Look out -- here comes the Hose.
Chicago has won five straight and seven of eight, as they have surged past Minnesota as Kansas City's primary challenger (at the moment, anyway). Roberto Alomar has been solid in black pinstripes, but it's been the power surge from the middle of the order -- Thomas, Ordonez, Lee and even Paul Konerko -- that's gotten the White Sox back on track. Chicago has been counteracting its poor defensive play with a reliable bullpen that has pitched particularly well recently.
The Jays duck Esteban Loaiza, who has shown no signs of a post-All-Star hangover. But Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland have both been tough on the Jays this season, and they're both coming off of respectable outings. Nobody really knows who the Jays will trot out on Thursday, given the mercurial nature of trade winds. What we do know is that Doc goes for 15, one day later than anticipated, tonight. Lots of reasons to follow this mini-series, including Frank Thomas going for #400; he's one away.
On to the Advance Scout!
* The White Sox have won seven of their last eight ... They're really slugging when they get home cooking, with 27 homers in their last 9 home games ... Chicago's finally back at .500 and they're just five back of surprising Kansas City ... Carl Everett: "As long as you are winning, it doesn't matter what those other teams do" ... Their current five-game winning streak is their longest since a seven-gamer, last August-September ... Jerry Manuel: "We knew we were due...It's going to be important that we go out and do the same thing these next two days" ... But Chicago is 19-31 on the road, compared with 31-19 at U.S. Cellular ...
* Jose Valentin on the Manuel firing watch: "If we had won more games, he wouldn't be in that spot...I want him to stay here. I don't think it's his fault" ...
* In Saturday's game, the Sox were getting no-hit by Nate Cornejo until there were two outs in the seventh ... But the Hose awakened to the tune of seven straight hits en route to a 6-2 victory ... "Nobody was down in the dugout," said Tony Graffanino, whose three-run pinch-hit homer capped the rally ...
* Tonight's opponent, former All-Star Mark Buehrle, went through a spell of nine straight losing decisions earlier this season ... But he's now won his last six ... Buehrle said that pitching coach Don Cooper simply supplied the young southpaw with a confidence boost when Buehrle asked Cooper what he should change: "No, stay with what you're doing. You won 19 games last year" ... Buehrle gave up ten hits on Friday in six and two-thirds against Detroit, but got enough run support for a 7-5 victory ... Jerry Manuel ascribed Buehrle's earlier struggles to "hard luck" ... But there's some dumb luck, too: Buehrle and Billy Koch did the old slip-and-slide on the Chicago tarp in a lightning storm last week -- an antic that has led to more than one injury ...
* Paul Konerko had literally his first hot streak of the season last week, going 10-for-20 over a five-game stretch against Cleveland and Detroit, with two home runs ... Incredibly, the former All-Star was below the Mendoza Line from June 1 to July 18 ... His 0-for-3 on Monday dropped him back to a woeful 210/277/329 on the season ... Four of his seven (!) dingers have come in July ... Konerko: "I just tried to be as patient as I could...But I'm not out of the woods yet...I'm still figuring things out" ... To his credit, Konerko's been really working at it, taking early and extra batting practice ... Manuel: "I see him taking off for us in the second half, and that would be huge" ...
* In contrast, Magglio Ordonez is on fire right now, going .431 since July 5 with five home runs ... His double and home run last night brought his average and slugging up to .304 and .547 respectively, both season highs ... He had a tidy 3-for-3 with a homer on Sunday afternoon ... Mags made up for missing a Ryan Ludwick blooper on a sliding attempted catch on Monday by recovering in time to gun Milton Bradley at the plate ...
* Robbie Alomar makes another return to SkyDome tonight, and he's on a six-game hitting streak (.474) in which he has a stolen base, five walks and no strikeouts ... Both he and his brother are house-shopping in Chicago at the moment, cutting down on their family bonding time ...
* Jose Valentin is hitting .238 and continues to boot the ball around left sides of infields across America -- and now, he gets a chance to do so in Canada ...
* To his right (our left), Joe Crede continues to fall short of offensive expectations at third ... He's muddling along at 232/284/373 ... Similarly, Miguel Olivo is struggling with big-league pitching, as 221/269/363 would indicate ... His much-ballyhooed "great speed for a catcher" has only translated to two steals and no triples ... The relentlessly employed Sandy Alomar, Jr., is "hitting" at a 262/282/374 clip as Olivo's co-catcher ...
* Once-promising CF Aaron Rowand still only plays against lefties, and he's about to turn 26 in August ...
