After getting thoroughly defeated last night by the Twins, the weekend series wasn’t shaping up too nicely for the White Sox. However, some control problems by Francisco Liriano and some nice timely hitting by the Sox lineup led to a very nice victory for the White Sox.
Positives
- Bartolo Colon. Weight be damned, arm problems be damned, Twins be damned: Colon had a great start today, throwing six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts. Colon’s fastball was in the low 90′s and had excellent life to it, reminiscent of Colon in his heyday (minus the velocity). The Sox are not expecting Colon to pitch like he did earlier in the decade, of course—but if he can give the team six solid innings start after start, he’ll greatly exceed expectations.
- Alexei Ramirez. Coming into the game, Ramirez was hitless on the season. A two-out RBI single changed that in the fourth, and in the fifth, Ramirez added another two-out RBI single by depositing a Liriano changeup that was in the left-handed batters box into right field. Getting Ramirez going was huge for getting the lineup jump-started, as he’ll really help turn the lineup over when he has games like this.
- Corky Miller. In 2004, Miller went 1/39 with the Cincinnati Reds. He doubled his 2004 hit total today, picking up two pretty important singles while giving AJ Pierzynski a day off. Miller’s leadoff single in the fourth started the White Sox’ four-run rally that knocked Liriano out of the game and he picked up a two-run single off Philip Humber in the seventh that gave the White Sox an eight-run cushion to work with in the final two innings. All the White Sox need are serviceable performances from their backup catcher, and they got that and a little more today from Miller.
- Carlos Quentin. There were some legitimate concerns about Quentin’s power being down at least early in the year thanks to last year’s wrist injury, but Quentin has showed off that 36-home run power recently, homering in his last two games. He may not replicate his 2008 home run total this year, but it’s good to know that he still does possess the power to do so.
Negatives
- Brent Lillibridge. Wondering how a player who had two walks and a sacrifice bunt—a pretty productive day for a leadoff hitter—ends up in the “negative” category? Well, those two walks did not change that Lillibridge is not an overly impressive hitter. He didn’t battle for those two walks—they both came on four pitches. What worries me is that Ozzie Guillen will see Lillibridge’s two walks today and decide to use him in the leadoff spot more often this year, which—especially if it’s at the expense of Chris Getz—is an awful idea. Until Lillibridge gives us reason to believe that his .638 OPS in AAA last year was a fluke, I’m going to regard him as a bad option at the leadoff spot. He didn’t show me anything special today, so until further notice, Lillibridge should not be leading off for this team.
- Josh Fields vs. fastballs. I really like what Fields has done at the plate so far this year—he’s been patient and has been hitting the ball very well, with one exception. Fields’ swing still looks pretty rough against a good fastball, and what worries me is that word will quickly get around the league that Fields can be easily retired with a low-90′s fastball above the belt. Baseball is a game of adjustments, and Fields will have to make an adjustment to hit the fastball at some point this year. Whether he does or not will be imperative to his success in 2009.
Topics: bartolo colon, Brent Lillibridge, carlos quentin, Corky Miller, josh fields, White Sox
Latest Headlines
- The Dangerous Allure Of The Trade Deadline
- Victorino Goes Down, Brown Comes Up
- The True Measure Of Greatness
- The Possible Trade Ripple
- Phils Season Has Been An Epidemic
- Pinstripe Recap: The Bombers Offense Explodes For Four Wins
- U.S.A. Undefeated As IBAF World Junior Baseball Championship Heads To Round of Eight
- Dodgers Get Podsednik For Two Minor Leaguers
- Numbers of “The Beast”
- Virtual Ballpark Helps Fans “Stand Up To Cancer”
- Garza And Rays Experience Joy Of No-Hitter
- Manuel Deserves To Finish The Season
- Staten Island Yankees to Host NY-Penn All Star Game
- Cardinal Players Have To Earn Their Playing Time
- A Mariner Week in Review: Fun Baseball and Some Fighting
In The News
Padres Recap – Braves and Buccos
The Padres are quietly putting together a solid season, did it continue this week?
The Week That Was: Just When You Thought It Was Safe
The Phillies came to Busch prior to a trip to the Windy City for the Redbirds. Take a look at the results of a busy week for the Cardinals.
Baseball Digest LIVE: Meet the Real Joe Black
We have an all star lineup
A Glove of Their Own: A Grand Slam On and Off the Field
Bob Salomon is a name you will be hearing about. He is using the concept of children participating in sports as the vehicle to communicate his all encompassing goal of giving back