John Danks Injury and What It Means for Sox

It was recently announced that what was believed to be just soreness in the shoulder was more than that. First it was declared as a grade 1 tear that would not require surgery. But most recently they are saying that it is not a tear, but only a strain. Danks will undergo rehab for the injury and will not be back very soon for the White Sox. So what does that mean for the White Sox and their pitching staff?

The White Sox already recently called up Dylan Axelrod and will probably send Zack Stewart down after a terrible start against the Cubs. Axelrod will be mainly the long reliever, but don't rule him out to get a start at some point. I personally think that Axelrod is much better than Zack Stewart, but my grandma is probably better than Stewart.

So that problem is solved, but no Danks leaves the rotation a little bare. Peavy and Sale have both been pitching great and will hopefully continue to do that. Quintana has been pitching well, but nobody knows how long that's going to last because he hasn't exactly been perfect. He's just been good enough. Floyd and Humber have both been struggling and neither will get taken out of the rotation like some have speculated about because Danks will be gone for so long. The White Sox rotation isn't going to be good is what I'm saying.

Without Danks, I think the White Sox will struggle. Being in first place probably won't last long unless the offense starts to play really well and it doesn't look like that will happen. Winning the division isn't out of the question, but a winning streak like earlier in the season won't happen again. They will have to fight to win every game and will have to play well against division opponents if they want a shot. If they can't do that, they are toast.

Weekly Links

As the blog is getting more and more active throughout the season, I decided to start a once a week link post. Basically giving you links to some of the things that I've read this week and some links on the White Sox action over the past week. 

• Konerko mania is going full blast right now especially after he hit his 400th homer in a White Sox uniform. Not only that, but he is floating around the .400 batting average mark which has gotten him a lot of press recently too. 
• Head over to Southside Showdown (a White Sox blog) to get a week in review of the entire AL Central. 
• Baseball Prospectus had a great article about the Indians and the difference between this year's hot start and last year's hot start. 
• Danks got sent to the DL this week, but should be back soon. For info on his trip, go here.
• South Side Sox, one of my favorite White Sox blogs, recently put out a great piece on Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko and how they compare to other 3-4 combinations in the league. 
• Everything you need to know about sabermetrics was put into a nice article by the ladies over at Aerys Sports. Check it out. 
• Last but not least, Snoop Dogg threw out the first pitch at the White Sox game on Thursday night. 

White Sox Pitching

Heading into this season, nobody thought that the White Sox pitching staff would be doing anything remarkable. Now that we are 45 games into the season, I think we can say that the White Sox rotation has gone above and beyond the expectations set before them at the beginning of the year. They may not be the most conventional group, but they each know how to get things done. As a team, the White Sox have a 3.88 ERA which is 18th in Major League Baseball. They aren't the best, but they are a unit that can get things done. At some times they can be inconsistent, but there are games when each and every one of these pitchers can shut a team down.

John Danks got a big extension this offseason and went into the season expected to be the ace of the staff. So far this season, he has not delivered in that role, but the recent announcement that he is headed to the DL for shoulder soreness could be the reason that he has been struggling. Looking at the past few seasons, fans can see that John Danks has the stuff and ability to get batters out and win games. He hasn't done that stuff yet this year, but he has the potential and if he is healthy then he can be the ace that everyone expected him to be at the beginning of the season. 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA is not what the Sox expected from their ace at the beginning of the year, but in the past two seasons he has ended with 8-12 4.33 ERA and 15-11 3.72 ERA. 2010 was his best year that he has ever had. Since then he has degressed, but his struggle the last two seasons has been understandable. If the conditions are right and he is healthy, Danks can be a successful ace for the White Sox.

Jake Peavy has been a great story this year. Ever since being traded to the White Sox, he hasn't had the same stuff as he did when he played for the Padres. This year is the one year where he has been pitching like he's back in San Diego. So far this season he is 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA. To prove my point that he hasn't pitched this way since he was playing in San Diego, go look at the stats. The last time that his ERA was close to what it is right now is his last season with the Padres. Peavy's comeback year is perfect timing for the White Sox because of the fact that Danks hasn't been the ace that the Sox needed him to be and because Floyd has been one of the most inconsistent pitchers I've ever seen. The Sox needed Peavy to step it up this season and he did just that in a very big way.

