Series Recap. White Sox win 2/3 against Twins

The White Sox had a tough series, but ended up winning 2 out of the 3 games. The first game was the worst of the entire series, but the only game that was even close to easy was the second game. The pitching by the White Sox was not stellar in the series, but Chris Sale did have a great start in the second game.

The power from the White Sox was the biggest story of the entire series. The players that hit home runs this series are Beckham, Rios (2), Konerko (2), Pierzynski, De Aza, and Viciedo. The power was especially helpful to the White Sox in their win in the third game of the series as they came back in the 6th after their terrible 5th inning.

The Indians swept the Tigers, so the White Sox did not gain any ground in the central division race. The Sox will have a great chance to do that though as they are going to play a three game series against the Indians starting tomorrow.

Game Preview. White Sox vs. Indians

The White Sox go from Texas to Cleveland without a day of rest as they play the Indians today. This might be a small problem because of the little rest, but I'm sure manager Robin Ventura has them ready to play today. Playing the Indians shouldn't be as much of a struggle as playing the Rangers was, but who knows because the White Sox weren't exactly stellar against division opponents last year.

Chris Sale is on the mound for the White Sox making his first Major League start. If he can control his pitches and not leave that slider hanging, he'll have a good game. During spring training, he looked like one of the best pitchers on the staff and he'll hopefully keep that going into the regular season today against the Indians.

The White Sox offense will need to back Sale up with a few runs. They had big troubles with runners in scoring position against Texas and need to do a better job of bringing those guys home in this series and game. Brent Morel, who is still without a hit, will probably start today and will hopefully get on track against the Indians. Rios and Dunn have been pretty good so far and they'll look to continue that. Konerko is solid as he always is. De Aza and Beckham haven't really gotten it going yet this season, so I'll look to them to have big games. Neither Pierzynski nor Flowers have been great at the plate so far, but whoever is playing today will hopefully get a base hit or two and get on track for the season.

The White Sox can win this game if Sale pitches well. The offense will have to score some runs because I don't think Sale will shut them out. The short rest could hurt the White Sox, but this game is still winnable for the Sox.

Series Recap. Sox take 1/3 from Rangers

The first series of this season did not go the way the White Sox would have wanted, but I think they played well against one of the better teams in the American League. The Rangers came ready and they were good. The White Sox had to struggle and play a really good game just to beat them once. It was a good series and other than a few mistakes in the last game, the Sox were pretty close with the Rangers.

Opening Day didn't go the White Sox' way for the first five innings, but managed to score a run thanks to Dunn and his home run. (Wow, there was a lot of rhyming in that sentence). They scored another run that inning driven in by Alexei. For a first game it wasn't bad, but Danks could have used a little bit more run support. It's not fun losing when the other team only scores three runs.

The second game was by the far the White Sox best game. Peavy pitched well and only gave up 3 runs on 8 hits. Not bad for a guy that was a big question mark coming into the season. The offense played well, mostly led by Paul Konerko who drove in 3 of the 4 runs that the Sox scored. Only four players actually recorded a hit, but the offense seemed to be doing fine. The Sox did just enough to win the game thanks to the home run hit by Rios in the ninth inning.

The third game was not good at all for the White Sox. They didn't play good offense and Floyd didn't pitch a very good game. The Rangers came ready to hit Floyd's fastball and they sure did hit it. The Rangers had three home runs and scored 5 runs off Floyd. The bullpen did pitch well and fans got a nice taste of what Nate Jones can do. There were positives in this game, but the most important thing it did was point out the weaknesses in the team.

The story of this series was the White Sox continued struggles with runners in scoring position. In the second game, it wasn't as much of a problem as the Sox were 2-4 in that game with RISP. In the other two games they were 0-7 and 0-8, respectively. They aren't going to win games if they keep leaving runners on second and third with one or less outs. They have to get better at getting clutch base hits and bringing runners home. That's the key to this offense.

Game Preview. White Sox vs. Rangers Game 3

The White Sox aim to win the series today against the Rangers after tying the series last night thanks to the Alex Rios solo shot in the the ninth.

Eduardo Escobar will start in place of Brent Morel today. I like this change because Morel hasn't been good and because Ventura is being smart. He has said that he wants to get everyone in during one of the two first series.

This is what separates Ventura and Ozzie. Ventura knows that guys can't sit on the bench forever. He'll need more than one guy at certain positions and you can't expect a guy that has been sitting on the bench for six or seven days to just play a good game.

The White Sox can win this game as long as Floyd pitches well and the Sox get some runs early. Beckham hitting in the 2 hole could change things a little. He could either not play well or he could flourish in that spot. I like Ventura testing him there because if he does hit well there, he's a great 2 spot hitter.

Game Recap. White Sox lose 3-2 to Rangers

The White Sox did not start their season is a good way as they lost to the Rangers on Opening Day. There was both good and bad in this game, but the bad overshadows the good because the Sox lost. If the Sox had won, like they should've, I think fans would be excited for the rest of the season.

Let's take a look at the good. Adam Dunn absolutely crushed the ball in the 6th inning. He now holds the record for most opening day homeruns. He did have an opening day homer last year, so let's not get too excited about that at the moment. Later in the sixth, Rios got hit by a pitch and then Alexei Ramirez hit a double. This allowed Rios to score from first with some nifty baserunning. It was the best inning the Sox have had all year (hardy-har-har) and it showed that Alex Rios and Adam Dunn might just turn it around this year. John Danks was good in the innings he pitched, but it's the same story for him. No run support, so he gets the loss.

The bad things in this game are numerous. The first thing is that the White Sox offense was invisible until the 6th inning and invisible after. Konerko was the best batter of the day going 2 for 4 (big surprise). Two White Sox batters did not record a single hit (Morel and Rios). Lillibridge also did not record a hit, but didn't have a single at-bat. Dunn was 1 for 3 while the rest of the team was 1 for 4. If the White Sox want to win, they have to score runs. Right now they're not doing that. Opening Day last year was more promising than this year (the Sox scored 15 runs).

The biggest problem today was the strikeouts. Morel and Beckham combined for a total of seven strikeouts. Morel also had an error in the field. This troubles me because getting a new hitting coach was supposed to help fix the problems in the offense especially in the young guys like Morel and Beckham. If they aren't going to hit this year, the White Sox have a problem. When only half of the infield is hitting, the team isn't going to do well. I'm anxious to see how long it takes Ventura to put Escobar in for one of those two players. Right now, that's the only solution, and I think it might work.

There was good and bad in today's game. The White Sox could have won, but they didn't. They have to move on and get ready to play the Rangers again tomorrow. They have a lot to improve, but I still think they can have a good season.

Game Preview. White Sox vs. Rangers (Opening Day!)

The White Sox open against the Rangers today. It should be a good game and a good test of how well Danks will pitch in his first year as the ace for the White Sox. Lewis is a very good pitcher too. This should be a good pitchers duel.

The White Sox offense will have its first tough test of the year in their first game. If Rios, Dunn, and Beckham can all have a good game and good seasons, I think the Sox are a team to be afraid of.

The Rangers offense is pretty scary. They have Hamilton and others that are good hitters and will be a tough matchup for Danks in his first start of the season.

If the White Sox can score some runs to back up Danks, I think he can get the win. The bullpen will need to hold the lead after Danks leaves, which might be trouble. It will be interesting to see who Ventura has decided is the closer for the Sox this year.

2012 Chicago White Sox Preview

The Chicago White Sox start their season today against the Texas Rangers. By just looking at the White Sox roster, I’d say that most people expect them to be 3^rd or 4^th in the division. I’m here to say that I disagree. I don’t disagree because I’m a White Sox fan with false hope that thinks that every year is going to be “the year”.

