Comings and Goings

With the trade deadline approching, the White Sox are becoming a major player in the festivities. On Sunday they acquired Sandy Alomar, Jr. for the third time. Alomar was acquired for RHP BJ Lamura with Chris Widger being designated for assignment. On Monday they aquired Kansas City Royals closer Mike MacDougal. The hard throwing Scottsmen cost the Sox Tyler Lumsden and Daniel Cortes. Sean Tracey was designated for assignment to make room for MacDougal. There are also rumors of an impending trade of Brandon McCarthy to Washington for OF Alfonso Soriano.

Alomar replaces the light-hitting Widger due more to pitching than hitting. Yes, Alomar is hitting over .300. However, a catcher's primary responsibility is to handle his team's pitchers, and White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper has said that Widger has failed to attend staff meetings before series. Alomar, on the other hand, is a professional, nineteen year veteran. He should be an improvement over Widger, and White Sox pitching will benefit from his presence.

MacDougal could be the key aquisition for the Sox this July. He throws over 100 MPH with a wicked slider. The trouble with MacDougal has been his health, but he only has to stay healthy for half a season to benefit the Sox. The presence of MacDougal and Bobby Jenks will force teams to beat the Sox in seven innings. They have little chance of scoring against MacDougal and Jenks.

As for the Soriano deal, I will believe it when I see it. This has all the earmarkings of a smokescreen. By talking offering Brandon McCarthy to Washington for Soriano, White Sox GM Kenny Williams can force Detroit to give up one of their young pitchers, most likely Jonathon Verlander, in exchange for Soriano. This is a brilliant move by Williams, who is rapidly becoming the best GM in baseball.

Sox Should Make a Trade

Last night's performance against Detroit once again underscored Javier Vazquez's inability to pitch to a line-up more that twice. This is inexcusable on a team trying to win a championship.

Meanwhile, much has been made about the possibility of trading Vazquez or Freddy Garcia for a relief pitcher. The thought is that the release of Cliff Politte means that the White Sox need another relief pitcher. Politte was replaced by Sean Tracey earlier this week.

However, I disagree that the bullpen is the Sox biggest need. For the most part, the bullpen has been exceptional for the past month and a half. A far more important aquisition would be a replacement for Vazquez who would not only give the Sox a better chance to win on the new pitcher's day to pitch but would also take pressure off the bullpen.

The obvious question to be asked is, "What available pitcher fits that role?" The answer is Brandon McCarthy. Sliding McCarthy into the rotation would leave a second hole in the bullpen, which means that aquiring a solid set-up man for Vazquez would be must and would probably require throwing in a top prospect. Ryan Sweeney would be fine since Brian Anderson appears to be the long term center fielder. This would still leave Tracey managing Politte's old role. However, as I mentioned before, the bullpen has been good despite that hole for the past month and a half, and a viable fifth starter is more important.McCarthy would be that fifth starter.

Politte Designated For Assignment

The White Sox have designated Cliff Politte for assignment. Replacing Politte will be Sean Tracey. Ozzie Guillen took a lot of heat for supposedly demoting Tracey after Tracey failed to hit Hank Blaylock of Texas in retalliation for The Rangers targeting AJ Pierzynski. However, the recall of Tracey proves that Tracey was actually demoted because of the David Riske trade as Ozzie and Kenny Williams claimed.

This move probably signals an immenent trade. The Sox have given up on Politte, and Dustin Hermanson's return is still a big question mark. Tracey did not pitch particularly well in his first call up, so more help will be likely be needed.

Catching Up

Once again, I have fallen behind on my blog. I have been pretty busy planning a trip, and I may not be able to post very much next week, either. I will try, though.

First, let me blog about Sunday for a minute. That game was incredible. The Sox overcame an umpire that forced White Sox pitching to pitch it into a tea cup and allowed Curt Schilling to throw balls 6 inches outside and low for strikes. Jermaine Dye's 2 out ninth-inning homerun off of Jonathon Papelbon is one of the high points of 2006 thus far, and winning the game in the nineteenth showed the resiliency that it takes to be world champions. That was incredible.

As for the All-Star game, Paul Konerko should have been the MVP. Michael Young could not have won the game with his ninth inning triple if Konerko had not extended the inning with his 2 out single. Konerko was 2 for 2 on a night in which the American League tallied a total of 7 hits. Young was 1 for 2 in the game.

By the way, Paul Konerko had 2 hits while Yankees and Red Sox players combined for zero. Make of that what you will.

