Results tagged ‘ Carlos Quentin ’
Quentin Placed on the DL
Quentin was placed on the DL today, and Dewayne Wise was recalled from his rehab assignment from Triple-A.
I am surprised it took the White Sox this long to place CQ on the DL. He should have been on the DL a week or so ago. Hopefully CQ can come back healthy and regain his stroke. His plate discipline hasn’t been good, and he has struggled alot at the plate.
With Wise coming back to the team, it will be interesting to see what Ozzie will do. I assume he will platoon BA with Wise in CF or give Podsednik a blow.
Personally, I think BA is doing alright at the plate, and he is the best defensive outfielder the Sox have. He has been showing better plate discipline, but I didn’t like his approach with Weaver Wednesday. Well, a lot of the offense was first pitch swinging, and it wasn’t paying off for most of them.
Sox Bats Blast Angels at the Big A
The White Sox haven’t been the road warriors this season, and they looked to redeem themselves from letting the Sunday night’s game slip through their fingers. John Danks goes to the mound in search of his forth win of the season, and he will go against Santana. The Pale Hose have lost their last five on the road, and they wanted to come out strong in support of Danks.
If the first inning was any indication of how the game was going to be, no one knew the onslaught the Sox would unleash on the Angels pitching staff. The White Sox opened the frame with four straight hits to lead 1-0, but when the dust settled, the White Sox were leading 3-0. But the inning did have his toll on CQ when he was rounding first base on his double. He heard a pop and started to limp over to second base. He was helped off the field. Word has it that he traveled back to Chicago for treatment, and it is unknown if he will land on the DL.
Podsednik has been on fire at the leadoff spot, and he played a fantastic game going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Alexei, batting second, came alive going 4-for-4 in his first four at-bats. He finished the night going 4-for-7 with three runs score and three RBIs. JD had a big night as well hitting a three run homer. He ended the night going 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a walk. Thome, the man of the night, also hit a three run homer that surpassed Mike Schmidt on the all-time home run list for thirteenth place. Paulie added to the hit barrage with a solo shot later in the game. Anderson filled in for the ailing Quentin, and he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Fields and Getz each had two hits apiece, and AJ had three hits.
It was good to see Alexei really start to break out. It looks as if he is really seeing the ball well. I liked how BA came out and had a good game as a replacement for Carlos. BA needs to continue to have strong games – especially with Wise on his rehab assignment in Triple-A.
Danks battled through six innings. He was roughed up in the first inning for three runs, and he continued to work hard through the next five. He surrendered three runs on four hits with six walks. With the defense and offense behind Danks, he managed to get the win, and it was a hard fought win for for southpaw. Carrasco pitched two innings of relief with Jimmy Gobbles pitching a solid ninth who dropped his ERA by a few runs.
With the way Danks started, it looked to be a game in which either team could win. Danks settled in over the course of his six innings pitched, and he was able to trust in his defense and offense. It was a great win to kick off this road trip, and it was a very nice win to wash out that nasty loss Sunday.
Richard, Alexei Give White Sox Another Shutout Win
The old saying goes, “You are only as good as your next starting pitcher,” and that saying held true today when Clayton Richard took the mound in search for his first win of the season. He replaced Jose Contreras in the rotation when Contreras requested to be optioned to Triple A to work on his command. Richard’s last outing was a gem in which he went seven inning giving up two runs, one earned.
Richard pitched six solid innings while surrendering four hits and three walks. I thought he mixed his pitches well, and he was able to have hitters chase after his slider that helped him earn a career high eight strikeouts. I like to see a few more solid outings from Richard before I start drinking the special koolaid, but so far his last few outings has really impressed me.
So far, it’s been a great homestand minus the blowup Thursday against the Twins. Back-to-Back shutouts, strong starting pitching, a little small ball, a little long ball, and solid defense.
White Sox struck first when JD eached second base on an error by SS Jack Wilson. Paulie hit a grounder up the middle for the first run playing Dye. Alexei extended the lead when he hit his second home run, a two run shot to left, in as many days. JD rounded the offense when he smacked a hanging curveball into left for his eleventh home run of the season.
Carlos looked like his was pushing himself. He only had one good at-bat in his three attempts. He missed a hanging breaking ball in one at-bat in which he again swung at the first pitch. His last at-bat he finally tried to work the count to no avail. With the weather getting warmer, I hope Carlos can get on track after suffering from his foot ailment for the past few weeks.
I thought Getz hit the ball well. He seemed to be strugging in his last few games, but I thought he had some good at-bats. Fields still looks to be lost at the plate even though he had a single in the game.
Buehrle heads to the mound tomorrow looking for the sweep.
