With All-Star set-up man Matt Thornton and part-time closer/key reliever J.J. Putz now headed to the 15 day DL, the Chicago White Sox clearly have some deficiencies in the bullpen. And even before the injuries occurred, the bullpen had been the team’s Achilles heel the past couple weeks.
Sox GM Kenny Williams addressed the media on Tuesday, and mostly fielded questions about the Manny Ramirez rumors, but he also had a lot to say about what the team needs to fix internally; before filling gaps with additional players.
“I think more than anything what we’ve needed the last couple of weeks is just consistency out of our bullpen,” Williams said.
“They’ve fought to get ahead, they’ve fought to climb back in games and then take the lead only to lose it, I think more than anything that’s been the problem,” he continued.
By Paul M. Banks
When the Sox cooled off in August and lost control of the AL Central division, the bullpen struggles were a huge part of the reason why.
“We’ve needed the last three outs, the last six outs of a game the last two weeks. But they had an offensive spark, they’ve played great defense and done some things that are consistent in stringing together some wins. The real reason we’ve lost 10 out of 14 or whatever it is, we’ve had some problems in the bullpen, but you have to be mindful that it is the same bullpen that carried us for so long. It’s not a matter of talent, it’s just a little down period and everyone’s going to have them throughout the course of the year. And we’re hoping that Minnesota has one next,” Williams said.
He later mentioned that he’s okay in standing pat with what he has, but at the same time he’s also being as aggressive as usual in trying to find the right pieces to add to the team.
“This isn’t the first time this season I’ve had to say sometimes you have to ride it out and say listen, we got to pull together and make it happen,” Williams said before later responding to a question about closely watching the waiver wire, waiting for an available player to pounce on.
“Everyday, that’s part of the job description.”
Written by Paul M. Banks, president and CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest-focused webzine. He is also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, the Chicago Tribune’s blog network, Walter Football.com, the Washington Times Communities, Yardbarker Network and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank and @bigtenguru