Last week, we started filling out the Official South Side Sox all star ballot by selecting our first basemen. Only three guys received votes in the American League, with 67 percent of them going to our very own Paul Konerko. Adrian Gonzalez finished 2nd with 19 percent of the vote and Miguel Cabrera earned the bronze with 17 percent. In the National League, Joey Votto takes the victory with 50 percent. Prince Fielder finished 2nd with 16 percent and Albert Pujols had 10 percent. Ryan Howard (9%), Gaby Sanchez (6%) Brandon Belt, Juan Miranda, Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton (2 % each), also received votes.
This week we move on to the 2nd basemen. Here is the 2nd base ballot. Again, vote early, vote often.
Not to rain on the Captains victory parade, but he has not been very good of late. Konerko has gone 7-45 in his last 12 games, with 3 of those hits coming last Saturday. He hasn't homered since May 14th. Hopefully he shakes it off soon because we will not be making any kind of major move in the standings without him hitting like he has the past season and a half- especially without any production from Adam Dunn and Alex Rios.
I am starting to sound like a broken record, but Adam Dunn and Alex Rios have still been terrible. Dunn is hitting .186 and has been dropped to 7th in the lineup, which doesn't do him any good in my opinion. With him hitting 7th, he will get absolutely nothing to hit (as evidence by his 4 walks last evening). While he might get on base a lot more often, it isn't going to do much good because there is nobody to drive him in behind him. In order to compete we need him hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That is why he got the big money. Start doing it.
Rios is hitting .202 and continues to hover around the Mendoza line. While Juan Pierre has been the guy to receive most of the criticism, Rios has been much worse with the bat. Pierre has raised his average to .275, and while its a pretty empty .275, its better than Rios' empty .202.
So far, we are 2-3 on this dreaded road trip. It would be nice to go 3-2 over the final 5 games to come home .500 on the trip, but we will have to play very well to do that. Especially now that, to quote Lee Elia, Boston is "hotter than shit". The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 10 and 4 in a row. They have taken over first from the Yankees after their putrid start to the season and Carl Crawford is starting to heat up. Winning one there will be a challenge, so we need to take the last two from the Blue Jays.
Gordon Beckham got nailed in the eye with a throw from Alex Rios last night, which is kind of unfortunate because he was seemingly getting things going. Beckham was 8-22 (.363) this past week and has looked better at the plate than he has since the beginning of the season. It is not known yet whether or not he will be DL'd because of it, but he will most likely miss a couple of games at least as Ozzie Guillen stated "he looked like he fought Pacquiao". In my opinion, the injury cost us a little bit already. During the top of the 9th, Jose Molina ripped a single to right past a diving Omar Vizquel. Call me crazy, but I think Beckham makes that play and keeps it a 3-2 game.
The Sox are getting great starting pitching and still can't put together much of a winning streak. You can't continue to waste good performances like Gavin Floyd's on Wednesday. Sooner or later, the pitching will hit a bump in the road, and in true White Sox fashion it will probably come just as the offense starts to heat up.