Kuzul

After shellacking the Chicago White Sox 12-6 on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins have moved into first place in the AL Central by one game.

Both teams are hot, with the Twins winning 12 and the White Sox winning 10 of the teams’ last 15 games. White Sox have gone 39-16 since June 8th, overcoming a horrendous start to get to this point, while the Twins have gone 19-10 since the All-Star break without one of, if not their best, hitters.

It looks as though the race in the AL Central will once again come down to the final week of the season, and perhaps another 163rd game is in order.

For the Detroit Tigers, the season is all but over, as the team went from leading the division a day before the All-Star break to sitting 10 games back in third place thanks to a 5-22 record since then.

For the most part we know what we are getting from the players on the White Sox and Twins; however, there are players on both squads who can fluctuate either way and will eventually make or break their team’s chances of getting to the postseason.

Today we will take a look at five players who could decide the AL Central.

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Mark Teahen is set to come back in about a week from his minor league stint in Triple-A Charlotte after recovering from a fractured middle finger in May—not that anyone in the organization has noticed his absence with the White Sox on a tear without him. 

A question, which I’m certain manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams will answer incorrectly, looms.

Who do the White Sox send down for Mark Teahen?

Almost certainly the White Sox will send down either Brent Lillibridge or Dayan Viciedo, although the answer is clear that Mark Kotsay deserves the demotion.

I understand bringing up Teahen.

He can play third, second, and the outfield, and he can run. He’s a nice cushion for the inevitable fall of Omar Vizquel’s bat, which has been solid, especially with his impressive glove at third. 

Oh, and the fact the White Sox paid Teahen for some reason may come into play in that decision.

Bringing him up makes sense, but starting him does not. That, I believe, Guillen will make the right call on.

Who Teahen replaces, however, smells like an awful decision.

After his pinch-hit home run in the first game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers today, Viciedo, the 21-year-old prospect, is hitting .328 with three home runs, seven RBI, 13 runs, and a stolen base. He’s shown no patience, however, walking zero times in 67 at-bats.

The White Sox feel Viciedo should be used against lefties, which is why they continue to bat Kotsay and Jones over Viciedo at DH, yet his numbers have come with 33 at-bats against righties and 34 at-bats against lefties. 

Viciedo is batting .273 with a home run, three RBI, and six runs against righties. Viciedo signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the White Sox, and rather than letting him play every day in the minors, the White Sox are platooning him at DH with more experienced hitters who aren’t hitting.

Kotsay is hitting .217 with six home runs, 20 RBI, 22 runs, and a .320 OBP in 230 at-bats. Considering he is 0-for-20 against lefties, I would say he is hitting righties a bit better, but only because he can’t get worse.

Viciedo is creeping in on Kotsay’s numbers with one-third of the at-bats. 

Kotsay’s mediocre-to-bad glove at first base is not worth his awful hitting. Enough of this complaining about bad luck for Kotsay.

So his average would rise to about .230 if he had some balls drop.

Is that better?

Viciedo can play first base if Konerko needs a rest. Viciedo is your future, and you’re starting an old guy who doesn’t even have a past.

On the other side, you have the 26-year-old Brent Lillibridge. Lillibridge is your best option as a pinch runner, can play the entire infield if need be and center field, and is batting .406 with one home run, 13 RBI, eight runs, and two stolen bases in 32 at-bats.

Keeping Andruw Jones, even though he’s batting .204 with a .313 OBP in 221 at-bats, is okay because he does have 15 home runs and nine stolen bases and can play every position in the outfield.

Starting him every day doesn’t make sense, but keeping him around for versatility does.

Kotsay can only play a serviceable first base and is not hitting.

There is no reason to send down two young, more flexible players to make room for a designated hitter who can’t hit, but Guillen and Williams have been avoiding the obvious choice all season.

Prove me wrong, Kenny and Ozzie.

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Joe Girardi has been a name thrown around the Chicago Cubs organization like a visiting team’s home run at Wrigley Field. 

And with the Cubs always looking for the big name rather than the right choice, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were to get him as the skipper for 2011.

There is just one problem.

Girardi is one of the most overrated managers in all of baseball. He will not only cost the Cubs a pretty penny, but wins as well.

But he won manager of the year four years ago…

He finished fourth in the division with a 78-84 overall record. Not only that, he left his bruises on a lot of young pitchers.

