Mark Buehrle Makes It Look Easy
by The Cheat on Jul 2, 2009 10:26 PM CDT
in White Sox Game Recaps
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PrintSometimes you don't need to play your best baseball to keep a streak going. Mark Buehrle wasn't too sharp in the early innings Thursday, and the Sox offense didn't have a hit until the 4th, but the Royals did what the Royals do to keep the Sox hanging around. The Royals erased singles in each of the first two innings with bone-headed baserunning on shallow flyball. It appeared both runners failed to keep track of the ball on hit-and-runs, which led to a couple of easy outfield-assisted double plays for the Sox.
Buehrle took advantage, cruising through innings 3 through 8 picking up another more conventional double play in the process. Though again, it didn't really feel like he was doing a whole lot more than just letting the Royals do their thing, as he had only 1 strikeout in the game's first 8 innings.
I started off the 9th inning by looking up complete games with one or less strikeouts by White Sox pitchers, which was probably a jinx. So you can blame me for the Royals run. Surprisingly, the less-than-1-K complete game hasn't been a rarity even in the retrosheet era -- Play-Index lists 84 separate occurrences -- though Buehrle does own the last two such games for the Sox.
A couple of opposite field doubles in the 9th spoiled both the shutout and the complete game, but at least Bobby Jenks is happy. He got the easy 2-out save.
Offensively, Jayson Nix continues to drive the ball (2-4 w/ a HR tonight) and might be forcing his way into the lineup more often, which, given his plus glove everywhere we've seen him on the infield, can't be a bad thing. I don't expect Ozzie to pull Getz from the lineup, but it's not like he has enough upside to prevent Nix from getting a good number of at-bats.
The highlight of the game -- aside from, you know, the win, which put the Sox 3-games over .500 for the first time this year -- might have been Scott Podsednik's 4-strike at-bat. He fouled off a couple of pitches on 2-2, then appeared to take a curveball right over the heart of the plate for strike 3. Pods hugh his head and headed for the dugout as home plate umpire Greg Gibson appeared to ring him up. But Gibson's half fist pump was followed by an emphatically loud "ball" call. Pods sheepishly walked back behind him almost as if to say 'are you sure?' and unceremoniously flew out to end the at bat on strike 4.
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Can't complain about a 4-1 win
The Royals are a bad team — the Sox didn’t play great offensively but they played solid defense and Mark took care of the rest by throwing strikes and working ahead against a mediocre lineup.
Missing Alexei hurt, get well soon Missile.
They're beating bad teams, BUT
they’ve won a bunch of series from good teams lately as well. And winning six straight is great news no matter who the opponent is. Even the trailblazingly bad Nationals win nearly 30 percent of the time, and even the Dodgers lose 37 percent of the time. (Including twice to us! Tee hee)
¡signature!
P.S.
tonight also emphasized why baseball is so great. Have watched thousands of games in my lifetime and saw two things — Podsednik still batting with three strikes and fly-ball double plays ending consecutive innings — I’ve never seen before and probably never will again. Also had a third on that list when it looked like Thome was running through Cox’s stop light and gave Hawk a minor grabber
Okay, I’m done
I think
???
¡signature!
nice playboy reference, op
hugh his head and headed for the dugout
by explodingpinwheelsforfunandprofit on Jul 2, 2009 11:08 PM CDT reply actions
haha does anyone remember when everybody thought the Royals were the next TB Rays?
too bad they are still the biggest pile of shit on the biggest pile of shit we call the AL Central.
yeh, cleveland too
their an enormous stack of shit and some people had them winning division at the start
Dinosaurs didn't exist because Carl Everett said so. Period.
well, hindsight being 20/20, but it wasn't a small minority with the indians winning. can't say i agreed, but it was a popular pick.
Cashing checks and having sex.
i havent seen anything good in cleveland for three years.
Indians – the new Royals…
Yeah, that 96 win 2007 team
that took the BoSox to 7 games in the AL Champ series really was not any good.
