NewsRichard leaving Sox with tough decision
Chicago (20-24) at Los Angeles (23-21), 9:05 p.m. CT
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
05/26/09 2:10 AM ET
ANAHEIM -- The White Sox starting rotation has been put on notice. It wasn't manager Ozzie Guillen, bench coach Joey Cora or pitching coach Don Cooper who sounded such a message for the starters. Instead, it was two straight strong starts from Clayton Richard that spoke volumes. Richard, filling in for Jose Contreras while the veteran right-hander works back up to Major League form with Triple-A Charlotte, has allowed just one earned run on seven hits over his last 13 innings. The assumption has been that when Contreras is deemed ready to return, Richard simply would slide back into his original relief spot. But with the manner in which Richard has been handling his new assignment, that assumption might not be entirely correct. "I don't see Clayton going anywhere, any time soon," said Cora, serving as manager in place of Guillen for a third straight game. "The way he's pitching, he deserves a chance. "Honestly, he deserved a chance out of Spring Training, but it was what it was. Jose deserved it, too. He's a veteran and Bartolo [Colon] has the resume. But Clayton pitched pretty decent when he started and he did a very good job during Spring Training. "Any other situation, and he would have been starting for us from the beginning. The way he's pitching, that decision will come when it comes, but for now, I don't see Clayton going anywhere." If Richard has indeed temporarily pitched his way into the front five, where does that leave the remainder of the rotation? Mark Buehrle also isn't going anywhere, even if he wasn't off to one of the best starts of his career, and John Danks and Gavin Floyd appear to be rotation staples as well, despite an up and down two months to start the 2009 campaign. That pitching math leaves Richard, Contreras and Colon to work toward two starting slots. Colon makes the trip to the mound on Tuesday night in Anaheim, coming off of a poor showing in the 20-1 setback to Minneapolis, where he allowed eight runs over two innings -- but just one of them was earned. Colon enters Tuesday with a 4.23 ERA, and by Cooper's recollection, the burly right-hander has given the White Sox a chance to win in all but three of his eight starts. So, the White Sox suddenly appear to have an abundance of solid starters. "That's what it's all about," Cora said. "The starting pitching gives you innings, then you set up your bullpen very nicely. If we can get Bartolo on track, we're going to get into winning streaks and winning series and sweeping series. Before you know it, you'll be battling for first place." Richard will take the mound for his fourth start on Friday in Kansas City. He feels more comfortable working as a starter, something he has done throughout his young career, but Richard is ready to move back to the bullpen if that is the call made. As of Monday, that move doesn't appear in the offing. "It doesn't mean I won't be comfortable in the bullpen," Richard said. "It's just a matter of preference. Wherever you can help out the most is where you'll be and I'm all for that." "We are not going to take someone out who is doing the job," Cooper said. "We'll wait and see, but we are hoping it's a heck of a tough decision of what we have to do." Pitching matchupCWS: RHP Bartolo Colon (2-4, 4.23 ERA)
Colon struggled in his shortest outing of the season in a loss against the Twins on Thursday. He threw just two innings and 61 pitches, surrendering back-to-back home runs in a seven-run second inning. All seven of those runs were unearned, but Colon still allowed seven hits in the contest. Colon did not pitch more than two innings in a start for just the eighth time in 321 career starts. LAA: LHP Joe Saunders (6-2, 3.17 ERA)
Back in All-Star form, Saunders rebounded from his first ineffective outing in Arlington with a dominant effort in Seattle, shutting out the Mariners across seven innings on four hits, the bullpen preserving the shutout. Saunders struck out three and walked three, allowing only one runner to reach third base. Saunders is 2-1 in four career starts against the White Sox with a 3.96 ERA. He is 2-1 at home with a 2.93 ERA. Tidbits
Guillen is scheduled to return to the team on Tuesday, after being away in Venezuela for the past three games. Guillen's father-in-law passed away on Saturday and the funeral was Sunday. ... Angels fans continue to boo A.J. Pierzynski, dating back to the famous dropped third strike call in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2005 American League Championship Series. ... Jim Thome is hitting .371 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and eight runs scored over his last 12 games. He has 18 walks in his last 17 games. ... Alexei Ramirez is hitting .392 over his last eight games. ... Scott Podsednik tied a career-high with his four hits on Monday. ... Jermaine Dye's 149 home runs since 2005 are most by an outfielder during that stretch. Vladimir Guerrero is next with 120. ... Before Monday night, Danks had received two runs or less of support in six of his first eight starts. Tickets
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• Wednesday: White Sox (Gavin Floyd, 3-4, 6.54) at Angels (Jered Weaver, 3-2, 2.52), 9:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: White Sox (Clayton Richard, 1-0, 3.55) at Royals (Brian Bannister, 4-1, 2.79), 7:10 p.m. CT
Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
