PITCHING STAFF OVERHAULED
FOCUS TURNS TO STARTERS; VERLANDER HURT
BY PAT DORWIN
SPORTSWRITER
CHICAGO BASEBALL WEEKLY
CHICAGO - THE WHITE SOX PICHING MOUND IS COVERED IN THAT "NEW CAR SMELL."
THE SCENT WILL WAFT AROUND THE STADIUM STARTING WITH A THREE-GAME VISIT FROM THE YANKEES WEDNESDAY AS CHICAGO (16-18) LOOKS TO CRAWL OUT OF THE AL CENTRAL BASEMENT, KICK-STARTED BY FIVE NEW STARTERS AND A DIFFERENT CLOSER.
JOBA CHAMBERLAIN, SO EFFECTIVE IN LONG RELIEF IN 2011 THAT HE FINISHED THIRD IN AL CY YOUNG VOTING, MOVES TO THE SHUTDOWN SPOT IN PLACE OF ROOKIE GUSTAVO CHAVEZ.
THE NEW LONG RELIEVER, JEFF FRANCIS, MAY END UP JOINING THE REVAMPED ROTATION, BUT FOR NOW THE SOX WILL SEE IF HE CAN REPLACE CHAMBERLAIN.
THE TRADE BLITZ IS SEEMINGLY OVER AS OF EARLY TODAY, WITH THE SOX ACQUIRING JON LESTER AND A MINOR LEAGUE RELIEVER FROM THE REDS FOR ADAM WAINWRIGHT AND GREG SMITH, WHO JUST TOSSED SIX STRONG INNINGS IN HIS 2012 SOX DEBUT.
ON MONDAY, CHICAGO PICKED UP STARTERS JARR JURRJENS AND THE RED-HOT MARK ROGERS FROM ARIZONA FOR NEWLY ACQUIRED SP PHIL HUGHES AND MINOR LEAGUE SP BRIAN BASS.
SUNDAY WAS A BUSY DAY AS WELL, AS CHICAGO GATHERED STARTERS CLATON KERSHSHAW AND FRANCIS FROM THE NATIONALS FOR RIGHTY COLBY LEWIS AND TOP PROSPECTS HEYWOOD MORTON AND JOHNNY COUCH. THE TEAM TRIED TO SLIP 22-YEAR-OLD CATCHER DAYAN VICIEDO AND OF STEVE HULL THROUGH WAIVERS, BUT BOTH WERE CLAIMED TODAY.
STAFF ACE JUSTIN VERLANDER, 4-1, 3.20, LEFT SATURDAY'S GAME WITH AN INFLAMED HIP THAT COULD KEEP HIM OUT A MONTH.
"THAT DIDN'T STOP (GM LARRY) FEENEY, THOUGH," SAID AN NL SCOUT. "HE HAD PLENTY OF THINGS IN THE PIPELINE, MOSTLY LOOKING AT OUR (NL) TEAMS."
THE TRADE BINGE STARED FRIDAY WHEN CHICAGO ACQUIRED HIGHLY-REGARDED THID-BASEMAN PEDRO ALVAREZ (.345, 9, 29), CATCHER KENDRICK MESORACO (.289, 5, 10) AND SP GAVIN FLOYD (2-4, 3.76) AT A STEEP PRICE, SHIPPING A SUPERSTAR-IN-WAITING, PITCHER STEPHEN STRASBURG (3-4, 6.14), A TOP PROSPECT IN 2B JACKIE SKATTUM (.171, 0, 4), AND SWITCH-HITTING C MATT WIETERS (.221, 4, 8) TO THE PHILLIES.
THE NEW SOX ROTATION LOOKS LIKE THIS:
--KERSHAW, 2-3, 2.85, 47 SO AND 10 BB
--JURRJENS, 2-2, 2.76, 37 AND 12
--THE RED-HOT ROGERS, 2-1, 2.19, 55 AND 14
--FLOYD, 2-4, 3.76, 32 AND 11
--LESTER, 4-1, 2.87, 49 AND 13
"OBVIOUSLY, WE EMPHASIZED ACQUIRING POWER PITCHERS WITH EXCELLENT CONTROL," SAID FEENEY. "THE TRADES WERE WELL THOUGHT OUT, IN THAT WE HAD A DEFINITE PLAN OF WHOO WE WANTED, EVEN THOUGH WE KNEW IT WOULD COST US GUYS LIKE STRASBURG AND WIETERS."
SLUMPING THIRD BASEMAN ALEX GORDON, WHO LOST HIS JOB WHEN ALVAREZ CAME OVER, FRACTURED HIS WRIST TWO DAYS AFTER THE TRADE WAS COMPLETED. HUGHES WAS ACQUIRED MAY 2 FROM PITTSBURGH WITH CLOSER GUSTAVO CHAVEZ AND RELIEVER REYNEL PINTO FOR AROLDIS CHAPMAN, A POTENTIAL STAR
THE LEFT-HANDED PINTO HAS A MICROSCOPIC 0.44 ERA IN 17 GAMES CHAVEZ HAS TOTALED NINE SAVES, BUT HAS SEEN HIS ERA CLIMB TO 3.18 WITH THE SOX. PREVIOUS CLOSER JOE NATHAN WAS DEALT MAY 24 WITH A MINOR-LEAGUE RELIEVER FOR CHAVEZ AND RELIEVERS JEFF McARTHUR, JUST RECALLED TO CHICAGO, AND JASON FURILLO, WHO TOOK THE LOSS ON HIS ONLY SOX APPEARANCE BUT SPORTS A 1.93 ERA IN AA.
'THEIR OFFENSE IS THE MOST DYNAMIC IN THE GAME," SAYS THE NL SCOUT. "NOW THEIR PITCHING STAFF CAN MATCH THE HITTERS IN STAR POWER.
"THE PLAYERS JUST NOW HAVE TO PRODUCE - ALL THE WAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER."
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