"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
i would argue the bosox took them to 7 games
looking at that 3-1 lead they choked up
These events have me frightened and on the verge of evacuating my bowels.
by thatshortkid on Jul 3, 2009 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions
whatever floats your boat
not the point
"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
losing four straight games in unpossible.
i mean, i’ve never seen a team do that once in a season, let alone multiple times. only explanation is “choking”.
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
three straight games, but hey who's counting
and boston even did the same thing in games 2-4. it’s hyperbole.
These events have me frightened and on the verge of evacuating my bowels.
by thatshortkid on Jul 3, 2009 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
If you havent read Jay's piece on the state of Cleveland do it.
Its excellent on the Tribe’s problems.
http://www.letsgotribe.com/2009/6/22/920735/however-beautiful-the-strategy
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
i very much liked this
Theory #1: They might as well be bloggers.
Maybe the joke is on us. The Indians make the “right” moves, like signing Dave Dellucci, not the “wrong” moves, like signing Raul Ibañez. They know the stats, we know the stats, so when they make a move, it looks right to us. Problem is, we tend to forget that the numbers rarely tell us the full story. It’s one thing to argue the numbers with a fellow fan — all I’ve got is the numbers, and all he’s got is the numbers, because neither of us are scouts — but it’s quite another to praise a front office for being able to Paint By Numbers. I mean, hell, any of us could paint by the numbers.
Maybe it isn’t a good thing that I can understand and explain most every move the Indians make. Maybe they should be making moves that don’t make sense to me — because after all, all I’ve got are the numbers. The saberblog view is essentially that since the numbers are all we can be sure about, the numbers are all that matter, and anything else is pure luck. In other words, the entire career of a GM like Pat Gillick was pure luck.
The Indians have done a great job at amassing value on paper, but they’ve shown little ability to discover value that isn’t evident in the numbers. I’ve been able to explain pretty well why the Indians do almost everything that they do — aside from burying Marte. Maybe that’s a problem.
who does the opposite of that remind you of?
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
In the same spirit, I can no longer mock the phrase "scout the player not the numbers"
Given that it was uttered about Gavin Floyd, and I was way wrong. He is a prime example of someone whose prior numbers (including almost all his minor league numbers) showed no evidence of becoming an effective major league pitcher to me.
On the flip side, there is still the Marquez acquisition so I can probably still mock a little bit.
by hitlesswonder on Jul 3, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Floyd was a BA top prospect after each of his first three minor league seasons
He put up great numbers considering his age before being called up
by 3E8 on Jul 3, 2009 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah nothing wrong with Floyd's minor league career
except he was rushed.
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
I always thought his K9 was weak
And until the trade, his AAA numbers were pretty sucky.
But the point of my post is that I was an idiot, so I don’t feel I can really argue that my misgivings were well-founded at this point.
by hitlesswonder on Jul 3, 2009 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions
The White Sox?
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
i've never followed the "beating bad teams" bullshit. how is that a knock? you gotta play 'em. and if you don't beat them, you don't go to the playoffs. and if you only won games when you were playing well you'd be a pretty shitty, untalented team.
Cashing checks and having sex.
I agree, you play the games that are on the schedule and a win is a win against whoever
but that said it’s clear the Sox are playing some bad teams. They are playing well — but can they sustain this success?
getting quentin back around all-star break won't hurt
Dinosaurs didn't exist because Carl Everett said so. Period.
Considering the Sox were slightly above .500
against teams .500 and above, one of the biggest failures to this point had been their performance against bad teams, particularly at home.
A team that goes .500 against good-great teams and stays .500 on the road is usually golden.
Bad teams? Whup that ass!
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
you may notice that the white sox' schedule is overweighted with bad teams.
you know, because they play in the central.
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
I couldnt even imagine having to play 19 games
vs the Rays, Red Sox, Yanks and Blue Jays. That would suck royally. Ask Baltimore……
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
But they get to be on ESPN all the time, totally worth it
The Sox/Royals recap this morning was a 10 second clip of the 5th inning DP, right before the Top 10 blooper reel.
The Chicago Bulls.....the more profitable Los Angeles Clippers.
by Ozzie Montana on Jul 3, 2009 9:25 AM CDT up reply actions
because that game was totally worth extensive highlights and analysis.
