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Yankees notebook, 8/18
Garcia has bullpen session moved back
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
With Garcia pushed back a day, it remains unclear if he will be able to pitch in the four-game series against the Twins, but it looks less likely than if he had thrown Thursday in the bullpen.
Girardi did not rule out Garcia pitching this weekend.
“I’m not sure when he’s going to pitch again,” Girardi said. “We just have to monitor his bullpen sessions. The big thing is we get him healthy and we get that finger ready. But it’s a lot closer than it was.”
Burnett will start again in Garcia’s place Saturday, putting Ivan Nova would be in line to start Sunday’s series finale.
A day later, Girardi still miffed on HR call
MINNEAPOLIS — When manager Joe Girardi met with the media Thursday before the Yankees took on the Twins, the main topic was the controversial call made Wednesday night by crew chief Dana DeMuth, which credited Kansas City’s Billy Butler with a home run.
After reviewing the play in which the ball struck the left-field wall and bounced back into play, DeMuth determined it to be a home run for Butler. Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations, said Thursday in Cooperstown, N.Y., that DeMuth had misunderstood the ground rules at Kauffman Stadium.
“It’s unfortunate. You know, I can’t tell you if he gets the call right that the game’s not going to change or what’s going to happen during the rest of the game,” Girardi said. “You don’t know. You don’t know if Billy Butler ends up scoring. It’s a totally different game, in a sense.
“But it’s unfortunate that it’s the second time it’s happened. It happened with the Angels, and you would’ve thought that it would’ve been cleaned up. You know, it’s a tough fence, but there are other tough fences. We got the call wrong, and we’ve got to move on.”
As Girardi alluded to, Wednesday night was not the first time such a call had gone the Royals’ way this season at Kauffman Stadium.
Butler initially was credited with a double June 1 on a similar hit, but a review then ruled that it should be a home run. That call gave Butler a two-run walk-off homer as the Royals won, 2-0, over the Angels.
What makes such a call upsetting for Girardi is that rather than simply getting a judgment call wrong, DeMuth made the incorrect call because of a misinterpretation of the ground rules.
“Well, I think everyone in life, not just baseball, needs to be accountable for their own actions. That’s the bottom line,” Girardi said.
“There’s a lot at stake every day. You’re fighting for games. You’re fighting for your division. You’re fighting for playoff spots. Some people are fighting for jobs. There’s a lot at stake.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Peavy, homers give White Sox rare sweep
MINNEAPOLIS — Given their recent struggles against the Twins, a trip to Target Field didn’t exactly seem like the best solution for the White Sox and their six-game losing streak.
But when they left the Twin Cities on Sunday, the White Sox had completed their first three-game sweep of the Twins in more than five years with a 7-0 victory.
“After that last stretch, we could’ve come in here with our heads hung low and we could’ve mailed it in against a team that really has had our number,” said right-hander Jake Peavy, who was nearly unhittable against the Twins.
“We came in here, we played hard and watched the chips fall where they may, and we came out with three wins. We feel fortunate, but we know we’ve got to make a hard, hard push, and three games isn’t enough if we’re going to make a race out of this.”
Backed by four home runs and a three-run fourth, Peavy delivered his best start since May, while picking up his first win since June.
Allowing just three hits with six strikeouts and no walks, Peavy tossed eight scoreless innings. It was just the second time this season Peavy has gone eight or more innings, with the other being a three-hit shutout against the Indians in his second start of the season on May 18.
“Peavy threw the ball well,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. “The thing about him today, he was throwing more strikes, he was around the plate more, and I think that’s the reason he had that type of game.”
The Twins sent no more than four batters to the plate in an inning against Peavy, who retired the side in order in the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
It was Peavy’s first scoreless outing and his first win since tossing four shutout innings in relief on June 25 against the Nationals. Peavy also won for the first time as a starter since June 22 against the Cubs.
“He was just mixing up all his pitches and making you chase,” said Twins right fielder Jason Kubel. “He’d also get you looking at some good pitches, too. So he was using his sinker, his cutter, his curveball and changeup effectively. I mean, everything was effective, so it was a pretty good job from him today.”
After giving up a double in the first to Joe Mauer, and back-to-back singles in the third, Peavy retired the last 10 batters he faced and 17 of the last 18.
Peavy allowed more than one baserunner in an inning just once, in the third inning. The only baserunner he allowed after that came in the fifth, when he hit Matt Tolbert in the foot with a curveball.
“Just changed speeds, I threw the ball anywhere from 70 mph to about 90,” Peavy said. “I threw some cutters, threw breaking balls, changeups. I was just aggressive. I just can’t stand putting people on base. My stuff was OK, but it makes all the difference in the world when you get a two-, three-run lead early.”
