Results tagged ‘ Bobby Jenks ’

Sox Make It Two Straight, Fans Rejoice


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There’s no truth to the rumor that Major League Baseball is going to move the White Sox to the National League. We can only hope.
Boasting one of the best records since interleague play began, the Sox continued their dominance over the senior circuit by besting the Florida Marlins, 4-1. It was the first time that the South Siders have won two in a row since they swept the Mariners in late April.
Alex Rios, The club’s most consistent offensive performer all season, collected three RBIs, including a two-run homer while Carlos Quentin had two hits and an RBI. Gavin Floyd was much better this time out, going 6 1/3 while allowing a run and six hits with seven strikeouts. J.J. Putz, Sergio Santos and Bobby Jenks, who got the save, were stellar in relief.
It’ll be Freddy Garcia, aiming to continue his outstanding start, facing Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson as the Sox go for the sweep tomorrow.
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Freddy to Twins: Gar-cia Later

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I want to get excited. I want to celebrate the win in our first game at Target Field. I want to think the Sox are finally playing up to expectations. But I’m going to contain myself and wait to see what happens in this afternoon’s matinee.

Last night’s 5-2 victory over the Twins was sweet. Big Game Freddy Garcia rose to the occasion as he usually does and the Sox actually had a two-out rally in the five-run fifth highlighted by Alexei Ramirez (above) and A.J. Pierzynski two-RBI doubles. And, alas, Bobby Jenks survived the ninth for his sixth save.
All eyes will be on John Danks, so far the staff ace, as he faces Carl Pavano this afternoon in an attempt to give the Sox a much-needed sweep of the short two-game series.
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Was It Really The Metrodome? We’re Gonna Find Out

I said I wasn’t going to return until I could revisit the White Sox fortunes the morning after without feeling ill. Ill was certainly the case after Sunday’s Bobby Jenks‘ meltdown and nothing’s changed. But as a Sox fan, how can I sit out the two-game series with the Twins on our first trip to Target Field?

We’ll be relying on Freddy Garcia and John Danks to stop the freefall. It’s early, but if we get swept we’ll be 10 games out, if we split it will remain at eight. Still not good.
Let’s hope for the best and, remember, we won’t have the Metrodome to blame.
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White Sox Beat the Yankees (No, It’s Not a Misprint)

mlbf_7771081_th_13.jpgYou can look at today’s 7-6 White Sox victory against the World Champs two ways. 
Option 1:  The Sox charged to a 5-1 lead, highlighted by two Andruw Jones homers and one off the bat of Mark Kotsay, temporarily lost the four-run margin and had enough grit to come back and break their six-game Yankee Stadium (old and new) losing streak.
Option 2:  The South Siders blew another lead, suffered through a nightmare inning by Scott Linebrink and were lucky to survive.
Whichever explanation you choose, the good news is that Sox won against arguably baseball’s best team at a place where they haven’t won much lately. And aside from the homers, A.J. Pierzynski broke out of a season-long slump with a 3 for 4 day and the game-winning two-RBI double (pictured above) while Bobby Jenks had a relatively calm ninth inning to earn the save.
Mark Buehrle goes in the rubber game tomorrow against Phil Hughes as the Sox attempt to win the series from the Yankees.
Sox note of note: Three former Sox pitchers saw action for the Yanks today–Javy Vazquez, Damaso Marte and Boone Logan. Javy was tagged for five runs and Marte surrendered A.J.’s key double. Logan struck out the only batter he faced.
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10 Reasons Why I’m a Happy Camper