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
why would you watch espn in the hope of getting extensive highlights and analysis of your local team.
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
It was a joke
The Chicago Bulls.....the more profitable Los Angeles Clippers.
by Ozzie Montana on Jul 3, 2009 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
That at-bat by Pods had 5 strikes, Cheat.
That “failed check swing” that sent a ball flying foul was as much a bunt as Pods lays down while doing his shuffle.
by Black Sox Baseball on Jul 3, 2009 12:16 AM CDT reply actions
I LUB DEES WINS.
I’ve been too busy to gamethread, and they’ve been kicking ass, so I guess I’ll have to make sure I stay busy until they start losing!
BP Rankings
Up to 13.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9166
"I'm just here to provide street cred and a rosy outlook"- translation - unemployed life coach
and so the great brian anderson v. dewayne wise v. jerry owens v. whoever debate
is replaced by chris getz v. jayson nix.
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
you, sir, could not be more incorrect
“tastes great” is the clear and obvious choice
These events have me frightened and on the verge of evacuating my bowels.
by thatshortkid on Jul 3, 2009 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions
The battle of the <.250 hitters.
I’m on the edge of my chair. Are any of them better than Uribe?
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
If you're using one metric to make judgements about a player offensively
at least use something other than batting average
Perhaps you should
remind yourself of Uribe’s 2004 season.
"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
Making stuff up>What actually happens
The Chicago Bulls.....the more profitable Los Angeles Clippers.
by Ozzie Montana on Jul 3, 2009 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Arrogant pricks, the lot of you.
Hatchetm, you don’t think I caught your first Nix OPS reference the previous night during the game? And OM, you think I’ve not been on this site for 3+ years without knowing how lame AVG is compared to other statstical metrics?
It was a metaphor for everyone falling in love with a “journeyman” (search “Nix journeyman” and see who on this site called him that first) based on a SSS (yeah, look up “small sample size” in the next search and see how many references there are to that phrase).
Calm down, people. It’s a long season. Temperance is a virtue.
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
Royals Make It Easy For Mark Buehrle
Fixed.
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
Headed to the beach. Hold down the fort until Sunday,
will youse?
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
White Sox current team ERA - 3.98.
I wonder what PECOTA had it pegged at?
by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jul 3, 2009 11:31 AM CDT reply actions
I thought you were dead. I remember you giving lar some real good arguments.
Anyway….I also think thatn team ERA is impressive, and quite possibly sustainable. I’m starting to feel rather hopeful….now Quentin needs to get his ass back in the lineup and be the Quentin we think he can be.
BA must have finally gotten to Cowley's wife
Cowley calling for him to be traded
Now, sure, like most I’ve fallen off the BA bandwagon permanently.
Personally I think trading him is a ludicrous idea given the propensity for Pods to get injured, or the fact Wise has spent so much time on the DL this season. Add in that the cupboard in the minors is bare as far as immediate help at CF, and BA, even playing in the minors just in case, is better than the alternative. Plus I can’t imagine the Sox would get much more than a bag of balls for him.
Is it still the fourth inning?
if that bag of balls has the perceived upside of Anderson
with the sluggish track record to seal the deal, that’s good enough for me. And, that’s usually how it works. It’s how they got Thornton
by Daniel Berlyn on Jul 3, 2009 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Jenks pitched just twice this week, getting a W vs. the cross-town Cubbies June 27th and getting the save against the Royals yesterday. The 6-3, 275 pounder is turning in a superb year, with 8.79 K/9 (a marked increase from last year’s 5.55 K/9) and 1.88 BB/9. Some poor luck on flyballs has put a damper on the overall numbers, but Jenks has recovered his strikeout ability and velocity (95.4 MPH fastball in 2009, 93.8 last year) while further refining his control.
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/the-al-closer-report-73
White Sox Minor League Updates: http://twitter.com/SouthSidelarry
the evolution of bobby from thrower to pitcher has been a thing of beauty
a guy who almost drank and fucked up his way out of professional baseball now mixes remarkable control on and off the diamond with a 95mph heater. good stuff.
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