I think this season could be one of the better seasons in White Sox history, or it could be just another season near the bottom of the division. If you remember back to 2005, the White Sox weren’t expected to win the division and have the great season they had. They were a bunch of misfits with a lot of question marks that somehow came together and won a ton of games and the World Series. Take a look at the Cardinals last year. Did anyone except for maybe a few stupid Cardinals fans expect them to win the World Series? I don’t think so. You see, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies aren’t going to win just because they’re the favorites and because ESPN buffs them up to look big. The team that you don’t expect to win actually wins sometimes.

I’m not saying that I think the White Sox are going to win the World Series this year, but I think they can be a lot better than people expect. They’re picked by most “insiders and analysts” to be 4^th or 5^th in the division. Too bad this division is like no other division in baseball. Every single year all five of the teams have a shot at it because there isn’t a dominant team. This year the Tigers are picked to win it, which means that it’s almost certain they won’t win it. They have big Prince Fielder. I seem to recall another team in the AL Central that signed a big hitter from the national league and planned to have him save their team’s offense. I don’t think that signing worked out too well. The Tigers have no pitching other than Verlander. The Twins have injury problems and don’t have great pitching. The Indians have Ubaldo Jimenez who will hit anyone that he doesn’t like, so the White Sox should probably watch out for him. The Royals have a ton of good prospects that are growing up. I think the team to be most afraid of in this division is the Royals or the White Sox.

Before fans start throwing in the towel for this year’s season, watch a couple games and see how it goes. The White Sox aren’t going to be as bad as they seem. If things go their way, they can be one of the best teams in the AL Central and maybe get a chance in the playoffs. 

Blind Optimism

Right now, every White Sox fan is probably going crazy. Buehrle is gone, Kenny hasn't made any big moves, and there are probably more players on their way out the door. There's not a lot of positives going through the fanbase right now, but why not? I think there are some things to be positive about.

The first is that despite losing Buehrle, the Sox still have a rotation that can do some damage. With the new manager and basically all-new coaching staff, things are going to be turned around. If Beckham, Rios, and Dunn can all have average years, the White Sox offense will be dangerous. If rookie outfielders Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza can preform, the offense will be even better.

Yes, these are all hypothetical, but lets look at the last time the White Sox won the world series. 2005. The first thought is probably that that team was perfect in chemistry on and off the field and this team has nothing to do with that one, but you're wrong. Before the start of the 2005 season the White Sox were picked to finish fourth in the division and had a lot of ifs on their team. Their entire pitching staff was a giant if and nobody knew if the offense would be as good as it was. The 2005 season also started with a brand new manager. You see, the similarities are endless.

Let us also look at last year's World Series Champion, the St. Louis Cardinals. Did anyone honestly pick them to win the World Series other than some meatball Cardinals fan? No. They fought hard and won series after series. They weren't a stacked team with a rotation like Philadelphia, they were just an average team that knew how to win games. So who says that the White Sox can't win the World Series this year?

I feel like the season is over.

I've tried to be optimistic about this season. I want to believe that the White Sox can pull of some miraculous comeback and actually win the division and maybe go somewhere in the playoffs. Right now, I just don't see that happening in even the wildest scenario.

This team was supposed to be good. The great starting pitching combined with the hitting that Rios, Dunn, Konerko, Beckham, and Quentin were supposed to provide was going to make them a genuine threat in the American League. Well three of those players that were supposed to supply offense have not. Sure, Beckham is great in the field and I love him to death, but he has been terrible at the plate. Dunn has not lived up to the expectations at all and Rios doesn't even care about the game. He jogs to pick up the ball and can't hit for nothing at the the plate.

The team hasn't lived up to the expectations and the season is basically over. I don't see this team pulling off a dramatic winning streak and winning the division. I can't see that happening with how awful the offense has been. I will still watch this team and I will still love them next year, but I can't continue to write positive things and say that everything is going to be okay.

