Power Pros Forum

Those were just targets, but we may pick them up at a later point.

April 7, 2008
One of the most enthusiastic days of the year is the Home Opener. This year we took on the Minnesota Twins. We came into the game 4-2, while they came in 2-5, worst in the division. Boone Logan toed the rubber for us, and Livan Hernandez toed the rubber for them. I delivered a speech to the fans before they game, and hyped up the team. Home Opener here we come!

Minnesota Twins 2-5 @ Chicago White Sox 4-2

The game moved smoothly until the sixth, when the Twins ruined the enthusiasm and spirit by pounding us for 6 runs. Logan and Embree gave up the runs. The Twins put up another the next inning, and Embree was injured. In the bottom half, Swisher brought Daiki home with a bloop single. Thome stunned the Twins, hitting a three-run shot, putting us back in the game. Jason Kubel tried to squash the rebellion with a two-run double in the 7th. Harris added extra suppourt, making it 10-4. The White Sox were inspired, as Swisher and Konerko back-to-back homered in the eighth. The score was 10-6 going into the ninth. The White Sox fought hard in the ninth, but couldn't put up a run, losing 10-6.

W- Hernandez 1-1
L- Logan 0-1

HR- Swisher 1
Konerko 4
Thome 4

Hirayama 1-5
Cabrera 0-5
Swisher 3-4, HR, 2 RBI
Konerko 3-4, HR
Thome 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
Newhan 1-4
Pierzynski 1-4
Crede 0-4
Uribe 2-4
Logan 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 4 ER
Embree 1.1 IP, 6 H, 0 K, 3 ER
Dotel 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 K, 3 ER

April 11, 2008
Gavin Floyd took the mound to face David Robertson in the first game of a weekend series. Our pitching was struggling heavily up to this point, but one great start can fix it all.

Detroit Tigers 3-6 @ Chicago White Sox 4-5

Both teams were shut out until the fourth, when AJ Pierzynski hit a bloop single to left. Floyd was going well, but then Thames homered in the 8th, giving Detroit a 2-1 hold. The White Sox didn't give up, as Paul Konerko tied the game with a single in the bottom of the ninth. In the bottom of the eleventh, I was outraged. Ozzie Guillen told Newhan to hit a suicide squeeze, but Konerko forgot to steal, and was thrown out. Thome was also thrown out at second. I was pissed off. Renteria doubled for Detroit the next inning, giving them the lead. We dropped the game, 3-2.

W- Robertson 1-1
L- Masset 0-1
HR- Thames 1

Hirayama 0-5
Cabrera 3-4
PH-Ozuna 0-1
Swisher 2-5
Konerko 2-5, RBI
Thome 1-5
Newhan 1-5
Pierzynski 2-5, RBI
Crede 1-5
Uribe 1-5
Floyd 7.1 IP, 8 H, 4 K, 2 ER
Linebrink 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 0 ER
Masset 2.1 IP, 5 H, 2 K, 1 ER

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS/ANALYSIS

1. Kansas City Royals 11-4
Surprise team so far, their pitching and hitting are both above average, but they have just barely won their games. Don't expect them to continue their roll.

2. Detroit Tigers 9-6
Best pitching in the division, hitting is dragging right now. If the pitching continues their play and the hitting improves, the Tigers will win the division.

3. Cleveland Indians 7-8
Pitching is horrendous. The team needs to cut down its 4.57 ERA in order to succeed.

4. Chicago White Sox 7-8
The White Sox are just a below average team right now. Their team ERA is 3.90, and they've given up the most hits in the division. The offense leads in hits and average. They should fix their pitching issues and contend fairly soon.

5. Minnesota Twins 7-9
Surprisingly, the Twins have won 7 games. Their pitching is awful, and they can't get a hit to save their life.

Current Prediction:
1. Tigers 94-68
2. White Sox 85-77
3. Royals 79-83
4. Indians 75-87
5. Twins 70-92

BATTING STATS ANALYSIS:

Hirayama .270 AVG/ 0 HR/ 5 RBI
Daiki has had a hard time adjusting to MLB pitching. He should be able to adjust fairly well, however.

Cabrera .190 AVG/ 1 HR/ 5 RBI
Orlando has been disappointing at the plate so far this season.

Swisher .328 AVG/ 1 HR/ 3 RBI
Swisher needs to drive in some more runs, but has done fairly well so far.

