Chicago baseball is simply mediocre posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Cubs are 35-36.  The Chicago White Sox are 36-38.  Both teams are flirting with the .500 mark as we get closer to the half-way mark of the season.  Unless these teams are can go into after-drive and put the pedal to the metal, it is likely that these team will finish near the .500 mark.  The Cubs had a thrilling homestand and won some games with pulsating finishes.  Then they go on the road and make the Detroit Tigers look like world-beaters.  In one game, the Cubs have a one run lead late, but  their closer gives up a 2 run homer in the last of 9th to win the game for Detroit.

Good closers don't give up game winning home runs to lose the game.  Unfortunately, Marmol is the set up man and putting him in is like watching a chopped tree tottering before it falls.  You never know how it's going to work out.  Some days he looks great striking out the side. Other days it could a hit batter, a wild pitch, a walk, a single, and game on the brink.  This is after the Cubs have scored 4 runs on 9 hits to tie a game.  Last season, the game would have been over.

What a difference a year makes. Safe to say Milton Bradley won't be back next season. He has the psychological make-up of a rook in Babe Ruth League.  This is the Majors Milt, wake up. 

The Sox are not any great shakes either. Decent starting pitching, no consistent hitting, a bullpen that blows up games one day, and locks down a game on another.  The Sox actually look like they can do something this season, because their starters can get you to the 6th or 7th inning with a lead.  That's where they can get into trouble. The set up pitchers have been shaky this season. Jenks, the closer is reliable.  The Sox are 6 game out of the division lead.  A margin that a good team could make up.  But the Pale Hose win two games and lose 3 and you can't win a pennant that way.

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Home Sweet Road posted by Tim Dunnell

While most teams would amp up at the idea of playing in your own backyard, sleeping in your own bed, and having the greatest baseball fans in the world backing you up, the 2009 Chicago White Sox seem disinterested when they arrive at U.S. Cellular field.  Most teams look forward to the notion of returning home after a nine game road trip, but to any sox fan whose been paying attention, our players seem to dread it.  What is the problem?  What is the answer?  It always seems to come back to not being able to figure out what the problem is exactly with absolutely no solutions in sight.  Whether it is the White Sox not being able to hit a pitcher they have never seen before, or subconsciously all the players believe a few home runs will loosen everything  up at the cell considering our home ballpark is usually a launching pad, these guys look like their sleepwalking when they play at home.  

        With 1/3 of the 2009 campaign behind us, the White Sox are posting a better record on the road.  I don't know if there is any rational way to explain it, but everyone on the team looks hungry, takes quality at-bats, and hits the ball.  The team batting average is around .275-.280 on the road while the sox are struggling to hover around .200 at home.  Many people would argue that Sox record on the road is only .500 and that an 18-18 record is still not evidence enough to say the Sox play better on the road than at home.  Regardless of what the statistics say, if you are playing .500 ball on the road you are getting the job done.  The only reason the sox do not have a winning record on the road is because their pitching staff suffers in other teams' parks.  This brings me to my point of why the sox are struggling so much this season, there is no consistency.  On the road, the Sox are able to hit but have trouble pitching at times.  When the Sox are at home, they are able to pitch but cannot figure out how to hit.  A 4.5 ERA on the road with a .280 team BA will keep you in games, while a 3.6 ERA at home with a .210 team BA will also keep you in games.  The problem is that with those numbers you are going to lose just as much as you win and it explains why the Sox have been sinking or treading the .500 mark all season.  The scary thing about the whole situation is that the AL central is so bad this year that if the sox happened to get hot they would be right back in the race.  Hopefully Kenny doesn't decide to have a fire sale just yet because in this division I don't know if anybody will be out of it until the end of September.  Maybe the White Sox should try wearing their away jerseys at home or encourage the fans to wear the opposing team’s gear at home games, whatever the change is it needs to happen fast.  The AL central could be an enjoyable race this summer if only the White Sox could get their edge back at home.
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Oh For The Long One................ posted by Gregory Nanos

    When the weather warms up, and the Sox play at home, the ball tends to leave the yard.   And that my friends, is enough to cure the offensive woe's of these Chicago White Sox.

