Your 2008 White Sox

[Dauis]

INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
I'm not quite sure what to expect of this team as I sit down on my first day on the job, which happens to be Opening Day. For one thing, the fans are going to be outraged at the controversial way we have decided to organize our rotation to start the season. More on that in a minute. When I first looked over the roster, Jose Contreras was a name I saw that I didn't want affiliated with this organization anymore. With nobody willing (rightfully so) to take on his contract (2 more years at $10 million per) I decided to go ahead and eat the $20 million. A smart financial move? Probably not. But neither is having him pitch in Charlotte.

The next move was to try and talk Jeff DaVanon into accepting a demotion to Charlotte. He wasn't in favor of the move, which I expected, so I called around and tried to move him. I received quite a few offers, and decided on Toronto's offer of middle reliever Jesse Carlson, minor league catcher Brian Jeroloman, and minor league starting pitcher Brett Cecil. With those moves made, let's take a look at the Opening Day roster.

Starting Rotation
R – Javier Vazquez
L – Mark Buehrle
L – Jesse Carlson
L – Matt Thornton
R – Scott Linebrink

Middle Reliever
R – Mike MacDougal
L – Boone Logan
L – Joe Torres

Setup
R – Octavio Dotel
R – Ehren Wassermann

Closer
R – Bobby Jenks

Unorthodox, isn't it? We're only using 2 “qualified” starters in our rotation, and filling the rest of the staff in with relievers. We just didn't feel that the rest of our starters were quite ready for the major league level, though D.J. Carrasco and Jack Egbert are close to being ready, and Brian Omogrosso and Gavin Floyd aren't too far behind. Hopefully this will only be a temporary—as in a week or two—situation.

Lineup vs. RHP
LF Carlos Quentin
2B Alexei Ramirez
DH Jim Thome
CF Nick Swisher
RF Jermaine Dye
1B Paul Konerko
3B Josh Fields
SS Orlando Cabrera
C A.J. Pierzynski

Bench – 2B Juan Uribe, 3B Joe Crede, LF Noah Hall, LF Jeff Liefer, RF Dewayne Wise

Lineup vs. LHP
LF Carlos Quentin
CF Alexei Ramirez
1B Paul Konerko
RF Jermaine Dye
DH Josh Fields
2B Juan Uribe
3B Joe Crede
SS Orlando Cabrera
C A.J. Pierzynski

Bench – LF Noah Hall, LF Jeff Liefer, CF Nick Swisher, RF Dewayne Wise, DH Jim Thome


With all that being said, it's time for opening day! Hope you all enjoy the ride.

[Dauis]

4/1/2008
Game #1 – Chicago (J. Vazquez) at Cleveland (C. Sabathia)
Chicago lineup: LF C. Quentin – CF A. Ramirez – 1B P. Konerko – RF J. Dye – DH J. Fields – 2B J. Uribe – 3B J. Crede – SS O. Cabrera – C A. Pierzynski
Cleveland lineup: RF F. Gutierrez – C V. Martinez – CF G. Sizemore – DH T. Hafner – 1B R. Garko – SS J. Peralta – LF D. Dellucci – 3B C. Blake – 2B A. Cabrera

Chicago (A) 6
Cleveland 2
W: J. Vazquez (1-0) L: C. Sabathia (0-1)
HR – CHA: P. Konerko (1), A. Ramirez (1) CLE: R. Garko (1)

Never a doubt in our opening day victory. RBI singles by Cabrera and Pierzynski got the scoring started in the second. Alexei Ramirez added another run with his first career homer in the third, and Paul Konerko capped our scoring with a 3-run shot in the fifth that chased Sabathia from the game. Cleveland never really threatened all game. Vazquez pitched well, going the distance, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, and he struck out 6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 8
Baltimore 4
W: J. Shields (1-0) L: J. Guthrie (0-1)
HR – TBA: C. Floyd (1), C. Crawford (1)

Toronto 5
New York (A) 4
W: A. Burnett (1-0) L: K. Farnsworth (0-1) S: J. Accardo (1)
HR – TOR: A. Rios (1)

3B Alex Rodriguez is day-to0day with a bruised wrist. He should be 100 percent in 1-2 weeks.

