Williams shoots down Oswalt rumors
How far has this Roy Oswalt trade rumor spread?
The Houston Astros' star pitcher has already reportedly said he'll turn down a trade to the White Sox by exercising the no-trade clause in his contract, a la Jake Peavy.
The Sox did try to land Peavy in a deal with the San Diego Padres two weeks ago, but general manager Kenny Williams on Monday slammed the brakes on all of the Oswalt speculation.
"I really prefer not to get into confirming or denying something because you tip your hand, and if you tip your hand, you don't get anything done," Williams said. "But I'll make the exception so everyone can relax a little bit. I haven't talked to the Houston Astros about any pitching whatsoever."
Richard rolling: Had Jake Peavy accepted a traded to the White Sox, Clayton Richard would be wearing a San Diego uniform right now.
Since the deal fizzled, Richard is 2-0 for the Sox and the big left-hander has allowed 2 earned runs over 13 innings with 15 strikeouts.
"What's lost in all this talk is that our pitching staff has really come up big lately and has gotten some consistency going," GM Kenny Williams said. "We really like how they're throwing and sometimes, especially the way Clayton Richard is throwing, the best deals you make are the ones you don't make. And I'm not afraid to say it."
Feeling good: Josh Fields was 9-for-21 on the Sox' 5-1 road trip to Los Angeles and Kansas City, raising his average from .217 to .244.
The third baseman has been thriving after getting warnings from manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams and getting news that top prospect Gordon Beckham was promoted from Class AA Birmingham to Class AAA Charlotte.
To his credit, Fields didn't shy away from the media when his batting average was plunging.
"If you're going to get paid to play professional baseball and hit, and you're not hitting, you better be prepared to answer questions as to why you're not," said Fields, who was 0-for-4 (3 strikeouts) against Oakland on Monday. "Some guys probably want to try to shy away from it. It's a lot easier to go back in the training room. But I think the quicker that you face it and get over it, the better it'll turn around, hopefully."
Trading places: Gavin Floyd started for the Sox against the A's in the series opener, and Monday's scheduled starter, Bartolo Colon, pitches tonight.
Manager Ozzie Guillen explained the switch.
"Every time we've got an opportunity to do that, we're always going to do it," Guillen said. "Not because he's hurt. Because he might need it, he might need an extra day. We've got to take care of him because he comes from injuries for the last couple years."