Konerko .393 AVG/ 6 HR/ 16 RBI
Paul Konerko is totally dominating opposing pitchers to this point, as he is on pace for the best season of his career.

Thome .270 AVG/ 5 HR/ 14 RBI
Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are the dynamic duo of the club. Jim is absolutely crushing the ball to this point of the year.

Newhan .288 AVG/ 0 HR/ 2 RBI
Newhan is just gonna be here until Viciedo's stats improve in AAA. Newhan is doing exactly what we expected him to do.

Pierzynski .373 AVG/ 0 HR/ 6 RBI
AJ is on fire at the plate, and he's getting on-base as well.

Uribe .345 AVG/ 1 HR/ 6 RBI
Uribe is making contact, and that's what we need him to do.

Crede .259 AVG/ 1 HR/ 3 RBI
Crede is performing a bit below average. He needs to step it up ASAP.

PITCHING STATS ANALYSIS

Buerhle 2-0, 0.36 ERA
Danks 1-0, 3.06 ERA
Contreras 1-2, 10.30 ERA
Floyd 1-0, 1.98 ERA
Vazquez 0-1, 3.55 ERA
Masset 0-1, 9.82 ERA
Embree 0-0, 6.35 ERA
Logan 0-1, 5.06 ERA
Jenks 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 4-4 SV/SVO
Thornton 0-2, 3.60 ERA
Dotel 1-0, 3.38 ERA
Duchscherer 1-0, 2.70 ERA
Linebrink 0-0, 1.17 ERA

Two words. Bullpen sucks.

TEAMS WE STRUGGLE AGAINST
Team/Our record against them
Minnesota Twins 0-3
Detroit Tigers 2-4

KEYS
-Fix the bullpen.
-Bullpen has cost us many games this season. We have to call up or acquire some patches to these problems.
-Get early leads
-We struggle out of the gates, and that causes problems throughout the game.
-Play with Heart
-We gotta show our superiority by getting really into games.

April 20, 2008
So apparently 4/20 is a big day for some reason, I don't know why people would celebrate such an evil person's birthday, oh wait. It has something to do with stoners. That's why our younger guys seemed pretty high in the locker room. Daiki seemed pretty interested in this holiday, and he had to stay behind due to a weed-induced hangover.

Chicago White Sox 9-9 @ Tampa Bay Rays 9-10

Boone Logan gave up an inside-the-park homer to BJ Upton to start the game, giving Tampa a 2 run lead. The Sox finally scored in the fourth, on a Jim Thome homer, cutting the deficit to 1. The tide was turned in the 5th, when Paul Konerko tripled to bring two home. Thome later doubled to bring Konerko home, givng us a 2 run lead. Paul Konerko struck again in the 8th, adding one more run to the lead. The offensive punding continued with a Cabrera RBI single in the ninth. Konerko continued his domination with an RBI double. Thornton closed the door and sealed a 7-2 victory.

W- Duchscherer 2-0
L- Jackson 0-2
S- Thornton 1

Anderson 2-5
Cabrera 1-4, RBI
Swisher 3-5
Konerko 3-5, HR, 4 RBI
Thome 2-5, HR, 2 RBI
Newhan 1-4
Pierzynski 1-4
Crede 1-4
Uribe 3-4
Logan 3 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 2 ER
Duchscherer 3 IP, 3 H, 5 K, 0 ER
Dotel .2 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 0 ER
Thornton 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 ER

April 25, 2008
We were at home to take on the Baltimore Orioles today, as Contreras took on Patton. Pablo Ozuna filled in for Orlando Cabrera in the lineup, as Cabrera's condition worsens by the day.

Baltimore Orioles 5-18 @ Chicago White Sox 11-11

Joe Crede started off the scoring with a 2 run homer in the second. However, the Orioles equalized two innings later. The Sox struck back in the fifth on a JIm Thome 2 RBI single. The Orioles equalized again in the top of the 6th, on a two-run single by Hernandez. Brian Roberts followed with an RBI triple, making it 5-4. Uribe gave the White Sox the lead back with a two-run double in the bottom half of the 6th. Crede added insurance in the 8th with an RBI single. Uribe followed him with a homer, making it 9-5. Brian Roberts continued his White Sox domination with an unnecessary homer in the bottom half of the ninth. An RBI double by Markakis put the game at 9-7. Huff also hit an RBI double, making it a 1 run contest. Bobby Jenks put runners at the corners, but struck out Mora to give the Sox a 9-8 victory.