Scott Olson (Girardi year in i talics)

2006 (22-year-old rookie a year after having an elbow injury) -180.2 IP, 4.04 era, 1.30 WHIP

2007 – 176.2 IP, 5.81 ERA, 1.76 WHIP
2008 – 201.2 IP, 4.20 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
2009 (Left shoulder surgery to end the season) – 62.2 IP, 6.03 ERA, 1.72 WHIP
2010 (Out in late May with left shoulder tightness) – 43 IP, 3.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP

Josh Johnson (Girardi year in i talics)

2006 (22-year-old rookie) – 157 IP, 3.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

2007 (Tommy John Surgery) – 15.2 IP, 7.47 ERA, 2.43 WHIP
2008 (returns from Tommy John midseason) – 87.1 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
2009 – 209 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
2010 – 134.1 IP, 1.61 ERA, 0.97 WHIP

Ricky Nolasco (Girardi year in i talics)

2006 (23-year-old rookie) – 140 IP, 4.82 ERA, 1.41 WHIP

2007 (out 75 days with right elbow inflammation) – 21.1 IP, 5.48 ERA, 1.64 WHIP
2008 – 212.1 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP
2009 – 185 IP, 5.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
2010 – 130.1 IP, 4.35 ERA, 1.24 WHIP

Anibal Sanchez (Girardi year in i talics)

2006 (22-year-old rookie) – 114.1 IP, 2.83 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

2007 (shoulder problems during spring training, demoted to AAA on May 4, surgery to repair tear in his labrum June 21) – 30 IP, 4.80 ERA, 2.07 WHIP
2008 – (returns midseason) – 51. 2 IP, 5.57 ERA, 1.57 WHIP
2009 – 86 IP, 3.87 ERA, 1.51 WHIP
2010 – 115.1 IP, 3.59 ERA, 1.44 WHIP

Dontrelle Willis (Girardi year in i talics)

2003 (Rookie of the Year) – 160.2 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
2004 – 197 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
2005 – 236.1 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

2006 (24 years old) –  223.1 IP, 3.87 ERA, 1.42 WHIP

2007 – 205.1 IP, 5.17 ERA, 1.60 WHIP
2008 – 24 IP, 9.38 ERA, 2.21 WHIP
2009 – 33.2 IP, 7.49 ERA, 1.93 WHIP
2010 – 65.2 IP, 5.62 ERA, 1.95 WHIP

As a Rookie of the Year winner on a World Series winner, Dontrelle Willis pitched 160.2 innings. 

If Willis was pitching 160.2 innings, then why were Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, and Ricky Nolasco, as 22 and 23 year-olds, pitching more or around that same level on a team that was clearly not going to win the World Series?

Notice the setbacks and injuries each of these pitchers have had in their careers and in the case of Willis and Olsen, the essential endings of their careers after Girardi wham-bam-thank-you-ma’amed them in a quest to finish fourth in the division.

The Cubs need look no further than Kerry Wood or Mark Prior to know the effects of overworking pitchers under the age of 25.

Do you want to rebuild a team with young pitching via Giradi’s managing tactics?

But he won a World Series…

Is it hard to put together a lineup featuring Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, and Nick Swisher? 

Can you close your eyes and point?  You could literally be blind and make a good lineup out of that cast.

The New York Yankees went out and got Girardi not just the best talent in free agency, but in the game in the forms of Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, while trading for Nick Swisher.

Yes, I’m sure it was hard putting up with the Alex Rodriguez mess, so Girardi put his thinking cap on and played Cody Ransom and Ramiro Pena?  Really?  The Yankees went 13-15 during that stint. 

I guess the Yankees forgot to buy Girardi a backup third baseman.

With all the problems that usually come with Alex Rodriguez, Girardi received a gift in the fact in 2009 Rodriguez stayed out of the spotlight and just played baseball. 

Is it really that hard to hand the ball to a healthy Sabathia, Burnett, and Andy Pettitte over and over again?  The only real decision Girardi had during the 2009 season he made a mess of, deciding between the fourth and fifth starter for the Yankees.

Girardi threw around Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, Phillip Hughes, Sergio Mitre, and Chad Gaudin when in reality, for the future of the Yankees and for the best pitching staff, it clearly should have been Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. 