Kansas City 2
Detroit 3
W: J. Verlander (1-0) L: G. Meche (0-1) S: T. Jones (1)
HR – DET: M. Cabrera (1)

Texas 0
Seattle 5
W: E. Bedard (1-0) L: K. Millwood (0-1)

Los Angeles (A) 11
Minnesota 9
W: J. Weaver (1-0) L: F. Liriano (0-1) S: F. Rodriguez (1)
HR – LAA: M. Napoli (1) MIN: M. Macri (1)

Boston 2
Oakland 11
W: R. Harden (1-0) L: D. Matsuzaka (0-1)
HR – OAK: J. Hannahan (1), C. Gonzalez (1)

Los Angeles (A) 9
Minnesota 4
W: E. Santana (1-0) L: K. Slowey (0-1)
HR – LAA: G. Anderson (1)

Boston 2
Oakland 1
W: B. Colon (1-0) L: J. Blanton (0-1) S: J. Papelbon (1)
HR – BOS: B. Moss (1)

Texas 3
Seattle 4
W: S. Green (1-0) L: J. Benoit (0-1)
HR – SEA: R. Ibanez (1), K. Johjima (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Arizona 1
Cincinnati 3
W: A. Harang (1-0) L: B. Webb (0-1) S: F. Cordero (1)
HR – ARI: S. Drew (1) CIN: A. Dunn (1)

Milwaukee 6
Chicago (N) 7
W: K. Wood (1-0) L: D. Riske (0-1)
HR – MIL: R. Branyan (1), C. Hart (1) CHN: M. DeRosa (1), A. Ramirez (1), M. Fontenot (1), K. Fukudome (1)

Washington 2
Philadelphia 7
W: C. Hamels (1-0) L: M. Chico (0-1)
HR – WAS: J. Flores (1) PHI: P. Burrell (1)

San Francisco 1
Los Angeles (N) 6
W: B. Penny (1-0) L: M. Cain (0-1)
HR – LAN: J. Loney (1), M. Kemp (1)

New York (N) 8
Florida 0
W: J. Santana (1-0) L: M. Hendrickson (0-1)
HR – NYN: J. Reyes (2), R. Church (1)

Johan Santana threw a 5-hit shutout, striking out 5 and giving up 2 walks.

Colorado 0
St. Louis 5
W: A. Wainwright (1-0) L: J. Francis (0-1)
HR – SLN: T. Glaus (1), R. Ludwick (1)

Adam Wainwright shut down the Rockies on a 2-hitter. He rang up 4 strikeouts and 2 walks in the victory.

Pittsburgh 5
Atlanta 4
W: T. Yates (1-0) L: T. Hudson (0-1) S: M. Capps (1)
HR – PIT: R. Doumit (1) ATL: J. Francoeur (1)

Houston 2
San Diego 7
W: J. Peavy (1-0) L: R. Oswalt (0-1)
HR – SDN: T. Iguchi (1)

New York (N) 3
Florida 6
W: R. Nolasco (1-0) L: P. Martinez (0-1) S: L. Gardner (1)
HR – NYN: J. Reyes (2) FLO: M. Jacobs (1), R. Nolasco (1)

Houston 4
San Diego 0
W: W. Rodriguez (1-0) L: C. Young (0-1)
HR – HOU: T. Wigginton (1), H. Pence (1)

Wandy Rodriguez threw a complete game 4-hitter. He walked 4 and struck out 5.