Making his first career start at first base, Brent Lillibridge put the White Sox on the board with a 401-foot solo blast in the second inning. Paul Konerko followed with a solo shot of his own to lead off the fourth, and Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios each doubled and scored as the White Sox took control of the game.
In the seventh inning, Alexei Ramirez added a two-run blast off reliever Alex Burnett for good measure, and Rios put another in the seats an inning later off lefty Jose Mijares. Everyone in the White Sox lineup had at least one hit in the game, while six different players scored a run.
“We have great players here,” Rios said. “We had a good series, everybody did a good job. That’s what we need to get things rolling.”
Twins lefty Brian Duensing lasted 6 1/3 innings, but gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Coming into the weekend, the White Sox had beaten the Twins just once all season, while losing 10 of their last 11 against their division rivals. The sweep of the Twins was the first for the White Sox in a three-game series since April 21-23, 2006, and it’s the first for Chicago in Minnesota since June 29-July 1, 2004.
“Finally, we played better against them,” Guillen said. “Every time we come to town, every time we face these guys, they give us a very tough time. It’s just fun to see those guys play the way they did, especially against this ballclub.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
White Sox notebook, 8/7
Stance adjustment pays off for Rios
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
Instead of holding the bat more vertically, Rios moved it down to rest on his shoulder until the pitcher began his delivery. While one game is not enough to say if the change made the difference, Rios had his best game at the plate since late June, when he went 3-for-4 against the Nationals.
“I hope he keeps swinging the bat like that, we need it,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. “I don’t know what he did, I never asked him what he did. I told him the other day to raise himself up. I don’t know if it was that, but the last couple days, he’s swung the bat better.”
Rios continued to produce in Sunday’s 7-0 victory, going 2-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs.
Struggling Dunn sits against Twins lefty
MINNEAPOLIS — With the Twins starting lefty Brian Duensing on Sunday, White Sox designated Adam Dunn got a day off, his first in two weeks. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he may give Dunn another day off later on the road trip as well.
After picking up a few hits against the Yankees, Dunn went 0-for-7 in the first two games of the series against the Twins, with two walks, three strikeouts and a run scored.
“He’s struggling so much right now. Hopefully, with a little break we give him, we can get something better out of him,” Guillen said. “He was swinging the bat a little bit better in Chicago, but the last couple days he lost it.”
Dunn has just 54 hits in 331 at-bats and a .163 average to go along with a .294 on-base percentage, and he’s slugging just .302. His struggles drew national attention on Thursday when Stephen Colbert joked about Dunn threatening Bill Bergen’s record-low batting average of .139.
While his continued struggles could likely be affecting Dunn’s confidence at the plate, which would only compound the issue, Guillen thinks it’s more frustrating than anything for Dunn right now.
“I think mentally, he should be very exhausted,” Guillen said. “He’s missing pitches. He’s missing fastballs, he’s missing changeups, he’s missing breaking balls, guessing wrong pitches. Everything has piled up, one thing after another.”
With two months left in the season, it’s unlikely Dunn will be able to improve his poor offensive numbers. But Guillen hopes that Dunn will learn from this season and come back better prepared and in better shape for the 2012 season.
“He has to stay in shape now, he’s not 22 years old anymore,” Guillen said. “Now he has to learn that he has to prepare himself better. That happens to everyone. That happened to [Paul Konerko], that happened to [Mark] Buehrle.”
Brent Lillibridge started at first base in Sunday’s 7-0 victory and went 2-for-4 with a homer, his second in two games.
Stewart an option for rotation, bullpen
MINNEAPOLIS — Ozzie Guillen has not decided yet, but the White Sox manager said he’s leaning toward giving Zach Stewart another before putting him in the bullpen.
Stewart would likely pitch on Friday, if he did start again, but he could be needed out of the bullpen before then, which would be the most likely thing keeping Stewart from making a second start.
“I’m thinking, personally, we should keep him and give those guys six days,” Guillen said. “I don’t know yet, but … I have to know in the next couple days because I have to know exactly who I’m going to have in the bullpen and how I’m going to use them.”
Stewart allowed just one run on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings Saturday night in in a 6-1 victory to pick up his first Major League win.
While it remains a possibility that Stewart could start against the Royals, the right-hander would not start again the next time through the rotation, because the White Sox have off-days on Aug. 15 and Aug. 22, and using a six-man rotation through that stretch would give everyone too much time between starts.
Guillen said he would talk to White Sox general manager Ken Williams before making a decision on when Stewart would pitch next.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
White Sox ‘pen saves Stewart’s first win
MINNEAPOLIS — As he made his White Sox debut, right-hander Zach Stewart was told by White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to have some fun, throw strikes and give the team a chance to win.