You do not give up on a 23-year-old like Phillip Hughes and stick him in the bullpen.  Yes, he did a fantastic job in the bullpen, but after starting 13 games three years previous in his rookie season, you give up on him after eight starts?

Seemed as though Girardi finally learned is lesson, starting Hughes in 2010 where he is 12-3 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP and made the All-Star team, but beware of Girardi breaking his arm as he is on pace for 200 innings in his first year as an everyday starter. 

Hughes has never pitched more than 86 innings.

Chamberlain has never recovered with Girardi’s managing as he’s sporting a 5.95 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP in 42.1 innings out of the bullpen.

What did the Yankees do? Went out and got Girardi Javier Vazquez, since he couldn’t handle the fourth and fifth spots.

Don’t give Girardi credit for finally giving Brett Gardner playing time either. He was forced into that situation as the Yankees did not re-sign Hideki Matsui and traded Melky Cabrera for Vazquez.

Yankees made it easy for Giradi, however, by signing Curtis Granderson.

Best analyzing one can do when looking at the managing of Girardi is what he did two years ago with the New York Yankees.

What happened when the Yankees were hit with injuries to Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, and the main horses for Girardi’s pitching staff were Mike Mussina and Pettitte?  What happened when Girardi had to do some actual managing? 

The Yankees didn’t make the playoffs for the first time since 1993, finishing with 89 wins.

In the last two seasons, he was given the perfect team under perfectly healthy circumstances and he will most likely finish with perfect results.

What managing did he actually have to do?

Girardi is just a finger that can point to the bullpen when Mariano Rivera needs to come to the rescue and with one of the worst bullpens in baseball this season, he hasn’t been pointing to the right guys. 

That finger, however, may have another ring on it soon thanks to the All-Star Team New York Yankees.

The Cubs shouldn’t put money in his hand, however, for those purchased rings on his finger.

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Carlos Zambrano has grown up and apologized—a month later—and not face-to-face with anyone he wronged—unless he had done something to Pedro Gomez of ESPN.

On Monday, Zambrano apologized for his dugout tirade a month ago after the first inning versus the Chicago White Sox in which Zambrano felt runs were given up because of shaky defense. Gold Glover Derrek Lee took some of the heat, even though no one had a chance to catch Carlos Quentin’s home run in the left field stands.

Zambrano has been on the restricted list following a three-game suspension after the outburst. Zambrano additionally professed his love for Chicago and for the Chicago Cubs for helping him receive therapy in the interview.

The Cubs have heard it all before.

Zambrano claimed he was trying to “fire the team up.” I’m not exactly sure how a man with a five-year, $91 million contract calling his team “horsesh%t” is really going to fire a team up, but, that’s just me. 

Zambrano sat down with ESPN, aka LeBron James Sportsnet, for what I’m assuming was titled “The Tantrum.” He claimed, which Lee confirmed, that he texted Lee two days later apologizing for the incident.

I’m sure Lee took Zambrano’s “Whaadup, D-LEE? Sorry bout dat yelling thang, LOL,” very seriously.

Apparently phones are no longer used for speaking via voice to people or arranging a face-to-face of some kind.

Zambrano will have a chance to apologize to the rest of his Cub teammates as he will return to the team Friday in Colorado. 

What Zambrano should really apologize for is completely destroying any trade value he had. In a year, when the Cubs’ window has closed on the Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Lee, and Zambrano era, and rebuilding must begin, any teams even somewhat interested in Zambrano will have the upper hand.

Now teams know the Cubs want Zambrano out, and even though he is just 29 years old and has a career ERA of 3.58—never having had an ERA above 4.00 in a season, including last year when he had a 3.77 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP, striking out 152 batters in 169.1 innings pitched—teams will do nothing but low-ball the Cubs for him.

Teams can now argue that he is a headcase. He has a huge contract, he was moved to the bullpen this year, and the Cubs want him out.

When a team knows another team wants a player out, why would they give them a fair trade?

It’s too late to apologize, Carlos.

The trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the Cubs tried to show other teams Zambrano could be a starter again. But yet another tantrum in the life of Carlos Zambrano has cost the Cubs.

With Roy Oswalt currently the best option as a starting pitcher for playoff teams, imagine if Zambrano had turned things around.

You think the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, or Philadelphia Phillies couldn’t have used him?

He’s only 29 years old, if he only acted older than five, perhaps the Cubs could have gotten something for him.

