Nationals 2, White Sox 1: One run isn't enough this time
by Jim Margalus on Jun 26, 2011 5:11 PM CDT
in White Sox Game Recaps
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PrintFor the second straight game, the White Sox scored an early run, then tried to nurse it through the rest of the game. This time, it didn't work.
It's hard to pin the blame on Phil Humber, who pitched a 6 2/3 innings that would normally be good enough. He allowed only three hits, but one of them happened to be a two-run homer to Danny Espinoza that lost the lead. It wasn't a terrible pitch -- a curve below the knees -- but lefties do like the ball down.
He and Chris Sale helped restore normalcy to a gassed bullpen, with Sale pitching the other 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He stranded two inherited runners and struck out three.
Nope, this one's on the offense, and Adam Dunn is at the center of the problems.
Dunn struck out four times, and the one that was most harmful came in the third. With runners on second and third and one out, Paul Konerko shot a sharp single to right to score Omar Vizquel. Carlos Quentin had to hold up at third, and up came Dunn.
Dunn went down swinging -- late on an 85-mph Livan Hernandez fastball up in the zone -- and Alex Rios popped out to end the inning. It was the second time Dunn struck out with runners in scoring position, but with one out and a hittable pitch, the onus was on Dunn to deliver.
The Sox never truly threatened again. In fact, outside of Juan Pierre's double to start the bottom of the first, the Sox never put a leadoff runner on base. Hernandez kept them off balance with strikeouts and pop-ups.
It didn't help that the wind was blowing in from left. The Sox lost two homers that way. Rios seemed to get all of one to lead off the sixth, and Konerko had an excellent at-bat with a runner on and two outs in the seventh. He took the changeups to get into a 3-1 count, swung at two hittable fastballs, and connected with the full-count one.
Both of them died on the track. Among other casualties, the Sox's streak of 17 consecutive interleague series victories perished as well.
Record: 38-41 | Box score | Play-by-play
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Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Jun 26, 2011 5:19 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
this loss doesn't count
because the Sox would have won had the wind not knocked down a Konerko homer. So it really isn’t a “true loss”
what is dunn's approach right now? I don't understand, with less than 2 outs, runners on, livan pitching
Sit. On. Fastball. Instead he seems to look to go deep into the count and for what? It’s not like he’s swinging a hot bat.
This team isn’t bad, but they aren’t going to be good without at least one of Dunn, Pierre or Beckham stepping up.
Just a frustrating loss in a season filled with them so far.
he's not sitting on anything. he's purely guessing and it's killing him. totally in between.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
Not trying to talk to much about it
Because I am trying to accept the fact that I cannot do a damn thing about it, but I found it interesting that Hawk started talking about Dayan Viciedo right before JP was up. According to Hawk Dayan is leading AAA in RBIs.
he leads the international league in rbi
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
i thought the pitch Espinosa hit out was another change
looks like it was just a really bad slider:
it had change movement, but i’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have thrown a change that hard? not a good pitch either way.
He was lookin’ for the Express and got the Local
heheheheh you said 'onus'
"I am an idiot Jackhammer" - WU
by DrEmilioLizardo on Jun 26, 2011 6:06 PM CDT reply actions
85 mph is basically a BP pitch
And Dunn was underneath it. Not even close really. His half season this year has to be historically one of the worst fall offs ever for a player who has produced like he has over the better part of a decade. Dude seems to be getting worse which doesn’t seem possible.
If the Sox are all in then bring up the Tank and let him play full time between DH and OF. Ozzie can sort out the at bats for Dunn and Pierre for the rest of the year. Its not fair to the team or the fans to keep trotting him out there day after failing miserably.
"Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless" Kenny Powers
by Duck99 on Jun 26, 2011 8:24 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I agree but we have the worst manager in baseball for recognizing and having the stones to address this.
If you want to show blind faith in Dunn, let him bat against most right handers but for the love of God, don’t let him bat against a lefty! At the very least Viciedo should be batting against left handers while Dunn sits his fat ass on the bench. Against right handers, Viciedo should be in left field while Pierre is washing Ozzie’s car.
actually I think Ozzie is one of the best in dealing with his players
I’m old and know a couple fathers who have had kids play for Ozzie. No one has a bad word.
The Dunn situation is very unusual. This a guy who hit 40 bombs and drew 100 walks like clockwork and now he is… I can’t even come up with a shitty player to compare him to.
"Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless" Kenny Powers
by Duck99 on Jun 26, 2011 9:06 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Andruw Jones might be the closest of recent vintage
But people could see the slide coming, and he got fat. Dunn’s in the same shape he was in Washington.
Whales! Squids! Sharks! They're everywhere! Hello, I am Poseidon! Now, when people told me I was crazy that thinly sliced roast beef would be a delicious fast-food option, I knew it was the greatest idea, and you can thank me later for Arby's.
by Jim Margalus on Jun 26, 2011 9:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Can dunn
go to Charlotte on a rehab assignment? Can they just send him down there fore awhile? what’s the rule?
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
No. He would have to accept the assignment which his agent and union would never allow him to do
Its a difficult situation. It would be nice if he could talk about it and how he is trying to right the ship. He seems to be retreating. AJ and Paulie have had bad years and they didn’t back away from the press. Dunn seems to be in a cave. This is his first year playing with a team that has WS ambitions and he is shrinking.
"Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless" Kenny Powers
by Duck99 on Jun 26, 2011 9:14 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Another example of
unions at their best.
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
Truth is Sox are an average team with not a tremendous upside
It is quite clear that this team will tease all year. They may get on some streaks, but on a consistent basis they will not do the little things that have to happen. Quite honestly they do not do anything that well. Against quality hurlers, guys like Q, Beck & Morel are over-matched and that does not even count our under-performers. Shame to waste good starting staff, but facts are we have been healthy and not been able to get it together.
in 8 plate appearances against king felix, carlos is opsing 1.250.
in 7 against verlander = 2.514
against cc = .833
against brett anderson = 2.000
Bench him against the bums.
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
yup, beckham has similarly impressive stats against the top pitchers too.
morel already gets seated versus many of them anyways, so, i don’t know what that is about.
Electric shock therapy
may be the answer.
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
Sorry, wrong reply.
For Dunn.
Maybe for TD.
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
Keep drinking the Koolade boys
I hope they prove me wrong but they truly have not played a solid streak of really good baseball all year and no reason to believe they will.
they are only 4.5 games back.
clearly a solid steak of really good baseball is not required to win this division.
why do people have such a hard time spelling kool-aid?
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
And how does is that even a response to what Bally said?
Whales! Squids! Sharks! They're everywhere! Hello, I am Poseidon! Now, when people told me I was crazy that thinly sliced roast beef would be a delicious fast-food option, I knew it was the greatest idea, and you can thank me later for Arby's.
by Jim Margalus on Jun 26, 2011 9:45 PM CDT up reply actions
keep drinking the coolaide, gym.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Jun 26, 2011 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
we need to score some runs. wasting this pitching is a shame.
ramirez-ss, pierzynski-c, quentin-rf, konerko-1b, rios-cf, teahen-3b, lillibridge-lf, dunn-dh, beckham-2b
how about we march something like that out for about a week and see what that does?
i don’t know. it can’t score less runs than we have been.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
and i know we all hate teahen, but his defense looks street ahead of last year's
and morel is hitting .253 yet somehow OPSing .577. that ain’t cutting it. one flared single to right every 4 ABs. nothing else.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Jun 26, 2011 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions
streets*
dammit, i’m never gonna make that expression work if i can’t use it properly.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Jun 26, 2011 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions
it is a shame most of the team is awful as i think morel has been slowly progressing, as larry predicted.
he’s hitting .283 for the month.
as you say, his slugging leaves a lot to be desired (.317 in june), but if the rest of the team was doing what it is supposed to be doing, morel would be left alone to get on with.
Now that this series is over
I can leave the “frenemy” role behind and go back to pulling for both the Nats and the Sox.
Humber’s really good – hope I get to see him in August at Camden Yards. By then I know the Donkey will be on a tear, in full SuperDunn mode, striking blows for Truth, Justice and everything else we hold dear, while the Sox pitchers reduce Luke “Bizarro” Scott to a blubbering, pants-crapping cheesdipper and the O’s go 0-4 in their Aviary of Evil.
All right, I don’t know for sure that scenario will unfold exactly like that. But I sure as hell hope it will.
I don't see the RRRR anywhere, so here goes:
Was watching “Red Heat” this AM and saw the end. Set in Chicago. Belushi/Ahnold are watching TV in a bar and the Sox game is on. Harold flies out to left. Ozzie gets thrown out at 2B. Wearing the ’80’s unis. Good times.
Fire Ozzie!
Batting Dunn 5th in the order and letting him hit against lefties is lunacy. If this is “ALL IN” how about trying “ALL OUT”.
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