San Francisco 9
Los Angeles (N) 1
W: T. Lincecum (1-0) L: C. Billingsley (0-1)
HR – SFN: R. Aurilia (1), J. Castillo (1)

[Dauis]

4/2/2008
Chicago (A) [1-0] (M. Buehrle) at Cleveland [0-1] (F. Carmona)
Chicago lineup: LF C. Quentin – 2B A. Ramirez – DH J. Thome – CF N. Swisher – RF J. Dye – 1B Paul Konerko – 3B J. Fields – SS O. Cabrera – C A. Pierzynski
Cleveland lineup: CF G. Sizemore – C V. Martinez – 1B R. Garko – DH T. Hafner – RF F. Gutierrez – SS J. Peralta – 3B C. Blake – LF B. Francisco – 2B A. Cabrera

Chicago (A) 4
Cleveland 3
W: M. Buehrle (1-0) L: F. Carmona (0-1) S: B. Jenks (1)
HR – CLE: V. Martinez (1)

We got off to a fairly quick start, putting up 3 in the second on a sac fly by Josh Fields and a 2-run double by A.J. Pierzynski. We added another run in the 8th when Thome scored on a double by Jermaine Dye. It looked like we were fine. Victor Martinez hit a solo shot off Buehrle in the eighth, but after 8, we had a 4-1 lead and Bobby Jenks coming in for the ninth. He got two quick outs from Dellucci and Cabrera before walking Sizemore and surrendering a base hit to Martinez. He walked Gimenez to load the bases for Hafner. Hafner hit a double to right that scored Sizemore and Martinez. Gimenez tried for home to tie the game, but Dye threw him out at the plate to end the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Kansas City 4
Detroit 1
W: J. Peralta (1-0) L: J. Bonderman (0-1) S: J. Soria (1)

Tough break for the Royals, as one of their two good starting pitchers—Zack Greinke—will miss the rest of the season. He will be out at least 7 months with a ruptured disc.

Boston 6
Oakland 1
W: C. Buchholz (1-0) L: J. Duchscherer (0-1) S: J. Papelbon (2)
HR – BOS: D. Ortiz (3) OAK: J. Cust (1)

Boston 11
Oakland 2
W: T. Wakefield (1-0) L: L. DiNardo (0-1)
HR – BOS: B. Kielty (1), D. Ortiz 2 (3) OAK: D. Murphy (1)

Toronto 8
New York (A) 0
W: R. Halladay (1-0) L: D. Giese (0-1)
HR – TOR: L. Overbay (1), M. Stairs (1), V. Wells (1)

Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 8
W: G. Aquino (1-0) L: T. Percival (0-1)
HR – BAL: T. Redman (1)

Los Angeles (A) 6
Minnesota 2
W: J. Garland (1-0) L: S. Baker (0-1)
HR – LAA: T. Hunter (1), B. Wood (1) MIN: J. Morneau (1)

Texas 4
Seattle 2
W: K. Gabbard (1-0) L: A. Rhodes (0-1) S: J. Benoit (1)
HR – TEX: K. Mench (1), J. Hamilton (1) SEA: A. Beltre (1), K. Johjima (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Milwaukee 3
Chicago (N) 5
W: R. Hill (1-0) L: D. Bush (0-1) S: C. Marmol (1)
HR – MIL: P. Fielder (1) CHN: A. Ramirez (2), A. Soriano (1)

Washington 6
Philadelphia 7
W: V. Darensbourg (1-0) L: C. Cordero (0-1)
HR – WAS: D. Young (1) PHI: C. Utley (1), R. Howard 2 (2), C. Ruiz 2 (2)

New York (N) 9
Florida 10
W: T. Tankerslsey (1-0) L: J. Santiago (0-1) S: L. Gardner (2)
HR – NYN: M. Anderson (1), R. Casanova (1)

Arizona 7
Cincinnati 5
W: D. Haren (1-0) L: E. Volquez (0-1) S: T. Pena (1)
HR – ARI: C. Snyder (1), S. Drew (2) CIN: A. Dunn (2), B. Phillips (1)

Pittsburgh 9
Atlanta 4
W: T. Gorzelanny (1-0) L: J. Jurrjens (0-1)
HR – PIT: T. Gorzelanny (1), R. Doumit (2) ATL: M. Diaz (1), M. Teixeira (1)