Trading Zambrano has become just another “wait til next year” for the Chicago Cubs.

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Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history and the fifth in MLB this season, defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-0.

Garza faced the minimum 27 batters, giving up a second-inning walk to Brennan Boesch, but then forcing the next batter Ryan Raburn into a double play.

Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 of which were for strikes, striking out six.

The San Diego Padres and New York Mets are now the only MLB teams that have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter.

The Padres’ closest bid came against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1972, when Steve Arlin came within one out of a no-hitter before a Denny Doyle single broke up the bid.

The New York Mets, who began play in 1962, is the franchise that has been in the majors the longest without pitching a no-hitter. Mets’ pitchers, however, have thrown 33 one-hitters.

The Washington Nationals technically have four no-hitters, but all came when the team was the Montreal Expos.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer had a no-hitter through 5.2 innings. But after two walks and a catcher’s interference by Gerald Laird loaded the bases, former Tiger Matt Joyce unloaded a 3-1 pitch into the right field seats to end the no-hit bid and the shutout.

MLB’s longest multi-no-hit game took place this season when Chicago Cubs’ Ted Lilly and the Chicago White Sox’s Gavin Floyd each took no-hitters into the seventh with Floyd losing his after 6.1 innings pitched and Lilly losing his after 8.1 innings pitched.

The last time there were five no-hitters in a MLB season was in 1991.

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Entering Sunday, the Los Angeles Angels were six games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West.

The Angels currently have the worst pitching in the division and are ranked 11th in the AL in ERA.

Sunday the Angels decided to do something about that.

Dan Haren was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Joe Saunders, minor league pitching prospects left hander Patrick Corbin, right hander Rafael Rodriguez, neither of which are top Angels prospects, and a player to be named later, which one would imagine will be a higher prospect.

Haren, 29, was 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP with the Diamondbacks. Clearly not one of his best years, as Haren is averaging 10.3 hits per nine innings, which is his highest average since his rookie season when he averaged 10.4. He has given up 161 hits in his 141.1 innings pitched

Haren has also given up 23 home runs. His high for home runs in a season is 31, but that came in 223 innings pitched. He is averaging nine strikeouts per nine innings, so when he keeps the ball in the yard, he is very effective.

With a better team around him, a pitcher’s ballpark and a better bullpen, Haren should be a great addition to the Angels.

Corbin was the second-round pick for the Angels last season, and made it up to High-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he had a 3.88 ERA and a 64:18 strikeout to walk ratio in 60.1 innings pitched, before the deal.

Rodriguez was seen as a lost cause for the Angels. In 30.2 innings pitched out of the Angels bullpen, Rodriguez had a 5.58 ERA and a 10:9 strikeout to walk ratio. He should see more action considering how bad the Diamondbacks bullpen is.

Joe Saunders, 29, didn’t fair much better than Haren this season for the Angels, going 6-10 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.

Whether each will find better or worse numbers switching leagues is yet to be seen, but one has to see this as an improvement for the struggling Angels rotation.

Another incentive for the Angels is the fact Haren has an affordable contract that runs through 2012 ($12.75 million for each of the next two seasons) and includes a team option for 2013 ($15.5 million).

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For some reason people feel closers should get some kind of leeway when they are simply not being good pitchers.

Coaches and players want to cite different years in which a closers’ save totals were high, but when your job is to pitch one inning, your years can change with a couple hard hit balls.

In Bobby Jenks’ case it’s been many hard hit balls.

Closers can be created. After all, it’s just pitching one inning for pitchers who, at one time, were pitching nine.

Jenks has blown two games in his last four chances, and after last night’s blown save against the Seattle Mariners, manager Ozzie Guillen seems to have seen enough, saying the team has other options for the closer role.

A closer with an ERA above four is bad, but a closer with an ERA above five is completely worthless. Any pitcher with an ERA above five is worthless, let alone one who will not pitch 100 innings in a season.

Jenks has a 5.09 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP in 35.1 innings pitched, striking out 43 and walking 16. He has given up 40 hits, and although he has only blown two saves, he has clearly not been effective.

In his last four outings Jenks has given up six earned runs on two walks and seven hits, while recording eight outs and striking out four.