Gavin Floyd has been the biggest pitching disappointment for the White Sox this year. Every year, he has those starts when fans say "Hey, maybe this is the year that he'll figure everything out and finally be that guy." and then the next time he pitches, fans are swinging baseball bats at anything in swinging distance. Floyd can be the pitcher that the White Sox want, but he has to go out to every game he starts knowing that he can be that pitcher and he needs to execute every single time. The one thing that has been consistent is his bad ERA. Floyd hasn't had an ERA below 4.00 since 2008. He's going to need to be consistent and get better if he wants to stay in Chicago and stay as the 3rd starter in the rotation.

This is Chris Sale's first year as a starting pitcher and he has been the second best pitcher in the rotation this year. He has great stuff and many of the batters he faces haven't faced him yet, so he has that advantage over them. He was drafted to be in the Sox rotation and he has already accomplished that. His last start was a great showing of what he can do. He pitched well and got himself the win. I'm looking forward to the many years of Chris Sale as a White Sox starting pitcher to come.

Phil Humber is an odd case. He has games when he completely dominates the other team (perfect game) and he has games when he is just another pitcher in the rotation. I love him as the fifth pitcher of the rotation because he pitches well enough to be that guy and sometimes he pitches better than that guy has to which is a nice surprise when it happens. If the Sox can get a number one and number three guy, this rotation can be one of the best in the league. I like what Humber has done so far this season and it has been a reassurance that his breakout year last year was not a fluke and that Humber will be good for the Sox for years to come.

The White Sox rotation is not the best in the league, but it gets the job done. With a little maintenance, this rotation can be one of the best because they have some of the best pieces of a rotation. Each guy can give a quality start and with the help of the offense can win games. 

Series Preview. White Sox vs. Indians

The White Sox start a three game series against their division rival Indians today. This is a very important series because the Indians are leading the central right now and the White Sox are not that far behind them in the race. The Indians are a hot team coming off a sweep of the Tigers and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The White Sox are also hot as they are 7-3 in their last ten and just won a series against the Twins. This will be a tough series and will be a test for both teams in all three parts of the game. Whichever team wins the series will have a great advantage in the division heading forward.

Game 1
Jose Quintana (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (3-2 3.19 ERA)

Jose Quintana will get his first major league start because John Danks was recently put on the DL for having shoulder soreness. In AA, he pitched 35.1 innings and had a 3.06 ERA, 26 Ks, and 11 BBs. He made his big league debut in the bullpen for the White Sox and will now have a chance for his first start. Nobody knows whether or not he will have a good start, but the White Sox can hope that he comes out confident and by having stuff that none of the players have seen, he can fool some of their batters.

Gomez has been pretty good recently. In his last three starts he is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA. He had a pretty strong start against the Marlins on Saturday and hasn't allowed a run in his last 16 innings. The last time that he pitched against the Sox, he gave up 6 runs in one inning. His pitching could go either way against the Sox and if players like Konerko, De Aza, and Rios keep up their hot streaks the White Sox can easily win this game.

The key to this game will be whether or not Quintana has the stuff to beat a major league team. The White Sox offense will have to back him up by scoring quite a few runs, but I think the Sox have a great shot to win this game.

Game 2
Jake Peavy (5-1 2.39 ERA) vs. Derek Lowe (6-2 2.15 ERA)
Jake Peavy has probably been the best pitching story of the year. He had a terrible year last year and came back this year and is dominating teams. He isn't up to the level he was when he won the Cy Young, but he is doing a great job being the second pitcher in this rotation. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 16 strikeouts. If he continues to pitch like he has previously, he gives the Sox a great chance to win this game.

Derek Lowe has pitched well this season and recently. He's had two quality starts in a row, one in which he pitched a complete game shutout. In his last three, he is 2-1 with a 2.71 ERA and 5 Ks. He'll be a tough test for the White Sox offense, but since they are so hot recently that challenge might not be a challenge at all. In 64.2 innings pitched against the White Sox he has a losing record at 1-2 and has 3.34 ERA and 43 strikeouts. The White Sox haven't really struggled against him and if they can score 3-5 runs, they can win the game easily.

Game 3
Gavin Floyd (3-5 4.66 ERA) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (5-3 5.02 ERA)
Floyd has been Mr. Inconsistent this year having a good start and then the next time he goes out, he is horrendous. If Floyd has one of his good starts, the White Sox have a good chance. If Floyd has a bad start it kills the entire team's momentum and they will probably lose.

Jimenez is having an alright year. He has a winning record, but his ERA isn't something to get worked up about. The same story goes for his last three starts (he is 2-1 with a 7.16 ERA). The White Sox will be able to score runs against him, but the key to winning will be stopping the Indians offense from backing him up like they have done so far this year.

