ESPN

CHICAGO -- With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other world dignitaries taking time out of their busy schedule to watch Koyie Hill swing some lumber, I was tempted to ask them when NATO was meeting to decide the fate of the Chicago Cubs.

My advice: Send in the armed drones!

On second thought, forget government intervention. Cubs fans should emulate the rabble-rousers protesting around the city during the NATO summit.

“What do we want? Wins! When do we want them? Before Theo is done rebuilding the farm system in 2015!”

Read the entire column.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox made it two consecutive victories in the Crosstown Classic with an easy 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

How it happened: The White Sox did what the Cubs haven’t been able to do much of this season at Wrigley Field: hit home runs in clusters. Dayan Viciedo, A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Dunn all got into the act by going deep as the White Sox have now taken the first two games this series. Using a lineup dominated by right-handed bats, something that hasn’t brought much success, the Cubs were no match for White Sox lefty John Danks, who gave up just three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Alfonso Soriano and Joe Mather each hit two-out two-run homers for the Cubs in the ninth off Sox reliever Zach Stewart to break up the shutout.

What it means: The White Sox’s victory means they have won six of the last seven games in the cross-town series. The only game they lost in that stretch was the final meeting between the teams last season. Going back to 2009, the White Sox have now won 13 of the last 17 games between the teams.

Outside the box (Cubs): After giving up a combined four earned runs over his first five starts, Ryan Dempster has now given up four runs in each of his last two outings. His lack of support continued. Dempster entered by getting three or fewer runs of support over five of his previous six starts. His 2.52 runs of support per game dating back to Aug. 16 of last season was the second lowest in the major leagues.

Outside the box (White Sox): Saturday’s victory guaranteed the White Sox their first winning series in nearly a month. The White Sox have gone 0-5-3 in their previous eight series. The last series they won came in a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners from April 20-22.

Up next: In the series finale, the White Sox will send right-hander Jake Peavy (4-1, 2.65 ERA) to the mound on Sunday. The Cubs will go with left-hander Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.35) in the 1:20 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Chicago White Sox desperately needed a strong outing from one of their starters. Chris Sale provided it.

The 23-year-old left-hander pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the White Sox capitalized on some shoddy defense by the Los Angeles Angels for a 6-1 victory Thursday.

After a three-game stretch in which starters John Danks, Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd gave up a combined 18 earned runs over 14 1-3 innings, Sale (4-2) restored order in his sixth major league start. He struck out seven and was working on a three-hit shutout in the sixth when he gave up a one-out homer to Albert Pujols and a double to Mark Trumbo and was replaced by Nate Jones.

"It was nice to see Chris have a good start," Chicago first baseman Paul Konerko said. "He had that little thing where he got out of the rotation for a week and missed a turn, and I think there's no question that it kind of blew his rhythm -- because he didn't have a good game last time. So it was nice to see him get it back, because he was on his way to having a great year."

Sale joined lefty Steve Rosenberg (1989) as the only White Sox pitchers to give up three runs or less in each of their first six big league starts since divisional play began in 1969.

"I guess that's a cool stat, but it's obviously something I don't pay attention to at all," Sale said. "I have a job to do, and that's to go out and keep my team in the game, keep the other team to fewer runs on the board than the other starter and pitch deep into the game. That's my main focus."

A first-round draft pick in 2010, Sale was used exclusively in relief by the White Sox during his two previous seasons in the big leagues. Two of those relief outings were against the Angels, who got to see him again during spring training.

"He did a good job today and was pretty sharp, for the most part," Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick said. "He got outs and put up zeros, and that's what you want your starter to do. He's got a good two-seam fastball, he threw strikes and was able to get guys out with his breaking ball."

C.J. Wilson (4-4) threw 88 pitches in 3 2-3 innings and tied a career high with six walks. The left-hander was charged with four runs -- one earned -- and four hits. He also walked six Marlins batters on June 15, 2010, at Miami while pitching for the Texas Rangers.

"I had a little stomach virus today, so I couldn't really get anything going," Wilson said. "It was just weird. I almost passed out after the first inning. I didn't set a good tone, and that's pretty much my fault. I put the defense to sleep out there -- and the bats, too, I guess."

A.J. Pierzynski delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to open the scoring, after flying out with the bases loaded to end the White Sox first. He was 3 for 5 with two RBI singles, and is 29 for 70 in his last 19 games at Angel Stadium.

Chicago tacked on three unearned runs in the fourth with the help of two balls that should have been caught and weren't. Angels center fielder Mike Trout started in right for the first time this season due to the absence of nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter because of his son's arrest in Texas, and dropped a routine flyball by Dyan Viciedo with one out.

Viciedo ended up at second base on the error, and Wilson walked the next two batters before Adam Dunn chased the left-hander with a two-run single. David Carpenter came in and Konerko hit a popup to short right field, but the ball fell in front of Kendrick after he called off Trout. It was scored as an RBI single.

"It was right in the sun," Kendrick said. "I made a mistake and had my sunglasses on my hat, and I should have had them on there. But I still have to make that play, regardless. We can't allow that to happen. We've got to make plays and give the team the best opportunity to win. Today we missed some flyballs, and we've got to work on that."