* But Frank Thomas is having something of a renassaince campaign at 273/403/558 ... Although he's only getting on base at a rate of .308 in July, he does have three homers in his last three games ... The Big Hurt's blast last night was the 399th of his career, and the 91st first-inning bomb of his career ... It was estimated at 448 feet, which the Chicago Sun-Times has described as a "conservative" number ... Thomas has been frank (no pun intended) about his desires to hit 500 home runs and earn an invitation to Cooperstown ... Thomas announced his intention to start becoming more pull-conscious and using the opposite field less: "Quit worrying about average and be a damaging hitter" is how Hurt described his new approach ... Look out: Thomas has hit his 1st, 100th, 200th and 300th longballs on the road ...
* Everett hasn't really gotten untracked since his trade to Chicago, although he came through with a two-run go-ahead single on Monday night ... His favourite White Sox moment? A game-winning home run on July 2 -- by Frank Thomas ... Everett: "That's my best moment. I don't ever have any selfish moments" ...
* Jon Garland, tomorrow's opponent, has surrendered 18 homers already this year ... But he pitched a gem in his last SkyDome outing, with only five men reaching base in eight shutout innings ... He was solid on Saturday against Detroit, going seven strong ...
* Brian Daubach is 0 for his last 11 ...
* Twelve of co-closer Damaso Marte's last thirteen appearances have been scoreless, with the following line: 18 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 7 BB, 21 K ...
* Speaking of hot relievers, Flash Gordon has won the Ace Reliever's job, even though Marte occasionally finishes games ... His July line: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 14 K ... His last four appearances have all resulted in saves ...
* Kelly Wunsch, who was having an excellent season, was hoping to come off the DL for a strained muscle in his left side ... But he was rocked in his first rehab stint with AAA Charlotte ...
* Ex-Jay farmhand Gary Glover has been used only five times since June 1 ... Cooper said it was circumstances, not punishment, responsible for Glover's miniscule workload: "I've told Gary it's not an evil plot holding him out of games" ...
* Manuel defended the U.S. Cellular crowd's booing of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior: "That's the passion and fire of Chicago fans" ...
Probable Batting Orders
Note: No lefthander is scheduled to start for the Jays this series.
vs. RH
4 R Alomar
6 Valentin
DH Thomas
9 Ordonez
8 Everett
7 Lee
3 Daubach/Konerko
5 Graffanino/Crede
2 Olivo/S Alomar
Pitching Probables
Wednesday: LH Buerhle vs. Halladay
Thursday: RH Garland vs. Lidle (or Escobar?)
Bullpen Usage
Long: Glover R, Sanders L
Short: Koch R
Setup: White R
Closer: Gordon R, Marte L
Chicago has won five straight and seven of eight, as they have surged past Minnesota as Kansas City's primary challenger (at the moment, anyway). Roberto Alomar has been solid in black pinstripes, but it's been the power surge from the middle of the order -- Thomas, Ordonez, Lee and even Paul Konerko -- that's gotten the White Sox back on track. Chicago has been counteracting its poor defensive play with a reliable bullpen that has pitched particularly well recently.
The Jays duck Esteban Loaiza, who has shown no signs of a post-All-Star hangover. But Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland have both been tough on the Jays this season, and they're both coming off of respectable outings. Nobody really knows who the Jays will trot out on Thursday, given the mercurial nature of trade winds. What we do know is that Doc goes for 15, one day later than anticipated, tonight. Lots of reasons to follow this mini-series, including Frank Thomas going for #400; he's one away.
On to the Advance Scout!
* The White Sox have won seven of their last eight ... They're really slugging when they get home cooking, with 27 homers in their last 9 home games ... Chicago's finally back at .500 and they're just five back of surprising Kansas City ... Carl Everett: "As long as you are winning, it doesn't matter what those other teams do" ... Their current five-game winning streak is their longest since a seven-gamer, last August-September ... Jerry Manuel: "We knew we were due...It's going to be important that we go out and do the same thing these next two days" ... But Chicago is 19-31 on the road, compared with 31-19 at U.S. Cellular ...
* Jose Valentin on the Manuel firing watch: "If we had won more games, he wouldn't be in that spot...I want him to stay here. I don't think it's his fault" ...
* In Saturday's game, the Sox were getting no-hit by Nate Cornejo until there were two outs in the seventh ... But the Hose awakened to the tune of seven straight hits en route to a 6-2 victory ... "Nobody was down in the dugout," said Tony Graffanino, whose three-run pinch-hit homer capped the rally ...
* Tonight's opponent, former All-Star Mark Buehrle, went through a spell of nine straight losing decisions earlier this season ... But he's now won his last six ... Buehrle said that pitching coach Don Cooper simply supplied the young southpaw with a confidence boost when Buehrle asked Cooper what he should change: "No, stay with what you're doing. You won 19 games last year" ... Buehrle gave up ten hits on Friday in six and two-thirds against Detroit, but got enough run support for a 7-5 victory ... Jerry Manuel ascribed Buehrle's earlier struggles to "hard luck" ... But there's some dumb luck, too: Buehrle and Billy Koch did the old slip-and-slide on the Chicago tarp in a lightning storm last week -- an antic that has led to more than one injury ...
* Paul Konerko had literally his first hot streak of the season last week, going 10-for-20 over a five-game stretch against Cleveland and Detroit, with two home runs ... Incredibly, the former All-Star was below the Mendoza Line from June 1 to July 18 ... His 0-for-3 on Monday dropped him back to a woeful 210/277/329 on the season ... Four of his seven (!) dingers have come in July ... Konerko: "I just tried to be as patient as I could...But I'm not out of the woods yet...I'm still figuring things out" ... To his credit, Konerko's been really working at it, taking early and extra batting practice ... Manuel: "I see him taking off for us in the second half, and that would be huge" ...
* In contrast, Magglio Ordonez is on fire right now, going .431 since July 5 with five home runs ... His double and home run last night brought his average and slugging up to .304 and .547 respectively, both season highs ... He had a tidy 3-for-3 with a homer on Sunday afternoon ... Mags made up for missing a Ryan Ludwick blooper on a sliding attempted catch on Monday by recovering in time to gun Milton Bradley at the plate ...
* Robbie Alomar makes another return to SkyDome tonight, and he's on a six-game hitting streak (.474) in which he has a stolen base, five walks and no strikeouts ... Both he and his brother are house-shopping in Chicago at the moment, cutting down on their family bonding time ...
* Jose Valentin is hitting .238 and continues to boot the ball around left sides of infields across America -- and now, he gets a chance to do so in Canada ...
* To his right (our left), Joe Crede continues to fall short of offensive expectations at third ... He's muddling along at 232/284/373 ... Similarly, Miguel Olivo is struggling with big-league pitching, as 221/269/363 would indicate ... His much-ballyhooed "great speed for a catcher" has only translated to two steals and no triples ... The relentlessly employed Sandy Alomar, Jr., is "hitting" at a 262/282/374 clip as Olivo's co-catcher ...
* Once-promising CF Aaron Rowand still only plays against lefties, and he's about to turn 26 in August ...
* But Frank Thomas is having something of a renassaince campaign at 273/403/558 ... Although he's only getting on base at a rate of .308 in July, he does have three homers in his last three games ... The Big Hurt's blast last night was the 399th of his career, and the 91st first-inning bomb of his career ... It was estimated at 448 feet, which the Chicago Sun-Times has described as a "conservative" number ... Thomas has been frank (no pun intended) about his desires to hit 500 home runs and earn an invitation to Cooperstown ... Thomas announced his intention to start becoming more pull-conscious and using the opposite field less: "Quit worrying about average and be a damaging hitter" is how Hurt described his new approach ... Look out: Thomas has hit his 1st, 100th, 200th and 300th longballs on the road ...
* Everett hasn't really gotten untracked since his trade to Chicago, although he came through with a two-run go-ahead single on Monday night ... His favourite White Sox moment? A game-winning home run on July 2 -- by Frank Thomas ... Everett: "That's my best moment. I don't ever have any selfish moments" ...
* Jon Garland, tomorrow's opponent, has surrendered 18 homers already this year ... But he pitched a gem in his last SkyDome outing, with only five men reaching base in eight shutout innings ... He was solid on Saturday against Detroit, going seven strong ...
* Brian Daubach is 0 for his last 11 ...
* Twelve of co-closer Damaso Marte's last thirteen appearances have been scoreless, with the following line: 18 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 7 BB, 21 K ...
* Speaking of hot relievers, Flash Gordon has won the Ace Reliever's job, even though Marte occasionally finishes games ... His July line: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 14 K ... His last four appearances have all resulted in saves ...
* Kelly Wunsch, who was having an excellent season, was hoping to come off the DL for a strained muscle in his left side ... But he was rocked in his first rehab stint with AAA Charlotte ...
* Ex-Jay farmhand Gary Glover has been used only five times since June 1 ... Cooper said it was circumstances, not punishment, responsible for Glover's miniscule workload: "I've told Gary it's not an evil plot holding him out of games" ...
* Manuel defended the U.S. Cellular crowd's booing of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior: "That's the passion and fire of Chicago fans" ...
Probable Batting Orders
Note: No lefthander is scheduled to start for the Jays this series.
vs. RH
4 R Alomar
6 Valentin
DH Thomas
9 Ordonez
8 Everett
7 Lee
3 Daubach/Konerko
5 Graffanino/Crede
2 Olivo/S Alomar
Pitching Probables
Wednesday: LH Buerhle vs. Halladay
Thursday: RH Garland vs. Lidle (or Escobar?)
Bullpen Usage
Long: Glover R, Sanders L
Short: Koch R
Setup: White R
Closer: Gordon R, Marte L
