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Alex Rios

MLB Playoff Race: Alex Rios Comes Up Big In Chicago

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The American League’s big series got underway yesterday on the South Side of Chicago, and the White Sox came up with a 6-1 win over the Tigers that gave Chicago the first of a four-game set and extended their lead in the AL Central to three games. Rick Porcello was solid through five innings for Detroit and took a 1-0 lead into the sixth, but then Alex Rios left his mark.

Chicago’s rightfielder hit a three-run shot to make it a 3-1 game and A.J. Pierszynski immediately followed with a solo home run of his own. It was plenty for Jose Quintana who worked into the eighth inning and kept Detroit’s power duo of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera under control. The Tigers’ muscle men combined to go just 1-for-8 with a single and no walks. Porcello, and the three relievers that followed him for Detroit, were effective at handling the top of the Chicago order. Alejandro de Aza, Kevin Youkilis and DeWayne Wise went a collective 0-for-11, though they did draw a couple walks. But with Rios bailed everyone out with the long ball and the folks in the South Side can breathe a little easier.

Oakland’s visit to Los Angeles in the hotly contested wild-card race is one of two other big battles going on in the American League in the early part of this week. Jarrod Parker pitched seven innings of one-run ball for Oakland and the A’s got a 3-1 win. Dan Haren pitched well for the Angels, but in a 1-1 game he gave up leadoff home runs to Brandon Moss in the fifth inning and Chad Pennington in the sixth and those lapses were too much to overcome.

Coco Crisp, the A’s centerfielder and leadoff man, continues to swing a hot bat over the past several weeks, as he led the game off with a triple against Haren and scored on a ground ball out. The Halos’ top of the order, Mike Trout and Tori Hunter combined to tie the game in the third when Trout got aboard and Hunter doubled him in. But Albert Pujols went 0-for-4 in the middle.

The third MLB playoff race showdown battle is Baltimore and Tampa Bay, and that gets underway tonight in Camden Yards as Jason Hammel faces Matt Moore. Hammel pitched very well on Thursday against New York, holding the Yanks to one run in six innings of work. With the Orioles’ missing rightfielder Nick Markakis with a broken thumb and the Tampa Bay pitching staff in lockdown mode as it is, Hammel doesn’t have much room for error.

Detroit sends Doug Fister to the mound tonight, hoping their #2 starter can help keep them alive and give Justin Verlander a chance to pitch a big game on Thursday. The White Sox would obviously like to ensure a split prior to then, even if they have Chris Sale waiting for the finale. They’ll send Jake Peavy to the hill tonight. Out west, it’s young Dan Straily for the A’s against veteran journeyman Jerome Williams for the Angels.

In the quieter National League, Pittsburgh suffered its third straight tough loss, losing 4-3 in a 14-inning battle to Cincinnati. Wandy Rodriguez was unable to hold a 3-0 lead, as Chris Heisey—the Reds centerfielder who’s suddenly morphed into the second coming of Eric Davis at the plate—hit a two-run blast and then Cincy tied it in the seventh. And in the NL East, Gio Gonzalez, the new ace for the Washington Nationals, won his 19th game in downing the Mets 5-1. If nothing else, the shutdown of Stephen Strasburg will give Gonzalez some deserved attention in the postseason.

Chicago White Sox Offense Keys Their Surprising Year

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The Chicago White Sox may have seen their six-game winning streak come to an end last night in Baltimore, but the White Sox are still rolling around at 71-56, and keeping their two-game cushion on Detroit in the race for the AL Central title. Chicago is also only 2.5 games back of New York for the two-seed in the American League playoffs, meaning homefield advantage in the Division Series. Given the tightness of the division race and the current landscape which has only one team making it to the postseason from the AL Central, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But for a team the Las Vegas numbers had projected as a 74-88 team back in March, Robin Ventura’s White Sox have had quite a run. The biggest reason is there offense.

Chicago is fourth in the American League in runs scored, making up for a pitching staff that John Danks first disappoint, then be lost for the year to a shoulder injury. The rotation has seen Gavin Floyd struggle with the same mix of injuries and incompetence. They’ve survived thanks to a good year from Jake Peavy and a great year from 15-game winner Chris Sale, who gets the ball tonight in Camden Yards, but the staff is subordinate to the job the offense is doing.

Paul Konerko has always been the reliable cog in the White Sox machine and this year is no different. The first baseman has churned out a .390./514 year for on-base percentage and slugging percentage and that’s par for the course for one of the game’s underrated players. Virtually everywhere else though, has popped up pleasant surprises and best-case scenarios come true.

Alex Rios has finally found the form he seemed to have permanently left in Toronto back in 2006. Six years ago Rios was emerging as one of the game’s top all-around offensive players. He regressed, was traded to the South Side three years later and while he showed flashes, he never put it all together. This season he’s batting .303 and has popped 20 home runs. Rios still needs more plate discipline to up the on-base percentage, but he’s back as a threat to hit for contact and power.

Adam Dunn showed that last year was just a sad aberration and he’s on course again as a walk-drawer and home-run hitter, with a .338 on-base percentage and 38 home runs. Alejandro de Aza has posted a nice .346 on-base percentage and been a table-setter. He’s currently on the disabled list, but will be back in September and in the meantime DeWayne Wise has stepped in with a .328/.491 line since he was cut loose from the Yankees after they acquired Ichiro Suzuki.  Wise won’t have to lose playing time when de Aza comes back. The one thing that hasn’t gone well for the White Sox offense this year is the development of Dayan Viciedo in left, and the kid can go to the bench to make room for Wise.

But the big addition to the offense is the unlikely acquiring of Kevin Youkilis from Boston. Who could have guessed that Youkilis would be the first victim of the Bobby Valentine era in Fenway, struggle early  and play his way out of town. Those who believed a change of scenery was the ticket were right. Youkilis has had 184 at-bats with Chicago and submitted .381/.495 stat line, including 12 home runs.

When you add it all up, that’s a pretty deep lineup and it makes the prospect of facing the combination of this offense and Sale on the mound twice in a postseason series,  a nerve-wracking thought for New York or Texas. In the meantime, this offense is the biggest reason the White Sox have so drastically exceeded expectations and continue to lead a division everyone handed to Detroit in March.