Gavin is actually pitching alright outside of his walk issues. He’s given up a lot more runs than expected thanks to a very high BABIP. He looks more or less the same, but the luck is working out against him rather than with him this year.

Jerry breathes a sigh of relief…

how does this compare with the AL Central and the AL in general?

and if we should be satisfied with that starter FIP (and hopefully it will improve), then can’t the less than average first month and a half for the team be more attributable to offensive rather than pitching struggles?

FIRE GREG WALKER

Here is the list of men in MLB history who have drawn 10 walks or fewer in a season while striking out 80 or more times:

Player	        Year	PA	BB	SO	BB/SO	BB/PA

Kenny Williams	1987	414	10	83	.120	.024

Chris Truby	2002	404	10	98	.102	.025

Miguel Olivo	2005	281	8	80	.100	.028

Miguel Olivo	2006	452	9	103	.087	.020

Ivan Rodriguez	2007	515	9	96	.094	.017

Miguel Olivo	2008	317	7	82	.085	.022

…Williams is better known as the general manager of the Chicago White Sox. He hit .218/.269/.339 over parts of six seasons.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/plate-discipline-its-that-thing-you-dont-have/

In baseball, a curveball creates a physical effect and a perceptual puzzle. The physical effect (the curve) arises because the ball’s rotation leads to a deflection in the ball’s path. The perceptual puzzle arises because the deflection is actually gradual but is often perceived as an abrupt change in direction (the break). Our illusions suggest that the perceived "break" may be caused by the transition from the central visual system to the peripheral visual system. Like a curveball, the spinning disks in the illusions appear to abruptly change direction when an observer switches from foveal to peripheral viewing.

link

didn’t anybody notice that KC has lost 5 in a row? i thought KC won the division already…

4. Jose Contreras CHA — 29.7 IP, 8.19 ERA, 5.73 xFIP, 2.46 E-xF, 4.60 tERA
      The big change for Contreras over past seasons is that he’s walking more batters, but there’s really no reason his ERA should be that high. He’s bound to start stranding more than 52% of the runners he puts on base, especially against AAA competition.
…
7. Gavin C Floyd CHA — 39.3 IP, 7.32 ERA, 5.07 xFIP, 2.25 E-xF, 6.19 tERA
      tERA doesn’t like Floyd as much as xFIP, and neither one thinks too highly of him so far. That’s what a 1.5 K/BB ratio will do for you. However, he’s not a 7.00 ERA pitcher, since he’s actually been pretty stingy with the long ball so far this year.

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/5/14/875147/ten-starting-pitchers-who-deserve

He also apparently has the actual ability to “give it 110%”.

I was picturing his Roomie having to wade through empty bourbon bottles to get to his desk to study.
Thx kid! Better than a buhkkahke (for the SSSer with too many H’s)

“I need a baseball player,” said Guillen without hesitation. "You hear this stuff about, ‘Oh, he’s a good athlete.’ That doesn’t mean anything. I think baseball needs players.

“Can they play the game and do they have baseball instincts? Can they pitch? There are so many things. There’s stuff about, ‘This guy played football and is going to be a first-round pick from Notre Dame.’ I don’t care about that.”

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090514&content_id=4736886&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

Annual Garage Sale

For those memorabilia collector’s out there, Saturday is our annual Family Field Day and Garage Sale at U.S. Cellular Field. The Family Field Day portion of the day is sold out but the Garage Sale is open to the public and features some pretty cool stuff.

Fans will find jerseys from guys like Jim Thome and Ken Griffey Jr., bats from Carlos Qunetin and Jermaine Dye, helmets and even A.J.‘s used catcher’s gear. There are programs, yearbooks and media guides, World Series embossed baseballs and game-used balls from series with the Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox, among others.

All proceeds benefit Chicago White Sox Charities.

The Garage Sale is open from 9-2 p.m. in the Patio. Fan should enter at Gate 2.

http://whitesoxpride.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/05/garage_sale_info.html

Bullpen is keeping this team intact.

minor nitpick, Clayton’s stats are not shown in your sweet tables

K/9: 5.40
BB/9: 3.60
K/BB: 1.50
HR/9: 0.90
AVG: .340
WHIP: 1.85
BABIP: .378
LOB%: 73.1 %
FIP: 4.53