With each passing day and the regular season drawing closer, the White Sox seem to be facing more questions.
Will Dustin Hermanson ever pitch again? -- Hermanson received the second of his scheduled three epidurals on Tuesday. He's been throwing on the side at about 60-75% without any pain, but that's not much encouragement. Hermanson supposedly only feels pain when pitching in game action, so there's no way to know if he's progressing at all right now. Even if he does make a full recovery, he figures to start the year on the DL. He is scheduled for his first real test since his setback when he pitches against the Mariners on Friday.
Is Scott Podsendik still on his honeymoon? -- No, surprisingly, Podsednik is in camp, and will travel with the team for their upcoming Cactus League road trip. He is penciled into the line-up for his first game action since March 6th tomorrow.
Is Bobby Jenks off the wagon? -- Who knows, but he certainly isn't pitching with any sense of urgency in Tucson. That's a bit understandable, considering the last time he was on the mound in a game that counted was while recording the final out of the White Sox first World Series title in 88 years. But Jenks has been bad. Really bad. He's topping out in the low-to-mid 90's and is throwing two balls for every strike.
Who's the closer when Jenks is off filming the next episode of Celebrity Fit Club? -- Left-hander Neal Cotts looks to be Guillen's choice, with Cotts even throwing the final inning Wednesday. Cotts has breezed through most of his outings this spring. Ozzie is clearly thinking ahead, so we should probably do the same.
What about Jim Thome's health? -- He won't be playing first base anytime soon, but he should be ready to go on Opening Night. Regarding the decision to stay in Tucson while the rest of the team goes on a three day road trip, Thome sounded a bit like Rainman.
Did Jose Contreras' arm turn to dust yet? -- Reports from Tuscon since Contreras initially went down with pain in his elbow have been resoundingly positive. The Sox have been taking it slow with him, and have not allowed to throw from the 3/4ths delivery that helped him become so effective last season. He is still scheduled to throw on Saturday, but will be held back in Tuscon to pitch in a minor league game instead of traveling to face the Giants.
Is Iguchi headed back to the #2 hole? -- At least for the remainder of spring training, it appears that way. I was a strong supporter of giving Juan Uribe a shot at hitting second, but I've been underwhelmed by his approach at the plate so far this spring. Combine that with Iguchi's dismal showing so far in Arizona, and it's time to shake things up just for the sake of shaking things up. Guillen says he'll make a decision about the batting order at the conclusion of camp.
Boone Logan? -- Yep. Boone. Logan.
Can Don Cooper fix Matt Thornton? -- Time will tell. Meanwhile, I've got this little ditty running through my head.