From Mannywood to Mannyhood: Ramirez Joining White Sox
Help is on the way for the Chicago White Sox’s sporadic offense in the form of Manny Ramirez.
The enigmatic slugger will join the Southsiders in Cleveland in the midst of a three-game set against the Indians. Manager Ozzie Guillen and the rest of the Pale Hose brass is hoping Ramirez’s bat ignites what — at times — can be a stagnant offense.
While his presence in the middle of the order could be a stabilizing force, the acquisition of the imposing power threat is about to set off an odd domino effect. (more…)
Edwin Jackson Making White Sox Look Smart
Edwin Jackson’s resurgence with the Chicago White Sox is making the brass over at 35th & Shields look like a group of geniuses. (more…)
Manny Ramirez & White Sox Match Made In Baseball Heaven
To say the Chicago White Sox are getting minimum production from the designated hitter position would be a grand understatement.
The designated hitter’s slot has been the least productive spot in what has been a streaky White Sox order. The .237 batting average and .308 on-base percentage rank lowest on the squad. The .401 slugging percentage ranks only ahead of the .343 SLG posted by the team’s left fielders.
At this point, the White Sox would be better served sending Carlos Zambrano, Micah Owings and Dan Haren to the plate instead of Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones.
Better yet, how about Manny Ramirez? (more…)
Ozzie Guillen’s Comments Should Not Be Taken Lightly
The Blizzard of Oz has touched down once again.
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, known more for his rants to the media and berating of umpires than his managerial excellence since taking control of the Southsiders in 2004 (571-506 record, spouted off on the difference in treatment received by Asian players compared to Latinos.
Of all the things Guillen said, this stood out. (more…)
Central Division Stars Lift NL To All-Star Game Triumph
The National League Central is arguably the worst division in Major League Baseball.
While the Cincinnati Reds (49-41) and St. Louis Cardinals (47-41) prepare to slug it out for division supremacy once the second half gets underway, the other four teams (Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros) are a combined 145-210.
Yet, it was Matt Holliday, Scott Rolen and Marlon Byrd to the rescue, proving that when Ryan Theriot isn’t running the basepaths as if he was wearing a blindfold and when Charlie Morton (along with his 1-9 record and 9.35 ERA) take to the bump, the NL Central isn’t completely terrible.
The National League Central triumvirate accounted for all the runs scored for the Senior Circuit in a 3-1 victory. Holliday’s bat put Rolen’s heady base-running in motion. Then, after being down 0-2 in the count Byrd eyed three straight wide ones from White Sox lefty Matt Thornton and fouled off some tough pitches before coaxing a two-out walk. With the dirty work having been done, Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann roped an 0-1 fastball down the right field line plating all three NL Central studs.
Somewhere, Uncle Hawk was yelling “dadgumit” at his television set, blaming umpires and yearning for Carl Yastrzemski to save the day.
Byrd also chipped in with a stellar defensive effort in the ninth. Playing a position he had not played all year, Byrd nailed David Ortiz — who was apparently lumbering to second base with a family of four hanging off his backside — for the second out and keeping the tying run off the basepaths. It might go down as the lone highlight of the Chicago Cubs’ 2010 campaign.
Not to be left out on the NL Central crashing of the midsummer classic, Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright followed the act with a shutdown inning of the American League bats. And you had to know it was going to be the National League’s night when Ryan Braun made a gold star-worthy diving catch in left field. The grab at full-extension made me think Braun actually does play defense in Milwaukee, but it goes unreported because of the 34,000 people who attend Brewers games on average, 33,000 are drunk off Milwaukee’s Best and 1,000 always seem to be in the bathroom whenever Braun brings the leather out to the pasture. Even Yadier Molina, he of the .230something batting average, collected a knock in his one official at bat.
Then again, not everything is hunky-dory in the middle-west.
In Adam Wainwright’s scoreless frame, he had to overcome another bone-headed defensive effort by Holliday, who just might turn out to be the white Alfonso Soriano by the time his contract runs up in 2017. Albert Pujols went 0-for-1 with a strikeout and two left on base. Joey Votto went 0-for-2, seeing only two pitches in the process. Corey Hart saw significantly more pitches — and still had a pair of Ks on his scorecard. Michael Bourn whiffed in his lone plate appearance.
If NL Central fans need any more consolation, they can hang their hats on not having to rely on the Pittsburgh representative in a clutch situation.
