Ramirez still confident
His numbers are down, but struggling White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez said his confidence is as high as ever.
"As far as knowing I can do the job, I've never lost that," Ramirez said through interpreter Lou Hernandez on Friday before taking a seat on the bench for the second straight game. "This year, I'm more relaxed. I feel comfortable and confidence isn't an issue with me so I feel like when I get the opportunity, I'll get it done."
Ramirez, batting .211 with a .255 on-base percentage, will be back in the lineup tonight against Texas.
According to manager Ozzie Guillen, Ramirez is going to stay in the lineup as long as he stops swinging and missing at pitches not even close to the strike zone.
"Right now, he's swinging at everything," Guillen said. "I told him, those people out there (scouts), they are being paid a lot of money to watch you hit every day. And you don't think those guys won't say, 'Don't throw a strike to him?' That's why you have to make an adjustment."
Ramirez said he's taken advantage of the down time.
"It's been OK; it's been good," Ramirez said. "I've been able to study and think about what I've been doing. I haven't been doing right when I bat. I had some time to get in the batting cage and focus on a couple of little things, but it's actually been pretty good."
Words to live by: Ozzie Guillen agreed with general manager Kenny Williams' assessment on Thursday that White Sox pitchers have to start pitching inside more.
Mark Buehrle took it even farther, especially after Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields were both hit on the hand at Texas last weekend.
Buehrle pitched in the first game of the series against the Rangers last Friday. Dye was hit Saturday and Fields Sunday.
"There have been a lot of problems since I've been here as far as guys not retaliating when they should," said Buehrle, who broke in with the Sox in 2000. "I pitched in the first game against (the Rangers) last week, so nothing was going on yet. If I would have pitched in the last two games, I would have protected our guys. Of course, once you do hit a guy on purpose and everybody knows you're retaliating, you can't say you did because you'll be suspended.
"We needed to protect our guys and, obviously, we didn't do a good job of it."
In the mix: Jayson Nix started the last two games at shortstop, and he's likely to spell Josh Fields at third base tonight.
"That's how it is in this game," Nix said. "When you get your opportunity, you have to make the most out of it and just create more opportunities for yourself."