Here are my obligatory award winners for the first half of 2006:

AL MVP: Travis Haffner, Cle- Haffner has hit 25 homeruns which ties him for fourth place with Jermaine Dye of the White Sox. Haffner and Dye are also the only two AL hitters with at least 25 homeruns and a batting average over .300 (.322 and .318 respectively). Haffner and Dye have very similar numbers, but I think that Haffner's 71 walks are much more impressive than Dye's 38. Furthermore, Haffner is more valuable to his team because the White Sox would be good without Jermaine Dye. Cleveland is not very good as they are, but they would be as bas as Kansas City without Haffner.

AL Cy Young: Francisco Liriano, Min- Liriano is 10-1 with a 1.83 ERA. He has thrown 7 innings or more in his last six starts. He has allowed more than 2 earned runs in only 1 of his 11 appearances. In addition to a blistering fastball and unhittable changeup, the lefty has pinpoint control. He has walked 19 batters and has struckout 102.

AL Rookie of the Year: See above.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, StL- As has previously been documented on Sox Thoughts, the NL is not very good right now. However, Albert Pujols has managed to hit .316-29-76 (AVG-HR-RBI) against the NL's pitiful pitching. While it does not compare to the numbers put up by Haffner and Dye because of the AL's vast superiority, his numbers are still decent enough to win the NL's tallest midget contest.

NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI- Webb has posted an ERA of 2.65 and a record of 9-3. That translates to an ERA in the mid-threes in a DH league, but it is good enough for first in the league in the NL, which does not have many dominant pitchers right now. However, Webb has actually been pretty dominating when you consider that he leads the league in ERA while pitching in a hitter's paradise. He is a good young pitcher, and I am sure that the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox will aquire him someday.

NL Rookie of the Year: Dan Uggla, FL- He made the All-Star team, and he is hitting .307-13-45. Those numbers are impressive in their own right. When you consider that he plays second base, they are out of this world. He has had a remarkable first half.

Sox Thoughts For 7/6/06

I have been away for awhile because of the holiday, and this is my catch-up post. The White Sox won the last two games 13-0 and 4-2 over the Baltimore Orioles.

Jon Garland pitched very well last night. He seems to be regaining command of his pitches and opposing hitters have noticed. Kevin Millar commented that Garland's sinker "was like he was throwing bowling balls."

Although he was able to pitch out of it and get the save, it was rare to see Bobby Jenks get in trouble last night. He is the most overpowering Sox closer since Roberto Hernandez. Am I the only one who feels like a little kid again when he comes in to pitch? As an adult, it is rare to be so much in awe of someone's athletic abilities. That kind of hero worship is typically left to children, but it is impossible not be mesmerized with Bobby Jenks's natural talent. It is not so much that he can throw 100 miles per hour as much much as it is his ability to accentuate his powerful arm with a 97 MPH cutter and an 85 MPH curve ball. He really is video game good.

Hermanson May Return: Dustin Hermanson is set to begin rehabilitating his back injury at AAA Charlotte. He was scheduled to make his first relief appearance last night, but the game was rained out. White Sox trainer has intimated that there is no schedule for his rehabilitation, and Hermanson will remain at AAA until he is ready. Hermanson will be invaluable to the White Sox if he can regain his 2005 form, and he would likely replace Cliff Politte in Ozzie Guillen's bullpen. Politte has an ERA of 8.03 in 26 relief appearances.

7/4 What To Look For

Probably Starters: Rodrigo Lopez (RHP) BAL (5-9, 6.32) vs. Jose Contreras (RHP) CHI (8-0, 3.54)

Although he allowed just one earned run to Washington on July 23, Lopez has struggeld this year. Lefties are hitting .326 against him while righties are hitting, so expect to see a lot of left-handed hitters in Ozzie Guillen's lineup this afternoon.

Jose Contreras has won his last 16 straight decisions; however, he had an ERA of 6.21 in June. His home ERA is 2.76. Lefties his .239 and righties hit .241 against Contreras. Having found his independence from Fidel Castro's regime, it would be fitting for Contreras to win on Independence Day.

7/3 Orioles 8 White Sox 1

The White Sox made three errors and managed just one run. There is not much that be said about that. It is obviously unacceptable to have more errors than runs scored.

The low point of the night was Tadahito Iguchi's injury. For those that missed it, he and Jermaine Dye collided on the outfield grass while chasing a popup. It does not sound serious, but he will be out for a few days with a mild ankle sprain. The Sox are now forced to decide whether Pablo Ozuna's hamstring is okay. If not, I expect him to be placed on the DL so another infielder can be brought up.

