No Need To Panic

Ok so things aren't going as planned so far in 2006 for the White Sox. After 4 games they sit at 1-3 in third place in the AL Central division. They lost 2 of 3 at home against their biggest threat and rival Cleveland Indians.

There are a few things going wrong for the White Sox right now. We'll start with the biggest one. All the talk about the Sox last season was of their dominant pitching staff. Well that dominant staff doesn't look too good right now.

1. Mark Buerhle 0-0 4 IP 6.75 ERA
2. Freddy Garcia 0-1 4 IP 15.75 ERA
3. Jose Contreras 0-0 6 IP 3.OO ERA
4. Jon Garland 0-1 5.1 IP 15.19 ERA

The numbers are a bit deceiving though. In reality Buerhle made one bad pitch in 4 innings, and it happened to get hit out of the park. It was quickly followed by a 3 hour rain delay, which Buerhle didn't return from. Garland was credited with 9 ER, but only 4 were really earned. The Royals scorekeeper gave the Sox fielders a little too much credit Friday night. The box score said the Sox made 1 error, but in reality they committed about 4.

Garcia is the only concern at this point. His velocity is down from 93-94MPH last season to about 89MPH tops in his first start. With that velocity he will need pinpoint control, and just didn't have it against Cleveland. Anything he left over the plate they crushed, and other teams will too. There are a few pitchers suffering from this around the league right now, like former Sox starter Esteban Loaiza in Oakland. What do these pitchers have in common?

The World Baseball Classic.

It appears that there may be a little dead arm going around the Majors right now. Possibly from the early start for some. Whatever it is both pitchers teams are hoping they get over it, and fast.

Another problem thus far has been the lack of clutch hitting. The White Sox didn't score many runs last season, but they always seemed to score the ones they needed. The Sox have had a few 2 on, none out situations in which they've failed to score this season. Scott Podsednik starting the season 0-13 hasn't helped either. When Podsednik gets on he can wreak havoc on a pitcher, and easily steal second AND third.

Jim Thome hasn't been a letdown though. The slugger is batting .333 with 2 HR 3 RBI 4 R and 6 BB, and has shown no signs of trouble with either his elbow or back.

All in all though it's only been 4 games. There are still 158 more to go, so nobody is exactly panicking. With all the celebrations and ceremonies accompanying every game so far, the White Sox haven't been able to focus on just playing baseball yet. (Opening night, Ring ceremony, Trophy ceremony, and KC's home opener) The key is that they get into a rhythm and get going soon.

Whether Detroit can keep up their current undefeated pace is debatable, but the Indians are more than capable of keeping theirs. In a very tough division it's imperative that the Sox don't dig themselves a hole early. That's what happened to the Indians last season, and they needed a near perfect second half to finish as well as they did. Still, they missed the playoffs. It can happen to the White Sox just as easily.

The White Sox have two more games in Kansas City this weekend before heading to Detroit for a 3 game series with the 4-0 Tigers. This will be a important 5 game stretch in a still early season. The AL Central can either send a message to the Sox and set the tone for 2006, or the Sox can let the rest of the division know it's still theirs until someone takes it from them.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• Well so much for Joakim Noah in a Bulls uniform. Noah and his teammates will be returning to Florida for their junior years. Not all hope is lost however, cuz the Bulls still have the Knicks first rounder next year too. Once again, thank you Isaiah. I mean it's like he felt really bad for leading the Pistons off the court without shaking the Bulls hands after they were eliminated in 91 and he wanted to say sorry.
• A lot of baseball insiders say that the position to watch out for in the steroid scandal is the relief pitchers. Since steroids greatly enhance recovery time it's rightfully suspected that many relievers may have abused them. An early suspect?
• I watched Friday's Oakland/Seattle game to get a glimpse of the newest pitching phenom Felix Hernandez. I never got a chance to see him last season, so I was anxious to watch it. Hernandez pitched very well(L5 IP 2 H 1R 1 ER 4K), and is as advertised. Unfortunately his lack of control (4 walks) early cost him and Seattle. King Felix wasn't the best pitcher in the game though. No that award goes to A's righty Joe Blanton. (W 8 IP 2H 0R 6K 1BB 98 pitches) He was absolutely phenomenal. Painting the outside corner, busting guys inside, working up in the zone, and down in the zone with pinpoint precision. Just an amazing performance, and it's a shame that early season pitch count kept him from the complete game shutout. Trust me, the Mariners couldn't keep him from it.
• I mentioned the 4-0 Tigers already. Not only is the 4-0 start a surprise to most, but they're doing it with unexpected power. They've hit 16 homers in 4 games. Hell they sent Ranger pitcher RA Dickey back to AAA after one game. The leader for these Motown Maulers? Chris Shelton with 5. Who's Chris Shelton you ask? Sorry, but I don't know either. I do know that he leads the Majors in that category though.