Guillen to Sox: Start acting like first-place team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ozzie Guillen usually steers clear of calling team meetings, but the White Sox' manager felt the time was right Friday following 3 losses in four games at Yankee Stadium.
Sensing the Sox have just been sitting around hoping the second-place Twins lose, Guillen addressed the situation.
"If we want to do this thing, we're the ones that have to take care of it," Guillen said. "We are the ones that have to push for this, not just lose one game and all of sudden look at the scoreboard and 'thank you Tampa,' or 'thank you Detroit.' No. That's not the way you win pennant races."
The White Sox are a first-place team, and Guillen basically told them to start acting like one.
"It's funny, we feel like we're not in first place," Guillen said. "We feel like we're out of the pennant race. All the negativity or all the stuff around, we're still in first place. But we don't play like we are a first-place team. I don't see the cockiness, I don't see the grinders, the enthusiasm, the fun. We should have fun. We should enjoy this. I don't see that for a week."
The Sox seemed to respond to the meeting with an easy win over the Royals. Guillen expects them to finish off strong.
"I tell them no matter what we do for 150 games, people aren't going to remember that," Guillen said. "People are going to remember what you do from today to the last day of the season."
Where's Crede? Injured third baseman Joe Crede was scheduled to get a second opinion on his sore back this week, but the White Sox have not heard any updates.
Considering he came out of a Sept. 2 game at Cleveland with the same pain that sidelined him from July 21-Aug. 25, Crede is likely done for the season.
"Nothing at all," Ozzie Guillen said when asked what he's heard. "No Crede for the rest of the season. That's my opinion."
Breaking out: Slumping Nick Swisher, who was benched for the final three games in New York, was back in the starting lineup Friday.
Playing left field, Swisher snapped an 0-for-14 slump with a single in the fourth inning, and he added another single in the sixth before striking out in the eighth.