2009 All-Star Ballot

2009 All-Star voting is open for fans from now until 7/2/09 @ 11:59 PM.

Here's how I voted...

AL:

1B: Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
2B: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
3B: Evan Longoria, Tamba Bay Rays
SS: Marco Scutaro, Toronto Blue Jays
C: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
OF 1: Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox
OF 2: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
OF 3: Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles

NL:

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
2B: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
3B: Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
C: Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers
OF 1: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
OF 2: Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals
OF 3: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies.

Not One Game Does A Season Make (Unfortunately)

After dropping five straight, and seven of their last eight, it seemed like the Sox were finally due for a victory. At least that's what I tried to convince my companions as we headed south on the Red Line for our first trip to The Cell of 2009. We had all purchased discounted tickets through DePaul, and though the Sox have been struggling, we were excited.

And on this night where White Sox brass formally recognized their blogging fans (more on that here), the Sox bats, gave the 26,000+ fans in attendance something to cheer about for the first time in what feels like forever.

Konerko, the Sox' most consistent hitter thus far, continued to swing a hot bat as he launched an absolute missile off Twins starter Scott Baker with Thome on first in the 2nd inning. Surprisingly enough, the rest of the offense decided to follow suit. Alexei Ramirez seems poised to weather his way through the slump he's in, as he scorched an RBI double later in that same inning.

The rest of the Sox' middle of the order kept the trend going, as Jermaine Dye added a solo shot in the 5th and Thome hit a double to deep right field in the 7th that scored both Dye and Scott Podsednik.

Backing up this strong offensive showing was Mark Buehrle, who has easily been the best starter so far this season. He allowed just two runs over seven innings of work, earning his sixth win and dropping his ERA to a stellar 2.77.

Capping off the solid overall performance was the bullpen, as Matt Thorton and Scott Linebrink each pitched scoreless innings to preserve the victory.

Injuries, Frustration Pile Up As Sox Drop Four Straight

So what's been up with the Sox this past week? Well, it looks as though things have begun to take a turn for the worse.

Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights, rather):

- On Saturday, they got shut down by their own future star-in-the-making in Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy, who the Sox dealt to Texas for John Danks in 2006. Jermaine Dye got drilled on the hand by a Luis Mendoza fastball in that same game, putting him out of commission for several games.
- The Sox trot out their ugliest lineup since the 2007 season in front of a national audience on Sunday, and the Sox are once against stymied by a no-name pitcher, this time Rangers lefty Matt Harrison. In the 3rd inning, Josh Fields took a fastball on the hand (that's two straight games a Sox hitter got plunked, for those keeping score at home).
- Against out-of-nowhere Kansas City ace Zach Greinke, Dye and Fields are out of the lineup as the Sox muster zero offense. This game was particularly tough to watch, though I'll begrudgingly tip the cap to Greinke.
- I took a much-need break from following the Sox to catch a concert at Mother's for Cinco de Mayo. Just as the concert let out, I walked past one of the bar's TVs, which was showing the game. It was tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 11th, and the Royals had the bases loaded. Reliever Lance Broadway threw a 2-seamer that caught too much of the plate to John Buck, and that was that.