MySports Today

Wow, things have turned really ugly, really quickly for the Chicago White Sox.  The White Sox are 4 games under .500 at 64-68 and they trail the Detroit Tigers by 6 games in the AL Central.  The White Sox have lost 9 of 11 games, and still have 2 games left on a grueling 10-game road trip in the city where the White Sox find it so difficult to win – Minneapolis.  The White Sox have lost 6 of the 7 games that the 2 teams have played against each other at the Metrodome during the 2009 MLB schedule.

Things started to turn bad for the White Sox during the weekend of August 21st when the White Sox dropped 2 of 3 to the lowly Baltimore Orioles.  Then the White Sox embarked on the 10-game road trip where they quickly dropped 3 of 4 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston and all 3 games to the Yankees at the New Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  The White Sox limped into Minneapolis where they looked like a defeated team – losing 4-1, the White Sox managed just 7 hits off of Nick Blackburn and 3 Twins relievers.

In the meantime, GM Kenny Williams pulled off 2 last minute trades to move older players who are no longer in the team’s long-term plans.  Williams moved DH Jim Thome to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jose Contreras to the Colorado Rockies.  The Dodgers have a 5.5 games lead over the Rockies for the NL West division, and Rockies are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the NL Wild Card lead.

Thome is hitting .252 with 23 HR’s and 74 RBI’s on the season. The White Sox got infielder Justin Fuller in return.

Contreras struggled for the majority of the 2009 MLB schedule – 5-13 record, 5.42 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.  Contreras has lost 6 of his last 9 starts.  The Rockies sent the White Sox pitcher Brandon Hynick (26 starts at Triple-A with a 10-9 record and 3.83 ERA) in the trade.

Both Thome and Contreras beat the playoff-roster trading deadline, so the Dodgers and Rockies would be able to put each player on their playoff roster should they make the playoffs.

Is this is a sign that the White Sox are packing it in for 2009?  Maybe, maybe not.  Thome and Contreras have really not contributed lately, so this might give Manager Ozzie Guillen the chance to use some other guys who can help the White Sox get this thing turned around before it’s too late.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams thought he had made a deal for San Diego Padres’ ace Jake Peavy a little over a month ago.  But Peavy rejected the trade.  Right after that, Peavy went on the DL with a strained tendon in his right ankle, but Williams never gave up his pursuit of the former Cy Young winner.  And right before the trading deadline on Friday, Williams’ efforts paid off with a steep price (Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda are involved in the deal).  Peavy made 13 starts for the Padres in 2009, going 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA.  He is expected to be ready to pitch by the end of August, but the White Sox will proceed cautiously with their new “ace”.

Clayton Richard has been coming into his won of late.  In his last 2 starts against the Rays and Tigers, Richard pitched 8 innings allowing just 1 ER in each game.  Aaron Poreda is considered to be the White Sox best minor league pitching prospect, and he has shown how good he can be in 10 appearances during the 2009 MLB schedule.  Poreda has a 2.45 ERA, giving up 9 hits and 8 walks in 11 innings of relief work.  The White Sox also gave up young pitchers Dexter Carter and Adam Russell in the deal.

Assuming Peavy is healthy, you have to think that the White Sox should have what it takes to overtake the 1st place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central race.