NewsFloyd looks to keep streak alive
Chicago (42-38) at Kansas City (33-46), 12:10 p.m. CT
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
07/04/09 2:07 AM ET
KANSAS CITY -- Talk of celebrating the Fourth of July usually evokes images such as fireworks, picnics, the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park and, of course, Major League Baseball.This particular holiday often is used as a benchmark to judge potential postseason baseball entries, meaning the White Sox would be on the outside looking in, sitting in second place behind the Tigers in the American League Central. But with a season-high seven consecutive wins and two more contests against the Royals, the South Siders have to feel fairly strong about their status regardless of the date on the calendar.
"Well, I feel better, no doubt about it," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think we continue to play well. We have a long way to go. [We are] only [four] over [.500], and that's not our goal. It could be uglier. Our goal is to play better than we've played but continue to play the way we are playing right now. Everyone feels good."
"We are getting closer to where we want to be," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said.
Gavin Floyd gets the start Saturday for the White Sox, increasing their possibility to extend this streak of success to eight in a row. After a miserable start to the 2009 campaign, the right-hander has a 4-1 record and a miniscule 1.39 ERA over his past eight starts. Floyd has yielded just nine runs in 58 1/3 innings, striking out 48 and holding opponents to a .183 average.
Shortstop Alexei Ramirez also figures to be back in the starting lineup against Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar, after sitting out two games due to bruising and soreness at the top of the middle finger on his right hand. Ramirez hopes to light up the afternoon sky with a few line drives or maybe even a long ball, before the official fireworks show beings later that night.
For Guillen, the Fourth of July holds deeper meaning than just the halfway point for the White Sox on this 162-game, regular-season schedule or just another national holiday. The Venezuela native, who became a United States citizen on July 20, 2006, holds the celebration of the nation's independence close to his heart.
"It's special for the [United] States, of course. That's one of the days you have to respect the most," Guillen said. "We have a lot of holidays. We make holidays just to sell stuff. This is a real one. This is a real holiday. This is one we should be looking for, the one that people remember a lot of important people.
"One should be on your mind for the rest of your life. I don't believe in that many. Mother's Day and Father's Day? They should be every day. But this is a big one and I see why people in the States enjoy this one. It's a big weekend for everyone."
Pitching matchupCWS: RHP Gavin Floyd (6-5, 4.12 ERA)
Floyd dominated the Indians in the White Sox 6-3 victory over the Tribe on Monday. It was his eighth straight quality start. The Indians didn't even threaten the right-hander until the seventh inning. He pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up no runs and five hits, striking out five and walking two. He is 1-4 with a 4.35 ERA in seven games -- six starts -- against the Royals. KC: RHP Luke Hochevar (3-3, 4.96 ERA)
Hochevar notched his first spotless start of the season in his previous outing, holding the Twins scoreless over seven innings. He worked around four walks and won for the third time in his past five starts. It appears that after battling inconsistency during his first two years in the Majors, Hochevar is starting to mature into a solid right-handed option in the Royals' rotation. Using an array of offspeed pitches that seemed to dip and dive all over the strike zone, Hochevar kept the Twins off balance and tossed up another quality start. Here's one stat that shows how good Hochevar has been during the last six weeks: If you exclude Hochevar's disaster 2009 debut -- eight earned runs in two innings at Oakland on May 2 -- he is 3-2 with a 3.55 ERA. Tidbits
Scott Podsednik is hitting .340 over his past 35 games. ... The White Sox have hit 19 home runs in their past nine games. ... They also improved to 19-14 against the AL Central. ... Jim Thome picked up his 126th career RBI over 172 career games against the Royals. ... During a stretch of nine consecutive games played against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, the White Sox now have a record of 5-2. Tickets
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• Sunday: White Sox (Clayton Richard, 3-1, 4.48) at Royals (Brian Bannister, 5-6, 3.93), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: White Sox (Jose Contreras, 3-7, 4.84) vs. Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 2-6, 5.68), 7:11 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.
