Buehrle figures to keep playing footsie
Mark Buehrle can't help it.
When opposing hitters ground balls up the middle, Buehrle transforms into Tony Esposito in baseball cleats and goes for the kick save.
In past games, Buehrle has frequently stopped balls and recorded outs at first base. He's also kicked balls to his infielders for outs.
In his start against the Cubs on Sunday night, Buehrle unsuccessfully tried making two kick saves.
On the second one, a grounder off the bat of Kosuke Fukudome, Buehrle was hit on the right ankle.
"It got me pretty good, but it wasn't bad enough to knock me out of the game,'' Buehrle said.
The left-hander's ankle was taped up after the game, and Buehrle was a little surprised Monday morning.
"It's all black and blue, kind of nasty looking,'' he said.
Does that mean Buehrle is going to stop playing defense like a hockey goalie?
"Nah,'' he said. "It's just kind of a habit, anything that comes up the middle I try to knock it down anyway I can. I guess if one gets me on the shin, maybe I'll start thinking about not doing it anymore.''
Status quo: Paul Konerko (strained left oblique muscle) did some work with a medicine ball Monday, but the White Sox' injured first baseman still isn't ready to start a rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte.
"I saw him throw a real heavy medicine ball in the training room and I said, 'Well, if you can throw that, you can swing a 32-ounce bat,' '' manager Ozzie Guillen said. "But it's different working out or swinging a bat. He's the only one that can tell us how he feels. He's going forward, but it has to come from his mouth how he feels and how many games he's going to play down there. When he's ready, he has to be 100 percent, well, at least good enough to play every day.''
Second nature: Alexei Ramirez is a natural shortstop, and center field was his next position of choice at the start of the season.
Ramirez has been the White Sox' regular second baseman since mid-May, and he seems to make at least one spectacular play a game.
"We knew this kid was a good athlete,'' Ozzie Guillen said. "If you can play shortstop, you can play everywhere. He's not going to be a Gold Glover, but the thing I see right now is amazing. There's one thing about it, this kid's a baseball player.''