The White Sox Blog: Mariners Swept, Improvements All Around?

Paul Konerko. What can you say about the guy? He hit his 8^th home run of the season today to break up the tied game in the bottom of the 8^th inning. 8 home runs. In just 19 games. So, of his 18 (I think) hits of the season, 8 are home runs. Not to mention that the guys is leading the team in walks. He’s reminiscent of a 2008 Carlos Quentin. It’s amazing, it’s uplifting, it’s Ozzie ball at its best.

On the other hand, you have Bobby Jenks, who doesn’t like innings and saves to be easy. Two easy outs, then maybe some base hits and a walk add up to a nerve-wracking 9^th inning. On a related note, if Jenks was ever to be forced to leave the 9^th inning role, it seems that Sergio Sanchez is up for the role. In his appearances, he has been flawless. He’s given up 2 hits and no runs over 8 innings. His walk to Strike-Out ratio is 3:10. I approve. I wouldn’t say it’s time to announce him as the new closer, which is what many are saying he is being prepped for.

Alex Rios is making a comeback, thankfully. Last week, he was leading the team in terms of AVG. Now that spot has been taken over by Andruw Jones, a close second is –surprise- Paul Konerko, and third is –actual surprise- Mark Teahen. He’s still not my favorite, but he’s alright.

The person who is the clear winner this week, though, is Ozzie. He’s made some decent managerial decisions in his time, but the best was definitely giving Freddy a day of rest by skipping his turn in the rotation. When he’s fresh, he’s fantastic. Every off day of the season is an opportunity for the Sox to do this, and that might give them a few extra wins. Of course, toward the tail end of the season, it may mean that someone will have to pitch an extra game or two or three, but there are always drawbacks to whatever method of choice managers use when dealing with fifth starters.

In conclusion, let’s take a look at an update of this year’s rivalry, Pods v. Pierre