Giving away an inning

by The Cheat on Mar 28, 2007 11:44 PM CDT in White Sox News

After debating a batting-order change to break up three left-handed hitters at the top, Guillen plans on keeping Jim Thome third, Paul Konerko fourth and Jermaine Dye fifth after meeting with some of his hitters Wednesday morning. "As far as the middle of the lineup, I'm sure we'll pretty much be set," Dye said.

Hawk will now take his bathroom break whenever the 1-2-3 hitters come up in a late inning situation.

Tweet Comment 44 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

"I'll tell you what, Feisty..."

"...Wil Ledezma/Dennys Reyes/Aaron Fultz/Jimmy Gobble could close for any other team, they have that good of stuff."

Sox Machine

by Sox Machine on Mar 28, 2007 11:56 PM CDT reply actions

Replies DJ, "I gotta agree with ya Hawk"

by ChicagoPete on Mar 29, 2007 7:45 AM CDT up reply actions

Seriously,

he has to agree.

by palehose67 on Mar 29, 2007 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions

Opening Day

Assuming Sabathia starts, will Ozuna and Anderson get the nod? Or does Ozzie need to show the world how Pods and Erstad can get their 'grind' on...?

by CWSKeith on Mar 29, 2007 12:21 AM CDT reply actions

Ozzie said Ozuna & Erstad previously

I think Ersty has good career numbers against Sabathia. Whatever.

I wouldn't count on Anderson starting much, if at all. Ozzie said he won't be in a platoon. And it's pretty clear Ozzie doesn't really want him on his team. I think he'll mostly just be a late-inning replacement when Ozzie pulls Konerko too soon and shifts Erstad to 1B.

by hitlesswonder on Mar 29, 2007 12:26 AM CDT up reply actions

Erstud vs. CC career

.333 .364 .429 .792
(7 for 21)

Didn't face him last year.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Mar 29, 2007 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions

When I write Brian Anderson's biography

I'm going to title it:

2BLOND2GRIND

by Paxson Jackson @ South Side Sox on Mar 29, 2007 8:44 AM CDT reply actions

Flabathia.

Conflicting reports on C.C. In a newspaper article, I read he is doing everything he can to make his start Monday. From a Cleveland blogger/fan, he will likely miss Monday's start and the Indians will then wait until their home opener to unleash the beast.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 29, 2007 8:49 AM CDT reply actions

the latter would be great

because that means we would also miss him when we visit cleveland the following weekend.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 10:06 AM CDT up reply actions

The problem is

even if he's healthy to start there's no way that he got his pitches in yesterday. Even if he came back today and threw 90 pitches that would mean he'd have to start on 3 days rest. I would think the best case scenario for the Indians is that he throws tommorow and is set for Wednseday's game. I'm thinking Paul Byrd is gonna get the opening day nod.

by bhoov on Mar 29, 2007 9:29 AM CDT reply actions

Batting order against a lefty

will obviuosly be different. Obviously Pablo instead of Pods. Hopefully Iguchi instead of Erstad with BA playing. I'm actually pretty confident Brian will start against most lefties. Ozzie has shown a tendecy in the past to heavily weigh stats against the opposing pitcher. Although he won't admit that his patterns clearly indicated that in the past. One advantage to Erstad's long tenure in the AL is he has amassed a fair number of AB and thus has a history with most pitchers. I think Ozzie will usse those stats to guide when Erstad sits and BA plays.

by bhoov on Mar 29, 2007 9:41 AM CDT reply actions

Problem is...

That Ozzie gladly switches pitchers for a platoon advantage, he never pinch-hits for one. As was indicated above, we'll be seeing a lot of Aaron Fultz in the late innings against the Peter Pan/Tinkerbell/Thome troika, and Ozzie would never pinch-hit for any of those guys. Be prepared for lots of rally-killing grounders to second...

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 29, 2007 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions

he pinched for scotty frequently last year

you're right about thome; who knows about erstad.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions

well, at least

kenny rogers is on the 15 day dl.
link

by jd23 on Mar 29, 2007 10:19 AM CDT reply actions

and so it begins for tigers pitching

welcome back to reality, detroit.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions

Chad Durbin?!!

They're gonna start Chad Durbin with his career 6.14 ERA. Why him over Zach Miner? I love it. With Danks we might actually have the best 5th starter in our division (at least right now). Durbin, Carmona, Ponson (or Ortiz or Silva for that matter).

By the way, thinking that three players that are essentially rookies are all going to come in and pitch well, saving the season for Minnesota is a bit of a fantasy. Garza's good, but he isn't Liriano. Baker, Slowey are just as likely to flame out this year as succeed. Even Bonser is no sure thing. His recent minor league performance was less impressive than his MLB stint. I think he's due for some regression.

They've got lots of questions after Santana and they'll be lucky to get 2 of their rookie pitchers to perform well. And that's after they've already thrown away several wins behind Ponson and Ortiz.

by bhoov on Mar 29, 2007 11:32 AM CDT reply actions

Safe to say...

That every putative AL central contender has some serious question marks. I'm not tremendously optimistic, but I've decided just to keep my fingers crossed re: the Sox and see how things shake out.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 29, 2007 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Erstad's first injury

I think it will happen when he dives for a ball while playing first and injures his labrum. Anyone think we would be better off with that instead of it happening to Hall?

by Tim from Texas on Mar 29, 2007 11:58 AM CDT reply actions

Surely you jest!

by ballyb on Mar 29, 2007 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions

surely I do

but I bet he could just grit his teeth and play through it. He's a grinder ya know.

by Tim from Texas on Mar 29, 2007 12:29 PM CDT reply actions

Where does everyone get this

"always injured" perception from?

