This is one of those seasons where White Sox fans can expect the unexpected.
Not only is manager Ozzie Guillen rotating his designated hitter, he was ready to give it up completely Sunday and, potentially, let the pitcher hit. Bench coach Joey Cora talked him out of it.
After DH Andruw Jones singled home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, Guillen considered putting Jones in left field for his defense, which would have moved the pitcher into Juan Pierre’s leadoff spot.
But Pierre was due to bat fourth in a one-run game and the Sox would have had to use a pinch-hitter for him in a tie game. Guillen only had Jayson Nix and Omar Vizquel left on the bench, which might have left him short in extra innings.
DH, Part II: Four Sox have started as DH in place of Jim Thome, who is now with the Twins. Before Sunday they had no homers and one RBI, compared to Thome’s one homer and three RBIs for the Twins.
But after Mark Kotsay homered and Jones singled in the winning run Sunday, Sox DHs have combined for one homer and three RBIs.
Kotsay has started three times as DH and Pierre, Jones and Paul Konerko once each.
Up and down: He hasn’t exactly been a popular guy with the fans the last year — and Guillen has said more than once he’s the key to the bullpen’s success — but reliever Scott Linebrink has quieted them for the time being.
After giving up two walks in a seventh inning that helped send Friday’s game into extra innings, Linebrink came back with two strong innings Saturday.
“It did feel good,” he said. “You can’t feel too good about it because ultimately we didn’t win the game. I really felt like (Friday) kind of sat on my shoulders, not being able to get through that seventh inning. Knowing the bullpen was taxed and we had to use two more guys in that inning. It felt good to pick those guys up too.”
Extra innings: Guillen said backup catcher Ramon Castro is not close to returning from his right heel bruised suffered at the end of spring training. … Through one time around rotations, the Sox’s starters had the second-best ERA in the league (2.32) next to Texas (1.76). … Jake Peavy, who pitches Monday, has never faced the Blue Jays after spending most of his career with the Padres.
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