W- Contreras 2-2
S- Jenks 6
L- Bradford 2-2
HR- Crede 2
Uribe 2
Roberts 6

Hirayama 2-5
Ozuna 3-5
Swisher 1-5
Konerko 2-4
Thome 2-4, 2 RBI
Newhan 1-4
Pierzynski 3-4
Crede 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
Uribe 2-4, HR, 4 RBI
Contreras 6.1 IP, 10 H 10 K, 2 ER,
Dotel 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 1 ER
Jenks 1 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 2 ER

April 30, 2008
Today we need a win to finish .500 on the month. This should be a simple task, but with our inconsistent bullpen, it might go totally wrong. Boone Logan toed the rubber for us, and he opposed Boof Bonser.

Chicago White Sox 13-14 @ Minnesota Twins 11-16

The Twins started the night off by scoring one on an RBI single. Minnesota put up 4 more in the fourth, breaking it open. Daiki stunned the whole team by hitting a homer to straight center, cutting Minnesota's lead to 4. AJ Pierzynski continued his red-hot month with an RBI double in the 8th, making it 5-3. The White Sox couldn't mount a comeback, and lost 5-3.

W- Bonser 3-2
S- Nathan 4
L- Logan 0-3
HR- Hirayama 2

Hirayama 2-5, HR, RBI
Cabrera 1-5
Swisher 1-4
Konerko 2-4
Thome 0-4
Newhan 3-4
Pierzynski 2-4, 2 RBI
Crede 0-4
Uribe 1-4
Logan 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 K, 1 ER
Embree 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 K, 3 ER
Thornton 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 1 ER
Linebrink 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 K, 0 ER
Duchscherer 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 0 ER

Would now be a time to pickup those free agents

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS/ANALYSIS

1. Cleveland Indians 18-10
Cleveland has definitely picked up their play, as they have cut down their ERA and have skyrocketed on offense. The Tribe are looking dangerous right now.

2. Detroit Tigers 16-12
Detroit is still playing smoothly, but the hitting definitely needs to step up in order to jump into first.

3. Kansas City Royals 14-13
Kansas City dropped completely since the last update; they are struggling to find any kind of pitching or offense. Expect them to fall even more in the next month.

4. Chicago White Sox 13-15
The White Sox are struggling to find personality. Their bullpen is improving, but the starting pitching is garbage. The pitching again is the team's Achilles Heel.

5. Minnesota Twins 12-16
The Twins are still having a poor time, but can jump at least two teams this month.

Current Predictions:
1. Tigers 93-69
2. Indians 89-73
3. White Sox 83-79
4. Twins 75-87
5. Royals 71-91

Batting Stats

Hirayama .306 AVG/2 HR/9 RBI
Cabrera .240 AVG/2 HR/10 RBI
Swisher .286 AVG/1 HR/4 RBI
Konerko .386 AVG/11 HR/29 RBI
Thome .261 AVG/6 HR/23 RBI
Newhan .260 AVG/0 HR/6 RBI
Pierzynski .412 AVG/3 HR/19 RBI
Crede .240 AVG/2 HR/7 RBI
Uribe .365 AVG/3 HR/20 RBI

Pitching Stats
Buerhle 3-0, 3.10 ERA
Vazquez 0-2, 6.67 ERA
Logan 0-3, 6.12 ERA
Danks 1-1, 3.80 ERA
Contreras 2-2, 8.18 ERA
Floyd 1-0, 1.31 ERA
Duchscherer 2-0, 1.59 ERA
Dotel 2-0, 2.25 ERA
Linebrink 0-1, 4.70 ERA
Masset 1-1, 7.50 ERA
Thornton 0-2, 3.09 ERA
Embree 1-0, 9.00 ERA
Jenks 0-2, 6.23 ERA, 6 SV

Teams We Struggle Against
Minnesota Twins 1-4
Detroit Tigers 2-4
New York Yankees 1-2

Keys
-Our pitchers have to actually pitch instead of what they're doing right now.
-Bullpen is still garbage, except for a few pitchers. We need to upgrade the pen to get on track.

