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Can These Guys Pitch Any Worse?

On July 1st, thanks in large part to impeccable team health, the White Sox had a major league leading ERA of 3.38. Since then, the Sox two highest leverage relievers have hit the DL, Jose Contreras joined them after apparently hiding his injury, while Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez and the various minor league reinforcements have all struggled (see: table below).


Since July 1st IP H R ER HR BB K HBP BK WP ERA
Bullpen 81.2 95 54 51 9 33 68 7 0 6 5.62
Starters 166.2 211 115 102 26 49 130 4 0 6 5.51
Total 248.1 306 169 153 35 82 198 11 0 12 5.54

The Sox have managed to tread water at 14-14 over that span thanks to an offense that, aside from Paul Konerko, seems to be producing well. But as Ozzie said at the time of the Griffey trade, if the Sox pitching doesn't pick back up, they don't stand a chance in the Central.

I'm still not sold on Contreras, who struggled in the first inning of perhaps his only rehab start today--You'll notice the third baseman in the box score is not Joe Crede, who was scratched for the second straight day with back issues--and I don't think we saw much, if anything, from Clayton Richard to warrant keeping him on the roster. So I thouht I'd take a look at a couple of possible reinforcements who may be able to provide some relief work or 5th starter duties down the stretch.


W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
Jack Egbert - AAA (since 6/1) 3-5 12 12 1 1 0 0 70.1 63 34 26 8 16 70 3.33 1.12
Jon Link - AA 5-1 0 0 0 0 29 ? 44.2 31 8 8 0 16 45 1.64 1.05

As spring training kicked off, I was excited by the possibilities of the Sox 6th starter candidates, namely Lance Broadway and Jack Egbert. Broadway has failed to capitalize on his strong September performance during his call-up, while Egbert nursed a sore elbow in spring training which may have slowed his transition to AAA. Since the calendar turned to June, however, we've seen a presumably fully healthy Egbert post the type of numbers that should translate to success at the show.

Entering the season, Egbert was most well known for being able to keep the ball in the park, but his homerun suppression skills have returned to mere mortal status. A closer look at his splits however show that he's given up 11 of his 12 homers at Charlotte's dinky stadium that goes 345 in the alleys. So he still seems to be able to keep the ball inside non-little league dimension parks.

On the negative side of the ledger for Egbert is his control and his streakiness. I know most of you are looking at that BB/9 line above and thinking "what does he mean control is a problem?" Egbert has a tendency to hit a lot of batters. He loses pitches here and there, which might also play into his streakiness. Egbert's R/9 since June 1 is nearly 4.5, which is out of place given his K and BB numbers. But He seems to give up hits in bunches, perhaps momentarily losing his release point or just showing a lack of concentration, and his minor league splits show some Gavin Floyd-like numbers with men on base. Still, if Contreras struggles in his return, I wouldn't hesitate to hand the ball to Egbert.

I'd be lying if I said I knew a lot about Jon Link. Heck, I hardly know anything about him. All I can say with absolute conviction is that we severely underrated him when he was acquired last year near the deadline. Kenny Williams seemed to be collecting A-ball relievers at the time, which may have caused us to overlook his numbers in the extremely hitter-friendly California League. I can't say with any certainty that should get the call, but he should definitely be in the discussion.

It's worth noting that in each of his last 5 outings, since July 12th, Link has thrown more than one inning. Perhaps the Sox were looking at stretching him out for more of a long-relief role, or perhaps I'm reading too much into something that just not there.

[Note by The Cheat, 08/03/08 8:54 PM CDT ]: The jinx is in full effect. Link gave up 3 runs on 4 hits as he blew what would have been yet another 2-inning save. I fully expect Egbert to get shelled in his next start now as well.

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I should have another entry up late tonight

This was just a single bullet point of that which seemed to grow into it’s own post

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Aug 3, 2008 7:18 PM CDT reply actions  

tomokazu ohka.

this is no time to be experimenting with rookies. clayton richard showed that. you gotta go with a veteran down the stretch.

jon link? are you fucking kidding me? everyone knows that trading iguchi was colossally stupid and nothing good could come from it.

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions  

I believe the correct spelling you're looking for is

L-I-V-A-N-H-E-R-N-A-N-D-E-Z.

Actually, there may be a space in there somewhere, but I forget where.

by The Actual El Guapo on Aug 3, 2008 7:48 PM CDT up reply actions  

thanks. i think what you're looking for is

g-o-b-a-c-k-t-o-p-o-s-t-i-n-g-a-t-w-s-i-h-o-m-e-r.

