There seems to be no stopping the White Sox’s revolving door. It claimed rookie pitcher Carlos Castillo after Wednesday night’s 12-6 victory over Toronto.
Castillo, on the club since Opening Day, was optioned to Triple-A Nashville as the Sox returned to an 11-man pitching staff. They recalled third baseman Greg Norton, who entered Nashville’s double-header Wednesday with 26 home runs and 75 runs batted in.
Norton will be used mostly to strengthen the bench. He was hitting .344 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in his last 33 games at Nashville.
Castillo is 2-1 with one save and a 4.48 earned-run average. But he has been in a funk lately, allowing three runs in the eighth inning Wednesday.
“Castillo has done an outstanding job,” manager Terry Bevington said. “He has had a few problems lately. I’m sure he’ll go down, iron out a few problems and be back quickly. We expect Carlos to be around for a long, long time.”
The Sox have made four roster moves in the last three days and eight during this homestand.
Feeling good: Jason Bere considers it “a bonus” to get a victory in his first game after coming off the disabled list. The really important part was feeling decent enough on the morning after–and he did.
He went through a normal day-after workout following his 5 1/3-inning stint in Game 2 of Tuesday’s double-header. Because he experienced no swelling or unexpected discomfort, he’s in line to start Sunday night in Texas.
“I experienced the same thing I have for the last couple of months–just some aches and pains,” Bere said. “There was no swelling. That’s the main thing.”
Running hot: In an unusual confrontation, Ray Durham was ejected by plate umpire Derryl Cousins when they had words after the fourth inning. The Sox had scored seven runs in the inning, and Durham made the final out on a flyball. After he slammed his bat to the ground in anger, he and Cousins got into a heated dispute. Durham had to be wrestled into the dugout by hitting coach Ron Jackson.
Fashionably attired: It took almost three weeks, but T-shirts spoofing Jerry Reinsdorf’s remarks about catching Cleveland have shown up in the Sox clubhouse. On the front, they say “Sox Leftovers.” On the back, they say, “We may just be dumb enough to win this thing.”
Reinsdorf, of course, said on July 30 that anyone who thinks the Sox can catch the Indians “must be crazy.”
Taking a look: Reliever Bill Simas is done for the season. He’ll undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery Thursday in Los Angeles, with Dr. Louis Yocum attempting to locate, and repair, the cause of the pain that has twice put him on the disabled list since the All-Star break. Dr. James Andrews diagnosed him with tendinitis in the rotator cuff after an office visit last month.
“He was still throwing good, but he didn’t think he was quite as effective as he could be,” trainer Herm Schneider said. “He didn’t feel right, so we’re going to go in and see what’s wrong. He’ll probably clean it up a little bit.”
Simas played a major role in the bullpen during May and June but has been supplanted by Matt Karchner. Bevington believes newcomers Nelson Cruz and Jeff Darwin will take up the slack. “All those guys are doing a good job,” he said. “We’ll be all right.”
Short hops: Dave Martinez extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games. . . . By driving in his 100th run Tuesday night, Frank Thomas extended his streak of 100-RBI seasons to seven. That is every season he began in the majors, including the two strike-shortened seasons in 1994 and ’95. . . . Satisfying the terms of the $5,000 fine he received after making a gesture to the crowd June 3 in Cleveland, Albert Belle has donated 585 tickets to youth organizations. The tickets are to games against the Indians Sept. 11 and 12.
