Article: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1158398/index.htm
July 29, 2009
Carlos Quentin doesn’t look good to Ozzie Guillen
Carlos Quentin hit a game-tying home run in the fifth but moved slowly around the bases. The home run was Quentin’s first since rejoining the Sox after a seven-week absence caused by plantar fasciitis of the left foot. Quentin finished the game, but Guillen had an unflattering assessment of Quentin’s health. “Carlos is all beat up,” Guillen said. “He looks like an old drunk.”
Alexei Ramirez won’t play tomorrow
Alexei Ramirez left Wednesday’s game in the seventh inning of the White Sox 3-2 loss to the Twins at the Metrodome with what is being initially diagnosed as a sprained right ankle. Ramirez walked through the clubhouse on crutches, but the White Sox shortstop only was using them because the team couldn’t get X-rays since they were flying out of Minneapolis. They decided to err on the safe side, making the injury non-weight bearing until he gets the X-rays on Thursday in Chicago. “We’ll give him a day and see if he feels better,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen of his plans for Ramirez at the outset of the four-game set with the Yankees. “He’s not playing tomorrow.”
Tomorrow is ‘Mark Buehrle day’
In advance of the White Sox game against the New York Yankees, Gov. Pat Quinn will join the All-Star lefty at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday to proclaim July 30, 2009 as Mark Buehrle Day in Illinois.
Alexei Ramirez injury update (UPDATE #3)
Ramirez on bench starting to rotate ankle and walking from dugout to tunnel under his own power.
UPDATE: Mark Gonzales: Ramirez right ankle sprain. On crutches. Will have x-rays Thursday.
UPDATE #2: Scott Reifert: Initial diagnosis on Alexei is sprained ankle. On crutches as a precaution. Further tests tmrw in Chicago. #whitesox
UPDATE #3: Joe Cowley: Ramirez has a sprained right ankle. He left the park on crutches, but that was so he couldn’t put weight on it until x-rays tomorrow.
Fangraphs on C.J. Retheford
C.J. Retherford: With Josh Fields possibly on his way out of Chicago, this former non-drafted amateur free agent (a great scouting job by the White Sox) could suddenly find himself jumping up the depth chart at third base. Retherford has done nothing but hit since signing and he’s currently hitting .294/.334/.471 with 28 doubles and eight homers in 340 at-bats. The 23-year-old does not possess a ton of power; his swing is more geared to the line drive. His walk rate has also dipped each season and is down to 6.3 BB% in 2009 at double-A. The right-handed hitter has potential, but Retherford needs to be a little more patient.
Sox interested in George Sherill
The White Sox have some degree of interest in Orioles lefty George Sherrill, major league sources indicated Wednesday, but it’s unclear if the sides have had any serious talks. Baltimore prefers to get a third baseman in return for Sherrill, and Chicago may have enough infield depth that general manager Kenny Williams could include Josh Fields in the deal. Fields, once a highly-regarded prospect, came up through the minors as a third baseman but was replaced there by Gordon Beckham last month. Fields, batting .220, has since become a part-time player.
Sherill is a Free Agent at the end of this season.
Brady Shoemaker is tearing up the Appalachian league
Northview and Indiana State alumna, Brady Shoemaker continues his assault on Appalachian League pitching in his first year of professional baseball. … Shoemaker, who was the Appalachian League Player of the Week for July 13, was drafted in the 19th-round this spring by the Chicago White Sox. …
Trayce Thompson arrives in Bristol
“I’m just so happy to get out here,” said Thompson, 18, the 61st overall pick in this year’s MLB draft, whose contract included a $625,000 bonus. “I’ve waited so long. And finally to get out here … it’s just a great feeling for me personally.” … “The days seemed to get longer,” admitted Thompson, who batted .463 with nine homers for Santa Margarita High School (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) this past spring. “About two weeks ago, I got word from my agent that [my contract] should be coming up pretty soon. It’s just a great feeling.”
Mark Buehrle’s perfect game gift not be consumed before an actual game
Just as he was when he tossed a no-hitter in 2007, Mark Buehrle is in a giving mood after Thursday’s perfect game. There’s apparently a painting of DeWayne’s Wise’s catch that he’s gifting as well, but here’s a first glance at another present for his teammates: a bottle of Crown Royal XR:
Fangraphs on Mark Buehrle’s perfect streak
Buehrle set the major league record with 45 straight batters retired. … Over those 45 batters Buehrle got nine strikeouts, 22 ground outs, eight fly outs, two line outs and four pop outs. A truly amazing performance. I wanted to partially analyze partially commemorate the streak by looking at the location of Buehrle’s pitches. The image is a little messy, but there are some striking trends. …
Do you hear that scream? It’s coming from Toronto’s GM (UPDATE)
Rogers Communications, the company that owns the Blue Jays, wants to bring its costs under control. The Blue Jays have said they don’t have to deal Halladay, who has over $20MM left on his contract, for financial reasons.
Thanks for the leverage loss guys!
UPDATE: Screaming intensified.
The control hitters have over everything
As I said last time, this is far, far from a comprehensive study. For comparative purposes, though, it can be quite useful. Anyway, I looked at all hitters from 2004 through 2008 who amassed at least 350 at-bats in adjacent seasons (and played on the same team both years, to eliminate some park-to-park biases). What you’re seeing is the R-squared results for each stat, which essentially tells us how much of the variation in Year 2 can be explained by the Year 1 figure. …