Colorado 3
St. Louis 4
W: J. Isringhausen (1-0) L: D. Clarke (0-1) S: R. Springer (1)

Houston 8
San Diego 1
W: F. Nieve (1-0) L: G. Maddux (0-1)
HR – HOU: L. Berkman (1), T. Wigginton (2), L. Niekro (1)

San Francisco 1
Los Angeles (N) 2
W: H. Kuroda (1-0) L: J. Sanchez (0-1) S: T. Saito (1)

[Dauis]

4/3/2008
Game #3 – Chicago (A) [2-0] (J. Carlson) at Cleveland [0-2] (A. Laffey)
Chicago lineup: LF C. Quentin – CF A. Ramirez – 1B P. Konerko – RF J. Dye – DH J. Fields – 2B J. Uribe – 3B J. Crede – SS O. Cabrera – C A. Pierzynski
Cleveland lineup: CF G. Sizemore – 3B C. Blake – 1B R. Garko – DH T. Hafner – RF F. Gutierrez – SS J. Peralta – C C. Gimenez – LF B. Francisco – 2B A. Marte

Chicago (A) 2
Cleveland 4
W: A. Laffey (1-0) L: J. Carlson (0-1) S: R. Betancourt (1)

They jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 3 and we could never really make a run. The good news is that Carlson—the first pitcher in our reliever-as-starter experiment, went 5.2 innings, and MacDougal pitched the other 2.1, so we only had to use 2 pitchers today. I'm grasping at straws here for a positive, ok?

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Kansas City 3
Detroit 24
W: Z. Miner (1-0) L: B. Bannister (0-1)
HR – KCA: J. Guillen (1) DET: M. Ordonez (1), I. Rodriguez (1), F. Guzman (1)

Ivan Rodriguez went 5-6 with 2 triples, a home run, 8 RBIs, and 4 runs, including his 2500th career hit, to lead the offensive onslaught. The other two top performances were also Tigers.

Los Angeles (A) 2
Minnesota 5
W: B. Bonser (1-0) L: J. Saunders (0-1) S: J. Nathan (1)
HR – MIN: J. Kubel (1)

Twins catcher Joe Mauer is day-to-day with a tender shoulder.

Toronto 2
New York (A) 10
W: C. Wang (1-0) L: D. McGowan (0-1)
HR – NYA: J. Giambi (1)

Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 3
W: A. Sonnanstine (1-0) L: A. Loewen (0-1) S: T. Percival (1)
HR – BAL: A. Huff (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Arizona 7
Cincinnati 5
W: T. Pena (1-0) L: B. Arroyo (0-1) S: C. Qualls (1)
HR – ARI: T. Nixon (1), J. Upton (1) CIN: A. Phillips (1)

Washington 4
Philadelphia 7
W: J. Moyer (1-0) L: J. Bergmann (0-1) S: J. Romero (1)

Colorado 5
St. Louis 2
W: M. Bowie (1-0) L: K. Lohse (0-1) S: M. Corpas (1)
HR – COL: T. Helton (1)

Milwaukee 4
Chicago (N) 3
W: C. Villanueva (1-0) L: T. Lilly (0-1) S: D. Riske (1)
HR – MIL: R. Weeks (1), C. Hart (2)

Houston 9
San Diego 7
W: C. Sampson (1-0) L: J. Germano (0-1) S: T. Byrdak (1)
HR – HOU: H. Pence (2)

Pittsburgh 6
Atlanta 7
W: P. Moylan (1-0) L: M. Capps (0-1)
HR – PIT: J. Bautista (1) ATL: M. Diaz (2)

[Dauis]

4/4/2008
Game #4 – Chicago (A) [2-1] (M. Thornton) at Detroit [2-1] (K. Rogers)
Chicago lineup: LF C. Quentin – CF A. Ramirez – 1B P. Konerko – RF J. Dye – DH J. Fields – 2B J. Uribe – 3B J. Crede – SS O. Cabrera – C A. Pierzynski
Detroit lineup: LF G. Sheffield – SS E. Renteria – RF M. Ordonez – 1B M. Cabrera – DH M. Thames – 3B C. Guillen – 2B R. Raburn – CF B. Inge – C I. Rodriguez

