Sox' team average doesn't tell offensive story
At first glance, the numbers are ominous.
Through the first three weeks of the season, the White Sox are batting just .242 as a team, the second-lowest average in the American League.
Individually, cleanup man Paul Konerko is hitting .172. Juan Uribe is hitting .153. Jim Thome needed a 4-for-5 Sunday at Tampa Bay to lift his average from .172 to .222.
But look a little closer -- look a lot closer -- and you'll see the White Sox' offense actually is one of the better units in the league.
"I think it's a good sign,'' said White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker. "Obviously, I'd rather us be hitting for a better average, but we've been able to score a lot of runs. And we're going to start hitting for a better average. We've just got to get some guys healthy. Jimmy came out of it (Sunday) big time. We've got to get Paulie going and a few other guys. But overall the guys are swinging the bats pretty good.''
Guys such as Jermaine Dye (.344) and A.J. Pierzynski (.339) certainly are, and Joe Crede has provided some big-time power (5 home runs, 18 RBI) in his return to the lineup from back surgery.
As they prepare to play the New York Yankees tonight at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox' offense has shown it has the desire to do the dirty work -- take pitches, draw walks and run the opposing starter's pitch count up early.
That has forced teams to go to their bullpens earlier than they'd prefer, and the Sox have been able to exploit the situation.
"I'm seeing that they come to play every day and they fight through at-bats, just like we asked them to,'' Sox general manager Kenny Williams said Monday from the West Coast, where he is scouting amateur talent.
"If they keep doing it, at the end of the season they just might find themselves in a (heck) of a position … a position to contend for a championship.''
As Williams was hoping when he traded for Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera during the off-season, the newcomers have set the tone out of the top two spots in the batting order. And don't forget about new left fielder Carlos Quentin, who also has been a scrapper despite carrying a .241 average.
"Guys are just having great at-bats,'' Dye said. "When you're fouling off pitches, drawing walks, not giving away at-bats, it makes the pitcher work twice as hard. The next thing you know, he might start to get a little tired and leave a pitch up.
"We've been able to hit those kinds of pitches and do some damage.''
There were two prime examples of Dye's analysis during the weekend series at Tampa Bay.
On Friday, Uribe led off the third inning by reaching first base on an error. Swisher followed with a walk against Rays starter Jeff Niemann. After Cabrera popped out, Thome launched a mammoth 3-run homer that likely would have been measured at better than 500 feet had it not hit a catwalk at Tropicana Field.
On Sunday, Dye knocked starter Edwin Jackson from the game with a 2-run triple in the fifth inning. Scoring were Cabrera and Thome, who both singled after Swisher drew another walk.
Speaking of walks, Swisher leads the AL with 17 and the White Sox are fourth in the league with 77.
"Sure, I wish we were hitting for a higher average, but I'm real excited about this team's approach,'' Walker said. "And Swish and Orlando have come in and set the tone.
"You hear people say hitting is contagious, but I think walking is contagious, too. You see it work. You see one guy get on base, then the next guy gets on base and then here comes the big hit and we've got 3 runs. It works.
"I'm pleased with a lot of things. There are still some other things we've got to clean up and get better at. Getting Paulie going would be huge. Now that Jimmy got it going, I feel real good about where we're at.''
Getting it done
The White Sox are batting just .242 as a team, but they are finding other ways to generate offense, mainly walks and the longball. Here's where the Sox rank among the 14 teams in the American League through Sunday:
Hits: 145 (14th)
Batting average: .242 (13th)
On-base percent: .336 (6th)
Walks: 77 (4th)
Strikeouts: 110 (4th)
Runs: 98 (2nd)
Home runs: 25 (1st)
Source: Major League Baseball
Scouting report
White Sox vs. New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Wednesday; Channel 9 Thursday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox' Jose Contreras (1-1) vs. Chien-Ming Wang (3-0) today; Javier Vazquez (3-1) vs. Mike Mussina (1-3) Wednesday; Gavin Floyd (2-0) vs. Phil Hughes (0-3) Thursday. All games 7:11 p.m.
At a glance: The first-place White Sox return home for a big early-season series against the Yankees after going 3-2 on a road trip to Baltimore and Tampa Bay. If the series comes down to pitching, the Sox should have the upper hand. They rank second in the American League with a 3.45 ERA; New York is 12th with a 4.60 ERA. The Yankees, who have lost three of their last four, might be without Alex Rodriguez. The star third baseman left Sunday's game at Baltimore with a strained right quadriceps. Slumping first baseman Paul Konerko hit .382 and had 3 home runs in 10 games against New York last season.
Next: Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field, Friday-Monday
-- Scot Gregor