Are surprising White Sox for real?
Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 1:38 PM
The White Sox started the weekend on top in the AL Central, but are they legitimate season-long contenders or are they beneficiaries of early-schedule struggles from division rivals Detroit and Cleveland?
Here are the key early questions about the White Sox:
1. Can they score more runs? Dead last in this category in the AL last year, Chicago climbed to fourth in the league almost four weeks into the season. What’s made the difference? Well, Mark Gonzales, one of the game’s most knowledgeable beat writers who covers the White Sox for the Chicago Tribune, says that Nick Swisher (acquired from Oakland in January) is the “best thing to happen to the team in a long time.”
Off the field Swisher brings a needed personality to the clubhouse. On the field he inherited the leadoff spot and his patience at the plate has been contagious as the White Sox are sixth in walks. There are enough hitters in the lineup to score far more runs than Chicago did last season.
2. Can they pitch better? So far this has been answered in the positive by the bullpen. It’s been strong. Heading into the weekend it was third in the AL after ranking 12th last season. The impressive numbers this season are a 3.50 ERA and .240 OBA as opposed to a 5.47 ERA and .281 OBA last year. Boone Logan has become the lefty specialist and Scott Linebrink has added strength to the setup spot. Bobby Jenks has shown little vulnerability as the closer.
3. Is the starting pitching strong enough? Good question and likely the biggest one for the White Sox to answer. Mark Buerhle has struggled early and that must change. John Danks, 23, and Gavin Floyd, 25, are younger arms that have been huge additions to offset the trade of Jon Garland to the Angels. To contend through the summer, Chicago must have the arms to handle the bats of Detroit and Cleveland.
4. Does Joe Crede get traded? After a sluggish spring, he’s been superb under the bright lights. Gonzales says Crede is playing as well as he did pre-surgery and he’s already had the league lead in RBI. If the White Sox stay alive in the hunt for the division title, Crede likely stays put in the Windy City. If they fade out of the race, he is trade bait to a team that may develop a need for a third baseman.
5. Do the White Sox have youth in reserve? An interesting question as Baseball America recently rated Chicago’s minor-league system 30th (last in the majors). Naturally, the White Sox differ citing Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez, a middle infielder and outfielders Brian Anderson and Carlos Quentin, plus the aforementioned Danks and Floyd. They are all young (26 and under) and all are helping the White Sox now. These younger players are clearly playing for the moment, not cowed by the powerful teams of their chief division rivals.
FIVE MORE SWINGS:
1. SO YOU REALLY THINK JOBA SHOULD BE IN THE YANKS’ ROTATION: Yes, Joba Chamberlain lost Thursday night’s game in the ninth to the White Sox but look at Wednesday’s game in Chicago. Mike Mussina pitched seven strong innings but with Chamberlain being rested LaTroy Hawkins and Billy Traber couldn’t close out the eighth inning. So 38-year-old Mariano Rivera had to work a five-out save. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said it best last week when he called the Chamberlain-Rivera-late-game tandem “something special.”
2. WHY THE POSTSEASON IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: The Angels took two of three games at Fenway Park last week and Boston’s starters for the series were David Pauley (fourth major-league start), Jon Lester and Justin Masterson, who made his major-league debut. That’s a far cry from last October when the Red Sox overmatched the Angels in the playoffs in large part due to the outstanding pitching of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling.
3. CAN ANYBODY HIT HERE? The NL West -- other than Arizona -- is a pitcher's paradise. Here’s where the teams in the division rank in the NL in runs scored after last night’s games:
Arizona-1
Colorado-9
Los Angeles-10 (tied)
San Diego-15 (tied)
San Francisco-15 (tied)
Figure that a team with promising young pitching like the Giants will stay afloat longer in low-scoring games. The Padres and the Dodgers may start to panic if they see their hopes of taking the division frustrated by a flurry of games filled with runners left on base. The Rockies hope their lineup returns to form. And Arizona may run away and hide with the division.
4. WHY THEY ARE CONCERNED IN SAN DIEGO: The Padres really can’t hit at home, a pitiful 34 runs in 13 games at Petco Park. Such little run support puts immense pressures on the bullpen and San Diego has slipped there. Last year the Padres led the NL with a 3.01 ERA and a .231 OBA. This year starting play today they have nine losses from relievers, who began the weekend series with Arizona last in the NL with a 5.30 ERA and a .289 OBA.
5. FIRST INNING KO FOR LIRIANO: I saw Francisco Liriano pitch in Oakland Thursday. Before the game members of the Twins’ front office talked about his return from Tommy John surgery affecting his fastball more than his slider. Mechanics were the issue. Liriano went to the mound and didn’t survive the first inning. He had one pitch clocked at 97 mph, multiple others at 93 mph but the A’s had five hits, most of them off fastballs and Liriano struggled with his control in walking three. Any hope the Twins harbor to surprise this year fade with each struggle for Liriano, who yesterday was sent back to the minors in the hope he can get back on track at the Triple-A level.