We all know that this team is full of power sluggers, like Thome, Dye, Quintin, and Konerko. It only makes sense, that when the ball starts flying in a home run friendly park like US Cellular, that crooked numbers will start appearing on the scoreboard, and the wins will come with it.

This is not to say that our pitching doesn't need to get better, because it's still a far cry from what was hoped for. But since Mark Buehrle looks to be having one of his better seasons, and everyone seems to be sold on John Danks as a solid rotyation slot, the Sox just need Floyd, and Colon to be average to be in the thick of the AL Central race. That is if the Tigers decide to slow down a little.................

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White Sox send down struggling Contreras; Call up Jimmy Gobble posted by Austin Miller

On Sunday the White Sox made a move that some think was a little overdue. The team optioned struggling right-hander Jose Contreras to their AAA affiliate the Charlotte Knights. Contreras has been struggling since his first start of the year. In six starts this season, Contreras has a record of 0-5, an ERA of 8.19, and only 17 strikeouts in 29.2 innings this year. On last Friday, Jose went just 3.2 innings giving up 8 hits and 6 runs in a loss to the visiting Texas Rangers, whom the Sox have beaten just once this season.

The Sox made a questionable decision to put Contreras into the starting rotation after a pretty good spring training. Jose came back much earlier then the expected date for his knee injury that he suffered last year. Many people thought that he wouldn't be 100% until the All-Star break. But, Contreras made a strong showing in Arizona, and manager Ozzie Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper decided that he was ready for the year. Obviously he wasn't.

In order to replace Contreras, the White Sox called up lefty Jimmy Gobble from AAA Charlotte. In six years as a major-leaguer with Kansas City, Gobble made 236 appearances and had a career record of 22-23 with an ERA of 5.24. Gobble is expected to do mostly long relief out of the Chicago bullpen, taking the place of Clayton Richard, who will be taking Contreras' place in the starting rotation. In his first year in the major league last season, Richard was 2-5 with a 6.04 ERA in eight starts and five relief appearances.

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Thome puts Sox back on the Winning track posted by Gregory Nanos

   The Sox got back in the win column Tuesday, powered by Jim Thome's 2 home runs.

The 2 home runs pulled Thome within 1 of Mike Schmidt on the all time home run list with 547.  Thome also did it in a ballpark he is very comfortable in, since he played in Cleveland for many years and hit the bulk of his dingers there.

If he stays relatively healthy this year and plays next season, he has a good shot at reaching 600 career home runs, and that could sway a lot of voters when he comes up for Hall of Fame balloting in about 2016.

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Almost Perfect is Close Enough for Buerhle posted by Gregory Nanos

 

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5-0 2.61 24 11Mark Buehrle was flirting with perfection Thursday night, going into the 7th inning with a perfect game, until a double spoiled his spot in baseball history.  The more important thing, was the 6-0 victory, which got the White Sox back on the winning track.  They had lost 4 in a row before Buehrle's dominate performance.The win also moved Buehrle to 5-0, and with the rest of the staff's ups and downs, his steady play is of the upmost importance.Continue reading "Almost Perfect is Close Enough for Buerhle"

Bring on the Royals posted by Gregory Nanos

Well, the last 2 games in Texas were pretty ugly to the Sox. First there was the thumping that Jose Contreras took on Saturday night, and then the listless performance on Sunday night in front of a national audience.

The Saturday debacle fueled questions about the reliability of Contreras in his rotation spot. His return fron injury and weight loss, had many encouraged that he would do a quality job for the Sox in 2009. Maybe he just needs more time to find his groove, but should the big club suffer while he's doing that?

A few minor league starts might turn the trick, but who takes his spot in the rotation if they send him down? Clayton Richard is used to being a bullpen guy by htis time, and might not easily slide back into a starters role.

