Results tagged ‘ Kenny Williams ’
South Siders Win Pivotal Game, Rumors Say Adam Dunn is on the Radar
I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that last night’s 4-3 squeaker over the Royals was one of the season’s most important wins. I say that because after two straight losses following the 11-game streak, the Sox could not afford a third defeat in a row with Zack Greinke on the mound tonight and three against the hot Rangers in Arlington on the horizon.
On this night it was the pitching, especially the bullpen, that was instrumental in eeking out the victory. The South Siders scored four early runs to take a commanding lead, but the Royals got to Gavin Floyd with three in the fifth to narrow the lead to one. Then Floyd calmed down, went 6 2/3 and benefited from 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief from Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz, who earned the save. With the Twins win over the Tigers, they move back into first, 1/2 game in front of Detroit and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Sox.
Rumor mill: While the Sox are mum and Ozzie is on record saying we don’t need a big lefthanded bat right now, rumors have it that the club is exploring the possibility of bringing powerful first baseman/outfielder Adam Dunn of the Nationals (above) into the fold by the trading deadline. There’s no question the Sox could use some lefty pop, but they aren’t the only ones who covet Dunn. Whether it’s the D.C. slugger or someone else, I’m confident Kenny Williams will add a lefthanded bat before July 31.
Somebody Up There Likes Us, CQ and the Sox Continue to Roll
Count me as one of those who felt changes needed to be made with these 2010 White Sox after their dismal April, May and beginning of June. And I was part of a pretty large legion, which eventually included Sox GM Kenny Williams.
Of course my sentiments were centered on the winning and losing. But the fact that the Sox seemed out of the race in May with no hope of improving was even more disturbing. I, like most fans, certainly didn’t want to spend their summer without any meaningful baseball.
Then we went on the roll that continued last night with the 4-2 win over the Braves, which clinched the series victory. Here are the happy totals: We’re now two games over .500, 3 1/2 games behind the first place Twins and only two games behind the Tigers. We’ve won eight in a row and 11 of 12.
How did all of this happen? The starting pitching has been superb, we’re finally getting clutch hits, the defense is better (Omar Vizquel at third has been a real plus) and something that many of us said before the season is finally coming to fruition.
That preseason observation was that Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin have to produce if the Sox want to be contenders. We all know Rios has more than lived up to his end of the bargain, but Quentin seemed lost at the plate for the first two months. Now, he’s turning it on and the Sox are back in the hunt. His two homers last night, for example, were the difference in the game.
Whatever the reasons, baseball season is fun again on the South Side of Chicago.
White Sox Explode at Wrigley, North Side Media Darlings Are No Match
Just another day at the old ballpark for the opener of the Crosstown Series at Wrigley Field.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella ripped Steve Stone for criticizing the skipper. Ozzie admitted there is friction between he and Kenny Williams. And the White Sox scored 10 runs on 16 hits with three homers as Jake Peavy claimed his 100th major league victory in the 10-5 thrashing of the North Side Media Darlings. Furthermore, it was the South Siders’ third straight win–only the second time in 2010 they’ve won as many games in a row.
Since we’ve been starved for offense all season, allow me the luxury of examining today’s box score:
–Alex Rios, who has been terrific all season, went 4 for 4 with a homer, three runs scored and two runs batted in. He now has 13 homers, 31 RBI and is batting .322.
--A.J. Pierzynski, whose bat seems to be coming around after a horrid start, went 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBI.
–Paul Konerko, along with Rios the team’s most consistent offensive threat, went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI. His BA is up to .287 along with 44 RBI.
–Alexei Ramirez, whose average is now at a respectable .263, seems to be turning the corner. He pounded out two hits with two runs scored and an RBI.
–Rounding out the highlights: Carlos Quentin hit a pinch homer–his eighth roundtripper of the season–and even Brent Lillibridge got a hit. He’s now hitting .667 in his brief big league stint this year.
KW: “It’s Time”
Last night’s 15-3 pummeling of the Tigers aside–which included another Freddy Garcia gem and a Brent Lillibridge three-run homer of all things–the 25-33 Sox are ready for a shakeup.