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 8:00 PM CDT up reply actions  

go phil go!
5. White Sox (3): Ken Griffey Jr. is a force-fit in center field but could prove important if the aging middle of the lineup suffers injury problems down the stretch. Watching Ozzie Guillen work should be especially fun as he has as many moving parts at his disposal as any manager.

apparently phil has a really low threshold for “moving”.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2008/08/phil-rogers-mlb.html

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 7:45 PM CDT reply actions  

i see what you did there. nice.

fuck you, that's my name!! you know why, mister? 'cause you drove a hyundai to get here tonight, I drove a eighty thousand dollar bmw. that's my name!!

by MarketMaker on Aug 3, 2008 9:03 PM CDT up reply actions  

tht projects paul konerko to have an ops of .818 for the rest of the year - post july 30
THT is proud to offer a brand new stat report: Marcel projections updated every single week. You can now track how a player’s projection changes based on his performance over the course of the season. Worried that Jason Varitek’s ice cold July (.581 OPS) affects what we should expect him to do for the balance of the year? Want to know if picking up Juan Pierre on waivers could be a steal?

Just go to our up-to-date Marcel projections page and search for your favorite player – or peruse a team’s entire roster. As far as we can tell, this is the only place online where you can find free projections for all players that utilize their current season’s performance. Next time some yahoo on a message board quotes a player’s season-to-date totals as if it were that player’s true talent, you can run to THT, find that player’s current Marcel, and come back with that player’s true talent level.

So far, we only have the system set up to do hitters, but we’ll add pitchers as soon as we can.

Major props to Dave Studeman and Bryan Donovan for making all the back-end computer stuff work. Questions, comments, and error reports can be reported to me at (click my name on the sidebar to find my email address). Enjoy, and pass the word along!
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/projections-now-updated-every-week-at-tht/

The greatest trick the White Sox ever pulled was convincing their fan base that "Ozzieball" ever existed.

by The Wizard on Aug 3, 2008 8:23 PM CDT reply actions  

i’ll shave ssh’s head if PK does that.

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions  

Orlando Cabrera .269 .326 .374 .699
Carlos J Quentin .261 .353 .479 .832
Nick T Swisher .249 .361 .447 .807
Jermaine Dye .279 .344 .521 .865
Jim Thome .256 .380 .498 .878
A.J. Pierzynski .272 .319 .416 .735
Joe Crede .257 .314 .449 .762
Paul Konerko .263 .350 .469 .818
Alexei Ramirez .291 .335 .445 .781
Juan Uribe .236 .287 .401 .688
Brian N Anderson .239 .299 .399 .698
Toby Hall .260 .303 .368 .671
Dewayne Wise .262 .321 .420 .741

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions  

i'm not sure that i've heard you weigh in on the batting order with junior in the lineup and pk on the bench.

any opinions? i really can’t imagine ozzie pulling oc out of the leadoff spot, but i keep holding out hope that he’s going to get aj out of the 2 spot and preferably replace him with swish there. i’d say swish>junior>aj, no?

fuck you, that's my name!! you know why, mister? 'cause you drove a hyundai to get here tonight, I drove a eighty thousand dollar bmw. that's my name!!

by MarketMaker on Aug 3, 2008 9:25 PM CDT up reply actions  

search 'train crash' and my name.

griffey should bat second against righties, swisher lefties.

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions  

reading your comment re: train crash and then ssh's "response" to that is awesome.

he so badly wants to talk to you about the twins. he’s like your annoying younger brother that keeps trying to hang around.

fuck you, that's my name!! you know why, mister? 'cause you drove a hyundai to get here tonight, I drove a eighty thousand dollar bmw. that's my name!!

by MarketMaker on Aug 3, 2008 10:48 PM CDT up reply actions  

he's so cute.

he’s like that kid who hangs around with you who you make fun of all the time and occassionally beat up, but still hangs around with you.

by larry on Aug 4, 2008 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions  

"I'm willing"

"god, you’re fucking stupid."
-- Larry

by SSH2005 on Aug 4, 2008 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions  

It has to do with your stupid comment...

Now go back to hiding in your basement while ripping on people over the Internet.

"god, you’re fucking stupid."
-- Larry

by SSH2005 on Aug 4, 2008 9:34 AM CDT up reply actions  

I'm willing to bet you think about not getting beat up a lot.

nothing gets ‘em wetter than infrequent postings on the city’s second favorite team

by colintj on Aug 4, 2008 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions  

Just by my wife.

