Painful day for pair of White Sox relievers
TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Ehren Wasserman had some wisdom teeth pulled Thursday. Compared to Nick Masset, he had a good day.
The battle for the final spot in the White Sox' bullpen is going down to the end, and Masset didn't make much of a late impression during his Cactus League outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Masset started and allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits in 4½ innings. The right-hander's spring ERA rose to 7.06.
"I don't say it hurt him, but I was a little disappointed,'' Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Every time you have a bad outing late in spring training, it can hurt.''
Wasserman, who pitched in a minor-league game Thursday morning before having his teeth pulled, finished the Cactus League with a 3.09 ERA.
Since Masset is out of minor-league options, the Sox are waiting as long as they can to make a decision. Wasserman seems to have the edge.
"If you look at Ehren Wasserman's track record so far, ever since Ozzie Guillen's brought him into the game, he's gotten it done,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said. "He's an asset and he gets groundballs.''
Wasserman was 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 34 games with the Sox last season after coming up from Class AAA Charlotte.
"I guess a little bit,'' Wasserman said when asked if the final decision is becoming stressful. "Friends and family … I hear from them every day, 'Where you going, where you going?' It's a little tough. But I get to break with the team, so at least for me that's fun.''
Crede hurts ankle: Third baseman Joe Crede came out of Thursday's game in the fifth inning after fouling a pitch off his left ankle.
Trainer Herm Schneider didn't seem overly concerned, but Crede was taken for precautionary X-rays.
"Joe's a tough guy,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. "When Joe takes himself out of the game, I'm concerned.''
State of the staff: All in all, pitching coach Don Cooper said he's pleased with what he has seen in the Cactus League, even if the Sox finished with a 5.79 ERA.
"Each guy seems to have had 1 poor start, maybe other than (Mark) Buehrle,'' Cooper said. "I know (John) Danks had one, Gavin (Floyd) had one, Javy (Vazquez) had the first one, against Arizona, (Jose) Contreras had one.
"So I'm happy with where the starters are at entering the season. They got all the work down here that they needed to get; the innings and the pitches are where they need to be. And now the bell rings and the stuff will count.
"As far as the relievers go, I think we got the information that we needed to get. Who needs to be where, roles and kind of what they do. We got to know the two new guys, (Scott) Linebrink and (Octavio) Dotel, two guys we haven't seen before.''
Linebrink is likely to emerge as the main setup man for closer Bobby Jenks, who allowed 2 runs on 9 hits and 7 walks in 10 Cactus League innings.
"Bobby's probably had his best spring, as far as results, and being out there from the beginning, not being brought into the manager's room to get yelled at,'' Cooper said.
Seeing Double: On July 7, the White Sox will host the first Double Duty Classic at U.S. Cellular Field, an event celebrating the history and tradition of Negro Leagues baseball in Chicago and promoting the next generation of inner-city baseball players.
The all-star showcase will feature players from around the Midwest, and the game marks the 75th anniversary of the Negro Leagues' East-West All-Star Game played at old Comiskey Park.
Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe was born July 7, 1902, in Mobile, Ala., and he played for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues. He was a regular at U.S. Cellular Field before passing away in 2005.
D'backs 8, White Sox 4
White Sox' record: 10-18-3
At the plate: Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye each hit solo home runs. Joe Crede was 0-for-2 before leaving with a sore left ankle.
On the mound: Starter Nick Masset pitched 41/3 innings and allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and 4 walks. Matt Thornton pitched 12/3 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits.
Next: The Sox are finished with Cactus League play. John Danks starts against the Texas Rangers today in Oklahoma City.
-- Scot Gregor