Quote: The Cheat, yesterday:
Jon Garland may have to take some pressure off the bullpen later tonight by working deep into the game. The pen has been shortened by two abbreviated outings by the Cuban Connection (8.1 IP), an extra inning game, and the sore back of Dustin Hermanson. It might not be that big of a deal, but it's something to watch for tonight.Apparently it was a big deal. Jon Garland pitched an absolute beauty, going 9 innings, and giving the bullpen a much needed night off. Mark Buehrle goes tomorrow (32 straight games with 6+ IP) so the bullpen should have a light day tomorrow also.
I'll wax poetic about Jon Garland tomorrow before the game. I'll be bored again before the game starts.
* * * * *20 games in, and the Sox have a 5 game lead on Minnesota. The last time they had a lead that big in the division was the final game of the 2000 season. Amazing.
* * * * *On the injury front, both AJ Pierzynski and Dustin Hermanson were available for Monday night's game, but weren't needed; Pierzynski because tough lefty Barry Zito was on the hill, Hermanson because of Garland's workman-like effort.
Jose Contreras was feeling fine after leaving Saturday's game with what appeared to be a pulled hamstring. Herm Schnieder put him through a series of tests, saying,
"We were doing everything," Schneider said. "[Contreras] went through a tough workout and passed with flying colors."
Contreras still has to throw on the side later today before he is cleared for Thursday's game. If he can't go for that game, El Duque will start in his place,
like I had suggested. Only if Contreras was to miss multiple starts would the Sox make the call down to AAA phenom Brandon McCarthy.
* * * * *I guess Peter Gammons
doesn't like the White Sox. These Sox don't bleed, Peter.
A know-it-all baseball scribe from the East Coast put in a call to the White Sox's general manager, Ken Williams, as the club was getting off to a best-in-the-bigs record of 15-4.
Williams quickly came to realize that the guy thought the Sox's start was a stroke of luck, an aberration, a fluke.
"I'm sorry that you don't like our manager," Williams says he told him.
"I'm sorry that you don't like our 3-4-5 hitters. Or our closer.
"I'm sorry that you don't like our third baseman and our shortstop. Or our left fielder and our right fielder.
"I'm sorry people feel this way about our club. But I also want you to know something about that:
"We don't care."
Suck it.