Chicago (A) 5
Detroit 14
W: K. Rogers (1-0) L: M. Thornton (0-1)
HR – CHA: J. Uribe 3 (3), J. Fields (1) DET: E. Almonte (1), B. Inge (1), G. Sheffield (1), M. Thames (1)

Ugh. That was ugly. We were up 4-3 after 4, but then Detroit scored 2 in the fifth, 7 in the sixth, and 2 more in the seventh to put it away. And yes, you're seeing that right. Juan Uribe went 3-4 with 3 home runs, all of them solo shots.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Seattle 13
Baltimore 6
W: B. Morrow (1-0) L: S. Trachsel (0-1) S: E. O'Flaherty (1)
HR – BAL: K. Millar (1), M. Mora (1), J. Payton (1)

Tampa Bay 4
New York (A) 6
W: P. Hughes (1-0) L: E. Jackson (0-1) S: M. Rivera (1)
HR – TBA: A. Iwamura (1) NYA: B. Abreu (1), M. Ensberg (1), A. Rodriguez (1)

Boston 6
Toronto 1
W: J. Tavarez (1-0) L: S. Marcum (0-1) S: H. Okajima (1)
HR – BOS:K. Youkilis (1)

Kansas City 4
Minnesota 8
W: L. Hernandez (1-0) L: B. Tomko (0-1) S: P. Neshek (1)
HR – KCA: A. Gordon (1) MIN: M. Cuddyer (1), B. Harris (1)

Cleveland 2
Oakland 5
W: F. Hernandez (1-0) L: J. Westbrook (0-1) S: H. Street (1)

Texas 5
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: J. Speier (1-0) L: V. Padilla (0-1) S: F. Rodriguez (2)
HR – TEX: J. Saltalamacchia (1) LAA: M. Napoli (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Francsico 8
Milwaukee 12
W: J. Suppan (1-0) L: K. Correia (0-1)
HR – SFN: R. Aurilia (2), B. Harper (1) MIL: R. Branyan (2), E. Munson (1), R. Weeks (2), P. Fielder (2)

Houston 2
Chicago (N) 3
W: R. Dempster (1-0) L: B. Moehler (0-1) S: C. Marmol (2)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (1)

Arizona 5
Colorado 7
W: U. Jimenez (1-0) L: M. Owings (0-1) S: M. Corpas (2)
HR – ARI: C. Snyder (2) COL: B. Hawpe (1), J. Baker (1)

Pittsburgh 4
Florida 0
W: M. Morris (1-0) L: S. Olsen (0-1)
HR – PIT: J. Wilson (1)

Matt Morris pitched a gem today. He held the Marlins to 1 hit while walking 2 and striking out 7 in the complete game shutout.

Philadelphia 6
Cincinnati 10
W: B. Bray (1-0) L: K. Kendrick (0-1) S: F. Cordero (2)
HR – PHI: G. Jenkins (1), G. Dobbs (1) CIN: A. Dunn (3), S. Hatteberg (1), J. Votto (1)

Cincinnati shortstop Jeff Keppinger will miss 2 weeks with a hyperextended knee.

New York (N) 6
Atlanta 9
W: B. Carlyle (1-0) L: M. Pelfrey (0-1) S: R. Soriano (1)
HR – NYN: M. Anderson 2 (3), R. Church (2), D. Wright 2 (2) ATL: B. McCann (1)

Washington 4
St. Louis 7
W: M. Worrell (1-0) L: J. Lannan (0-1) S: R. Springer (2)
HR – WAS: N. Johnson (1) SLN: R. Ludwick 2 (3), Y. Molina (1)

St. Louis pitcher Jason Motte will miss 1-2 weeks with a strained back muscle.

