Other Sports

Wise snags the spotlight with great catch and assist

Posted September 03, 2009 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

Dewayne Wise hasn't scared anybody with his bat this season.

After going 0-for-4 in the White Sox' 5-0 victory over the Cubs on Thursday, Wise's average dipped to .193.

But the 31- year-old reserve outfielder has been a defensive gem for the Sox.

Wise always will be known for making a spectacular catch against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23 to save Mark Buehrle's perfect game.

He was at it again Thursday.

"It seems like every time we put this guy out there, he does something special," manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Starting in right field for the White Sox, Wise made a tough catch in the fifth inning on Koyie Hill's flyball.

And with the Sox clinging to a 1-0 lead in the seventh, Wise scooped up a Jeff Baker single and threw out Jake Fox trying to score from second base.

"I'm not swinging that good, so I just want to go out there and take hits away from people," Wise said. "I take a lot of pride in my defense and work hard at it in batting practice. I just try to go out there and try to win games."

Fox isn't the fastest base-runner, but Wise had a feeling he'd try to score.

"At that point of the game, I knew they were going to send him," said Wise, who came off the disabled list Tuesday. "I just told myself to throw the ball cleanly. Just try to throw it through A.J. (Pierzynski), and that's what I did."

Peavy 'frustrated': Jake Peavy still isn't feeling good enough to play catch, but he's not feeling bad enough to call it a season.

"I really hadn't thought about it," Peavy said Thursday of shutting down for the season. "I'm just trying to get healthy and if I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. Obviously, I'd like to. You've got to be healthy and in good shape to go out there and pitch and certainly I'm trying to get there."

The torn ankle tendon that landed Peavy on the disabled list in early June, when he still was with the San Diego Padres, has healed.

But the 28-year-old starting pitcher is still feeling the effects from getting hit on the right elbow by a line drive during an Aug. 24 rehab start with Class AAA Charlotte.

Fresh troops: The White Sox added two more pitchers from Class AAA Charlotte on Thursday: starter Daniel Hudson and reliever Jhonny Nunez.

Hudson is an intriguing prospect.

The Sox' fifth-round pick in the 2008 draft, Hudson stormed through the White Sox' farm system this year, going 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA in stops at Class A Kannapolis, A Winston-Salem, AA Birmingham and Charlotte.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander also had 166 strikeouts in 1471/3 innings, the second-highest total in the minor leagues.

The White Sox aren't sure when - or if - Hudson is going to start. Pitching coach Don Cooper strongly hinted the 22-year-old Hudson could take the mound soon if the Sox fail to mount a winning streak and put some heat on the first-place Tigers.

Chicago White Sox right fielder Dewayne Wise makes a difficult catch on a wind tossed fly ball hit by Chicago Cubs' Koyie Hill during the fifth inning of an interleague baseball game Thursday Associated Press

White Sox scouting report White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox at U.S. Cellular Field TV: Channel 26 Friday; Channel 32 Saturday; Comcast SportsNet/WTBS Sunday; Comcast SportsNet Monday Radio: WSCR 670-AM Pitching matchups: The White Sox' Freddy Garcia (0-2) vs. Paul Byrd (1-0) Friday at 7:11 p.m.; Gavin Floyd (10-9) vs. Junichi Tazawa (2-3) Saturday at 3:05 p.m.; TBA vs. Jon Lester (10-7) Sunday at 1:05 p.m.; TBA vs. Josh Beckett (14-5) Monday at 1:05 p.m. At a glance: The White Sox lost three of four to Boston at Fenway Park last week to start their disappointing road trip. They went 3-3 on their last homestand vs. Kansas City and Baltimore. The White Sox still are deciding on starters for the final two games vs. the Red Sox. They could insert Daniel Hudson into the rotation and give John Danks and Mark Buehrle an extra day of rest. Next: Oakland Athletics, Tuesday-Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field