ESPN should thank Jon Garland and the White Sox’s training staff for making Sunday night’s marquee matchup possible.
Garland recovered from a bout with the flu and started Saturday’s game against Minnesota. That sets up a matchup between Sox ace Mark Buehrle and 2004 American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana at the Metrodome in a showdown of two of the American League’s top left-handers.
“I want to beat him,” said Buehrle, who would have started Saturday night had Garland felt too weak to start. “[Santana] will be pitching at home for the first time [in 2005], and the game will be on [national] TV.”
Buehrle actually will be pitching on an extra day’s rest because of the Sox’s day off Tuesday. Buehrle threw 102 pitches in Monday’s season-opening victory against Cleveland and believes he will able to throw more if needed.
“I think I could throw up to 120 if I’d want to,” Buehrle said. “It depends on the game. I think I can get to 100-110 easily.”
Buehrle is 13-7 lifetime against AL Central rival Minnesota, including a 7-4 record at the hitter-friendly Metrodome.
“I have no idea why,” Buehrle said. “There have been times where I get rocked, and our guys get numbers in bunches.”
Santana, 26, was presented with the AL Cy Young Award in Saturday’s pregame ceremonies.
“You know he’ll be on his `A’ game,” Buehrle said.
Santana, however, is 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA lifetime against the Sox and was 2-2 against them last season. Both losses came against Garland, who is now the Sox’s fifth starter.
Santana will have to carry a larger pitching load for the next two weeks after the Twins placed starting pitcher Carlos Silva on the 15-day disabled list because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. Silva went 14-8 last season and won his first start in 2005.
Sunday’s matchup holds a special interest for Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who remembers when Santana, a fellow Venezuelan, was a center fielder. Houston left Santana unprotected in the Rule 5 draft in 1999 and the Twins acquired him in a pre-arranged deal with Florida.
“He’s one of best things that has happened in last 20 years in baseball,” Guillen said.
Guillen recalled when Santana was upset as being sent to Triple-A Edmonton to start the 2002 season and battled his way back to become one of baseball’s elite pitchers.
“When you fight and have faith in yourself, you get a payback,” Guillen said. “He’s one of fiercest pitchers in baseball.”
