Friday marked the sixth anniversary of the major-league debuts of Alex Fernandez and Frank Thomas.
Fernandez has a 74-60 record in that span, while Thomas has 206 career home runs and 686 RBIs.
“It’s been a long time,” Thomas said. “Six years, and it still seems like just yesterday. I’m happy to start feeling like a veteran a little bit.”
“It’s gone pretty quickly,” Fernandez said. “I feel that I’m still young, though sometimes I feel pretty old. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs.”
Turning it up: Starting pitching continues to be the strength of the White Sox, and in the last week it has been more dominant than ever.
Fernandez’s three-hit shutout Friday gave the five Sox starters a combined 1.47 earned-run average over their last eight games.
“We’ve been doing good all year,” said manager Terry Bevington. “I don’t think it’s just the last week.”
Fernandez beat the Rangers for a second time in a week, while Sox starters ran their overall record against Texas this year to 5-0 with a 2.17 ERA. Fernandez is 3-0 against the Rangers, the only pitcher with three wins against Texas this year.
The White Sox have only four complete games all year, and Fernandez has three of them. It was is ninth career complete-game shutout and his second straight start without allowing an earned run.
Leap frog: Harold Baines passed Carlton Fisk and Ron Santo on the all-time RBI list, moving into a tie for 58th place with Duke Snider. With four RBIs Friday, Baines now has 1,333 RBIs, and is six shy of George Foster for 57th on the list.
“Does that get us into the playoffs?” Baines asked.
Same as it ever was: Thomas went 2 for 3 with a pair of walks Friday, and has been on base nine times in 14 plate appearances since returning from the disabled list Wednesday. He has five singles, three walks and one homer, with five runs scored and six RBIs.
On leave: Tony Phillips flew home to Arizona after Thursday’s game in Oakland to be with his wife, Debi, who was having “medical problems,” according to Bevington. Phillips missed Friday’s game but was expected to fly to Dallas on Saturday and be in that night’s lineup.
Kid news: Is General Manager Ron Schueler considering bringing up one of his hot-hitting minor-league outfielders–Mike Cameron or Jeff Abbott–before the September callups? “Could be,” he said. “Don’t forget Jimmy Hurst, either.” Hurst, who plays alongside Cameron at Double-A Birmingham, leads the Southern League with 78 RBIs. Cameron has 24 homers and 33 steals. Abbott is hitting .349 with 25 doubles at Nashville.
Pudge pain: Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez sat out Friday with a strained right hamstring and is day-to-day.
No Will power: Texas first baseman Will Clark is on rehab assignment with Double-A Tulsa, but it’s more for conditioning than anything else. Clark has played just eight games since June 7.
“I haven’t played in a month and a half basically, and if that’s what everybody wants me to do, that’s fine with me,” Clark said.
