To quote the WWE, "there goes the neighborhood".
The news that everyone on the South Side was dreading came down from the Comiskey (that's right, I still don't call it US Cellular) front office: Carlos Quentin may be done for the season with a broken right wrist. He will undergo surgery on Monday, and will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.
This is certainly a damaging blow to the team's playoff hopes. Clinging to a 1 1/2 game lead in the division, the White Sox are about to enter their final home stand without their MVP candidate left fielder. Should the White Sox be worried?
The answer, of course, is yes.
Sure, pitching is a key to winning baseball games. Lately, however, the Sox have been scuffling in this area. John Danks was fantastic early in the season, but lately the youngster has been showing that the heat of summer may be getting to him. In his last start, Danks gave up four ER over four innings and gave up eight hits while only struck out three.
Mark Buehrle has also had a sub-par season, with an 11-11 record and a 4.12 ERA. With Jose Contreras being done for the season with an Achilles injury, the onus is now on Javier Vazquez to carry the rotation, but I don't believe he can do this on his own.
On the offensive side of the ball, Carlos Quentin wasn't just the guy who hit home runs. He also drove in runs in key situations, and was always the go to guy. When the Sox were struggling, Quentin was there to save them from a 3rd place season. His 36 HR and 100 RBI were a key to a team who is reliant on the long ball to win games. In addition, his 26 doubles also were key sparks for rallies more often than not.
So, with Quentin sidelined, who is going to fill the void? More than likely, Nick Swisher will play left and Brian Anderson will take over in center. When Griffey comes back, he will likely move to left field.
Obviously, none of these options can make up for the offense that the team is going to lose, but as Ozzie will undoubtedly say in his pregame interview, the other guys like Thome, Konerko, and Dye just need to step up. Period.
In the long run, I think that the loss of Quentin will ultimately be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and I think that the Twins will eventually overtake the Sox. With the starting pitching struggling and their offense losing its most potent weapon, the "Good Guys" will fall by the wayside.
4 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Sam Brown 10 months ago
They might get a contribution from the speedy Jerry Owens in center. I think they can survive the loss, rather than repeat myself you can read it in my article.
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Nino Colla 10 months ago
Just a big blow, no matter how you slice it. He was having a heck of a year and really putting on a show. Such a shame.
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Dan Aronson 9 months ago
Quentin loss will be felt, but not like Mr. gloom and doom is predicting. Look at the power numbers overall, and you'll see that this team is not a one man show. After all, they don't compile the number 2 slugging percentage in the AL on Quentin's bat, did they? Not even close. They've got 6 other guys over 15 HRs, two of which are only 4 in back of Quentin. And that doesn't included the late arriving Griffy. Really, what pitcher wouldn't be a little intimidating facing a line-up of . . .
Cabrera, Pierzynski, Dye, Konerko (even in an off year), Thome, Griffy, Ramirez
Along with Uribe/Fields/Crede and Wise/Anderson/Swisher
And as for defense Quentin's replacement on any given day, Wise, Owens, and Swisher are all far better. What intelligent baseball fan would look at this situation and call it "he straw that breaks the camel's back"? I'm glad you asked, because I'd love to tell you. No, better yet, I'll show you.
Just click on the authors link at the top of the page and you will instantly see where this is coming from -- a cub fan that harbors a totally irrational hatred of the White Sox. And if not hatred, let's just say that if this is one guy that would not be happy to see the Sox fall by the wayside, missing the playoffs. A guy that would rather see the White Sox be post season spectators instead of seeing a Subway Series. According to his bio he is an aspiring sports writer. Hey Jim, here's some advice; don't quit your day job just yet.
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Jim Neveau 9 months ago
Hey Dan,
First of all, thank you for reading my article.
Second of all, if the Twins were capable of winning a baseball game recently, the Sox certainly would be in trouble. Quentin's impact goes far beyond mere numbers. He was the go-to guy in clutch situations, and there are teams who when a player of Quentin's skill level go down, it is a detriment to them. When I wrote this, Konerko was showing rumblings of a possible turnaround. Thome has been down all year. Griffey had one extra base hit in a White Sox uniform. Dye was consistently good. Cabrera has had a bad season by his standards. Pierzynski is having a decent year. Ramirez has been a godsend. And your inclusion of Uribe/Fields/Crede in a lineup that is intimidating is laughable to say the least.
And where in any of my articles do I display a dislike for the White Sox? I'm excited at the possibility of two teams from Chicago making the playoffs in the same year since 1906. Yes, I'm a Cubs fan, but I've written more articles about the Sox than just this one. In fact, I wrote articles earlier in the year urging fans to calm down about the team, not to sound the gloom and doom whistles. Perhaps you should do a little research before just assuming that I'm giddy about a possible failure for the Pale Hose.
And thanks for the encouragement about my future career aspirations.
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