For what seemed like an eternity, the AL Central was literally dominated by the Minnesota Twins at the beginning of the season, the Detroit Tigers following close behind at second, with the rest of the division basically unmentionable.
Kansas City entered the 2010 season with a lot of high hopes, but nobody really expected anything big from them.
The Cleveland Indians knew this year would be a struggle, and the team in general, has been a work in progress for the past two years.
But what about that other team, the other Chicago team?
The White Sox entered 2010 with a lot of promise and a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but for the first two months the men in black basically swung for the fences so much, they redefined the term whiff.
They couldn’t hold games, they couldn’t win games, and they played competitively, but they always came up short.
Well, as baseball always seems to remind us…nothing is forever.
The Twins are on a downward spiral, currently in a mediocre third allowing the Tigers to temporarily enjoy a stay a second place with the White Sox… yup that’s right kids, the White Sox, a mere half-game ahead and currently your AL Central leader.
And of course the Royals and Indians still stink.
Paul Konerko is hitting .299/.382/.560 with a team leading 20 HR and 63 RBI, while Carlos Quentin is right behind him hitting .240/.342/.500 with 17 HR and 56 RBI.
But wait, there’s more!
Alex Rios is hitting .305/.361/.518 with an impressive 23 pilfered bases, and Juan Pierre is king of base pirating with 32.
In fact, aside from Gordon Beckham and Mark Kotsay , the whole damn team is functioning like a well-oiled machine riding the glory of an eight-game win streak.
Now that’s the way you start the second half of the season!
The White Sox have a golden opportunity to not only keep the wave going but to also capitalize on some key matchups after the break including a showdown with the Twins, followed by two series against the Mariners and two against the A’s
Conceivably, the White Sox could preserve place by the beginning of August with a wide open gap between them and the rest of the division, which would be an unbelievable feat.
And I’m a Cubs fan!
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