The Cubs didn’t put a major dent in the White Sox’s season last weekend, despite winning two of three games in a ballpark that one Sox executive openly referred to as “a dump.”
After all the commotion had died down, the Sox were still five games behind Minnesota with all 19 games against the Twins remaining, including a four-game series in the Metrodome starting next week.
Everyone learned something from the Sox-Cubs series. Here are five things we learned about the White Sox:
Jerry Manuel is predictably unpredictable
It’s a manager’s prerogative to change his mind, and Manuel isn’t afraid to change his on a daily basis.
The benching of Carlos Lee has been hinted at twice already this season: April 27 in Oakland, when he was hitting .233 with 11 RBIs, and Saturday, when he was hitting .248 with 24 RBIs. But Lee has yet to miss two straight starts and he earned another reprieve Sunday with his two-homer, seven-RBI game against the Cubs.
Frank Thomas was going to play one of the three games against the Cubs. But Sunday, with an infield defense with no Royce Clayton in the lineup, Manuel opted to go with Paul Konerko a third straight game.
“I got the impression I wasn’t going to play, so I was a little surprised when I went up and saw it [on the lineup card],” Konerko said.
Thomas could miss most of the next six interleague games, giving him a long rest before the upcoming showdown with Minnesota next week.
Clayton’s “long-term” benching was announced June 3. He didn’t start the next three games but has started four of the last seven, going 4-for-14 to earn back Manuel’s trust.
With a three-run lead Sunday, Manuel decided to go defensive in the fifth inning, inserting Clayton to shortstop, moving Jose Valentin to third and Tony Graffanino to second. That maneuvering sacrificed Ray Durham, who had drawn three walks and scored three runs leading off.
The decision not only showed how desperately the Sox wanted to avoid the sweep, but it also gave the impression they weren’t sold on the plan to move Valentin back to short. When Manuel announced Clayton’s demotion, Valentin said he would be for it only if he could concentrate on playing shortstop, after being asked to play shortstop, center and third last year.
“I don’t want to be bouncing around every day, playing two or three in a row there, or playing one day here and one day there,” Valentin said that day. “If it’s going to be like that, it’s going to be a problem.”
Valentin is bouncing around. He has made two starts in a row at short only once. Will it soon be a problem?
The Sox don’t fare well before big crowds
Whether it’s stage fright or coincidence, the Sox are usually at their worst when playing before a packed ballpark. Sunday’s victory at Wrigley left them with a 5-12 record when playing in fronts of crowds of 30,000 or more, and 7-16 when attendance is 27,000 or more.
Of course most of these games are on the road because only Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Detroit have a more difficult time drawing in the American League than the Sox. The Sox have had only two games at Comiskey Park with crowds of more than 30,000.
In essence the Sox have had two big chances to redeem themselves in the last few weeks. But the Yankees swept them at Comiskey Park in their defining series to date and they dropped two of three to a Cubs team that entered the weekend series with a .234 batting average. The Cubs scored 22 runs and knocked around Jon Garland and Todd Ritchie.
The Sox don’t like the strike zone
Is there any team in baseball that complains about the strike zone as much as the White Sox? Can anyone take a called third strike and not act as though someone has just sideswiped his Mercedes? Does all the complaining plant a seed with umpires that will enlarge the strike zone for opposing pitchers in the future? Or is it just a mirage?
The Big Hurt has become predictably predictable
Frank Thomas promised in spring training that he was going to stay away from controversy and maintain a “California” attitude all season long.
After 2 1/2 months of the season, Thomas is still happy despite struggling with a .254 average and having to sit during the interleague games in NL parks.
The old Frank Thomas would be wondering why Manuel was sitting out a player with his credentials. The new Frank Thomas understands his defense isn’t consistent enough to warrant much playing time this week.
Manuel has said he would rather use Thomas against a finesse pitcher and Konerko against a power pitcher. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, two of the top finesse pitchers in baseball, may be on tap this weekend in Atlanta in Thomas’ first trip playing in his native state.
Will the Big Hurt still be smiling by the time they get to Minnesota?
Todd Ritchie isn’t answer to pitching puzzle
In his last six starts since May 20 at Boston, Ritchie has compiled a 9.00 ERA, allowing 54 hits in 29 innings. It could’ve been even worse, but the eight runs he allowed in one inning during a June 1 loss to Cleveland were unearned. The Sox gave Ritchie the lead twice Sunday, and he quickly coughed it up both times.
Manuel says Ritchie is trying to finesse his way through hitters instead of going with his best stuff.
“My message to him is `Let it go, and we’ll figure it out,'” Manuel said.
If Ritchie can’t find a way to recover, the Sox may have to put him in a lesser role for a while, like demoted closer Keith Foulke, who’s working out his problems in long relief.