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I have to admit that I had little faith in the Sox as they entered the bottom of the ninth inning today, trailing the Mariners 4-2. I’m a glass half-full guy, but I’ve been conditioned by these 2010 Sox to expect the worst.
But the Good Guys pulled it out and I’m ecstatic. Here’s why:
1. Two consecutive walkoff homers–by Andruw Jones last night and Alex Rios today (above)–make me think the Sox are gaining their confidence and establishing themselves as a club that can indeed come back and win.
2. Happily, Rios seems to becoming the player we all thought he would be. He had a key double last night to tie the game and went 3 for 4 today with the walkoff. He’s now hitting .281.
3. Freddy Garcia was terrific–7 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 5 strikeouts.
4. Mark Teahen continues to contribute. He was 2 for 3 today, raising his BA to .273.
5. Sergio Santos, the “find” of spring training, pitched another scoreless inning in the eighth. His ERA? 0.00.
6, Alexei Ramirez showed signs of life by doubling in the first two Sox runs.
7. Paul Konerko, as we all know, is frustrating at times with his propensity to hit into double plays, but he also comes up big. Like today, when he hit the solo homer in the ninth to set the stage for Rio’s heroics.
8. The speed at the top of the Mariners’ lineup–Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins–was 0-7.
9. It was satisfying to beat Seattle closer David Aardsma, a miserable failure when he played on the South Side.
10. The thrilling triumph has helped me minimize the woes of Gordon Beckham, A. J. Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin, even though the latter coaxed a walk in the ninth. And, of course, Bobby Jenks who is making a habit out of retiring the first two batters he faces before he loses it.
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Thanks Danks

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The angst created by the slow start dissipated a bit last night after the White Sox rose to the occasion with a very satisfying 4-1 win over the red-hot Rays. It was highlighted by another John Danks gem.
After surrendering a first inning homer to Sox nemesis Carl Crawford, Danks was virtually untouchable. In eight innings he gave up two hits, both to Crawford, and struck out nine. He is now 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Bobby Jenks came on in the ninth for his third save.
The offense, while still far from where it should be, did just enough powered by Paul Konerko and Andruw Jones homers. I’m still waiting for Gordon Beckham, among others, to break out soon.
Kenny Williams Speaks

The Sox GM spoke to reporters before the game last night and talked about the fans and the poor start of the season:
“If you have a passionate fan base, you have to be prepared for a heightened sense of urgency or worry when things don’t go your way–just as you are the beneficiary of extreme excitement when it does go your way. You got to take the good and bad with it. Right now, everyone is a little upset with the way we’re playing. So are we.”
Memories

It will be an interesting dynamic tonight as Mark Buehrle faces the Rays for the first time since the perfect game.
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Ozzie: “I Didn’t Know They Had Music in This Clubhouse”

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Leave it to our Ozzie to sum up a situation with a perceptive twist.
Ozzie, of course, was referring to the fact that the White Sox have had little to cheer about recently at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, losing 10 games in a row through 2009. It joined the now defunct Twinkiedome and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as the Sox’s personal houses of horror.
All that changed last night, however, as the South Siders continued to snap out of their first week hitting doldrums by smashing the ball and showing some grit in the 8-7 thriller against the Blue Jays to break their Toronto losing streak. It was the third 11-inning marathon in their first seven games–and the first one in which the Sox emerged victorious.
It was comebacker Andruw Jones and the much-maligned Mark Teahen who provided the fireworks. Jones went 3 for 4, clouted two homers and drove in four. Teahen was 3 for 5 and it was also when he delivered. He sent the game into extra innings with a leadoff blast in the ninth and provided the winning run as he tripled in Omar Vizquel (pictured above). Vizquel was running for Mark Kotsay, who had a key single pinch-hitting for Alexei Ramirez in the 11th.
While Jake Peavy had his second straight poor performance, the bullpen came through. Aside from Randy Williams walking in the 7th and go-ahead run in the sixth, Sergio Santos, J.J. Putz, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks hurled 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Jenks struggled after getting the first two outs (as he did Sunday) but got the save. Thornton was lights out as he struck out four in two innings of work.
Sox notes of note:  Did you see Ozzie’s reaction right before he yanked Williams after Randy walked in the go-ahead run? I’m not lip-reader, but the expletives were flying…Ozzie’s getting beat up a bit about counting on Jones and Kotsay. Maybe the critics will be quieted, at least for today…It was nice to see that the Sox have the comeback gene. To me, that’s the true sign of a winning ballclub.
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Signs of Life on the South Side