5 seasons before joining the Sox:

Jermaine Dye - 491 games
Darin Erstad - 535 games

Seasons over 125 games (last 10 years):

Jermaine Dye - 6 seasons
Darin Erstad - 8 seasons
Jim Thome - 8 seasons

by RME JICO on Mar 29, 2007 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Probably from the 40 games he played last year,

and a reputation for playing dinged up, and not playing full time in the outfield since 2002. I don't think Sox fans consider Dye or Thome all that reliable either. It's nice to see both of those guys have recovered from injury though.

by Paxson Jackson @ South Side Sox on Mar 29, 2007 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions

because he's missed

more than half of two of the last four seasons and missed a significant chunk of a third. he's played in less than 60% of games in the last four seasons.

by the way, your post is a great example of how statistics lie. you use two of JD's seasons when he was spent significant time in the minors/riding the bench as a young player to show that he hasn't played 125 games - trying to imply he was hurt then. use also use the 125 game cut-off - of course, that was erstad's lowest total in one season. finally, i have no idea where you get the 491 number; you're off by about 160 games there.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions

I was too lazy to look into Thome and Dye's

numbers, but wow. Who would have thought there's a Grinderstad defender besides Ozzie?

by Paxson Jackson @ South Side Sox on Mar 29, 2007 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions

grinderstad defender?

who, larry? that's funny!

by The Wizard on Mar 29, 2007 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions

not larry, look below for the commentor in awe

of Grinderstud's health before he wasn't healthy.

by Paxson Jackson @ South Side Sox on Mar 29, 2007 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions

OK

I just used the last 10 seasons period. Your partially right, I only looked quick and the first season should not have been included, but the second season is fine.

However, it doesn't really matter, you can use any number of games.

130 games - Erstad 7, Dye 6
135 games - Erstad 6, Dye 5
140 games - Erstad 5, Dye 4

On the 491 number, that is the exact number of games Dye played BEFORE he joined the White Sox (97, 61, 131, 65, 137). So I am not off by any.

I was just trying to show that people had the same perception of Dye when he signed, and based off the games played, Erstad has actually been more durable. So again, Erstad has showed no signs of getting injured all the time, and I think this perception is a little bit overdone.

by RME JICO on Mar 29, 2007 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions

no, read better

the 97 and 61 are one season, 2001; he was traded that year. 97 for KC, 61 for oakland.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions

"Based off the games played..."

(By Erstud) Ozzie isn't the only idiot manager.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Mar 29, 2007 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions

If there are two more comparable managers...

Than Mike Sciosca and Ozzie Guillen, I'm not aware of them.

But it's not just Ozzie who likes Erstad. Williams has been trying to get Erstad since before Ozzie was manager.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 29, 2007 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions

At least before Ozzie was manager,

it had only been 3 years since Erstad had a decent season and he wasn't almost 35. And, by the way, assume that Dye is a fragile as Erstad (and he isn't)--he can HIT, and that buys him a little goodwill.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 29, 2007 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions

perception is not based on games missed

but on the fact that is 04 and 05 the Angels were forced to play a guy with no power guy at 1st base beause he was banged up.

Also, in JDs defense, his time on the DL was in big chinks after two big injuries. SInce then he's been a ....(wait for it)

grinder

by dyspeptic on Mar 30, 2007 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Who are these guys?

Every pitcher the Twins, Indians and Tigers put on the mound looks like Cy Young.

Today:

Fausto Carmona for the Indians - 4 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs.
Chad Durbin for the Tigers - 4 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs.

If I'm not mistaken, we haven't had 1 outing like these in 2007 spring training.

by ballyb on Mar 29, 2007 1:22 PM CDT reply actions

It means don't fret -

ST means nothing.

Or it is a sign of the Apocalypse. Your choice.

by winningugly on Mar 29, 2007 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Definitely leaning towards..........the Apocalypse

by ballyb on Mar 29, 2007 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions

It's the Grapefruit League.

The Cardinals have a 2.31 staff ERA. It's like 1988 down there in Florida.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 29, 2007 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions

1988?

try 1908.

by larry on Mar 29, 2007 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Hey, watch it

I haven't seen any Klan rallies down here in at least 2-3 years. And Disney is putting in a new "Finding Nemo" ride. And Universal, ever topical, is putting in a new Homer Simpson ride, replacing the Back to the Future carcass (I kid you not).

Beat THAT for cutting-edge, 2nd City!

by winningugly on Mar 29, 2007 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions

1.21 Jiggawatts

Replacing Back to the Future??? Oh for my lost childhood. Being one of the first 10,000 people or so to ride that ride was my one and only claim to fame. Guess its time for another trivial accomplishment.

by Hazymania on Mar 29, 2007 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Opening Day

Looks like Flabathia is going to pitch on Monday after all.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 29, 2007 1:24 PM CDT reply actions

I would bunt on him all day long

But swing mightily, letting go of the bat, on the first pitch, screaming like a (insert religion) Fundamentalist, before laying one down the 2nd pitch. Just to watch him flinch himself back to McDonalds.

by winningugly on Mar 29, 2007 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions