uncertain futures
*Konerko we've already talked about, although with his performance on Thursday, I'd imagine that just makes the sentiment to keep him even stronger.
*Ramirez isn't doing himself any favors in his contract drive. I was trying to figure out what kind of contract he would get in the offseason. I settled on one year and $9-10 million. That seems low for a Scott Boras client, but high considering his finish, his health and his ... idiosyncrasies. There should be some demand, but I don't think it's going to come from the Sox.
*Bobby Jenks may have thrown his last pitch in a White Sox uniform. At the very least, it's the second consecutive season Jenks has finished the year unable to pitch, barring a sudden improvement. He's virtually assured to be non-tendered, and they tend to explore other options instead of automatically suffering the indignity of a pay cut.
*Freddy Garcia may suffer the same fate as Jenks due to his back. That the Sox got 144 innings and 11 wins out of him is a minor miracle, and I don't know if the Sox would press their luck. He might be in the picture if they trade a starter (Edwin Jackson or John Danks offer the least cost certainty), but I can't imagine they'd roll their dice on him.
*Carlos Quentin could also be a non-tender candidate, because health hasn't been an issue, and he's still searching. But right now, I think the Sox will give him one more year.
*Kenny Williams received the Joe Posnanski treatment, and everybody should read it. Two key passages that caught my eye:
Sometimes when Kenny Williams finds himself crawling into himself, hegoes to the car. He has to drive. He does not know why it makes adifference, why he calms just a bit when listening to games on the carradio, Chicago traffic stopping and starting and coughing all aroundhim. He doesn’t know why driving and listening should be any differentthan watching the games live or watching them on television while heworks out, per doctor’s orders.
and
Doctors have told him he has to calm down, has to stop letting the gamesof a long baseball season detonate inside him, and he says that he istrying. “I’m getting better, I really am,” he says, and then he admitsthat he can’t stop being himself. The only escape is to go out to thecar and drive around and listen to a few innings on the radio. It’s atemporary escape.
On a related note, Jon Heyman reports that the Mets will be considering Rick Hahn, along with Kevin Towers and Josh Byrnes, to replace Omar Minaya at GM.
Previously, Hahn has been considered a GM candidate for the St. Louis Cardinals job (he withdrew his name), Pittsburgh Pirates (he declined an interview), and Seattle Mariners (the Sox denied permission). So it seems like the White Sox have a plan for him, and perhaps Williams' health is additional reason/incentive/excuse to promote him to a figurehead position.
Young players
*Brent Morel should get a long look at third, especially if Gordon Beckham's hand fails to recover in an expedient fashion. This would be a welcome development and a definite reason to watch.
*Carlos Torres and Lucas Harrell will battle for the right to be called up as a spot starter. Harrell has a slight edge, but with 11 strikeouts to five walks in 14 innings, it's not like he can rest easy.
*Gregory Infante needs more exposure. He has the highest upside of any White Sox reliever, and with Jenks and J.J. Putz destined for free agency at this moment, the Sox could use an internal right-handed option. Infante has the makings of a late-inning reliever -- a big fastball, a good curve -- but it'd be nice to get an idea of how (un)prepared he is before the offseason.
*Tyler Flowers could use a start or two, just so we can try gauging his defense for ourselves. Ot wouldn't hurt to start Dayan Viciedo at DH, but any plate appearances he receives won't tell us anything we don't already know.