For some reason, when it comes to Jenks, the more strikeouts he has, the worse he is. He has surpassed his strikeout total from 2008 (38) and trails his strikeout total from 2009 (49) by six in 26.1 and 18 fewer innings, respectively. He also has allowed only 11 fewer hits this season than in all of 2008 and 12 fewer than in all of 2009.

In 2008 he only struck out 38, but he gave up 51 hits and 17 walks in 63.1 innings pitched, finishing with a 2.63 and a 1.10 WHIP. In 2009 Jenks struck out 49 in 53.1 innings, giving up 52 hits and finishing with a 3.71 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

For the White Sox to lose two games because of one pitcher is unacceptable, especially when they are currently only 2.5 games up on the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, and especially when there are other options available to finish games.

“Our options are open now,” Guillen said. “I get paid to win games. That’s my job, win games. And I’m going to put the guys there with the best shot. When I [changed Jenks’ role] last time [in May], it worked out again because all of a sudden we come back and I put him in the eighth inning and I like the way he threw the ball and I put him back in the closing spot.

“We’re a better club with Bobby as the closer. In the meanwhile, we got a few options and we’re going to see what the options are. We’ll see if we can regroup him, put him in the situation like we did last time and we see what happens.”

The White Sox have three other viable and better options than Jenks. All-Star Matt Thornton has been the most trustworthy reliever in the White Sox pen over the last few years, sporting a 2.58 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 38.1 innings pitched, striking out 51, walking 13, and giving up 27 hits. 

J.J. Putz, however, is the hottest, sporting 25 consecutive scoreless appearances, a franchise record for the White Sox. From 2006 to 2007 he had 76 saves in two seasons for the Seattle Mariners. Putz has a 1.50 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in 36 innings pitched, striking out 42 and walking six while giving up 22 hits. 

Perhaps the White Sox closer/setup man of the future Sergio Santos could close games for the southsiders. Santos has a 1.80 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in his first 30 major-league innings, striking out 32, walking 17 and giving up 28 hits.

Regardless, the era of Jenks as the White Sox closer needs to come to an end.

Letting “respect” and “loyalty” decide who should be a team’s closer will cost a team games.

Give Jenks a plaque, but don’t give him the chance to lose ballgames.

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The first half is officially over and an All-Star game no one watched has gone by and now we look to the second half of the 2010 season.

We have a division with three playoff teams, no front-runner in the National League and teams looking to party crash the playoffs based on pre-season predictions.

Predictions were meant to be incorrect and many teams, such as the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds, are proving that.

Otherwise, what’s the point of playing the season.

Plenty of baseball is left, so don’t be jumping for joy just yet, thinking your predictions were right.

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What a roller-coaster ride it has been.

From 9.5 games out and nine games under .500 to sole possession of first place thanks to a 25-5 record to close out the first half.

At 49-38, the White Sox are where many predicted the team to be before the season began, but no one could have predicted the road the team would take.

The White Sox have lost one series since June 1 with winning streaks of 11 and currently eight during this 30-game stretch. All that and the team is just a half-game up on the Detroit Tigers.

The White Sox dug themselves into a big hole and climbed out of it, but with Jake Peavy out for the season and only the second-best run differential in the American League Central, the White Sox have a long way to go.

Sitting at second in the league in saves shows that this first half could have been completely upside down with a couple of bad bounces or bombs from the opposing team.

The White Sox are still below average in batting average (19th), on-base percentage (16th), and runs (18th) in baseball. But the team is fifth in home runs, and that, along with a resurgence in starting pitching, has the team back in contention.

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It was what everyone suspected as soon as Jake Peavy walked off the mound with his right arm barely moving in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels. Jake Peavy is gone for the season.

Friday, it became official as Peavy said he will have surgery on his detached right shoulder muscle (latissimus dorsi) on Wednesday. He hopes to be throwing by spring training early next year.

Doctors told Peavy the procedure must be done, but his career is not in jeopardy.

Cliff Lee was the dream scenario, but with the White Sox having limited prospects (Daniel Hudson, Jordan Danks, and perhaps Gordon Beckham) they’d be willing to give up to rent Lee for half a season and Lee reportedly just being traded to the Rangers, the Sox will have to look in house for support.

Daniel Hudson will be the first, and essentially the only viable option without making a trade. Hudson will most likely start Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.

The 23-year-old Hudson was 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, striking out 108 and walking 31 in 93.1 innings pitched in Triple-A Charlotte.

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