White Sox @ Royals -- Buehrle vs. Elarton

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 12:40 PM CDT in White Sox News

The White Sox are undefeated in Sunday games started by Mark Buehrle
The Sox last two victories (including playoffs) have come on Sunday.
The last time the Sox lost on Sunday was September 11th, 2005 against the Angels.
The Sox are undefeated this season in games where Jermaine Dye plays the entire game. He's back in the starting line-up again today.

Mark Buehrle (0-0, 6.75) vs. Scott Elarton (0-1, 3.18)

Tweet Comment 33 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Holy Crap

That's an impressive poll result.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 12:50 PM CDT reply actions

yeah

i'm glad we were right.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Chat

http://gabbly.com/http://www.southsidesox.com/story/2006/4/9/134028/8535#commenttop

AIM: i2ockbotm

by 3E8 on Apr 9, 2006 12:56 PM CDT reply actions

Last two wins

Well, that last win against the Astros was on Wednesday night, not Sunday. So the last two wins were on Sunday (Opening Day) and Wednesday (Game 4).

If you are talking last two victories against American League teams, Sunday is right...

by BlackBetsy on Apr 9, 2006 3:14 PM CDT reply actions

Faulty memory

I definitely was remembering going out Sunday night after a playoff victory in a daze... I thought it was after they won it all. I guess it was the AL.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions

podsednik

I hope we don't have 04 version of Podsednik.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 3:17 PM CDT reply actions

Thoughts

I thought Buerhle looked great...I was also impressed with Jenks. I know he gave up that HR but his velocity was up.

I'm glad we have Thome and Crede's D is great.

Podsednik & Konerko looked poor.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 3:32 PM CDT reply actions

Is it me...

or did they pitch around Anderson in the 9th to face Podsednik?

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

no

i thought the same.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Crede has some fabulous brows

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 4:52 PM CDT reply actions

request

could you post wallpaper sized photos every series?

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions

CBS.sportsline is where I get 'em

but they take 'em down right away now because people were hotlinking to them.

They're only on the Sox photo page for a couple hours or so, if even that.

I've used ESPN the last few games, because I wasn't able to find anything on CBS. -- Here's a few more

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 9, 2006 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Pods in 2004 wasn't a Porche, but a Ford Fiesta.

So when does the Jerry Owens/Gload in left campaign start?

Good to hear that Jenks' velocity is back up. On days when his curve isn't there--and it seems like it rarely is--his 98mph heater is all that keeps going.

by madvillian on Apr 9, 2006 9:43 PM CDT reply actions

FREE THE RAKE!

by Tybor on Apr 10, 2006 7:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Its funny that people are so quick to jump on Pods

when he was limited in Spring. Did you all expect him to come out after only a week of ST game and have a .400 BA, and have 10 SB? Lets not shovel him into the fire until mid-may if he continues to struggle.

AIM: JoeCoolMan24 www.2ksports.com/forums Thats where i spend most of my day

by JoeCoolMan24 on Apr 9, 2006 10:05 PM CDT reply actions

If he wasn't ready right off the bat...

He should've been getting at-bats in Charlotte, where he's not hurting the team.

Sorry, the "he was hurt in Spring Training" excuse isn't going to do it for me.

by CWSKeith on Apr 9, 2006 10:11 PM CDT reply actions

well,

it does it for Hawk & Dj...also, apparently the ball is now juiced.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 9, 2006 10:12 PM CDT up reply actions

pods

i'd rather have pods getting some swings up here; you start running into issues with options when you have guys yo-yoing up and down from the minors. it really shouldn't take pods all that many at-bats to get his legs; part of the problem is that he isn't playing regularly. if he's hurt, he should be on the DL and then do a rehab assignment; but if he just didn't get enough swings in arizona, he should be in the bigs.

by larry on Apr 10, 2006 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions

More Pods Thoughts

Thing is, Pods relies on his speed for every facet of his game--defense, OBP, base stealing, etc--if he's even slightly slower, he becomes at best an average player. I'd argue he's an average player even when he's fully healthy. I'm glad that the Sox only have him for one more year under contract. (That last sentence might be wrong, but I think it's right; I'm too lazy to Google it right now on this crappy dialup.)

by madvillian on Apr 9, 2006 10:28 PM CDT reply actions

Pods

According to http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com, Pods is a FA after 2006. I agree the Sox should look elsewhere for a lead off man then, given his age and growing injury problems. But as much as I wish someone hitting over .100 was leading off now, Pods being on the DL would only mean more playing time for Ozuna in LF. I'd rather keep Pods in there and hope he starts hitting, he doesn't look terrible in the OF. I hope Owens shows some OBP skills in CHA, because he's the only real backup option I can see if Pods falls apart.

