Six reasons why the Sox are looking better today
With a 34-34 record, the White Sox are officially mediocre. And they couldn't be happier.
"It's been a long road to get back," captain Paul Konerko said on Sunday after the Sox beat the Nationals while completing their second straight interleague road sweep. "We dug ourselves a big hole. Now we can try and move from here, set another goal, maybe pick up a game or two this week and just keep climbing."
The White Sox open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, and they'll try to move above the .500 mark for the first time since Opening Day, when they beat the Indians.
On the one hand, the Sox are thrilled to be riding a six-game winning streak, and they've also won 10 of their last 11.
On the other, they fattened up against two last-place teams during their long-awaited surge - Washington and Pittsburgh - and also won two of three against the scuffling Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Considering they are 4-8 against a bad Cleveland team and 3-3 against Kansas City, the White Sox don't really care about the quality of the opposition.
They've won six straight and here are six reasons why the Sox have turned it around:
1. Starting pitchingThey still have two starters with ERAs over 5.00: Gavin Floyd (5.20) and Jake Peavy (5.07). And Freddy Garcia (4.85) and Mark Buehrle (4.71) aren't much better.But as White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper told the Daily Herald last week, individual numbers are relatively meaningless."Our numbers (stink) right now. I'm not concerned with that," Cooper said. "We'd have to go another month with people getting shutouts to get their numbers where they need to be. The numbers I care about is the win column and them going out there and giving us a chance to win on their day."Sox starters - far and away the Sox' strength heading into the season - are 9-1 with a 1.97 ERA in the last 12 games.2. Clutch hittingFor years, the White Sox have relied on home runs more than most teams in major-league baseball.They haven't gone deep in eight games, their longest power drought since April of 1993.But the Sox have gone 20-for-72 (.278) with runners in scoring position over the same stretch. If they can mix in some power and keep coming through in the clutch, they'll have their ideal blend of offense.3. Paul KonerkoDon't give him a contract extension just yet, but the White Sox' 34-year-old first baseman is producing as well as he did a decade ago.Konerko has really been on a roll as of late, batting .388 with 1 home run and 12 RBI in the last 13 games.For the season, Konerko's batting .296 and he leads the Sox in home runs (17), RBI (51), on-base percentage (.396), slugging (.574) and OPS (.970).Let's keep an eye on the classy captain, though. Last year, Konerko batted .302 with 16 HR and 60 RBI in the first half. In the second half, he batted .243 with 12 HR and 28 RBI.4. Bobby JenksHis health is still an issue - Jenks has been dealing with a tight right calf since the end of last season and he wasn't available Sunday, reportedly due to "soreness."But the 29-year closer has reestablished himself after a shaky first two months. Jenks has converted nine straight save opportunities and he's allowed just 1 earned run in his last 9 2/3 innings.5. Need for speedManager Ozzie Guillen was tired of seeing his team play station-to-station baseball, so upgrading team speed was a priority during the off-season.Through Sunday's games, the White Sox ranked third in major-league baseball with 68 stolen bases. Left fielder Juan Pierre leads the majors with 27 steals and center fielder Alex Rios is tied for seventh with 20.6. Interleague playThe Sox have six more games against National League teams - they host the Braves and Cubs this week.History says the White Sox are going to have a successful homestand. They have a 10-2 interleague record this season and are 138-103 against NL teams since interleague play started in 1997. That's the third-best record in the majors. <p class="factboxheadblack">White Sox scouting report</p><p class="News">White Sox vs. Atlanta Braves at U.S. Cellular Field</p><p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet Tuesday and Wednesday; Channel 9 Thursday</p><p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WSCR 670-AM</p><p class="News"><b>Pitching matchups:</b> The Sox' John Danks (6-5) vs. Tommy Hanson (7-3) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; Mark Buehrle (5-6) vs. Tim Hudson (7-2) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.; Gavin Floyd (2-7) vs. Derek Lowe (9-5) Thursday at 1:05 p.m.</p><p class="News"><b>At a glance:</b> The White Sox and Braves meet for the first time since 2004. Atlanta has won five straight and is first in the NL East. The Braves are 24-7 at home but only 18-21 on the road. In his last two starts, Danks is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA. Hanson beat Tampa Bay in his last start, throwing 7 shutout innings. Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin has 7 hits in his last 18 at-bats, including 3 doubles. Through Sunday, Atlanta first baseman Troy Glaus led the NL with 55 RBI and was tied for sixth with 14 HR.</p><p class="News"><b>Next: </b>Cubs, Friday-Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field</p><div class="infoBox"><h1>More Coverage</h1><div class="infoBoxContent"><div class="infoArea"><h2>Stories</h2><ul class="links"><li><a href="/story/?id=389221">Report: Sox reach terms with No. 1 draft pick Sale <span class="date">[6/21/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>