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If the first week of the season is any indication, 2010 is going to be a nerve-wracking year for the White Sox. In their first six games the Sox have played three one-run contests and two two-run games, a pair of 11-inning marathons among them.
Making matters more intense for Sox fans is that until Andruw Jones‘s pinch-hit single (pictured above) in the bottom of the eighth scored the winning run in today’s 5-4 come-from-behind win against the Twins, the Sox had lost four in a row. And this win was no walk in the park as the game ended with the potential tying run thrown out at the plate in the top of the ninth.
Some thoughts:
* Without his best stuff and location, Mark Buehrle gutted it out for eight innings after falling behind 2-0 and 4-2 for his–and the team’s–second win. He also helped the overworked bullpen catch their collective breaths.
* The South Siders needed a big hit badly and got it from Jones.
* There was no small ball at The Cell today as Paul Konerko, Mark Kotsay and Gordon Beckham all went deep.
* Even this early Mark Teahen is a concern. He looks like he’s in a fog and has to be among the major leaders in weakly hit ground ball outs.
* It’s a good sign that Carlos Quentin belted out a single and a double. Need him to get back to 2008 form.
* Bobby Jenks gave up two hits after easily retiring the first two batters in the ninth, but the good news is that he was consistently hitting 96 mph.
* It’s Jake Peavy tomorrow night in Toronto against the Jays in the first of four. Look for him to bounce back from his sub-par effort on Tuesday.
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Sox Win Impressively in Camelback Ranch Finale

With the White Sox blanking the A’s 2-0 yesterday in their last spring home game, I can’t help but think we’re going to see a lot of similar games this year. With one of the best starting staffs in baseball and potentially an outstanding pen, it’s reasonable to expect that the Sox will keep the opposition from lighting up the scoreboard more often than not.

Offensively, the Sox have lost the power of Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye. The hope is that the “Ozzieball” approach will score as many runs and folks like Paul Konerko, Carlos Quentin, Alex Rios and Andruw Jones can provide adequate power numbers. That said, I still think lower scoring games will be the rule rather than the exception. And, to me, that’s a good thing.

Back to yesterday, it was neat and clean. Mark Buehrle (5 innings), Tony Pena (1), Randy Williams (1) and Bobby Jenks (2) combined for the shutout and Konerko and Quentin both went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Quentin hit his fifth homer of the spring.

The South Siders close out spring training this week. They make the short trip to Goodyear today to face the Indians, have split squad games against the Mariners in Peoria and their AAA affiliate in Charlotte on Thursday and journey to Atlanta to face the Braves on Friday night and Saturday. Then it’s onward to Chicago for Opening Day Monday against Cleveland.

uscell.jpg                                      Opening Day: Five Days and Counting…

Sergio Santos is Living the Dream, Reaches the Majors as Sox Announce 25-Man Roster

After failing to get a sniff of the major leagues as an infielder with five organizations, Sergio Santos is finally a big-leaguer–as a relief pitcher. He earned that distinction with a fine spring and today the 2002 No. 1 draft pick of the Diamondbacks was named to the White Sox 25-man roster heading into Opening Day. And he’s only been pitching since last year.

The other roster question was also answered as Jayson Nix made the team as a utility infielder/outfielder.

The final cuts were infielder/outfielder Brent Lillibridge, outfielder Alejandro De Aza, pitcher Dan Hudson (Charlotte) and hurlers Greg Aquino, Erick Threets and Charlie Leesman plus catcher Donny Lucy (assigned to minor league camp).

The Sox will go into battle beginning next Monday with the following roster:

Pitchers (12): Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Freddy Garcia, Bobby Jenks, Matt Thornton, J.J. Putz, Scott Linebrink, Tony Pena, Randy Williams, Sergio Santos

Catchers (2):  A.J. Pierzynski, Ramon Castro

Infielders (7):  Paul Konerko, Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez, Mark Teahen, Mark Kotsay, Omar Vizquel, Jayson Nix

Outfielders (4): Juan Pierre, Alex Rios, Carlos Quentin, Andruw Jones

85521035.jpg                                    The dream comes true for Sergio Santos

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