I think the sabermetric disdain for SBs causes some people to really dislike Pods. I agree he's pretty average, but as long as he can post a .360ish OBP leading off he's valuable. Particularly to the Sox since they don't have anyone else that can do it. To Pods credit, he clearly made an effort to hit for average rather than power last year in response to his 2004 performance. Anyway, if nothing else he got a mention on McSweeney's "Baseball Knowledge
Will Not Help You Pick Up Girls" (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/fantasybball/24pickupgirls.html)

by hitlesswonder on Apr 9, 2006 11:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Hmm

Which is correct? Is he a FA after this year, really?

Hitlesswonder, it's not that sabermetricians don't like stolen bases, it's that they don't like guys who can't steal bases efficiently. ie, if you steal 20 bases a year, but get caught 15 times to go along with it, you're not really helping your club score runs. Or, that's the way I've always understood it.

See Scott Podsednik last year. Pre All-Star break, he put up a .294/.369/.344 line. Combine that with his 44/53 (83 %) SBs, and solid LF defense, and he's a pretty effective player.

Come second half, however -- a .284/.326/.356 line and (ick) 15/29 SBs (52%) made for a pretty bad baseball player. And you could see it, too. His stolen bases weren't nearly cancelling out all the times he was getting caught, and the options we had off of the bench -- well, let's not go there.

by CWSKeith on Apr 9, 2006 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions

You may be right

http://www.mlb4u.com/0809FA.html lists him as a 2008 FA. So that 2 votes for 2 more years under contract.

I understand why saber people don't like "speedsters" that can't steal efficiently (and I agree with them). But it seems like sabermetricians view Pods as emblematic of the exactly the type of ballpalyer unjustly celebrated by unsophisticated fans (and again they're probably right), and so you tend to see opinions underestimating just how valuable his mediocre OBP-skills were/are to the OBP challenged Sox.

I agree he looked bad in the 2nd half, and it was infuriating to see him keep trying to steal when it was clear he couldn't. And a .326 OBP obviously is unacceptable as well.

Pods will be an interesting test for KW. If they try to extend or resign him, I'll be surprised.

by hitlesswonder on Apr 9, 2006 11:55 PM CDT up reply actions

podsednik

he has 1.5 years (03 & first half of 05) of being good, and 1.5 years (04 & second half of 05) of being bad.

He IS a valuable player when he is on, but he is useless (in the tony womack, christian guzman sense) when he is bad.

I'll try to throw in some optimism, he is getting the bat on the ball and has only been K'd once, I believe.

AIM: shaftr01

XBL: TheMattressMan

by shaftr on Apr 10, 2006 12:03 AM CDT up reply actions

surprise

Pods starts slow , the knifes come out.

Comonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn You White Sox!

by zokmaad on Apr 10, 2006 12:16 AM CDT up reply actions

I still contend the league is catching up to him

much like the NL in 2004. And it's not just the slow start. It's also the weak finish.

by dyspeptic on Apr 10, 2006 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions

According to Cheat's Payroll Chart...

We have Podsednik under our control through 2008.

My hope is that Podsednik is able to put together another .290/.350/.350 type season, along with the media continually hyping him as the Sox's offensive spark. Kenny, however, realized that this is the prime spot to upgrade his offense, and is able to pull off a Carlos Lee for Podsednik type deal (no, not for Lee. I dunno who, actually -- maybe a deadline deal for Griffey Jr? :pipedream).

= )

by CWSKeith on Apr 9, 2006 11:27 PM CDT reply actions