– Considering this team just lost five straight games, this was a pretty encouraging win. We saw an offense that had been slumping really break out of it early in the game tonight, specifically Alejandro De Aza and Paul Konerko. De Aza had really been struggling recently, and showed some signs of life in the Detroit series that he was coming out of it. The same could be said for Konerko, as he was starting to pile up some hits, but wasn’t coming through in RBI situations. Tonight, both of them did their jobs, as De Aza set the table three times and Konerko drove in three runs. I have a feeling both of them are going to go on a bit of a run here.
– Gavin Floyd was by no means great tonight, but he definitely gutted it out despite having pretty awful control. With Santiago going four innings yesterday, Floyd and the Sox must have realized they needed at least six innings from Floyd tonight. Despite not having his best stuff, he was able to do that, and that’s encouraging considering he’s coming off of a DL stint.
– It was bombs away tonight, with Konerko, Dunn and Rios all going yard. Rios’ was an absolute moonshot to left field, as it was recorded the longest home run this season by a Sox player at the Cell (going 430+ feet and almost reaching the concourse). People like to talk about the power the Detroit Tigers have, but they fail to realize the White Sox have almost 20 more home runs (112-94). Sure, the Tigers have two big boppers, but the Sox have multiple power threats in their lineup.
It was high-fives all around for the White Sox (photo credit to Minneapolis Star-Tribune).
– The bullpen was a bit shaky tonight, but all-in-all they got the job done. The way the bullpen was used will probably be the way the bullpen will be used from here on out: Myers will be the bridge to Reed and Crain and Thornton will pitch before that depending on who is due up for the opponent. Even though Crain gave up the home run, it was good to see him back out there pitching again, as this team is going to need him down the stretch. Also, it was good to see Reed put an early hit behind him really fast, as he’s had his fair share of problems lately.
– There was one more iffy aspect of this game tonight: defense. We saw De Aza miss a cut-off man (something that RARELY happens with this team, as Hawk loves to point out), which cost the team a run. Also, we saw Youk make an error on a routine play, and the team have a mishap with their bunt coverage. It’s not something to panic about though, as this team’s defense has been its biggest strength all season long. There are certainly no causes for concern here.
-The biggest story of the day for this White Sox team, however, may have come off the field, as the Detroit Tigers made a trade to definitely better themselves down the stretch. They acquired starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez and utility man Omar Infante from the Miami Marlins for a guy the White Sox saw just yesterday, Jacob Turner. The Tigers also included two minor leaguers in the trade.
This trade fills Detroit’s two biggest needs: starting pitching and a second baseman (which is where Infante will start every day). It definitely makes the Tigers a more complete team, as when you look at them on paper, there’s no real question marks outside of their defense (in my opinion). However, if there’s anything we’ve learned about Kenny Williams, it’s that he always has something up his sleeve. I’m sure Kenny realizes that in order to keep pace with Detroit, he probably needs to make a move to improve this team’s pitching staff.
For now, though, the focus is on the Minnesota Twins. Jose Quintana will be on the bump tomorrow against Cole De Vries, who made his MLB debut against the Sox earlier this season. Q has been nothing short of spectacular for the Sox so far this season, but the run support he has received has been anything but that. De Vries has alternated between a good start and a bad start ever since he was called up in May, and he is coming off of a good one last Thursday in Baltimore. I’m expecting that trend to continue and the bats to build off of tonight’s success, giving Quintana some much needed run support.
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Posted by Luke Stanczyk, GSB! Editor