7/3 What To Look For

Probable Starters: Erik Bedard, BAL (8-6, 4.72) vs. Freddy Garcia, Chi (10-4, 4.65)

For the 38-45 Orioles, Erik Bedard will get the start this evening. Bedard is red hot with a 1.29 ERA in his last three starts, but those starts came against the National League. He is just 5-6 with an ERA of 5.69 against American League teams. Bedard is 2-5 with a 7.60 ERA on the road. He is 5-5 with a 5.58 ERA in night games. Bedard has been victimized by the long ball this year. He is three homruns allowed away from tying his career high of 13 set in 2004.

For the 53-28 White Sox, Freddy Garcia will get the nod. Garcia has also won his last three starts, but they were also all against the National League. In his last American League start, Garcia allowed 8 earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched on June 11 against Cleveland. Garcia has allowed a ton of homeruns. He has already allowed 10 homeruns this month and 19 for the season. Garcia has 60 strikeouts against 26 walks over 102.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 112 hits.

White Sox May Have Eight All-Stars

The American League All-Stars were named today, and the White Sox had more than any other team. Named from the White Sox were Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Bobby Jenks, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Jermaine Dye. Ozzie Guillen said that Joe Crede will replace the first guy, regardless of position, to withdraw from the team. The manger always winds up having to replace someone so you can pencil him in as well.

There is also one spot available for fan voting. Selected to run for the last spot were Travis Hafner of Cleveland, Ramon Hernandez of Baltimore, Francisco Liriano of Minnesota, Justin Verlander of Detroit, and A.J. Pierzynski of the Sox. A.J. is sixth in the league in batting and second amongst catchers. Additionally, every team he has played for has seen their team ERA fall when A.J. calls pitches. Let's get out and vote A.J. into the All-Star game. He deserves it.

7/2 Fifth Place Cubs 15 World Champion White Sox 11

Mark Buehrle gave up 10 earned runs in 5 innings and 7 in the first inning. Cliff Politte gave up 4 earned runs in 2 innings of work. Basically, the Sox made a bad baseball team look like the 1927 New York Yankees.

The offense had a good day. It just was not good enough to overcome the terrible pitching. The Sox amassed 14 hits and logged 7 of their runs off of Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano, a very good pitcher. If the Sox can get their pitching straight, they could go on an amazing run, but that is starting to look like a pretty big "if" at this point.

7/2 What To Look For?

Probable Starters: Mark Buehrle, CWS (9-4, 3.22) vs. Carlos Zambrano (6-3, 2.95)

Buehrle is Buehrle. He is generally very consisten. He is rarely dominating, but he is rarely dominated, also. He just keeps his team in games and racks up a lot of wins.

Carlos Zambrano is psychotic, but he is also very good. He has allowed more than two earned runs in just 2 of his last 11 starts. He has 112 strikeouts in 113 innings.

7/1 White Sox 8 Cubs 6

I only saw the first seven innings of yesterday's game before I had to go to a wedding. I spent all day at the wedding and am finally getting around to blogging. I listened to the last two inning on the radio which probably colored my conception events.

In the ninth inning, Ed Farmer basically predicted A.J.'s homerun. The Cubs closer, Ryan Dempster, had given up an infield single to Ross Gload and walked Jermaine Dye. Farmer said that Dempster was aiming pitches to Dye, and if he aimed pitches to A.J., he would get beat. A.J. took him deep, and Farmer sounded pretty smart.

7/1: What To Look For

Probable Starters: Javier Vazquez CWS (8-4, 5.00) vs. Greg Maddux CC (7-8, 4.94)

After a hot start which saw his ERA fall to 2.88 on May 6, Javier Vazquez has fallen on hard times. His ERA for the month of June is 7.50, and he has allowed 45 hits in just 30 innings this month. On the plus side, Vazques is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.86 during the day.

Greg Maddux has had a similar season to Vazquez. His ERA was at 0.99 on April 23 and 1.35 on April 28. However, it has climbed to 4.94 and is 6.25 this month. Maddux has not had a quality start since May 30, when he had one against Cincinatti. On the plus side, Maddux is 4-2 with an ERA of 3.38 at home. With a win today, Maddux would tie Eddie Plank for twelfth on the all-time list with 326 wins.

The Cubs have some good match-ups for them today. Their firstbasemen, Derrek Lee, is a career .342 hitter against Vazquez, and Maddux hits .455 against him. The White Sox will start American League homerun leader Jim Thome for his last interleague start before the World Series.