Maybe there will be rain – Lineups 5/8

Chicken or the egg? Single sniper or extra guy on the grassy knoll? Was Matt Harvey super dominant or was the White Sox offense genuinely terrible? Is “both” a reasonable answer to all of these? These are the questions that will haunt historians, biologists, biomechanic (ologists?) and your most talkative co-worker until the end of days. I really cannot see an alternative scenario in this regard.

UNLESS–with the option to operate in a “controlled sample” as they say, the White Sox pulverize run-of-the-mill Mets right-hander Jeremy Hefner, thus proving indisputably that Tuesday night’s horrific struggles were solely and entirely the product of Mr. Harvey’s virtuosity.

Hefner has a 4.34 ERA but his peripherals suggests a much worse fate awaits him. He’s been sieged with seven home runs in just 29 innings of work. I thought the guys from Rising Apple were just  naive in their complaints on Citi Field’s new, less spacious dimensions, but Hefner has been proving them right; throwing dingers and generally doing little to offset a strikeout rate that isn’t too impressive in today’s whiff-crazy baseball world.

Data such as “The White Sox are still the worst offense in the league across a number of statistical measures” and “CBS’ Danny Knobler has found more scouts saying the Sox look terrible” will not be considered. Just beat the rebuilding Mets and Hefner and the White Sox offense is redeemed. That’s how this works.

1. Alejandro De Aza – LF
2. Alexei Ramirez – SS
3. Alex Rios – RF
4. Conor Gillaspie – 3B
5. Paul Konerko – 1B
6. Dewayne Wise – CF
7. Tyler Greene – 2B
8. Tyler Flowers – C
9. Jake Peavy – P

Oh, look, Paul Konerko sandwiched by Conor Gillaspie–cleanup hitter!–and Dewayne Wise. Moments like this he’s got to be wondering where a pen is at so he can sign his four-year extension, already. It’s preferable to think of this lineup as a getaway day concoction rather than a panicky shuffling of deck chairs/yanking the tablecloth out from under the dishes. That’s probably what it is anyway.

1. Jordany Valdespin – CF
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Lucas Duda – LF
5. John Buck – C
6. Mike Baxter – RF
7. Ike Davis – 1B
8. Ruben Tejada – SS
9. Jeremy Hefner – P

Jake Peavy is making his first start after missing two turns in the rotation due to back pain and tightness. He’ll set out to prove that skipping the disabled list was worth it and hopefully he’s right. There’s some sort of old phrase that relates to a potential Jake Peavy injury and the White Sox playoff hopes, something something “straw” and  something about backs and camels.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan