A Job Well Undone

The White Sox bullpen is terrible. There are only 2 pitchers, Boone Logan and Bobby Jenks (we’ll get to him later), who are currently posting an ERA under 4.00. That’s just not very good.

People can point fingers at whatever they want, whether it be Ozzie, Jermaine Dye’s poor performance (he struck out 3 times and went 0 for 4 in his return from the DL), or any other litany of excuses, but the fact of the matter is that the bullpen is absolutely terrible.

Their most dependable piece, All-Star Bobby Jenks blew a 1 run lead, allowing the Orioles to tie the game at 6 and then eventually win 7-6 in the top half of the 9th inning. Jenks was preceded by the immortal Ryan Bukvich who came into relieve Mark Buehrle in the 8th with runners on 1st and 2nd and promptly threw a wild pitch that moved the runner to 3rd, followed up by an RBI double, than eventually a 2 RBI triple. So while, those runs count against Buehrle, it was Bukvich who blew the comfortable margin that his team once held.

Its just one of those things, that when Buehrle left in the 8th after pitching a stellar game, you just knew the White Sox back end would find some miraculous way to blow it. Not that they get all the credit, Josh Fields helped out with a tough error in the 8th, making the devolvement of the White Sox possible.

Some credit must be given to the lineup though as they were able to bring home six runs against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball in Erik Bedard. It was a nice change for the O’s, seeing someone else’s bullpen blow the win, instead of their overpaid conglomeration. Bedard gave up 6 in 5.2 IP, which was surprising considering his recent hot streak. The O’s bullpen combined for 3.1 IP and 5 K’s to get the job done for interim manager Dave Tremblay.

After the game, Buehrle seemed fairly confident that this wouldn’t be his last start for the club, which has to be at least somewhat comforting for the Sox fans, already planning for an existence without the talented and personable lefty.

Buehrle's Last Start?

Tonight, despite the fact Smoltz faces Lowe in the night-cap, I’ll be taking in Erik Bedard and the Orioles going up against Mark Buehrle and the White Sox in what is rumored to be his final start in the Windy City.

I still cannot fathom why Ken Williams hasn’t locked him up for the four year deal that was discussed. Even at 56 million, Buehrle has been one of the most consistent pitchers over the past few years and is just entering his prime. The White Sox will get quality prospects in return almost guaranteably but I think it’d be wiser long-term to ink him.

Enough of the diatribe. The truly hot starter going into this game is Erik Bedard. He doesn’t get the press of a lot of other big-time starters but his numbers do the talking. Bedard, since May 1, has gone 3-2 with a 2.09 ERA, dropping it from 6.09 to start May, and has had less than 7 K’s in a game only twice. This guy is for real. Paired up with Brian Burres and the burgeoning Jeremy Guthrie, these three starters have been money for the Orioles.

So, while neither team appears to be ready for playoff contention, and they look more like sellers than buyers as the deadline approaches, this match-up is one worth taking in.

And if you’re up late, don’t miss Atlanta with John Smoltz taking on Los Angeles with Derek Lowe. Another quality showdown.

Erik Bedard is Good

Including Wednesday night's demolition of the vaunted Yankees lineup, Erik Bedard has put up a 2.09 ERA since May 1. The Canadian is good.

He shut out the Yankees 4-0 on Wednesday with 7 innings of shutout ball as well as 8 k's. His opponent had a little less going for him.

Roger Clemens pitched well for 5 innings but fell apart in the 6th, allowing four runs, including a 3 run homer by Aubrey Huff. The Rocket's ERA jumped to 5.32 with the loss, further justifying his outlandish contract. For all of the talk about Joe Torre being on the hot seat, its unconscionable to think that Brian Cashman may outlast him.

Bedard meanwhile is the foundation for what is turning out to be one of the best rotations in baseball halfway through the year.

The struggles continue for Bobby Abreu as well as he continues his slump that has now seen him go 6 for 47 with a .146 average during that time. Not quite the impact player the Yanks had in mind one year ago.

The Yankees are now 1-7 in their past 8 and have one more against Baltimore on Thursday than head home to host the A's, the Twins and the Angels. Its not getting any easier folks.