Chicago White Sox

Ah nice. There in lies the difference between an annual pennant contender and an annual last place team. The Padres were saving Peavy for next season, because they could. Don't believe me? When was the last time you heard anything with regards to Chris Young? He was only supposed to miss a start or two, remember.

Peavy could face the Yankees if his timetable accelerates. The Sox visit New York on Aug. 28-30. ''That's the goal,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ''We look at the schedule and think that's the [series] we think he should be ready for. That's the biggest reason -- we have a tough schedule for the end of the season. Hopefully, he'll be there when we go there. I hope he'll be there before that, but that's what we're shooting for and that's what we should be doing when we go to Boston and New York.

''I've got a feeling he's going to be out on the field sooner than what we think. I don't know why, but the thing we have going on right now, I think he sees his teammates, the way we work here, how we have fun. In the meantime, when the game starts, everything is about the game. ''The good thing is it's not his arm. We have one of the best trainers [Herm Schneider] in the game. Our medical staff is very, very good, and that's one of the biggest reasons the organization took a shot at him. Hopefully, he'll be healthy as soon as possible.''

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Whats more impressive, 45 batters retired in a row, or 59 innings without run scored? It's close I think, but I'll go with the Bulldog.

Over three games Mark Buehrle was perfect through 15 innings. Starting on July 18, when Nick Markakis flied out to center in the 8th, through Thursday’s perfect game and ending in the sixth inning of last night’s game not one batter reached base. As a result Buehrle set the major league record with 45 straight batters retired. Coincidentally the previous record holder Bobby Jenks, tied with Jim Barr for 41 batters, was sitting in the bullpen watching as it happened.

Over those 45 batters Buehrle got nine strikeouts, 22 ground outs, eight fly outs, two line outs and four pop outs. A truly amazing performance. I wanted to partially analyze partially commemorate the streak by looking at the location of Buehrle’s pitches. The image is a little messy, but there are some striking trends.

FanGraphs Baseball

things that make you go, Hmmmmmmmm..

Some umpires can work their entire careers and never find themselves behind the plate for a no-hitter. Eric Cooper has been the plate umpire for three of them, including two by White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. ''After the game, we certainly talked about this being the second one with Buehrle,'' Cooper said. ''I thought about it more then than when I was actually working.''

How's this for strange? Cooper has been behind the plate for each of Buehrle's last three shutouts -- the perfect game Thursday, the no-hitter April 18, 2007, at U.S. Cellular Field against the Texas Rangers and a 6-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 17, 2005, at the Cell. Cooper, 38, also was behind the plate for Boston Red Sox right-hander Hideo Nomo's no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on April 6, 2001.

The only other active major-league umpire to work multiple no-hitters is Tim Tschida, who was behind the plate for Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter against the Houston Astros last Sept. 14 in Milwaukee and for Nolan Ryan's seventh career no-hitter, pitching the Rangers past the Toronto Blue Jays on May 1, 1991.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

sweet

Prior to tonight’s game vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, the Chicago White Sox returned outfielder Carlos Quentin from his rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Charlotte and reinstated him from the 15-day disabled list.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Well this bites. I was starting to get excited.

Before Friday night's game vs. the Orioles at the Cell, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said injured left fielder Carlos Quentin is still dealing with soreness in his left foot. Quentin, out since late May, might not be ready to come off the DL until late next week.

“I really don't care if Quentin hits .500,” Ozzie said. “I don't really care if Quentin hits .220. I just worry about him running because when you hurt something in your body, then you relate it to another part of your body, that's when it's going to get worse.”

Quentin played a full 9 innings in a minor-league rehab game on Sunday and didn't play again until Thursday. Soreness has been the biggest issue.

DailyHerald.com Blogs

It's sure going to be nice to have Quentin back. Will it save my season? I doubt it. But it sure won't hurt.

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. 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.

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.

Daily Herald

AJ Pierzynski is signed through 2010, so Flowers is at least two years, probably three years, from fantasy relevance.

Tyler Flowers, touted as the White Sox's catcher of the future, has been promoted from Double-A Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte.

Flowers batted .302 with 18 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 77 games for the Barons. Flowers had a .445 on-base percentage as well as 57 walks and 76 strikeouts in 248 at-bats.

Hardball

Man if the Sox are counting on Scotty Pods to keep this up, they have another thing coming ...

Carlos Quentin played his sixth game on a rehab assignment for Class AAA Charlotte, going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI Sunday. He played the entire game in left field. Quentin, who has been on the disabled list since May 26 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, is hitting .333 with five RBI.

The White Sox get daily reports on how well he's running the bases and moving in the outfield. The latest was that there had been improvement, but a decision about his return won't be made until after the break. If the Sox don't get him back soon, they seem ready to move on without him.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

I guess they found him.

Colon showed up and made his scheduled start Thursday night against Norfolk. The heavyset right-hander pitched five innings, allowed two hits and one earned run, walked two and struck out one. Of Colon's 65 pitches, 40 were strikes. He induced seven ground outs and seven fly outs.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Guillen, meanwhile, was told that left fielder Carlos Quentin felt a little uncomfortable rounding the bases Saturday in his first game for Charlotte on a minor league rehab assignment. Quentin is recovering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot and hadn’t played in a game since tearing a tendon May 25. Quentin was 2-for-3 with an RBI single against Durham.

“But he’s making progress, a lot of progress,” Guillen said. “I just worry about how he’s running. He said he felt a little uncomfortable turning the bases, but this is the beginning of the rehab, and I think everyone sounded optimistic about where he is right now.’’

Hardball
Cubs, fans eagerly await return Monday of Aramis Ramirez