“Some changes need to take place,” Kenny Williams told reporters yesterday. “I don’t know what, and I don’t know when, but changes need to take place. Things aren’t happening that we envisioned and when they don’t happen the way you envisioned, you have to make an adjustment or two.”
Music to Sox fans’ ears.
Hail to the Blackhawks
The truth is that I’m not a hockey fan. I follow the trends and know the names of the best players, but that’s about it. However, growing up in the greater Chicago area it’s always special to me when one of the city’s teams wins a championship. So, I couldn’t be happier for the Blackhawks and their fans after last night’s Stanley Cup victory.
We’re Well Aware of the Present, How About the Future?
The spring training of 2009 offered something Sox fans hadn’t seen in a long time–bonafide position prospects. Gordon Beckham, Chris Getz, Brandon Allen, Dayan Viciedo (above), Jordan Danks and Tyler Flowers were among them and offered a glimpse of what appeared to be a bright future for the South Siders.
More than a year later, things have changed. That’s not to say all is lost, but right now the situation is very different and critics are questioning the Sox future.
* Beckham is hitting .194
* Getz, traded to the Royals in the Mark Teahen deal, is batting .188
* Allen, dealt to the D-backs for Tony Pena, is now at AAA Reno hitting .216 with three homers and 11 RBI.
* Viciedo, now 21 and moved to first base, is hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI at AAA Charlotte. Certainly promising.
* Danks, who was so impressive in the Arizona Fall League and had a good spring, has a .218 BA with two homers and 19 RBI for the Knights.
* Flowers, the prize in the Javier Vazquez deal and the heir apparent to A.J. Pierzynski, has eight homers and 18 RBI, but is hitting .220 at Charlotte.
So, with the big league floundering with one of the oldest rosters in the majors and some of our top prospects failing to live up to expectations (plus the injury to ’09 top pick Jared Mitchell), where do the Sox go from here?
KW, any comment?
A Positive Message From the GM, Another Failure to Win Two in a Row
Kenny Williams, above in a pose that now seems like a distant memory, addressed his troops upon their return from the 3-3 road trip.
The highlights:
–Lighten up (stop pressing, have some fun)
–He remains confident that this team can still challenge for a division title and beyond
–He’s not giving up on players like Carlos Quentin, Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez, who he expects will turn around.
–He’ll make trades only when the team forces him to.
–He has not had conversations about making changes with the manager or coaches.
The “pep talk” seemed to have little impact as the Sox once again failed to win a second consecutive game–it’s been almost a month that they did so–by dropping a 3-2 decision the Angels.
Same old story. Despite John Danks surrendering only three hits in 7 2/3 innings, the Sox could only score a pair of runs–one on a Paul Konerko homer in the ninth–and committed three errors.
It’s just hard for me to believe there won’t be some changes–and soon.
It’s Official: I’ve Had It With These Sox
I have one question after witnessing the White Sox lose another game and another series–this time to the last place Kansas City Royals, who continue to sit in last place and improved to 14-24 with today’s triumph.
Do the Sox really expect their fans to endure this team as presently constituted for the next four and a half months?
Kenny Williams has admitted he’s losing patience. Kenny, join the club. With high hopes for a division title and all the bravado about being a strong championship contender, the Pale Hose have self-destructed. Either Williams’ architecture is highly overrated or the players he acquired in the offseason are grossly underachieving–or maybe it’s a little bit of both.
There’s a lot of blame to go around. Mark Teahen, Gordon Beckham, Gavin Floyd, Carlos Quentin, A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Kotsay are at the top of my list. If Alexei Ramirez hadn’t rallied a bit recently, he’d be there too.
So, what do we do? I’m not sure, but it’s unbearable watching these guys blow leads and fail to come through in the clutch day in, day out, night in and night out.
KW, it’s time. Something needs to be done to shake things up. Whether it’s via trades, promoting prospects or reading the riot act, do it. The status quo is unacceptable.
Teahen: One of the poster boys for the Sox failures
“Did We Kick Someone’s Dog or Did Someone Put Voodoo On Us or Something?”–A.J. Pierzynski
Aside from my own anger, frustration and the fact that I throw up my hands in disgust almost every night after watching these White Sox, my thoughts turn to what Kenny Williams must be going through.
