Trade to Angels shocked Garland
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The White Sox had to pay a high price to get shortstop Orlando Cabrera in a Nov. 19 trade from the Angels.
They got their first look at what they lost Friday, as starting pitcher Jon Garland took the mound against the split-squad Sox in an exhibition game at Tempe, Ariz.
"We needed a player like Cabrera and they asked for (Garland),'' said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "To get a good player, you have to give up something. Unfortunately, Garland was the one''
Garland, an 18-game winner for the Sox in 2005-06 before slipping to 10-13 last season, pitched 3 innings against his old team Friday and allowed 1 run, a solo homer by Jermaine Dye.
"You always have to give to receive,'' Garland said. "To me, I was a little boggled because (Cabrera) is a free agent at the end of the year. And they had just signed (shortstop) Juan (Uribe) back, so I was a little boggled by that. I just looked at it as the Angels wanted me more.''
Considering the White Sox have been built on solid starting pitching the past few seasons, Garland said he was "shocked'' by the trade.
"Definitely shocked,'' Garland said. "When you talk about how pitching and defense wins championships, I always felt that's what you are going to stick with. To trade a pitcher, I feel like I did a pretty (darn) good job over there the past three or four years putting up innings and getting out there every day and giving the team a chance. There was some shock there.''
Dye has been around the game long enough to be immune from shock.
"I'm never surprised in this game,'' Dye said. "Anything can happen. People change teams all the time. I think it was good for both clubs. Anaheim got a good starter and we got a guy in Cabrera who is going to be able to help us out.
"You never really know if trades are good or bad until a couple of years later, when you find out what kind of player you have.''
Double whammy: The White Sox lost both of their split-squad games Friday by a combined score of 21-1.
The Sox also lost to the Rangers on Thursday, 6-1.
"That happens,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We have been playing good overall. I haven't even got mad yet. As a team, we are having more fun this year. It's just a couple of spring days you are always going to have. Hopefully, we don't have that many.''
Bench coach Joey Cora said the White Sox have been struggling without some of their top pitchers.
Javier Vazquez is back home in Puerto Rico after his wife gave birth to a baby girl. Gavin Floyd is sidelined with the flu, and Scott Linebrink (migraine) has also been unavailable.
"We're running a little short of pitchers right now,'' Cora said. "That's a fact. That's the way it goes, but hopefully we get it together the next couple weeks.''
D'backs 10, White Sox 0
Angels 11, White Sox 1
White Sox' record: 5-7
On the mound: Against the Angels, starter Lance Broadway pitched 2 innings and allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits. Los Angeles starter Jon Garland pitched 3 innings against his former team, allowing 1 run on 2 hits. Against the Diamondbacks, starter Nick Masset gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 4 innings.
At the plate: Against the Diamondbacks, Jim Thome (.136) was 0-for-3. Against the Angels, Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski had the only hits, both off Garland.
Next: John Danks starts against the Giants today in Tucson.
-- Scot Gregor