AL Central: White Sox GM Williams exploring limited trade options

Baseball Betting Lines

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.