Results tagged ‘ Paul Konerko ’
White Sox look to sluggers for 2nd Half
If I have the number 14 or 25 for the White Sox you better believe you guys are under the microscope right now. Both of these guys had sub par first halves and if the Sox want a return to the post season these guys have got to heat up. The added pieces that Kenny Williams brought in over the season have helped dramatically and without those pieces we may not be sitting in first place.
Pitching has been a turn around this year so far, but I am sure we will have a few bad outings. So that makes it more important that the offense start getting runs, especially in the middle of the order. I can not even recall the last time Jim Thome and Paul Konerko even had mult-homerun games or multi-RBI games for the that matter. These guys are built for power and people are getting on base but they are not getting it done for the most part. I see flashes of good hitting form both but not what you expect out of your biggest threats.
Since Paul Konerko came back to the lineup it just seems as thou the team is in a rut offensively. I know Paul is a good hitter and have been a fan of him since he came up and he helped led this team to a world series but is the team better with him in the lineup on a consistent basis or is it better with less Paul?
Think about it, before Konerko came back this team was on a roll offensively. Since then it just seems the team relies on big home runs. Mostly because Konerko is as slow as molassis on the base paths, not to say Thome is a sprinter himself. It just seems these two guys may be slowing up the offensive attack that is all I am saying. It may just seem that way because they are stuggling.
Another guy I would like to see step up is Orando Cabrerra. Although it might not be in his nature to be a team guy according to the clubhouse reports he needs to if he wants any further employment in the majors. The Sox gave up a fan favorite in Jon Garland for him and Cabrerea was a over .300 hitter all of his career and right now he is hovering around .250. Those numbers almost suggest that he is looking for more home runs and less on base percentage and line drives in the gaps. For a lead off guy that is not good enough, I know he has filled in nicley at short and that has been his biggest contribution but this guy can hit too and it is a little frustrating not to see that as well.
In summary what can you say, the Sox may seem like their hand cuffed by a few guys that of course have done their part in the past but what have you done lately. We have a good shot at the playoffs and I would hate to see this team go up in flames because of holding on to a few old timers that may be passed their prime. No offense I love these guys and only want the best for them but let’s get it going.
Streaky Sox
The last two weeks of the White Sox season is what we have got used too this year. A week ago the Sox had a 6 game winning streak and this past week the Sox dropped 5 out of 6 games. However this is a pattern the Sox seem to keep getting into but, even with that the Sox still look good for a AL central title.
The Sox still stand 41/2 games up on Minnesota despite the bad week which should get the players motivated for this upcoming week. Despite the Sox inconsistencies the Sox have not lost much of their lead and with another winning streak could put more space between them and the rest of the pack.
With Paul Konerko going down I say this may be a good thing for the lineup which struggles to get runs in consistently. Konerko has been part of the problem struggling with runners in scoring position and maybe a couple weeks off could get him back into better form and perhaps a different attitude. The problem has not been the hitting but timely hitting which prevents the White Sox form winning consistently. The pitching has been repaired from last year and as long as it holds up, should still carry this team into the dog days of summer. All the Sox need is maybe another winning streak before the All-Star break and then even a sub par second half should get them into the playoffs and a AL central title.
This team has too many good players not to be winning most of the their games and I believe this should carry them through these winning and losing streaks. A much younger team might have gotten so frustrated with the play that they have put out there so far and struggled even more. The Sox do have a veteran lineup and that could be enough to get the job done.
I do not see Kenny Williams making any drastic moves unless Konerko’s injury last longer then maybe you may have to make a move to help give more depth at 1st base. You know Swisher will take on most of that responsibility but who else will when Swisher is playing center or left field at a consistent rate. Konerko’s fielding which is solid at first sometimes gets overlooked by his numbers he puts up on offense.
kchofmannsuperdad
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