The game on Sunday, had the Sox hitters being fooled by an inexperienced pitcher, who also got some Tom Glavine like help from the plate umpire, on that outside corner.  Josh Fields can attest to that as he struck out badly, with the bases loaded, after an outside strike was called and he was forced to swing at anything thrown up there on the next pitch.

One bright spot on this road trip so far is the quality at-bats that Carlos Quintin is getting. He looking like the same dominate player we saw most of 2008.

Today we get the chance to close ground on KC, but must do it against the best pitcher in baseball this season, in Zack Greinke.

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3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = Victory posted by Gregory Nanos

3 was the magic number for the White Sox on Friday night.

The Sox had 3 new players to the starting lineup. Jim Thome and Chris Getz returned after sitting out a few games with injuries, and Scott Podsednik was recalled and started in the outfield.

First Mark Burhrle gave up only 3 runs in 6 innings of work.

Thome drove in 3 runs after the Sox put 3 runners on base ahead of his double off the wall in the 7th inning.

Getz had a 3 base hit of his own to give the Sox the lead in the 8th.

Bobby Jenks got the last 3 outs to secure the victory.

Thome has reached base in 29 straight games at Texas, dating to 1998

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Mike MacDougal - He Gone.... posted by Gregory Nanos

   Watching Mike MacDougal can be downright painful and very frustrating. Well, the frustated White Sox finally cut the righthander after designating him for assignment a week ago.

MacDougal has had some major league success, as evidenced by his 50 saves. He came up with the Royals, and did a good job for a bad team from 2003 to 2005. Things have pretty much gone downhill since then. He has good velocity, but his contorted motion makes him wild and ineffective, not to mention putting extreme pressure on his his arm.

MacDougal walked 58 walks, hit five batters and threw 16 wild pitches in only 88 2-3 innings after he was acquired from Kansas City in a 2006 trade.

I'm sure he'll get another shot with some team, but unless somebody can get him to change his mechanics, it'll be more of the same. 

   

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Danks comes back to earth........ posted by Gregory Nanos

  John Danks, had only given up 2 runs all season and had held Ichiro to 1 hit in 8 previous at-bats. This sounded like a good situation for the Sox and chance to sweep the Mariners in Tuesday's doubleheader.

So, what happened? Suzukik leads off the game with a single, steals 3rd base and scores on another single to start the game. That was just the start of Danks troubles, as he gave up 5 runs and 8 hits in only 4 innings of work.

Since Felix Hernandez was really dealing it, for Seattle the Sox had little chance of a comeback.

We can only hope the damp and cold weather had something to do with Danks getting knocked around, or the fact that Seattle is playing good baseball to start the 2009 season(They are a first place club). 

Even with the bad game, Danks has a 2.74 ERA and has shown a real presence on the mound, while trying to build on his great season ending picthing of 2008.  The Sox will need him to continue to turn in good performances, while Gavin Floyd strives to find his form from last year.

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NHL supports Reinsdorf's bid for Coyotes (AP)

The NHL believes Jerry Reinsdorf can succeed where Jerry Moyes failed as owner of the financially ailing Phoenix Coyotes. Reinsdorf, the owner of baseball's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls, has offered $148 million to buy the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and keep the team in Glendale, a suburb west of Phoenix. [read full article]

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Reinsdorf group offers $148M for Coyotes (AP)

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Bonderman goes back on DL for Tigers

The Tigers have placed right-hander Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Ryan Perry from Toledo.Bonderman (0-1) gave up six runs on eight hits in just over four innings during Monday's loss to the Chicago White Sox. It was his first major league appearance since June 1, 2008.Bonderman won 50 games over four seasons, but an injury to his right shoulder limited him to 12 starts last year. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for MLB

4 apply to buy, keep Coyotes in Arizona (AP)

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says four prospective buyers have filed preliminary background applications to purchase the insolvent Phoenix Coyotes and keep the team in Arizona. The interested parties include Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of baseball's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls; Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, co-owners of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football... [read full article]

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