White Sox - 6/30/03

LATEST TEAM INFO
RECORD:39-42
PLACE: 3rd
GAMES BACK: 4.5

After over two months of underachieving baseball, the White Sox have finally caught fire as they are 14-9 in their last 23 games and have either won or tied six of their last seven series'. During this span they have averaged just under 4.5 runs a game, while giving up just under 3.75 runs a game. The Padres were the only team during this stretch that had a record under .500.

AT THE PLATE
D'Angelo Jimenez
Well, apparently the recent struggles, which have ocurred at the plate, on defense and on the bases, have given manager Jerry Manuel good reason to bench Jimenez and start who he feels is the better of the two - Willie Harris. Another option is AAA second baseman Aaron Miles. Or, rumors are going around of a potential trade for either the Mets' Roberto Alomar or the Marlins' Louis Castillo. Either way, Jimenez appears to have lost his job or will simply have it taken from him. He started at third base on Sunday after Saturday's game-winning single and looked better offensively, but also committed two errors. The move is nothing more than an experiment as Joe Crede, barring injury, will remain the starting third baseman. As for Jimenez, bench him until further notice.

Paul Konerko
If his limited playing time over the past month wasn't proof enough, Manuel has officially benched Konerko, and the word going around is that he may be sent to AAA Charlotte soon to work on his swing. If so, chances are he'll regain his stroke and could be a key player down the stretch.

Carlos Lee
His improved hitting of late could be largely in part to the Cubs, who he has had a great career against, but the fact is that all of his last seven hits have been to right and center - always the key components to Lee's success. Start him this week.

Aaron Rowand
When Aaron Rowand was demoted to the minors in early May, he had a .133 batting average. Since returning in the early part of this month, Rowand is 11-29 with three homers and 10 RBIs. With Joe Borchard struggling in AAA and Harris taking over for the benched Jimenez at second, Rowand is the new starting centerfielder for the Sox. He could be a sleeper signing if his revamped swing holds up. Keep in mind that after this upcoming Twins series, the Sox are set to play 19 of 21 games against Tampa Bay, Detroit and Kansas City.

ON THE MOUND
Jon Garland
If you listened to me last week you benched Garland in his last start against the Twins, which turned out to be a good move as he gave up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. He is scheduled to pitch twice this week - against the Twins on Monday and Devil Rays on Sunday. He is 1-2 (10 games, 7 starts) lifetime with a 3.78 ERA against the Twins, and 2-1 (6 starts) lifetime with a 3.76 ERA against the Devil Rays. Start him both games.

Mark Buehrle
Buehrle is coming off his best start of the season (W, CG, 9 IP, 1 R, 9 K), and with Sandy Alomar back from the DL, is looking like the Buehrle of old. His next start is against the Twins and Brad Radke in U.S. Cellular - start him.

Bartolo Colon
The bad: Colon has looked very hittable of late, showing little ability to pitch inside and a lot of interest in giving in to batters. The good: His next start is against the Devil Rays, a team he is 4-0 against in his career. Many believe Colon is going through a dead arm period, so it would be surprising to see him go the distance any time soon.

Esteban Loaiza
What happened against the Cubs that ended in him taking a loss, giving up four earned runs over seven innings? Lack of accuracy and the adjustments made by the Cubs hitters. Despite having his second worst start of the season, he still managed to go seven and keep his team in the game. Pretty impressive.