Crede still here, still winning games for Sox

CLEVELAND -- Despite protests to the contrary, the biggest upset of the year isn't that the White Sox won a game during the opening week of the season.

And it's not that Joe Crede won a game for his team during the opening week of the season.

No, the real upset is that Joe Crede won a game during the opening week of the season for the White Sox.

It happened Thursday in Cleveland when Crede blasted an eighth-inning shot off Jake Westbrook over the left-field fence, giving the South Siders a huge 2-1 victory and an even bigger sigh of relief.

"Nothing's really been said to me one way or another about whether I'm going to be here or not, but I don't really think about it,'' Crede said after crushing his first homer since May 19, 2007, at Wrigley Field. "The game's too hard for me to worry about that.

"I'm only concentrating on helping my team win baseball games, and this is my team.''

That he's here now doesn't mean Crede will be for another month or the entire season. Then again, he might.

"I never said I was going to give him away,'' said GM Ken Williams. "I told him not to assume anything when spring training began, and he's here today.''

But now that he's proving he's healthy, Crede could bring the Sox a bounty of young talent in a trade.

"He's a great player, especially in the clutch,'' said manager Ozzie Guillen. "He never panics with the game on the line, so you always want him up there at the plate, or have the ball hit to him in the field.''

Will it be hit to him in Chicago all season? Good question.

Asked about the long-term prognosis, Williams replied, "He's in the lineup today.''

Which means that even Williams doesn't know how it's going to play out, but Crede's only concerned with staying on the field and he's thrilled to be healthy again.

"I remember what it was like when I couldn't even pick up my girls, so it's a relief just to do things and feel good again,'' Crede said. "It's just very gratifying to be healthy and to be helping my team.

"That's all I'm thinking about.''

Until further notice.

Good and bad

If you're a Sox fan looking for hope, John Danks gave you 6¿ innings of it Thursday.

Danks pitched the best game of his major-league career and deserved better than a no-decision, after he allowed just a run on 2 hits.

The double that scored the only run off him came over the outstretched glove of Jermaine Dye, who failed to grab a similar drive over his head the night before.

Dye then got in Nick Swisher's way on a routine fly to center, causing an error charged to Swisher and the eventual removal of Danks.

What's apparent early in this season is that Dye's going to have to hit more to make up for a lost step or two in right field.

Big money save

The bullpen plan was flawless Thursday, as Octavio Dotel (1-1) got one out in the seventh, Scott Linebrink pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Bobby Jenks saw his first action and picked up the save.

"Everything worked perfect for us today,'' said Guillen. "Dotel threw strikes and Linebrink was great in the eighth inning. It's been two years since we got someone out in the eighth inning. That's why we got these guys.''

Warming up

The normally sure-handed Paul Konerko failed to scoop three balls in the dirt during the first two games in Cleveland, but Thursday he was superb, as was the entire infield defense.

Nick Swisher made the first of what is sure to be many leaping catches at the wall, when he chased down a Franklin Gutierrez blast in the second inning to save a run and stop a big inning. After crashing hard into the wall, Swisher was sporting a monstrous ice bag on his hip after the game, which is also expected to be a familiar sight.

The numbers

Last year, the Sox were outscored 20-12 by Cleveland in the first two games before winning Game 3, 4-3.

This week, the Sox were outscored 17-10 by Cleveland in the first two games before winning Game 3, 2-1.

Bull stuff

With wind chills in the teens Wednesday night, and a gale blowing in off Lake Erie, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon showed up at the ballpark -- in advance of their game against the Cavs on Thursday -- wearing only windbreakers and sweatshirts, and had to eschew the seats below for an enclosed skybox.

The good guys

White Sox Charities raised $7,091 from the auction of NIU baseball items signed by Sox players, and chipped in another $2,909 for a total donation of $10,000 to the NIU February 14 Scholarship Fund.

The quote

White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker: "Maybe it'll be one of those years where a team on paper that looks like they'll win by 20 games really does win by 20, but it usually doesn't happen. It's usually something nobody sees coming.''

And finally …

Ozzie Guillen on the cold weather in Cleveland: "I don't care. I'm plenty warm in the dugout. I was mad when I had to go out and argue with the umpires because I had to leave the heater.''