Story of the Week
Paul Konerko is the story of the week for the White Sox. He has been extremely hot and is on a 10 game hitting streak. He leads the team in almost every hitting statistic and might even have a shot at MVP if he keeps hitting like he is. Right now he is .384/.462/.649 with 10 HR which is quite impressive and is obviously leading the team. In the last week he is batting .615 with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs which is the reason he is the story of the week.

Series Prevew. White Sox vs. Indians

The White Sox will get almost no rest after their loss to the Rangers before they have to play the Indians in Cleveland. The White Sox didn't play very well against the Rangers, but Cleveland is not as good as the Rangers and I think the Sox have a good shot at winning this series. Right now, the Indians have the same record as the Sox, but the White Sox are going into Cleveland looking to change that.

The bottom half of the rotation will pitch for the Sox, but I expect them to do well. The Indians don't have a high powered offense nor do they have a dominant pitching staff. The White Sox can get their offense going against Cleveland and use that momentum in the series after this one against Detriot.

Game 1
Chris Sale vs. Josh Tomlin
I'm expecting Chris Sale to have a good start. He was good all through spring training and I think he'll carry that over into the regular season. He's ready to be a starting pitcher and he'll prove that today. The Indians won't be too tough of a test, but Sale will still have to work hard to get the W.

The White Sox offense should be able to take advantage of Tomlin. He isn't a well-known pitcher and I think the White Sox offense is capable of scoring enough runs to win this game.

This game will be tough because the Sox don't have much rest coming off the loss to Texas yesterday. They can still win this game if Sale pitches well and they score a couple runs, but I think this might be the one game of the series that they lose.

Game 2
Philip Humber vs. Justin Masterson 
Humber was excellent last year, especially in the first half of the season. If he can start the season off the right way in his first start, I think he gives the Sox a good chance to win. If he has 7 solid innings of good pitching, the Sox will win because I'm very confident in the bottom half of the bullpen.

Masterson is a good pitcher, but the White Sox can beat him. This will be a tougher test than Tomlin, but the Sox offense can take momentum from that game into this game.

I think the Sox will score just enough runs to back Humber up and help him get his first win of the season from his first start of the season.

Game 3
John Danks vs. Jeanmar Gomez
I'm expecting Danks to have another good start like he did in Texas on opening day. He wasn't fortunate enough to get the win from that game because he was not backed up by his offense. The story of Danks not getting a win early in the season can't happen again this year. The offense will have to back him up.

Gomez won't be too tough a challenge for the White Sox offense. If they can get some runs early in the game and just keep building, they can win this game. Offense is very important in this game because the offense never backs up Danks and will need to in this game.

I see Danks having a quality start, and I think the White Sox offense will step up and back Danks up. Danks will get his first win of the season as the White Sox win the series.


I think the Sox can actually sweep the Indians in this series. If they do so, that would be a big improvement and the Sox would have a 4-2 start. If the Sox don't sweep, I think they'll win 2 out of the 3. I don't see the Sox only one of these games.

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 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.

Chicago White Sox Year In Review

As the new year is coming soon, I thought I'd look back at the past year for the White Sox and comment about everything that happened. It was an interesting and disappointing year for White Sox fans.

The first thing that I remember from last year is the Sox resigning both Konerko and AJ Pierzynski. This was probably the most important signing of the offseason for the Sox. Konerko is the captain and is the most important player on the Sox. He shows up every day and does whatever he can to make the Sox win. He has been the White Sox MVP for the past 5 seasons. Signing AJ was also key for the White Sox. He is one of the most dependable catchers in Major League Baseball. Up until this season, he had never been on the disabled list. He's tough and a great catcher. He can also hit the ball well. His age is showing, but signing him was very important and made fans very happy before the season even started.

The next thing was spring training. Trying to figure out who will be on the team and who won't. Lastings Milledge looked like a keeper, but coaches thought different and kept him down all year. This turned out to be right.

The season started exactly as White Sox fans expected with a big win over the Indians. Adam Dunn and what was supposed to be an explosive offense scored 15 runs. Even though pitching gave up 10 runs, the offense outshadowed it and that's what fans expected. It turned out to be the opposite as the season went on.

John Danks couldn't buy a win in the early part of the season despite pitching good games in and out. The run support became a big problem for the Sox, especially when Danks was on the mound. Once he got his first win, it was more noticable that he was actually having a great season. This helped earn him a contract extension this summer. The slow start would prove to be a problem throughout the year for the White Sox offense. This was one of the biggest disappointments during the 2011 season.