May 5, 2008
We took on a real challenge in Canada, as we faced Roy Halladay. Our offense will be tested tonight, and Javy Vazquez will have to pitch well.

Chicago White Sox 15-16 @ Toronto Blue Jays 11-21

Paul Konerko wasn't phased by Halladay, and hit a 2-run shot in the first. The Blue Jays tacked on three, however, and the score was 3-2 at the end of the first. Toronto put up 3 more in the second. Daiki Hirayama hit another homer, cutting the deficit to 3 in the third. Daiki drove in antoher run in the 5th, making it 6-4 Toronto. The White Sox took the lead back in the 6th, after Jim Thome crushed a three-run homer to left. The lead was short lived, as Greg Zaun hit a solo shot to right, tying it up at 7. Jim Thome continue his heroics, this time in the 8th. He crushed a two-run homer, giving the White Sox a 9-7 lead. This didn't last, as Toronto tied it up in the 9th. The game went to extras, and Aaron Hill won it on a walkoff single, 10-9.

W- Accardo 2-3
L- Duchscherer 2-1
HR- Zaun 3
Hirayama 3
Konerko 12
Thome 9, 10

Hirayama 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
Cabrera 0-5
Swisher 4-5
Konerko 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
Thome 2-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Newhan 3-5
Pierzynski 1-5
Crede 1-5
Uribe 0-4
Vazquez 5.1 IP, 12 H, 5 K, 7 ER
Linebrink 2 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 2 ER
Duchscherer 2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 K, 1 ER

May 11, 2008
We're now stuck in last place. Our team can't get anything together. We can put runs on the board, but our pitching blows it all the time. I called for a meeting with Hirohito and Emily.

"Guys, this isn't working. We need starting pitching and relief. We have to make a trade ASAP," I told them.

"I know, I know. We can figure this out. Let's look at some teams with great pitching," said Hirohito.

"Matt, remember who we did evaluations on before you went to Japan? Geoff Geary and Brandon Backe of Houston. They can fill in for every position we need!" Emily exclaimed.

"Emily! You're a genius!" I said, and I ran over to her, and kissed her.

"Sorry to spoil your excitement, sir, but we gotta get trade some guys too," Hirohito told me.

"I'll work on it. Emily, I'm gonna trade Vazquez, Ruggiano, and Dillon for Backe, Geary, and Chacon. Figure out what the deal does financially," I commanded.

"Ok," Emily said with a blush on her face.

2 Hours Later

"Jeff, I need a trade badly. I'm gonna cut it short. I give Vazquez, Ruggiano, and Dillon, you give Backe, Geary, and Chacon," I told the Astros GM.

"Matt, this sounds like a good offer. We're rebuilding now, and we need those young guys desperately. I'll get back to you," He replied.


Two days later, the trade was accepted. We bolstered our team heavily.

May 14, 2008
Brandon Backe was ready to take the mound for the first time as a White Sox. We were in Los Angeles for a 4-game series. We were ready to see how the new look roster performs.

Chicago White Sox @ 18-22Los Angeles Angels 22-19

We started off on fire, as Cabrera and Swisher both hit RBI doubles, giving us a 2-0 lead. Jim Thome followed them with an RBI single. Later in the inning, AJ Pierzynski hit a 2-run double, giving us a 5-0 advantage. Brandon Backe struck out the side in his first inning. Backe was cruising until the fourth, when he injured his elbow. Chacon was brought in for relief. There was no scoring until the 8th, when Nick Swisher crushed a 2-run shot, making it 7-0 Chicago. Jim Thome tripled to left center, extending the lead to 8. Joe Crede continued the blowout with an RBI single, and we closed the inning with a 9-0 lead. The Angels fought back, scoring three off of Linebrink in the 8th. Thornton finished off our 9-3 victory.

W- Chacon 1-0
L- Saunders 3-2
HR- Swisher 6

Hirayama 1-4
Cabrera 1-5, RBI
Swisher 3-5, HR, 3 RBI
Konerko 2-5
Thome 2-5, 2 RBI
Newhan 1-4
Pierzynski 2-4, 2 RBI
Crede 1-4, RBI
Uribe 0-4
Backe 3.1 IP, 2 H, 8 K, 0 ER
Chacon 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 0 ER
Duchscherer 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 K, 0 ER
Embree 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 1 ER
Linebrink 1 IP, 4 H, 1 K, 2 ER
Thornton 1 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 0 ER

May 22, 2008
We were looking to sweep the first place Indians. John Danks took on Great Soriano.

