Game Recap. White Sox lose 5-0 to Rangers

The White Sox did not play a very good game today. They didn't score a single run and gave up 5, including three homers. The Sox end up losing the series 1-2.

The first few innings of the game were great pitching. The problem is that Floyd made three mistakes and all three of them were driven out of the park. The Rangers only scored one run that didn't come from a home run. After Floyd got out of the game, the bullpen was good. Nate Jones got to play in his first ever MLB game. His first two batters were a little shaky and he walked both, but then he got a double play and struck out Josh Hamilton. The thing that worries me most about this game is that Floyd didn't pitch well. If the White Sox want to be successful, Floyd has to pitch well.

The offense was a big problem in this game. Not a single player on the team had more than one hit. Everyone was equally bad. Konerko had two bad at bats today. Dunn didn't get a single hit and neither did Rios. Pierzynski really struggled today because for the entire game he had to face a left handed pitcher. I'm not sure why Ventura played him instead of Flowers against the lefty.

Right now everyone is to blame for this game. Neither pitching or offense was good and when neither is good,  it's hard to win games. The Sox should be able to get back on track against a team that's not as good in the upcoming series. They'll play the Indians in Cleveland next.

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 win 4-3

Alex Rios was the hero in last night's game against the Rangers. Yes, Alex Rios. This game was very promising because both Adam Dunn and Rios had good games. They are both much improved compared to last year already. Rios looks a lot more comfortable playing in right field and won't make as many errors this year.

The first few innings of the game were kind of rough. The Sox started off well by scoring in the first. The Rangers scored to tie it in the 2nd and then in the third they both scored 3 runs to keep it tied until Rios' ninth inning heroics.

Paul Konerko had a great game getting 3 RBIs. Adam Dunn was good again and scored a run. Morel still hasn't gotten a hit this season. For that reason, he won't be playing today.

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.

Series Preview. White Sox vs. Rangers

The White Sox start their season with a three game series against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers went to the World Series last year, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. They were one of the best teams in the AL last year and will probably be a challenge to beat this year.

The White Sox have basically the same look that they had last year. The big changes are the losses of Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin, and closer Sergio Santos.

The Rangers also have basically the same team as they did last year. They'll be looking to continue their dominance in the western division.

Game 1
John Danks vs. Colby Lewis


This will be an interesting matchup. This is Danks' first opening day start and first start as the ace of the Chicago White Sox. Hopefully nerves don't get the best of him and he can perform well. He'll need the offense to back him up, though.

Colby Lewis is one of the best pitchers in the league. The Sox will have to score a few runs off of him to insure that Danks can get the win.

I think the biggest factor in this game will be whether the White Sox bullpen shows up or not. If the bullpen is bad, they could lose this game for the Sox.

Game 2
Jake Peavy vs. Derek Holland


This should be an interesting game. It'll be interesting to see if Peavy can be the kind of pitcher that the Sox really need in the second spot of the order this year. He's been successful before and the Sox are hoping that he can be successful this year.

Holland is a good pitcher, but the White Sox offense can take advantage of him.

I think this game will be high-scoring and once again, the White Sox bullpen will be tested.

Game 3
Gavin Floyd vs. Matt Harrison 


I'm really looking forward to seeing Floyd pitch this year. He struggled last year, but has been pretty good in the past. I think he'll have a good season this year. He has a lot to play for and I hope he pitches up to his potential.

Matt Harrison won't be a tough challenge for the Sox, but they'll have to score quite a few runs to back up Floyd.

The big key in this game will be who's offense is better and scores more runs.

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.