Is the grim reality of the White Sox surrendering and selling off the core of veteran-laden teams of the past three years to anyone actually willing to pay their salaries settling in like old toothpaste caked in the corners of your mouth? Are memories of all the moments of hope, the exorbitant amounts of money you spent on this franchise that didn’t make so much as a playoff appearance since Obama took office boring into your head like a drill? Did you actually just drink a lot last night?
Well then!
Allow the trials and tribulations of the newest member of the White Sox neverending stockpile of “back-end starters pitching over their heads somehow” whisk you away to a carefree time since gone by. To a time where you felt less like vomiting.
Recall when you used to care about things and weren’t afraid to show it!
Smile wryly as you remember when you used to obsess over really bad rappers from the 90’s!
Weep openly as you recall missed opportunities and wasted youth!
Hope that Rienzo can spot his curveball with consistency!
White Sox Lineup:
1. Gordon Beckham – 2B
2. Conor Gillaspie – 3B
3. Alexei Ramirez – SS
4. Adam Dunn – DH
5. Paul Konerko – 1B
6. Avisail Garcia – CF
7. Jordan Danks – RF
8. Josh Phegley – C
9. Blake Tekotte – LF
Andre Rienzo, SP
Viciedo was in the original lineup but scratched for that ole thumb again
Avisail arrived last night, was inserted into the lineup halfway through without the benefit of batting practice or a warmup and essentially looked like he wanted to treat fans to the joy of a 700-foot walk-off home run. Probably just eagerness and nerves, but possibly what we’ve come to know as “The Mask of the Dayan.” He also showed that he can run pretty well and while the 6’4″, 240 lbs man looks like he can cover center field if needed, it’s hard to understand why the White Sox would bother with three superior-fielding center fielders on the roster, unless they’re really determined to show that Garcia can play there.
Minnesota Twins lineup
1. Brian Dozier – 2B
2. Joe Mauer – C
3. Justin Morneau – 1B
4. Josh Willingham – DH
5. Oswaldo Arcia – LF
6. Chris Colabello – RF
7. Trevor Plouffe – 3B
8. Clete Thomas – CF
9. Pedro Florimon – SS
Mike Pelfrey, SP
Earlier in the season, Pelfrey was making a serious bid to be recognized as the worst starter in baseball. His ERA was still over 6.00 by the end of June and he had even failed in both attempts to string together a quality start against the Sox. But over his last six starts, he’s been serviceable by avoiding booming punishment. He’s had a 3.31 ERA over his last 32 2 innings, running up high pitch counts, walking a fair amount of batters but only allowing a .373 slugging percentage. The relative success has been credited to him now being more than a year out from his Tommy John surgery and seeing a corresponding tick up in velocity.
Where to Watch: Fox, 3 pm CT
Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan