The 'Cuban Missile' strikes again

The White Sox had a feeling Alexei Ramirez was going to hit, but not like this.

A career .334 hitter for Pinar del Rio in his native Cuba, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Ramirez wasn't considered much of a power threat. After all, Ramirez averaged only 10 home runs during his seven seasons in the Cuban League.

In Wednesday's 15-3 win over the Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field, Ramirez hit his 14th homer for the Sox, a 3-run shot in the first inning. The Sox second baseman has hit a home run in 3 of his last 4 games.

"I basically stay the same through the stretch," Ramirez said through an interpreter. "I do my routine, my style of play remains the same and paying close attention to the pitchers I'm facing and the coaches, and that's basically the result. But I've stayed the same through the stretch."

The wiry Ramirez doesn't seem to be strong enough to hit the ball over the fence, but AL home run leader Carlos Quentin knows better.

"If you look at the mechanics of his swing - I've looked at it - he's in the zone so long," Quentin said. "Obviously, I don't know what exactly his height and weight are, but he definitely has a lot of power. He has a fundamentally sound swing, and that's why you see him do well. He's an aggressive hitter and he attacks the zone, and I think he's just going to get better."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen often jokes about Ramirez' lean build, but he knows "The Cuban Missile" is a serious talent.

"The bat speed is unbelievable," Guillen said. "You see guys on top of the plate like that, and all of a sudden people think they can get by him. His bat speed is one of the best I've seen in a little while, and that's how he creates so much power."

Ramirez misses his fellow countryman, starting pitcher Jose Contreras, who is out for the season with a torn Achille's tendon. But Ramirez is ecstatic about playing in one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball.

"It really feels like a dream right now that I don't want to wake up from, to be in the same lineup as a Ken Griffey Jr., and Jim Thome," Ramirez said. "In certain lineups, (Griffey) has been hitting behind me. It's an absolute honor to be in the same lineup with those guys."