By Phil Barnes
Another solid week in the books for the Sox as they finish 4-2 during two road series’. The South Siders showed their offense in the opener against Detroit on Monday, scoring 10. But Tuesday was a whole different story, getting absolutely bombed 9-0. But that is alright, fans should accept a blowout loss a week as long as they continue to play above .500 ball.
Personally, last week’s version of “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” went pretty well, so I will probably stick to this for a while until it either runs its course or I get a few e-mails from people complaining for their money back.
So let’s take a look.
The Good
Taking it to the Rays
It’s early, but there should be some excitement around the Cell. With both teams having very similar rosters from their 2008 teams, the Sox went into the supposedly-wild Tropicana Field and took 3-of-4 from the defending AL Champs; The same AL Champs that had their way with the Sox in the first round of the playoffs.
Danks looked nearly untouchable on Thursday while Buerhle and Floyd both had solid outings on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Josh Fields
Crede who? Josh Fields has become a force offensively for the ChiSox so far. And he is doing it a different way than somewhat expected. Instead of hitting homers, Fields is looking more and more like the #2 hitter they have been looking for.
He didn’t have the greatest weekend, but he recorded triples in back-to-back games earlier in the week and currently has the fourth-most hits on the team (behind Konerko, Dye and Quentin). Not to mention he has only committed two errors at third, one of which was on Opening Day. Not bad for a guy whose glove was initially being questioned.
Corky Miller
I don’t want to get to ahead of myself, but Miller has done more than what he has been asked to do in the two games he has played. He is 3-for-7 with three RBI. While he surely won’t continue this pace, a hit a game is probably more than anybody was expecting.
The Bad
Alexei Ramirez
We all knew that Alexei was not going to play well early on simply because he has not played in a lot of cold weather. But a .125-average bad? Now that is a bit low.
What is even more surprising was that in Tampa this week, where it is not only warm but where they play in a dome, Ramirez still only went 1-12 before getting pulled for Brent Lillibridge on Sunday. They need him to pick it up, which he no-doubtedly will.
Colon/Contreras
While the first week for these two was better than most expected, both lost this week. Contreras went five innings on Wednesday, giving up five runs on five hits. Colon had an almost identical line on Friday, giving up five runs on six hits.
The key with this team, as it is most, is that the starters need to go six strong in order to win. They can’t count these guys out yet, as they’ve shown at times that they can still be the forces they were three year ago, but a few more solid outings couldn’t hurt.
The Ugly
Wise Injured
Last week I stated how I am not a huge Wise fan. Not to mention I can’t stand when a guy goes on the DL for specifics us mere mortals will never understand (inflamed elbow, swollen metacarpal etc.) But I admire a player who goes all-out on the field in order make a play that could ultimately land him on the injured list for a few weeks.
Wise did just that on Monday, flashing some glove on a ball hit to the right-centerfield gap. He sprawled out to make catch while landing awkwardly on his shoulder. That is what separates us from them. The idea that they are willing to do anything to get to the ball. Oh and their extreme amount of athleticism.
Carlos Quentin’s bat flipping
This is something we learn in little league. Once we hit the ball, we are to drop the bat and run. Q! must never have been taught this. On multiple occasions this year, his bat has gone flying almost out of the TV screen. If you haven’t noticed it yet, watch for it. But hey if that’s what it takes to lead the league in homers (7), I’ll let him him throw the bat into the stands if he wants.
Upcoming Games
– at Baltimore 21-23
– vs. Toronto 24-26
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Send your comments to Phil Barnes, who can also be found at Top Ten Chicago Sports.
Posted on April 20, 2009