It's a whole new world for Swisher
Nick Swisher isn't the only one happy with the Jan. 3 trade between the White Sox and Oakland.
There's little doubt the outgoing outfielder has fit right in with the Sox while filling a glaring hole at the top of the batting order.
"We've got a great thing going over here,'' Swisher said. "And they (A's) have a great thing going over there.''
Facing his old team for the first time in the regular season Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field, Swisher was 2-for-3 with a walk.
Swisher has been a major addition for the White Sox, but general manager Kenny Williams had to pay a big price to land the switch hitter.
Three players -- starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney -- were sent to Oakland, and they were all rated among the Sox' top prospects.
Gonzalez is at Class AAA Sacramento, where is 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 2 starts. De Los Santos, a converted reliever, is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 3 starts for Class A Stockton.
Then there's Sweeney, who made the Athletics' 25-man roster in spring training and is batting .348 in 11 games.
"I was definitely shocked,'' Sweeney said of the trade. "You usually hear rumors for a couple of days or a week, and there was nothing. It was a shocker, but it's worked out. I'm in the big leagues.''
The White Sox selected Sweeney on the second round of the 2003 draft, and the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder made it to the majors for 18 games in 2006 and 15 in '07.
Sweeney batted a combined .213 in his limited stay with the Sox.
"I wish I could have done better when I was here,'' said Sweeney, who strained his right quadriceps against the Cleveland Indians over the weekend and didn't play Monday. "But with 35-40 at-bats, it's kind of tough to prove yourself.''
While he didn't get much of a chance on the South Side, Sweeney isn't wondering what might have been.
"I don't really have any regrets,'' he said. "The White Sox gave me an opportunity to move pretty quick. It was just a matter where getting to the big leagues is tough, but staying there is even tougher.''
Saving Buehrle: With Thursday's rainout and rotation switch, Mark Buehrle started Monday night on seven days rest. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he'd rather Buehrle be off schedule than young starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd.
"I think some pitchers can deal with it and some pitchers can't,'' Guillen said. "One of the reasons we did it is because we think (Buehrle) can deal with the extra time off.
"In the past we always kept with the same guys because we had Freddy (Garcia), we had Buehrle, we had (Jon) Garland, and we didn't have to move anybody.
"Right now we have a couple of kids, and every time we have a chance to move Buehrle for one more day, I hope to do it.''
Honoring Jackie: Sox players Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome and Nick Swisher, along with manager Ozzie Guillen and coaches Harold Baines and Jeff Cox, will wear No. 42 today as a tribute to the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking major-league baseball's color barrier.