AL Central: White Sox GM Williams exploring limited trade options

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07/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Chicago White Sox continue to try and fend off Detroit and Minnesota in the American League Central standings, all eyes are on general manager Kenny Williams to make something happen before next Saturday's trade deadline.

This is the time of year when the rumor mill is churning nonstop. Already, the White Sox have been linked to Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn and Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista. According to multiple reports in the Chicago media, the Brewers had a scout at Monday's White Sox game against Seattle. Fielder, who is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season, would seem to satisfy Chicago's search for a left-handed power hitter. All told, the White Sox have tallied a combined 16 homers and 73 RBI from the left side.

However, Williams said there are no imminent deals on the horizon.

"If I'm being honest and completely transparent right now of the price that is being asked for some of the players that we've inquired about, for us, it's more detrimental to our present and our future than we'd like," Williams said. "We'll see how that develops.

"But right now, I don't see anything materializing."

Manager Ozzie Guillen seems to realize as much, having recently dubbed resurgent second baseman Gordon Beckham as his key trade deadline acquisition, tongue-in-cheek of course. Beckham endured a miserable first half and was hitting just .199 a month ago, on June 23. But he has started to pick it up at the plate, and had an eight-game hit streak come to an end Tuesday night. During those eight games, Beckham was hitting .571 with four doubles, two homers and eight RBI.

"A lot of people ask for trades and we just made one," Guillen said. "We got Gordon Beckham. We didn't have him for two months. That's the big trade we make. Gordon is swinging the bat very well, and we need that in the bottom of the lineup to make that stronger."

Regarding the actual trade market, Guillen is well aware of the same few names being mentioned across the league -- specifically, Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren, and Adam Dunn.

"Kenny sees our team in a different way than I do," Guillen told the Chicago Tribune. "He sees what's missing. But from down here, I'm happy with what we have."

One guy the White Sox manager has enjoyed watching is Omar Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop who has made a seamless switch to third base for Chicago this season. Of the 51 games Vizquel has played for his new team, 38 have come at the hot corner. Though he said playing third base hasn't exactly come naturally, he has conceded that he feels much more comfortable on the left side of the infield than at second base.

Regular third baseman Mark Teahen is recovering from a finger injury, but with Vizquel's stellar glove and offensive production -- he is hitting .301 in 34 games since Teahen went on the DL June 1 -- Teahen could find himself in a bench role upon returning. Guillen said he doesn't think Vizquel should lose his job, and would try to move Teahen all around and see how it works out.

The manager is also figuring out what to do about his closer, which he said is now an open job following Bobby Jenks' blown save in the 11th inning against Seattle Wednesday night, marking the second time Jenks has blown a lead during the current road trip. In four outings since the All-Star break, Jenks has allowed seven runs on seven hits while walking two in a span of 2 2/3 innings.

Of course, the last time Guillen opened the competition for the closer's job was May 9, after Jenks surrendered a game-winning home run to Toronto's Fred Lewis. But Jenks was able to hold onto the job, converting 15 straight save chances until Wednesday's meltdown. This time around, however, Guillen said he is seeing 'nothing' on the ball when Jenks pitches, and will do what he needs to win ballgames.

TRIBE OFF TO A HOT START IN SECOND HALF

Sometimes, the best thing for a struggling player, or team, is some time away from the game. That seems to be just what the doctor ordered for the Cleveland Indians, winners of six straight coming out of the break.

Considering the Tribe only sent Fausto Carmona to the Midsummer Classic, virtually the entire team got a nice breather after a tough first half. Cleveland completed a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers last weekend, then went on the road and took two straight from the Minnesota Twins, before coming back down to Earth with a 6-0 loss at Target Field Wednesday night.

Beginning Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rays are in town for a three-game set, and if history is any indication, that's more good news for the Tribe. The Rays have lost their last 17 games at Progressive Field, a stretch that dates back to 2005. You read that last sentence correctly. The Rays, owners of the second-best record in baseball (57-37), have a 17-game road losing skid to the last-place Indians (40-55).

Although the Rays have the best road record in baseball (31-17), they are catching the Indians on the heels of their longest winning streak of the season.

"We're playing good baseball," said manager Manny Acta. "We're pitching well, catching the ball, getting timely hitting. As cliche as it may sound, that's how you win ballgames."

TIGERS STUMBLE OUT OF THE GATE

While some ballclubs come back sharper after some time off, others struggle to regain the momentum they had before the break. The Detroit Tigers fall into the latter category, having lost six in a row following the All-Star break.

Although they've finally woken up by winning each of their last two games, the Tigers are holding their breath when it comes to the health of Magglio Ordonez. According to the team's website, Ordonez has been dealing with a bothersome ankle since last weekend in Cleveland.

"It's getting better," Ordonez said Thursday afternoon, a day after being removed for a defensive replacement in the eighth inning against Texas. "I'm getting treatment right now."

Manager Jim Leyland has used Ordonez as a designated hitter twice this week, hoping to spare his ankle from as much trauma as possible. Ordonez indicated he may return to right field Friday night.

BLACKBURN BUMPED FROM TWINS' ROTATION

Nick Blackburn has finally run out of chances in the Minnesota Twins rotation. On Wednesday, manager Ron Gardenhire announced that he would be sending Blackburn to the bullpen and giving Friday's start to Brian Duensing. For Duensing, it marks his first start in a year.

"You try to make a few changes -- a little bullpen, a little starting rotation -- and see what happens," Gardenhire said. "We like our pitchers. It's just not been good enough right now. So you make a change here and there and see what happens. Whether it's going to get us on the right track, I don't know."

In 18 starts this season, Blackburn was 7-7 with a team-high 6.53 ERA and 19 home runs allowed. He had surrendered four or more earned runs in each of his last six starts. Blackburn had won 11 games in each of the last two seasons, but his struggles have been snowballing as this year has progressed.

Pitching coach Rick Anderson said he thinks "it's a good move for Blackburn probably more than anyone."

The Twins entered Friday tied with Detroit, two games behind Chicago in the division.

ROYALS DEAL CALLASPO FOR PITCHING HELP

The Kansas City Royals shook up their roster on Thursday, sending switch- hitting third baseman Alberto Callaspo to the Angels for right-hander Sean O'Sullivan and Double-A lefty Will Smith. The move came just prior to Thursday's series opener against the Yankees, with Callaspo being pulled from the lineup less than an hour before game time.

Callaspo had spent the past three seasons with Kansas City, hitting a respectable .293 in 317 games. This season, the 27-year-old Callaspo was hitting .275 with eight homers and 43 RBI in 88 starts. The move clears the path for Mike Moustakas, the organization's third baseman of the future, who was just promoted to Triple-A Omaha on July 15 after hitting .347 with 21 homers and 76 RBI in 66 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

"We figured we were going to have to move Alberto at some point because of the guys we've got coming," general manager Dayton Moore told the Kansas City Star. "So we thought we'd better be proactive in trying to make a move. We got a couple of young pitchers we think can be part of our future."

In addition to making room for Moustakas, the Royals get some much needed pitching help. O'Sullivan, 22, could join the rotation as soon as Sunday's series finale at Yankee Stadium. A third-round pick in 2005, O'Sullivan was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in five games, including one start, for the Angels.

With the July 31 trade deadline fast approaching, there is a strong possibility that Callaspo won't be the last veteran player to leave Kansas City.

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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

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