Guillen benches, defends Uribe
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen benched Juan Uribe and his ice-cold bat Thursday night. Then, Guillen defended his slumping second baseman.
"That's a shame,'' Guillen said, referring to the negative reaction surrounding Uribe. "I mean this kid, if Uribe was here for two months, then I would talk about Uribe. Uribe's been here for five years, and people forget how, I'm not saying he's having an incredible year, but he's playing well. He's not hitting well, but we've seen this before.''
There has been plenty of public scrutiny when it comes to Uribe's playing time, but Guillen said that had nothing to do with his decision to start Alexei Ramirez at second base Thursday.
"I'm going to tell people out there that I will play Uribe as long as I want to play him, not when they want me to play him,'' Guillen said. "I'm the manager of this ballclub and I will put the best guys out there that I think are the best for the club, not the ones they want to see.''
Even though he's batting .167, Uribe's glove has made a big impression on Guillen.
"We are where we are because of Uribe's defense,'' Guillen said. "Uribe deserves and earned to be playing right now. There are other guys struggling at the plate. Obviously, it looks uglier when he's struggling up there, but give the kid a break.
"I believe in defense. Maybe a lot of people believe in offense -- that's their problem. If we need Uribe to hit good in that ninth spot, then we don't have a good ballclub. Just leave Uribe alone.''
Uribe also struggled in 2007, batting .234 and losing his job at shortstop to Orlando Cabrera during the off-season. Guillen wasn't happy with Uribe last year, but that's not the case this season.
"I don't think he was preparing himself (last year), and I thought he was overweight,'' Guillen said. "But this year, he did everything we asked him to do to perform and he's performing real well.
"He's not hitting? Well, there are a few players on this team not hitting. But no one is asking me: 'Why not bench this guy or that guy because they're not hitting?'
"You know, fans out there are starting to get nasty with (Uribe), say names and stuff, that's not fair. I will protect him right now because he's playing well for us.''
Back in the Bay Area: When designated hitter Frank Thomas was released by the Toronto Blue Jays last weekend, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen predicted he'd resurface with the Oakland Athletics.
On Thursday, Thomas retuned to Oakland, where he played in 2006.
"I'm happy for him,'' Guillen said. "He deserves that. I think a lot of people need a DH and he played well for Oakland in the past. Hopefully he has a good year except when we get there.''
Scouting report
White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet-Plus today; Channel 9 Saturday; Comcast SportsNet Sunday and Monday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox' Mark Buehrle (1-2) vs. Brian Burres (2-1) today at 7:11 p.m.; John Danks (2-1) vs. Steve Trachsel (1-3) Saturday at 6:05 p.m.; Jose Contreras (1-2) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (0-2) Sunday at 1:05 p.m.; Javier Vazquez (3-2) vs. Daniel Cabrera (2-0) Monday at 1:05 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox split a two-game series at Baltimore last week. The Orioles are playing much better at Camden Yards (9-4) than they are on the road. Buehrle has lost his last 2 starts while allowing 7 runs on 21 hits over 14 innings. Danks hasn't allowed a run in his last 141/3 innings.
Next: The White Sox play the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome, Tuesday-Wednesday
-- Scot Gregor