Next was the campaign to get Konerko to the all-star game by voting him in for the final vote. The campaign went well and Konerko was elected to the game. Only Quentin and Konerko made it to the all-star game from the White Sox, which the AL lost.

The season went on and more disappointment happened. The White Sox failed to score runs and pitching wasn't as good as it should have been. Peavy remained injured on and off for most of the season. Humber was a nice surpise leading the Sox in ERA all year. It was easy to see that the White Sox had a lot of things to fix over the offseason.

Ozzie Guillen and Greg Walker were both fired, as they should have been. Robin Ventura was hired as the new manager for the White Sox. Fans hope that he can do better than the last ex-player manager.

The final part of this year that is memorable is Mark Buehrle signing somewhere outside of Chicago. He was deep in the hearts of many White Sox fans and will remain there for years. Even though he is wearing a different jersey now, White Sox fans will always love him for what he did in a White Sox jersey. The no-hitter, perfect game, winning a World Series game, saving a World Series game, and being the ace the White Sox needed. Not to mention the great fielding plays including the through the legs play last year. There aren't many words to describe how near and dear Mark Buehrle was in the hearts and minds of Sox fans, but he will always be remembered. It was great to have someone like him on the White Sox and I hope he does well in Miami and continues to be great. To fill the Buehrle void, John Danks signed a big contract and will probably be the ace next year as he is already scheduled to start opening day.

2011 was an interesting year for the White Sox to say the least. It could've been better, but it could've been worse too. There's a lot of improvement needed and hopefully 2012 is better than 2011 was.

Danks Signs 5 Year 65 Million Contract

Quite a few sources have said that John Danks signed a new deal with the White Sox, signing for 5 years and 65 million dollars. My first reaction to this signing was extreme surprise, because that is a lot of money. Slowly, I convinced myself that it was a smart move. There are a couple reasons that I think this is a smart and reasonable move. 

The first reason is because John Danks has done nothing but good since he has been a White Sox player. Last year, he didn't have many wins, but that was because he got absolutely zero run support. In his five years with the Sox he has only had one year with an ERA above 5.00 and that was his first year. Since then he hasn't had an ERA above 4.33. His average ERA is 4.03. Year after year he has shown that he can be a top of the rotation pitcher. By giving this deal, they are showing him that they trust him in big games and they want him to have a big role on the team. 

The second reason is because this is probably the money that the Sox were going to give Buehrle. I think Danks is a better long term investment. I was reluctant to admit this during the Buehrle sweepstakes, because Buehrle is beloved and I didn't want to see him go. Looking at both pitchers, I would rather have Danks in five years than Buehrle. Danks is younger and is basically a copy of Buehrle. So, we got Danks for longer and cheaper than the Marlins got Buehrle. I think that's a win for the Sox. 

The third reason that I love this deal is because it shows that the White Sox think they have found their ace. By giving Danks such a large deal, the White Sox showed that they are confident in Danks and that they want him to be there for awhile and be an important part of the team. I love this because until now, the rotation was a big question mark. Now Sox fans know for sure who will be starting on opening day.

So before you freak out about the Sox spending the Buehrle money on a guy like Danks, think it over. Danks is just like Buehrle, but younger and maybe better. We all loved Buehrle, but it was time to say goodbye. Say hello to the new ace, John Danks.

Game Preview. White Sox vs Yankees Game 2

First I want to say sorry for not having a preview or recap yesterday. I was actually with a friend. Now I'm back to being a loser blogger.

From what I've heard, I should be happy that I didn't have to experience the White Sox game last night. Hopefully they turn that around today as they look to even the series by sending out the following guys.

Juan Pierre LF, Omar Vizquel 3B, Carlos Quentin DH, Adam Dunn 1B, Alexei Ramirez SS, AJ Pierzynski C, Alex Rios CF, Alejandro De Aza RF, Gordon Beckham 2B

John Danks is on the mound today for the Sox and looks to continue pitching well. He has done well in his last few starts. If he pitches well tonight, the Sox have a good chance to win this game.

The Yankees lineup is:

Derek Jeter SS, Curtis Granderson CF, Mark Teixeira 1B, Robinson Cano 2B, Nick Swisher RF, Andruw Jones DH, Russel Martin C, Eduardo Nunez 3B, Brett Gardner LF

Phil Hughes is pitching for the Yankees and by looking at his numbers, he has not been very good this season. If the Sox can score some runs off of him, that would be great.

This is a game that the White Sox can win. If Danks pitches well, and the Sox manage to score a couple runs of Hughes they can get the win. Danks has been good lately and Hughes hasn't. I just hope that continues through tonight and the White Sox get the win.