Stewart did just that, delivering a solid start and picking up his first Major League victory as the White Sox won their second straight, 6-1, over the Twins at Target Field on Saturday.
The 24-year-old right-hander pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Stewart tossed 79 pitches, 55 of which were strikes.
“That’s pretty much my usual game plan, just go out and try to throw a lot of strikes and attack the zone,” Stewart said. “And, you know, get ’em out.
“I like to go out and try to make them put the bat on the ball and hit ground balls and just save my pitch count to where I can throw later into games.”
Through four innings, Stewart had allowed just two singles and a walk before the Twins started to figure him out a bit. He got into trouble in both the fifth and sixth innings, but escaped with just one run allowed.
“Their guy did a good job of keeping us off balance,” said Twins starter Carl Pavano, who allowed two runs (one earned) on nine hits over eight innings. “It seemed like he had pretty good stuff, too. He had a good fastball and good secondary stuff, so you have to tip your hat to him as well.”
Stewart credited catcher A.J. Pierzynski for calling a good game behind the plate, noting that he just tried to follow Pierzynski’s lead.
With runners on the corners in the sixth, the White Sox turned an inning-ending double play to help Stewart get out of the jam.
“Once they saw that he was throwing strikes, they started swinging early, and he got some easy, quick outs,” said Pierzynski, who said he had never seen Stewart throw a pitch until in the bullpen just minutes prior to the game. “He made some pitches when he had to, the double play on Delmon Young [in the sixth] was huge.”
In the fifth, the White Sox got on the board with a walk by Brent Morel and a pair of singles by Juan Pierre and Paul Konerko. Morel scored on Konerko’s two-out single, while Pierre stole third base and scored as the throw got away from Twins third baseman Danny Valencia one batter later.
Alejandro De Aza scored from third in the ninth on catcher Drew Butera’s errant throw to second following a Joe Nathan wild pitch.
Konerko then plated another run with a fielder’s choice, and Brent Lillibridge launched a two-run homer off Nathan to put the game out of reach.
Chris Sale relieved Stewart with one on and one out in the seventh, and he retired the first two batters he faced.
After giving up a double and throwing a wild pitch in the eighth, he got two crucial groundouts by Jason Kubel and Jim Thome to keep the Twins from tying the game, and Jason Frasor got the White Sox out of the inning with a strikeout of Valencia looking on three pitches.
“I think everybody knows how tough he is,” Thome said of Sale. “He throws 97 [mph] and throws a slider. The thing he does real well is that his arm speed when he throws the slider is like his heater. It’s not coming out like it’s his heater, but his arm speed is very good.”
Sergio Santos worked a perfect ninth to finish out what Stewart started.
Before the game, Guillen said he would have to wait until after he saw Stewart pitch before he decided what the White Sox would do with the right-hander for the rest of the season.
The only thing that was certain after Saturday’s game was that Stewart will stay with the big league club for a while and has impressed his manager so far.
“I like his attitude and his presence on the mound,” Guillen said. “He’s got a pretty good makeup. Hopefully, he’ll keep it up like that.”
Will Stewart get another opportunity to start?
“The way he threw the ball, he should,” Guillen said.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
White Sox notebook, 8/6
Reliever Bruney designated for assignment
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
“The last four outings were very rough on him,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “But overall, he’s not pitched bad for us.
“I wasn’t crazy about him, but I was happy with what he did.”
Stewart given opportunity to help out
MINNEAPOLIS — After letting him make one start for Triple-A Charlotte, the White Sox recalled Zach Stewart for Saturday’s game against the Twins at Target Field to see what they’ve got in him.
Stewart arrived in the visitors’ clubhouse about three hours before game time, and he quickly got some introductions out of the way before trying to settle in and get ready for his start.
“We wanted to take a look at him,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. “Because for the next few days, we’re going to see how he can help out this year.”
Before the White Sox acquired Stewart from the Blue Jays, he made three starts (0-1 with a 4.86 ERA) for Toronto. His start on Saturday was the fourth of his Major League career and his first since June 27 at Detroit.
Guillen told Stewart before the game not to try to do too much in his White Sox debut.
“‘Just go do what you’re supposed to do,'” Guillen said. “‘Have fun out there and we’ll take care of the rest. You did not come here to save us, you did not come here to be the guy that’s going to take us to the next level. You came here to help us win some games’.
“‘Just go out there and pitch. Just throw strikes.'”
Stewart followed that advice perfectly to pick up his first Major League win in the 6-1 White Sox victory. The right-hander allowed one run on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.