Los Angeles (N) 6
San Diego 4
W: D. Lowe (1-0) L: R. Wolf (0-1) S: T. Saito (2)
HR – LAN: A. Jones (1)

[Dauis]

4/5/2008
CONTRACT EXTENSION
Scott Hatteberg and the Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a 2-year extension worth $12.09 million per year. Uh, what?

Game #5 – Chicago (A) [2-2] (S. Linebrink) at Detroit [3-1] (D. Willis)
Chicago lineup: LF C. Quentin – CF A. Ramirez – 1B P. Konerko – RF J. Dye – DH J. Fields – 2B J. Uribe – 3B J. Crede – SS O. Cabrera – C A. Pierzynski
Detroit lineup: CF F. Guzman – 2B P. Polanco – RF M. Ordonez – 1B M. Cabrera – LF G. Sheffield – 3B C. Guillen – DH T. Perez – SS E. Renteria – C B. Inge

Chicago (A) 3
Detroit 2
W: S. Linebrink (1-0) L: D. Willis (0-1) S: B. Jenks (2)

We scored all 3 of our runs in the second. Uribe led off the inning with a base hit, Crede walked, and Cabrera hit a single to load the bases. Pierzynski was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run, Quentin walked to bring in the second run, and after a Ramirez strikeout, Konerko hit a sac fly to bring in the third run. Detroit got both their runs in the fifth, on an RBI triple by Guzman and an RBI single by Polanco. Neither team would really threaten the rest of the way. Dontrelle pitched a decent game for the Tigers, going the distance and giving up the 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He also struck out 8.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 3
New York (A) 2
W: T. Miller (1-0) L: M. Mussina (0-1) S: T. Percival (2)
HR – TBA: B. Upton (1)

Boston 6
Toronto 2
W: D. Matsuzaka (1-1) L: J. Litsch (0-1) S: M. Delcarmen (1)
HR – BOS: D. Ortiz (4), C. Crisp (1) TOR: A. Rios (2), A. Hill (1)

Kansas City 3
Minnesota 4
W: D. Reyes (1-0) L: J. Soria (0-1)

Cleveland 10
Oakland 2
W: P. Byrd (1-0) L: R. Harden (1-1)
HR – CLE: T. Hafner 2 (2), G. Sizemore (1)

Seattle 4
Baltimore 10
W: G. Aquino (2-0) L: M. Batista (0-1)
HR – BAL: A. Huff 2 (3), A. Jones (1), S. Moore (1)

Texas 5
Los Angeles (A) 2
W: S. Feldman (1-0) L: D. Moseley (0-1) S: J. Benoit (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 5
Chicago (N) 0
W: R. Oswalt (1-1) L: J. Marquis (0-1)
HR – HOU: M. Tejada (1)

San Francisco 3
Milwaukee 0
W: B. Zito (1-0) L: M. Parra (0-1)

Barry Zito pitched a 3-hit complete game shutout. He gave up 2 walks and had 5 strikeouts.

Washington 0
St. Louis 2
W: A. Wainwright (2-0) L: O. Perez (0-1) S: R. Springer (3)

Philadelphia 0
Cincinnati 4
W: J. Cueto (1-0) L: C. Durbin (0-1)
HR – CIN: A. Dunn 2 (5)

Los Angeles (N) 0
San Diego 4
W: C. Young (1-1) L: C. Park (0-1)

New York (N) 5
Atlanta 7
W: M. Hampton (1-0) L: O. Perez (0-1) S: R. Soriano (2)
HR – NYN: M. Anderson (4), J. Reyes (3) ATL: Y. Escobar (1)

Pittsburgh 3
Florida 8
W: A. Thompson (1-0) L: Z. Duke (0-1)
HR – PIT: F. Sanchez (1) FLO: J. Willingham (1), G. Sanchez (1)

Arizona 5
Colorado 7
W: G. Reynolds (1-0) L: B. Webb (0-2) S: S. Register (1)