Thome, Miller Squeek by the Slumping Tribe
It hasn’t been a good few weeks for the Pale Hose, but the Sox got on the board early in an important AL Central matchup with the Tribe. Thome smacked the first of two home runs in the first inning to give the Sox a 2-0 lead, but that lead would dwendle over the next few innings.
Richard got the nod to start when Contreras was optioned to Triple A. Contreras struggled mightly in his first five starts, and the Sox management thought it was time to make a change for the right hander. The Sox starters haven’t been that impressive in their last ten starts. The only starter that was consistent was Buehrle. Danks and Floyd, two of the Sox young hurlers, didn’t have exception starts in their last few outings. Danks did get a no decision in his last outing where he only yielded a run.
It’s hard to win games when your starter cannot go at least six innings. You end up putting a lot of pressure on your bullpen as well as giving them an excess workload. And to compound problems, the Sox hitters haven’t been all sharp. In the game Monday, the Pale Hose were down by five runs in the top of the ninth with Alexei at bat. Instead of working the count, he swung at the first pitch and effectively ending any type of rally the Sox could muster. This hasn’t been the first time Alexei has been first pitch swinging. There are times to be aggressive, but when you are down by five runs, base runners are more a premium than trying to smack the ball a long distance. There was a reason Ozzie benched him a few games, and it seemed he didn’t learn his lesson. He sat out of today’s game, but was inserted as a defense replacement at the end of the game.
To make matters worse, Carlos Quentin informed Ozzie of a heel issue that has been nagging him. He sat out today, and he will most likely sit it tomorrows rubber match. This will give Carlos a few days rest to heal his sore heel. I assume if there is any progress, then Ozzie might be put in a position to place him on the DL. Granted that CQ has struggled this past week, so this might be a blessing that he will have a few days rest.
Nix continues to make his presence known. He launched his second home run of the season to make it a 3-1 early lead. He also coaxed a walk in the lead off spot. Another hero of tonight’s game was Corky Miller. He is backup to AJ, but he looked far from a backup player. He managed to toss out Grandy on a base stealing attempt, and he plated two on a clutch two-out RBI single that gave the Pale Hose some breathing room. The man of the hour was Thome. He struggled as of late, but two key home runs gave the Sox the lead twice, and he managed to raise his slumping average to a 227 clip.
Dye had a solid game going 2-for-4 with a walk. He has been one of the most consistent hitters for the Sox these last few years, and the Sox really needed their veterans to step up in today’s game. While the Sox were only two games under five hundred, you don’t want to see the gap widen between the Tigers, Royals, and the Sox. Konerko continued to hit well going 1-for-4 with a walk and a double.
When Richard left in the fourth, he gave way to Carrasco. DJ gave up a bloop RBI ground rule double to Cabrera, but afterwards he shut the door down on the Tribe giving the Sox an opportunity to stay in the game. While Thome and Miller helped the Sox offensively, I think it was Carrasco who made that all possible with two solid innings of relief. Thornton and Dotel made the bridge to Jenks possible, and Bobby had a 1-2-3 ninth that gave him his eighth save of the season.
Both the Tigers and the Royals lost today, so the Sox managed to gain a game on the two. It’s still a tight race in which the top four teams are separated by two and a half games. It’s going to be a grind, and if the Sox want to make the playoffs, they are going to have to win the division. The AL East will most likely get the wildcard spot.
White Sox Start Three Game Set in Baltimore
After coming off a series win of the Tampa Bay Rays, the White Sox look to continue their strong start in Baltimore tonight.
Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd had solid performances Saturday and Sunday, and Jose Contreras looks for his first win of the season. If the Sox bats are able to give him run support as they did Buehrle and Floyd, I feel Contreras will have a good outing.
Quentin’s bat is getting warmer as he leads the majors in home runs with 7. JD and PK alike continue to have superb at-bats. Baltimore came off being swept by Boston, so they are going to be hungry for a win. These aren’t the O’s of old, so the Sox need a strong pitching performance from their starters and solid hitting. The Sox still struggle with runners in scoring position.
It’s going to be a good series. I predict the Sox will win the series 2-1.
Buehrle Shines, Thome Muscles His 543rd HR
If you are a Sox fan, what would be better as a follow up to Colon’s masterful outing? A solid performance from your Staff Ace, Mark Buehrle. Buehrle pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up a solo home run to Delmon Young, while striking out 5. White Sox continue to get strong pitching from their starters.
The Twins took an early 1-0 lead in the 2nd when Delmon Young smacked a solo shot to left field. The Sox came back in the 5th when PK scored on the error to make it a tie game. The Sox put two on the board in the 6th off of Thome’s home run, and the Sox score another two in the 7th off of Field’s single to right and a sac fly from CQ. Wise had a beautiful sac bunt which he struggled at in previous attempts. Joe Nathan, Twins Closer, gave up a solo shot to JD in the 8th giving the White Sox a 6-1 lead.
