NewsThome sees value in walks
Chicago (39-38) at Cleveland (31-48), 6:05 p.m. CT
By Matt ODonnell / MLB.com
07/01/09 1:59 AM ET
CLEVELAND -- Growing up in Peoria Ill., Jim Thome knew Stan Musial as a household name. Now -- in at least one category -- Thome's name is equal to that of the Cardinals icon. The White Sox first baseman stepped to the plate against Indians reliever Chris Perez in the ninth inning of Monday's 6-3 win over the Tribe and drew a walk. After the game, he found out the walk -- the 1,599th of his career -- tied him with Musial for 12th on the all-time walk list.Thome will look to get closer to Darrell Evans' 11th-place total of 1,605 walks when the South Siders wrap up their series with the Indians on Wednesday at Progressive Field. But for now, Thome is just glad to be in the same company as Musial.
"Stan was the man," Thome said. "To be tied with Musial, for me to be a part of that, is really special." While the stat may not seem impressive when compared to Thome's 554 career home runs, the 38-year-old sees it a bit differently. "Walks can be overlooked at times, but they are so important," Thome said. "You look at the old baseball saying, 'A walk is as good as a hit.'" The walks are evidence of Thome's long and steady career as a Major Leaguer. But this season, consistency hasn't been a hallmark of his team. Going into Tuesday's game against the Indians, the White Sox had won seven of their last nine games and crept to within four games of the American League Central-leading Tigers. But streaks like this -- both positive and negative -- have not been uncommon for the South Siders. The White Sox lost 12 of 15 games in early May only to reel off wins in 10 of 13 games at the end of the month. Before the current hot streak, they lost eight of 10 Thome said that there is no real reason for the inconsistency. He said the only thing the team can do is focus on one game at a time and not get ahead of itself. "To pinpoint it is very tough," Thome said. "It's hard to be consistent all year. You just have to work hard and hope the highs last longer than the lows." Is there any reason to think that this streak is a sign of things to come rather than an aberration? "You just have got to believe," Thome said. "Maybe this time we turned the corner." Pitching matchupCWS: RHP Jose Contreras (2-7, 5.19 ERA)
One bad pitch cost Contreras from producing a fourth straight quality start in a 5-4 loss against the Cubs on Friday. Contreras left a pitch high to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto, who crushed it to center for the decisive three-run home run in the seventh inning. For the game, Contreras lasted 7 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits. Those were the most runs he has allowed in four starts since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on June 8. On a more positive note, Contreras matched a season high by striking out eight Cubs batters. Contreras toted an 8.19 ERA in six starts before his stint in Triple-A, but he has posted a 2.15 ERA in four starts since rejoining the big league club. Lifetime against the Indians, Contreras is 5-2 in 13 appearances (12 starts) with a 3.25 ERA. CLE: LHP Jeremy Sowers (2-5, 5.44 ERA)
In his outing against the Reds on Friday, Sowers saw something he hadn't seen all season -- the seventh inning. He even saw the eighth, though he didn't make it out of that inning. In seven-plus innings of work, he gave up a pair of runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts. It was his strongest of eight starts this season, and just in time, as his rotation spot might be on the line with Aaron Laffey likely rejoining the club soon. Sowers is 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two starts against the Sox this season. Tidbits
Scott Podsednik was absent from Tuesday's lineup against the Indians. But manager Ozzie Guillen said it was merely to rest. "He needs it bad," Guillen said. "We try to catch him a break here and there, and the best time for a break is now." ... The White Sox June 16th rainout with the Cubs has been rescheduled for Sept. 3 at 1:20 p.m. CT ... After Gavin Floyd's impressive outing against the Indians on Monday, the White Sox ERA dropped to an even 4.00. That ranked second in the AL only to the Mariners. Tickets
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• Thursday: White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 7-2, 3.26) at Royals (Bruce Chen, 0-1, 5.68), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Friday: White Sox (John Danks, 6-6, 4.08) at Royals (Zack Greinke, 10-3, 1.95), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Saturday: White Sox (TBD) at Royals (Luke Hochevar, 3-3, 4.96), 12:10 p.m. CT
Matt O'Donnell is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
