Owens, Fields impress Guillen with play, energy
It's not just the combined efforts that helped the White Sox eke out a 2-0 victory Saturday night against Toronto that has manager Ozzie Guillen raving about the play of his young guns.
It's that rookie center fielder Jerry Owens, in particular, looks like a different player this time around, hitting nearly .280 since being recalled from Charlotte in early July.
"J.O., when we sent him down, we said, 'When you come back up, you have to be a different ballplayer,' and he is," Guillen said. "The thing is he has to keep it up.
"(The kids) just have to learn about the big-league level, it's not easy. In Triple-A, you're going to face one or two good pitchers. Here, every inning you're going to see a good one."
In addition to Owens, third baseman Josh Fields has been steady in the field and solid in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. He's hitting .250 with 8 homers and 29 RBI in 48 games.
"I like the way they give me a little bit of energy," Guillen said. "You have those kids surrounded by (Paul) Konerko, A.J. (Pierzynski), (Jermaine) Dye and (Jim) Thome -- you have a good thing going because those guys are pros, they play the game right.
"The kids should talk to them and see them work on and off the field."
Another kid, second baseman Danny Richar, made quite a big-league debut Saturday, notching a pair of singles and scoring the game-winning run on Owens' seventh-inning home run.
"The first time I saw him play was (Saturday)," Guillen said "He turned a double play, he made a couple of plays, he's got a little bit of fire, a little cockiness. I like players like that."
Good vibrations: If there indeed was a rift between right fielder Jermaine Dye and general manager Kenny Williams, as rumored, it no longer exists.
"We're fine," Dye said. "We've been communicating pretty good. There's nothing that's been said to get in the way of things one way or another."
Yet another reason: Searching for reasons for the Sox' downfall this season?
Manager Ozzie Guillen says look no further than their 4-14 mark in interleague play.
"I think the thing that killed us most was playing the National League. In the past, we were pretty good, but this year was horrible," Guillen said. "That's the difference from the year before. We only won (four) games this year, and last year we almost swept everyone."
Memories: Rookie second baseman Danny Richar had quite a memorable major-league debut Saturday, notching a pair of hits and scoring the winning run.
"I bet that was exciting, getting that first call-up, that first at-bat," outfielder Scott Podsednik said. "He ended up getting a hit his first time up -- that was fun to see."
Podsednik hopped in the wayback machine to recall his own major-league debut.
"I remember mine back in 2001 with Seattle -- a memorable moment," he said. "I hit a bases-loaded triple."
Dad's in town: While the rest of the team was in New York on Monday, manager Ozzie Guillen planned to spend the day in Bristol, Va., watching his son Oney, who plays for the Bristol Sox of the Appalachian League.
"I'm nervous," the elder Guillen said. "This is the first time I'm going to see him play. It's going to be exciting to see him play as a pro. I never get to see those kids play because of my job."
Around the horn: Injured outfielder Darin Erstad (sprained ankle) is hitting .140 with 2 RBI in 11 rehab games with Charlotte. ... Bobby Jenks on Saturday became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to save 30 games in consecutive seasons, joining Bobby Thigpen (1988-91), Roberto Hernandez (1995-96) and Keith Foulke (2000-01).
He said it: Ozzie Guillen on being a coach with the Florida Marlins: "It was easy for me to be the man because I wasn't the man. I could get on them, and when they got mad at me, I would say, 'Hey, Jack McKeon sent me.'æ"
Scouting report
White Sox vs. New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Thursday; Channel 9 Wednesday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox Jose Contreras (5-13) vs. Mike Mussina (5-7) today at 6:05 p.m.; John Danks (6-7) vs. Andy Pettitte (6-7) Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. and Jon Garland (8-7) vs. Roger Clemens (3-5) Thursday at 12:05 p.m.
At a glance: The Yankees and White Sox have met seven times this season with New York holding a 4-3 edge despite all the games being played at the Cell. Jim Thome is hitting .385 against the Yankees and Paul Konerko is at .348 with a pair of home runs, but the story line today figures to be the 3 p.m. trading deadline and how the Sox roster might look after the deadline expires. Also, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez needs 1 home run to reach 500 in his career.
Next: Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, Friday-Sunday
-- Mike Spellman