Dotel pitched a solid 2/3rds of an inning in the 7th, and Linebrink followed with a good inning himself for the 8th. Linebrink struggled in spring training, so it was good to see him have a decent outing. Clayton Richard came into the 9th, and he quickly put runners on first and second with no outs. He walked Cuddyer on four straight balls, and Ozzie promptly yanked the young left hander for Bobby Jenks. The Twins have this uncanny ability stack a few runs when they have to. Bobby struck out Crede looking on a funky curveball that looked flat and settled in the middle of the plate. Jenks proceded to get Young to hit into a double play that ended the game.
The only speed bump the White Sox had was Richard’s outing. It was a great win, and the Sox take the series 2 games to 1. The Sox head to Detroit on a 10 game roadtrip.
It’s great to see the Sox manufacture some runs outside of the home run. If the Sox continue to do that, they will be a deadly team in the Central with their excellent pitching.
Colon Outstanding, White Sox Bats Thump Twins
After the disappointing loss Friday night, the White Sox responded with masterful pitching, plate discipline, and timely hitting. Bartolo Colon looked great in his 6 innings of work with 2 walks and 2 strike outs. He limited the Twins to 3 hits. Colon was in his Cy Young form that baseball hasn’t seen in a few years.
The bullpen came in and completed the shutout. Dotel struggled a little with two walks, but Matt Thornton got them out of the inning. MacDougal pitched 2 innings with 2 walks, 1 strike out, and gave up a hit. He wasn’t great, but he pitched well enough to get out of some tight situations.
The hero of the game is plate discipline. Sox batters coaxed 2 walks with the bases loaded against Liriano. Liriano exited the game in the 4th while giving up 5 runs. He struggled the second time through the Sox lineup, and I can see why he is 0-2 with a high ERA.
Alexei managed his first two hits of the season and 2 RBIs. Anderson managed his first hit of the season as well. CQ continued to see the ball well and hit a solo home run in the 7th that started a three-run rally.
Wise looked better at the plate, and Corky Miller had a superb game on both sides of the plate. He had two hits, two RBIs. Still waiting for AJ to get hot. Lillibridge looked decent in the leadoff role – two walks, sacrifice bunt.
The White Sox were 5 of 12 with runners in scoring position.
It was a game the Sox really needed to break their three game losing streak.
White Sox Spoil Danks Outstanding Outing
The Baseball critics had a lot of love for the Royals this year, and I can see why. They have outstanding pitching. The pitching, on both sides of this series, has been great, but the Royals found a way to win the rubber match today.
Bobby gave up a two run homer to Crisp in the top of the 9th. Eventhough the Sox managed to plate a run in the bottom half of the frame, it wasn’t enough, and the Sox fall in the finale by a score of 2-1.
Ozzie switched up the batting order a little with Getz in leadoff and AJ batting 2nd. Wise was pushed down to the 8th spot – who still looked pretty lost at the plate.
Anderson and Betemit came in as PH in the bottom of the 9th, but both batters struck out. Betiment did so with runners at first and second with two outs.
CQ hit a leadoff double to Right-Center which started the rally in the 9th. It was a very good sign for the talented slugger, and I hope this will ease him at the plate.
Alexei still has a ways to go. He looked just as bad a Wise and CQ, and he needs to lay off the high fastball and stop dumpster diving for stuff off the outside of the plate. He didn’t have a great spring, and he continues to struggle early into the season.
It was a series that could have gone either way, and I always hate to see good pitching wasted. I hope the Sox bats come alive soon. The Twins are coming into town, so this should be a great series.
MacDougal struggled in the 7th, but Matt Thornton bailed him out with a Double Play. Dotel pitched a solid 8th, continuing his strike out dominance. Jenks got in trouble in the 9th when he fell in the count and gave up a double. He pitched a first pitch inside fastball to Crisp who drilled it over the Right Field wall for a 2-0 lead. Bobby just got too much of the plate to Crisp who made him pay.
Vazquez Gem, Offensive Barrage Keeps Sox Tied for First
Vazquez continued to pitch well going 8 innings with one run ball. The Pale Hose backed the veteran pitcher with four home runs. Quentin and Ramirez let the attack with 4 RBIs a piece. Quentin hit his league leading 34th home run while Alexei hit his second career grand slam. Uribe and Dye also had home runs.
It was good to see the Sox walk away with a series win this weekend. I am still a little disappointed that the Sox faltered on Friday night.
The Sox head back to Chicago to take on Griffey’s former team, the Seattle Mariners.
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