Jon Garland is walking a thin line in his bid to remain in the White Sox’s rotation, but he hasn’t fallen through the cracks yet.
Garland ranks second in the American League in walks allowed with 25, has allowed the second-most runs of any pitcher in the league with 36 and carries a 5.98 earned-run average.
How long can the Sox be patient?
“He stays in the rotation,” said manager Jerry Manuel. “He’s a young pitcher. He’s been here for a while. He kind of knows what we expect. He’s got a healthy arm. He’s just inconsistent, like all youth. It’s something we have to deal with.”
Back again: Kelly Wunsch, who was recalled from his rehab stint at Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, had one three-inning start for the Knights. Would the Sox entertain the idea of turning Wunsch back into a starter, as he was until 1999?
Wunsch doesn’t think so. The start was “just strengthening and stretching me,” he said. “I’d consider it, of course, but no one has said anything to me about it.”
Wunsch led the American League in appearances in 2000 but tore his labrum last July and missed the final three months of the 2001 season. He thought he was heading north with the team out of spring training, but instead he spent seven weeks in Charlotte.
“It’s been terrible,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. The guys in Charlotte are a great bunch of guys. I like the coaches and I had a good time while I was there, under the circumstances–living in a hotel, not seeing my wife and kid, watching these guys on TV, and we just stunk in Charlotte. Someone said earlier that it may have been a blessing in disguise for me. I’m like, `Where’s the blessing?'”
Wunsch’s velocity still has not fully returned, but he said he can throw strikes with his off-speed pitches and should be able to compensate. He made his 2002 debut Saturday night, allowing a walk and a bunt single in one-third of an inning.
Wunsch, Keith Foulke and Bob Howry are the only remaining pitchers from Opening Day 2000. With Wunsch coming off the disabled list, the Sox currently have no one on the DL. Last year they used the DL 14 times, with 1,197 player-games missed due to injuries.
Labor pains: Manuel was a coach with Montreal in 1994, when the Expos had the best record in baseball at the time of the strike. Asked Saturday about the current labor situation, he said he hasn’t been following it too closely.
“I hear things, but I don’t have anything of any substance,” he said. “I only know what I read, and I don’t know whether that’s substance or not.”
Manuel also didn’t want to get into Jose Canseco’s assertion that 85 percent of major-league players have taken steroids.
“I don’t know 85 percent of the players,” Manuel said. “That’s his opinion. He’s entitled to say that.”
One year later: Sunday marks a full year since Gary Ward was made the White Sox’s hitting instructor. Ward replaced the fired Von Joshua, who was made a scapegoat for the team’s 14-26 start.
In 163 games under Ward, the Sox had hit .277 with 215 home runs and 868 runs scored through Friday.
When Ward arrived, the Sox were 13th in the AL in runs scored. This year they rank first with 254 runs in 43 games.