He’s as hard-working and passionate as any GM and has given us what no other front office exec has provided–a World Series championship. Of course he’s made his mistakes, but all in all he’s been outstanding at putting together contending teams. I wish the Sox could be as consistent as the Twins and various other teams, but considering the mediocrity I’ve experienced in my lifetime as a Sox fan the Williams years have been good. And as a fan, I truly appreciate how much he cares.
After last night’s embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Royals, The Sox are now seven games below .500–the same Pale Hose who many picked to win the A.L. Central. Let’s face it, right now the Sox are arguably the worst offensive team in baseball.
The facts: a .228 team batting average with a .205 mark with runners in scoring position, both last in the league. And they’ve scored just one run in their past 17 innings and three in their past 22. Last night’s lineup had four hitters batting under .200. Get the point?
The list of culprits is a long one. Juan Pierre, Gordon Beckham. A.J. Pierzynski, Mark Teahen, Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin and Mark Kotsay all have underachieved. Williams must be pulling the hair out of his head. After all, he acquired every last one of these guys.
So what do we do? Keep being patient with the hope things will turn around? Blow up the team? Have a come-to-Jesus meeting? I don’t have an answer and that’s why KW makes the big bucks. But I’ll say this, he’s not going to watch this nightmare continue much longer. Mark my words, there will be changes.
The REAL Jake Peavy Hurls Gem at the Cell
Normally a win over the Royals in May doesn’t mean much. But to the struggling White Sox, who came into the game tied with KC for last place in the AL Central, the 5-1 victory was filled with some much-needed positive moments.
First and foremost, Jake Peavy (above) was the Jake Peavy we’ve been expecting all along. Seven innings, no runs, four hits. nine strikeouts in a dominant performance. Andruw Jones and Alex Rios continued to hit. The former went 2 for 4 with two RBI and the latter went 3 for 4 with two ribbies. A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez, both on the road back from batting average oblivion, each had two hits and although Gordon Beckham was hitless he walked twice and scored a run.
Williams: No time to panic
Kenny Williams tried to convince reporters before last night’s game that it’s premature to press the panic button for the 2010 Sox. He’s on the record as saying that it takes 60 games to evaluate the dynamics of a team. That said, he did admit there might be a time where he has to face reality. But, according to KW, it’s not now.
10 Reasons Why I’m Not a Happy Camper
It’s days like these that make me cranky. A 12-3 drubbing by the Yankees will do that to a guy. To make matters worse, after the gritty comeback yesterday the Sox looked like they were more interested in heading back to Chicago than winning the series in New York.
I’ve been hearing from Sox friends and others today with various comments. Since I’m on board with many of their thoughts, I’ve incorporated them with mine in the following opinions and observations.
* I’m not happy that the Sox have won only one series so far this year as part of their miserable 10-15 start.
* I’m not happy that today’s lackluster performance has given holier-than-thou Yankee fans and others the fodder to rip us. By the way, how does Kenny Williams feel about his goal of a championship after the first 25 games?
* I’m not happy that Alexei Ramirez hasn’t taken a step forward. He’s always a slow starter at the plate, but how about his brain cramps at short? Wasn’t Omar Vizquel supposed to help?
* I’m not happy about Gordon Beckham‘s start, but I have confidence he’ll be fine before too long.
* I’m not happy with our farm system. So, where’s the help we need?
* I’m not happy about Mark Teahen. He doesn’t look like the answer. Granted, he’s not Robin Ventura or Joe Crede, but I thought he was better than this.
* I’m not happy that Juan Pierre has been demoted to the ninth spot in the order and Scott Podsednik is on fire for the Royals.
* I’m not happy that Clayton Richard is outpitching Jake Peavy.
* I’m not happy with our bullpen. Maybe it’s time for a couple of changes. No, Ramon Castro being reinstated from the DL and Donny Lucy being sent down doesn’t count
* I’m not happy that the Twins look unbeatable in the AL Central.
Yes, I’m really unhappy.
This team definitely needs a kick-start
mlblogsartofthepalehose
Recent Comments