Starters get an extra day of rest
MINNEAPOLIS — With the move to bring up Zach Stewart to pitch Saturday’s game against the Twins, everyone else in the White Sox rotation was bumped back a day.
That includes Jake Peavy, who was originally scheduled to start on Saturday, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said the move did not have anything specifically to do with Peavy, who threw a season-high 115 pitches in his last start.
“It gives everybody one more day of rest,” Guillen said. “We’ve got [17] games without a day off. I think we will need [Stewart] in the starting rotation or in the bullpen, just in case, as a long man. Then we have two doubleheaders with Cleveland and Minnesota.”
Guillen said the team did not plan to go back to a six-man rotation. It could happen, but the decision would be influenced by Stewart’s performance in his start.
Peavy said the six-man rotation has had a lot to do with the success of the starting rotation.
From a personal standpoint, Peavy has benefited from the six-man rotation as he works to recover from an injury last July in which the tendon that anchors the latissimus dorsi muscle to the rear of his right shoulder had detached.
Peavy put in plenty of hard work in the offseason to get back for the White Sox this season, but even with the six-man rotation has only worked seven or more innings three times.
“I think it’s helped all of us,” Peavy said. “It’s certainly helped me, there’s no doubt. Coming back off this surgery … my body’s just not responding the way we wanted it to.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Quentin’s homers back Buehrle against Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — Had it not been for an error in the first inning, Mark Buehrle might have been able to toss a shutout Friday night at Target Field. Instead, he settled for a dominant victory over the Twins, his ninth win of the season.
Buehrle did not allow an earned run in his eight-inning outing, and right fielder Carlos Quentin blasted a pair of homers as the White Sox won, 5-3, over the Twins.
A fielding error by Adam Dunn at first base allowed Twins leadoff hitter Ben Revere to reach in the first, and a Joe Mauer single and Jason Kubel home run made it 3-1. But those would be all the runs the Twins would score, as Buehrle allowed just two hits the rest of the way with three strikeouts and no walks.
“I haven’t had much success on the road against these guys. I was lucky to get a win today,” Buehrle said. “The last couple games, I’ve been feeling good, but I’ve just been falling behind in the count a lot and getting the pitch count up. Today, I was attacking — strike one. They were putting the ball in play early in the count.”
Chicago snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory, while Buehrle allowed three runs or fewer for the 17th straight start, the longest streak by a White Sox pitcher since Dave Lemonds also went 17 in a row in 1972. Over that stretch, Buehrle has gone 8-3 with a 2.40 ERA, allowing just 31 earned runs in 116 1/3 innings.
Buehrle improved to 26-19 in his career against Minnesota, and he also has pitched at least six innings in each of his past seven starts.
“The ball moves a lot, especially against a lefty,” Revere said. “You never know if it’s going to come in or go away. And he’s quick. His tempo is quick. He’s a tough cookie. But that’s why he’s one of the best pitchers in the American League.”
Quentin hit his 22nd home run of the year in the third, a solo shot, and his 23rd home run in the fifth, scoring Dunn and putting the White Sox ahead for good.
With Paul Konerko still bothered by a calf injury after being hit by a pitch on Sunday, the big night for Quentin came at a great time and helped the White Sox end their losing streak.
“He got a big hit for us,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Quentin. “Everybody has to contribute a little bit without having [Konerko 100 percent]. I don’t know how [Konerko] is playing, he can’t even run the bases. … Everybody has to pick it up a notch and try to help.”
After not walking in four straight games, the White Sox walked seven times during Friday’s victory, with the most crucial being the one-out walk picked up by Dunn in the fifth just before Quentin’s two-run blast.
Twins starter Nick Blackburn was not sharp, as he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, while walking six batters with just one strikeout.
Blackburn had been successful against the White Sox in the past, entering the game with a 9-5 record and 3.72 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) versus Chicago. This season, Blackburn was 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA over three starts against the White Sox before Friday’s loss.
Lately, though, Blackburn has struggled against everybody.
Since tossing eight shutout innings against the White Sox on June 16, Blackburn has gone 1-5 with a 7.45 ERA, allowing 46 runs (37 earned) on 69 hits over 44 2/3 innings.
“I’ve just been tinkering around the plate too much. With the way things have been going, I haven’t been trusting my pitches lately,” Blackburn said. “Tonight, everything was down in the strike zone and had good movement, but I just wasn’t relaxing enough. I tried to throw everything on the corner, instead of just trying to get ground balls.”
For the White Sox, it was just their second win against the Twins this season, and their second in the teams’ last 12 meetings.
“Especially when we play these guys and we never beat them,” said Guillen, whose team is 8-29 in its last 37 games against Minnesota. “I don’t care how it comes, as long as we win.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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