"god, you’re fucking stupid."
-- Larry

by SSH2005 on Aug 5, 2008 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions  

both the cheat and joe morgan should not be allowed to comment on white sox pitchers.

by larry on Aug 3, 2008 9:27 PM CDT reply actions  

I miss pablo <3

i think it would be pretty sweet if ssh's kid and kenwo's kid had offspring together...whether you believe in nature or nurture, it wouldn’t be boring.-larry

by furby2056 on Aug 4, 2008 1:21 AM CDT reply actions  

don't be so hard on yourself cheat

and to respond to your most recent post – I didn’t see the game – but I have a lot more respect now for this Sox team for trying to defuse a potentially damaging situation.

He was a catcher with the Orioles back in the day. Sorry looking (expletive). My brother had his card. He looked like this little kid who got left at a bus station by his parents. You know why? Because he had to catch Hoyt Wilhelms knuckle ball five (expletive) years.

by onlysoxfaninboston on Aug 4, 2008 8:29 AM CDT reply actions  

I think Egbert is next in the SP queue, but as far as relief help goes

I think one of these two would/should be up next . . . a recently converted SP or the journeyman catching lightning in a bottle? I am not sure either is the answer, but there is little to lose in finding out.

href=”http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Derek%20Rodriguez&pos=P&sid=t494&t=p_pbp&pid=457561” >

by jc2313 on Aug 4, 2008 10:10 AM CDT reply actions  

So who were the geniuses that said getting rid of Pablo was a good thing?

Idiots the lot of you, this team has been shit ever since his joyous aura left the team.

I was a multiple time all star throughout my little league career. Won 5 championships- 4 in a row- thats more in a row than MJ… (kenwo4life@aol.com)

by Ozzie Montana on Aug 4, 2008 12:23 PM CDT reply actions  

anyone who thinks....

that Jason Childers or any other 34 year old non-prospect AAAA pitcher is going to help the Sox pitching woes should take a lesson from 2007 when the Sox called upon Brent Prinz and Ryan Bukvich with disasterous results (lesser the case with Bukvich), both of whom posted pretty good numbers at Charlotte before being called up to suck and then be DFA’ed.

Kenny knew he needed an arm at the deadline. He failed to acquire one. Now he gets to see the effects of his cause. I’m not bashing KW by any means, but he knew what the team needed (and it wasn’t JR) yet he failed to pull the trigger.

Also, I got laughed at for suggesting Jon Link in a game thread… and now the Cheat has my back (somwhat). I feel so special.

I cannot answer any more questions for you today. I has wickeds gas from drink too manys redbull.

by Marlafar on Aug 4, 2008 3:11 PM CDT reply actions  

Agreed.

"god, you’re fucking stupid."
-- Larry

by SSH2005 on Aug 4, 2008 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions  

FIALed to pull the trigger

Was there another arm worth acquiring another arm for which we had the resources to acquire??? You FIAL to offer any options, and if you did, would they be realistic? I’m almost compelled to give you my lasagna recipe, because everybody likes it.

He was a catcher with the Orioles back in the day. Sorry looking (expletive). My brother had his card. He looked like this little kid who got left at a bus station by his parents. You know why? Because he had to catch Hoyt Wilhelms knuckle ball five (expletive) years.

by onlysoxfaninboston on Aug 4, 2008 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions  

"acquiring OR another arm..."

He was a catcher with the Orioles back in the day. Sorry looking (expletive). My brother had his card. He looked like this little kid who got left at a bus station by his parents. You know why? Because he had to catch Hoyt Wilhelms knuckle ball five (expletive) years.

by onlysoxfaninboston on Aug 4, 2008 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions  

I love how people use the failure of Kenny's farm system...

as an excuse for why he did not have the resources to acquire any pitching at the trade deadline.

"god, you’re fucking stupid."
-- Larry

by SSH2005 on Aug 4, 2008 5:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

i understand the point you're trying to make...

but only if i interpret osfib’s post to mean that kenny should get a free pass for not making a pitching acquisition at the deadline. looking at the other reasonable interpretation (the sox farm system is barren of players that would attract trading partners with arms to give), the one he was likely trying to get at, then it’s just a fact.

and based on that fact, regardless of how the farm system got into the mess, the pieces weren’t there and using the failure to get another pitcher at the deadlne as a vehicle for bitching about the construction of the current farm system doesn’t seem to make that much sense.

"fortunately, i'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber."

by Toonderstrook on Aug 4, 2008 5:47 PM CDT up reply actions  

go with the reasonable interpretation mr. blume

He was a catcher with the Orioles back in the day. Sorry looking (expletive). My brother had his card. He looked like this little kid who got left at a bus station by his parents. You know why? Because he had to catch Hoyt Wilhelms knuckle ball five (expletive) years.

by onlysoxfaninboston on Aug 4, 2008 5:55 PM CDT up reply actions  

sir, yes, sir. ;-)

"fortunately, i'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber."

by Toonderstrook on Aug 4, 2008 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions  

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