Cleveland Indians 28-19 @ Chicago White Sox 24-23

There was no scoring until the third, when Daiki Hirayama hit an RBI single to right. The Indians struck back with two runs in the fourth. Jim Thome tied it up with a solo shot in the bottom of that inning. Geoff Geary came in in the 8th, but gave up a solo shot. The White Sox put runners on first and second, but Daiki grounded out, giving Cleveland a 3-2 victory.

W- Borowski 1-0
S- Betancourt 14
L- Geary 0-2
HR- Thome 13
Hafner 4

Hirayama 2-5, RBI
Cabrera 0-4
Swisher 2-4
Konerko 0-4
Thome 2-4, HR
Newhan 0-4
Pierzynski 0-4
Crede 3-4
Uribe 3-4
Danks 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 K, 2 ER
Duchscherer 2.2 IP, 0 H, 2 K, 0 ER
Geary 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 1 ER

May 31, 2008
It was a battle of the aces in the last game of May, with Mark Buehrle taking on Scott Kazmir.

Chicago White Sox 29-27 @ Tampa Bay Rays 26-30

Paul Konerko started the scoring by hitting his 16th homer of the season in the second, giving the Sox a 1-0 lead. However, the Rays tied it up in the bottom of that inning. Daiki Hirayama drove in Joe Crede with an RBI single in the third, giving the Sox a 2-1 hold. AJ Pierzynski homered in the 5th, giving us a 3-1 lead. Mark Buerhle threw a complete game.

W- Buehrle 5-2
L- Kazmir 4-5
HR- Konerko 16
Pierzynski 7

Hirayama 1-4, RBI
Cabrera 1-4
Swisher 1-4
Konerko 2-4, HR, RBI
Thome 1-4
Newhan 0-4
Pierzynski 2-4, HR, RBI
Crede 1-3
Uribe 1-3
Buerhle 9 IP, 5 H, 12 K, 1 ER

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS/ANALYSIS

1. Cleveland Indians 35-21
The Indians have established themselves as a power in the AL Central. Their staff is now dominant and their hitting is clutch.

2. Kansas City Royals 31-26
The Royals have not fallen into obscurity yet. They have righted the ship and are still near the top.

3. Chicago White Sox 30-27
The White Sox have strengthened their bullpen and rotation, and are cruising towards the top.

4. Detroit Tigers 26-30
Detroit has fallen from grace. Their pitching has given in to opposing batters, and their batters can't hit at all.

5. Minnesota Twins 26-30
Both phases are horrible still for Minnesota. They need to have a great June to save the season.

Current Prediction:
1. Indians 94-68
2. White Sox 89-73
3. Tigers 85-77
4. Royals 83-79
5. Twins 75-87

BATTING STATS

Hirayama .308 AVG/5 HR/29 RBI
Cabrera .253 AVG/3 HR/25 RBI
Swisher .327 AVG/14 HR/38 RBI
Konerko .356 AVG/16 HR/48 RBI
Thome .286 AVG/13 HR/56 RBI
Newhan .252 AVG/1 HR/17 RBI
Pierzynski .388 AVG/7 HR/40 RBI
Crede .309 AVG/4 HR/20 RBI
Uribe .313 AVG/7 HR/34 RBI

Pitching Stats

Buerhle 5-2, 4.04 ERA
Logan 3-4, 4.87 ERA
Backe 5-3, 4.88 ERA
Danks 2-1, 4.38 ERA
Contreras 4-4, 7.83 ERA
Floyd 2-1, 3.32 ERA
Duchscherer 2-1, 1.49 ERA
Chacon 2-0, 1.62 ERA
Linebrink 1-2, 5.96 ERA
Masset 2-1, 4.74 ERA
Dotel 2-1, 4.37 ERA
Embree 3-0, 5.24 ERA
Thornton 0-2, 3.57 ERA
Jenks 0-4, 6.89 ERA, 12/12 SV/SVO
Geary 1-2, 11.80 ERA

Teams we struggle against
Twins 2-6
Tigers 2-4

Teams we do well against
Rays 5-1
Indians 5-4
Angels 5-2
A's 2-0

Keys
-We need to continue our run.
-Keep pitching well.
-Get more scoring opportunities.