Mostly because I'm too lazy but perhaps also because it isn't true, I can't verify this at all. Nevertheless, it seems to me that every time the Sox have an opportunity to sweep a team (and I'm not talking about some stupid 2 game series), Ozzie fields the scrubbiest lineup imaginable.
OK. It's a Sunday. Guys get days off on Sundays. I understand this. OK, AJ Pierzynski needs rest in a bad way. I understand this. But when the White Sox have a chance to sweep a series they had no business sweeping (see both Friday and Saturday night, where the Royals absolutely handed each game to the Sox), when the hitters continue to struggggggle, when Toby Hall is on the brink of coming back, and when you're looking at an off day on Monday, is it too much to ask to have your best lineup on the field? You know, the lineup that has the one guy, apart from Juan Uribe, that is actually showing some semblance of offensive consciousness. AJ is hitting .389 with 2 homers and a double over the past week. Compare that to the team batting average of... ugh... .223 (the lowest, by 11 points, in the majors; nobody else is even close).Yeah, Javy needs to not give up a 3 run jack to Mark Teahen (that was sadly prescient of you, Bob), and no, the Sox aren't going to score 11 runs even if AJ is in the lineup instead of Molina. The lineup card is really a secondary issue.
More importantly, the Sox continue to choke in key situations. How many times are the Sox going to squander bases loaded or just plain old runners-in-scoring-position opportunities, particularly against mediocre pitchers? This is getting absurd. You aren't going to win many games with 1 run of support--a run that was scored by a bases freaking loaded walk.
I'm not one to be too rash about this sort of thing or look for scapegoats, but when you consistently fail (and by consistent I mean all freaking season--over 30 games to this point) at moving runners over and getting runners in with less than 2 out, something needs to change. That thing is you, Greg Walker.
P.S. It doesn't even really need to be said, but giving up 11 runs to the Royals (tied for the most they've scored this year) is just plain embarrassing. What a horrible, horrible game. Maybe the White Sox should issue an official apology to all the mothers that attended the game today. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
1 comment:
Yeah, who the hell was that guy playing center yesterday? I think it was one of Ozzie's kids maybe.
A stat I heard on the radio prior to the game that backs your point is that the Sox were 1-4 on Sunday games (now 1-5). The only win was in extras.
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