Series Preview. White Sox vs. Yankees

This is a big four game series against the Yankees. The Sox really need to win or tie this series so they can stay in the race for their division. That will be tough, because the Yankees are a good team.

The Yankees are 7-3 in their last ten, while the Sox are only .500 in their last ten. New York is obviously the hotter team, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have a better chance to win.

Game 1
CC Sabathia (15-5 2.56 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (4-4 5.27 ERA)

Peavy's last three starts have been terrible. He is 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA and 13 Ks. He looks to improve those numbers this series.

CC Sabathia has been good in his last three starts going 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 30 Ks. He has been dominant all season and these numbers are just proof that he hasn't slowed down.

This game seems like an obvious loss to me. Peavy and Sabathia is a giant mis-match. Peavy has been terrible lately while CC has been one of the best pitchers in the league all year. The White Sox offense doesn't look like it will be able to hit off this guy. Konerko is not in the lineup thanks to getting hit yesterday and that is just another reason to predict a loss. Who knows, the Sox might surprise me and somehow win.

Game 2
Phil Hughes (1-3 8.24 ERA) vs John Danks (4-8 3.79 ERA)

Hughes hasn't been good all season and especially not in his last three starts. He is 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA and 11 Ks.

Danks has been a lot better in his more recent starts going 1-0 with a 0.61 ERA and 18 Ks in his last three starts. Hopefully he continues to pitch well and gets himself another win.

This game can easily be won by the White Sox. Konerko could hopefully be back and Hughes isn't a very good pitcher. They can score some runs off of him and Danks will probably pitch well as he has been doing lately.

Game 3
AJ Burnett (8-9 4.23 ERA) vs Gavin Floyd (9-9 3.96 ERA)

Burnett has not been good in his last three starts going 0-2 with a 4.74 ERA and 20 Ks. Maybe the Sox can take advantage of that and score some runs off of him.

Floyd has been fantastic in his last three starts going 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA and 16 Ks. Hopefully he keeps it up and gets himself another win to get over .500.

This is another game that the Sox can easily win. Burnett has not been good lately and Floyd has been on fire. If Floyd pitches another great game, the Sox should easily win.

Game 4
Bartolo Colon (8-6 3.30 ERA) vs Philip Humber (8-7 3.44 ERA)

Colon has been pretty good in his last three starts going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 19 Ks.

Humber has not been himself lately and the numbers show that. In his last three starts he is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA and 14 Ks.

Hopefully Humber stops his nonsense in this game and the Sox can get a win and win the series. Colon has been pretty good, but hasn't been consistant this year. If Humber has a good start and Colon has a bad one, the Sox can win.

Overall, if the Sox win 2 of these games I will be happy. They have the chance to win 3 games and win the series, but the Yankees are pretty good and I don't know if they can really pull of winning 3 of the games.

Series Recap. Sox take 2/3 from Tigers

This series against the Tigers was viewed as a very important series. The Sox played well all three games. They were very close to getting a sweep.

The first game was a very good game for the Sox. Buehrle was solid, like he always is and the offense preformed well. It was a great start to the series and put the Sox 3.5 back from first place.

The second game was going to be tough. With Justin Verlander on the mound, the Sox had to have very good pitching so that the few runs the Sox did happen to score would win the game. Adam Dunn did hit a home run, but in the end the Sox' effort was enough to win the game. The Sox fell back to being 4.5 games out of first place.

The third game was crucial. This series was a series the Sox needed to win. The De Aza call-up paid off as he hit the home run in the second inning that would win the game. Danks was solid and got his 4th win.

Overall, the series was a good series. The Sox almost swept. After looking good in the Cleveland series, this is a good sign. Hopefully the White Sox can beat the Red Sox in this coming series.

Game Recap. Sox win 2-1

Alejandro De Aza was called up to replace Alex Rios for awhile. I figured he would play well, but wouldn't be great. I was wrong. In the second inning he hit a two run home run. Those are the only runs that the Sox would score, but also the only ones they would need. De Aza also made an amazing play in the field. Pretty good for his first day in the big leagues this season. I hope to see more of him soon and hopefully this helps Rios know that he has to hustle.

John Danks pitched very well today. He got himself into quite a few jams, but managed to get out of them. He pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits and one run. That one run was an Austin Jackson home run. He got his 4th win of the season and now has a 4-8 record.

Chris Sale pitched 2.2 innings giving up no hits and striking out three before Sergio Santos came into the game to get the one out save. That save was Santos' 21 of the season.

A good game for the White Sox. The pitching was great again and the bullpen was lights out.