The White Sox start a series against the Twins today. The Sox have been terrible against the Twins and will probably continue that in this series, but who knows maybe they'll manage to win a game or two against them.

Game Recap. White Sox lose 10-2

This is probably going to be the worst thing I ever write. I don't really care. I need to rant about how Alex Rios doesn't try and how Ozzie basically gave up on this game. Don't try to tell me that it's just one game or that the Sox will be fine. I don't think so. This game was just an example of what is probably to come. Sure, the Sox were the best team after the All-Star break before the game today, but when I watch games like this I want to puke.

That Rios play was just terrible. Sure, he hasn't been hustling in the outfield and acts like he doesn't give a shit that the Sox are actually contending and need him to hit but this took it to a new level. Not even in little league do people score from first on a single to center field. That is just ridiculous.

Adam Dunn was batting .168 going into this game. That is TERRIBLE. I can't even explain how bad of an average that is. I want to whack something with a baseball bat every time I see his average.

Then, today in the 9th inning. That was basically the worst managed inning of all-time. First, Ozzie decides to keep Bruney in even though he is usually a one inning pitcher. He gives up a two run shot, Ozzie keeps him in, he gives up another homerun, Ozzie keeps him in, he gives up more runs, Ozzie keeps him in. Finally, Bruney was replaced by Thornton and he got out of the inning. Instead of being down 3 runs with a slight chance of winning, the Sox were down 8 runs without almost zero chance. Then, Ozzie just gave up. He pinch hit De Aza for Konerko for no reason and then pinch hit Lillibridge for Quentin for no reason. Lillibridge did get a hit, but either way. Why are you pinch hitting for the two players that have actually hit lately.

Sorry for anyone that read that and was hoping I would actually talk about the good things like my two favorite players Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham getting homeruns.

Jackson and Teahen Traded, De Aza Called Up

Today has been a busy day for the White Sox. Last night De Aza was pulled from his game in Charlotte and was sent to Chicago. Nobody was certain whether he was going to be used in a trade or if he was being called up. We learned today that he was called up and will start in place of Alex Rios in center field. I like this move. Rios needed to sit for awhile. He wasn't playing well at the plate or in the field. De Aza should provide a little more hustle in the field and should be able to provide a little offense. He can't be worse than Rios, so I like this move a lot.

The other move that was made was that Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen were traded to Toronto for Jason Frasor, a reliever, and Zack Stewart, a pitching prospect. When I first saw this trade, I didn't like it at all. Now that I think about it more and more, I don't think it's that bad of a trade. Frasor has a good ERA and should be a good addition to our solid bullpen. Stewart isn't a great prospect, but our farm system is very good for churning out pitchers so I trust that the Sox' system will make him a better pitcher that we can either use in a trade next year or make him someone that will be ready to move up to the big leagues in a few years.

I never liked the Edwin Jackson trade. Daniel Hudson has a lot of potential and I didn't want to see that go. I felt like Kenny Williams saw that Jackson had a no-hitter and thought he was a fantastic pitcher. In reality, Jackson isn't a great pitcher. He throws too many pitches, has terrible control, and always gives up too many runs in the beginning of the game. I'm glad he's gone.

I didn't really like the Mark Teahen trade either. I thought the Sox gave up too much. I liked Getz and thought he could be a good 2B for the Sox for a long time. Now the Sox have Beckham playing second and he plays it beautifully. I'm happier with this trade now, but Teahen was being payed too much money. The Sox needed to get rid of that contract. I liked the way that Teahen had been playing. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't great. He was good to put in when Morel wasn't playing well. Now Morel has the reins at third base. I think he can handle it.

Overall, I think this trade was good. The Sox got some pitching and got rid of the guys they needed to get rid of. I also like the calling up of De Aza. I look forward to seeing him play tonight. Hopefully he'll get a couple hits.