Quentin return should help Sox face tough second half
The White Sox get an extra days' rest during the all-star break.
They are one of 14 major-league teams that can kick back Thursday before starting the second half of the season Friday.
The Sox can use all the downtime they can get.
In addition to being in the thick of the AL Central race - the White Sox (45-43) are 31/2 games behind the Tigers and a half-game better than the Twins - the schedule is much more challenging than it was in the first half.
Can the Sox run down Detroit, hold off Minnesota and lay claim to their second straight division title?
Time will tell, and here are five things to look for in the second half:
Quentin's return
For the first five months of the 2008 season, Quentin was one of the best players in baseball.
Busting out big time after coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in an off-season trade that attracted little attention, Quentin channeled his intensity into 36 home runs and 100 RBI in 130 games.
The left fielder fractured his right wrist after slamming his bat during a Sept. 1 game at Cleveland, missing the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Quentin got off to a slow start (.229, 8 HR, 20 RBI) this year, and the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder has been out since May 26 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
He has been on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte and A Kannapolis since July 4 and could be activated Friday, when the White Sox pick it back up with a home game against the Baltimore Orioles.
If Quentin can stay healthy, the Sox' offense has the potential to be potent.
Killer schedule
The Sox get a break opening the second half against the low-flying Orioles, but there a few breaks in the schedule the rest of the way.
The defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays follow Baltimore to the South Side for four games before the White Sox hit the road for key division games at Detroit and Minnesota.
The Sox return to U.S. Cellular Field after the critical trip and play two more heavyweights - the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels.
Looking further ahead, the White Sox have a challenging 10-game trip to Boston, New York and Minnesota that starts Aug. 24.
There has been a lot of talk about the Sox being a subpar team in the second half under manager Ozzie Guillen.
It's true, to a point.
The White Sox were 35-41 after the break in 2004, Guillen's first year in the dugout. They were 33-41 in 2006 and 33-43 in '07.
But the Sox were 35-33 in the second half last season and 42-34 in 2005, when they won the World Series.
Speed zoned
The great debate continues this season -
Do opposing baserunners have so much success stealing against the White Sox because catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Ramon Castro can't throw?
Or, do Sox pitchers deserve the blame for not holding runners on base and/or getting the ball to the plate quicker?
It's probably a combination, but the White Sox are in danger of really getting burned by opposing runners, much like they did against the Twins at the Metrodome last Friday.
Starters Gavin Floyd and Jose Contreras still need to do a better job holding runners on, as do relievers Octavio Dotel and Bobby Jenks.
But Pierzynski needs to get better, too, considering he is 3-for-56 throwing out basestealers. Castro is 0-for-6.
Trading time?
This debate has been going on since late May, when general manager Kenny Williams created national headlines with a near trade for Jake Peavy.
Are the Sox buyers or sellers?
They certainly were buyers in May, and look for that trend to continue leading up to the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.
It's always difficult to tell what Williams has cooking back in his "board room" at the Cell. But last week the GM came out and said the White Sox are low on funds (and fans) and won't be in play for high-priced talent such as Roy Halladay.
If the White Sox do add more players before the deadline, they should be similar in salary and stature to reliever Tony Pena, who joined the South Siders last week.
Tracking Thome
His 39th birthday is approaching (Aug. 27), and it looks like designated hitter Jim Thome is heading into his final stretch with the White Sox.
Thome looked to be at the end of the line in June, when he batted .204. But the left-hander is batting .333 (11-for-33) in July, and he drove in 7 runs in the final two games at Minnesota before the break.
A healthy Quentin is an obvious key for the Sox in the second half. So is a productive Thome.