In the fifth, Alexei Ramirez's blooper fell between Trout and Kendrick for a hit after a leadoff single by Pierzynski. Viciedo followed with a flyball to short center, where Peter Bourjos converged with Trout and Kendrick before making the catch -- resulting in a derisive cheer from the crowd of 30,786. Carpenter then fielded Brent Morel's comebacker and started a double play.

Viciedo led off the eighth with his sixth homer and third in a four-game span. Three batters later, three-time Gold Glove winner Vernon Wells scaled the fence in front of the left field bullpen and pulled back Gordon Beckham's bid for a two-run homer.

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

How it happened: The White Sox knocked out Angels starter C.J. Wilson with a three-run fourth inning. Adam Dunn drove home Dayan Viciedo and Brent Morel with a single to center and Paul Konerko scored Dunn on an infield single. Chris Sale got the win, scattering five hits over 5 1/3 innings and striking out seven. The Sox bullpen shut down the Angels the rest of the way. A.J. Pierzynski drove in two runs, one in the third inning and one in the ninth, and Dayan Viciedo hit a solo shot in the eighth. Albert Pujols' home run to center was the lone run for the Angels.

What it means: The Sox split a strange two-game West Coast trip against the Angels.

Outside the box: Sale came back strong after a rocky outing Saturday in Kansas City -- his first back in the rotation after temporarily being moved to closer.

Up next: The White Sox return home to Chicago, starting the Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon at 1:20 CT. Phil Humber (1-2, 5.77) will be on the mound for the Sox, opposing Jeff Samardzija (4-1, 2.89) for the Cubs.

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings at Progressive Field on Tuesday night.

How it happened: Paul Konerko led off the White Sox 10th with a single to left and two batters later Alex Rios tripled to drive home pinch runner Brent Lillibridge. Rios then scored on an Alexei Ramirez groundout. Sox starter John Danks sailed through the first seven innings before the Indians finally broke through with three runs in the eighth. The Indians Carlos Santana delivered the game-tying two-RBI hit off reliever Chris Sale. The White Sox had taken a quick lead in the first when Konkero and A.J. Pierzynski each drove in a run. Pierzynski added another RBI in the seventh.

What it means: The White Sox snapped a three-game losing streak and finally got another solid outing from a starter. Danks had allowed 13 runs combined in his previous two starts.

Outside the box: It was the White Sox’s first extra-inning victory of the year. They were 0-2 in extra innings entering Tuesday’s game.

Up next: In Wednesday’s finale of the four-game set, the White Sox’s Jake Peavy (3-1, 1.99 ERA) will face the Indians’ Jeanmar Gomez (2-1, 2.82 ERA) in a 6:05 CT start.

It might be a little early to start handing out All-Star ballots, but Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale is certainly opening up some eyes around the American League. Sale won his third game of the season on Tuesday, allowing just one run in six innings in a 7-2 victory over Cleveland.

The young left-hander was more excited about teammate Gordon Beckham's breakout three-hit game than his third win of the season.

“That was probably the [most fun] part of the game tonight watching Gordon go off,” Sale said. “He was taking good at-bats, taking good swings. Yeah, I think we got him back.”

Before the game manager Robin Ventura confirmed his belief in both Beckham and third baseman Brent Morel, who have been slumping with the bat since the season began. Ventura did say that at some point both needed to begin producing in order to remain starters.

“He swung it well,” Ventura said. “That’s just a part of believing in himself and that he keeps working at it. It’s just nice to see that it does pay off and that he hasn’t gone down that path of not believing in himself.”

Beckham not only hit his first home run of the season, he broke out of an 0-for-10 slump and doubled his RBI output from two to four. Beckham pointed to a good at-bat on Saturday night that may have jump started his offensive outburst on Tuesday.

“I battled in that at-bat,” Beckham said. “I didn’t feel great and knew that the game was on the line and did not give in, so that definitely was a good at-bat.”

A.J. Pierzynski started the White Sox scoring with his fifth home run of the season in the second inning of off Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Much like his teammates, Pierzynski was excited for Beckham.

“April is over and he and Albert Pujois went homer-less in April,” Pierzynski joked. “It was nice to see him get his first one out of the way. That should help him relax and use the whole field.”

With a record of 12-11 the Sox are in a three-way tie for first place in the AL Central with the Tigers and the Indians.

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: Thanks to an error-filled third inning the White Sox were able to put up four runs in support of starter Chris Sale. Gordon Beckham had his best offensive night of the season, leading off the third inning with his first home run of the season of off Cleveland starting pitcher Ulbaldo Jimenez and finishing with three hits. The Sox got a break on an infield popup that was lost in the smoke from the exploding score board that had blown into the infield. They scored three more runs on an error, two walks and a fielder’s choice. A.J. Pierzynski continues to have great at-bats, hitting his fifth home run of the season with one out in the second inning.

What it means: The White Sox moved into a first place tie with Cleveland and Detroit after another masterful outing by Sale, who is 2-0 against the Indians in 2012. Beckham had his first three-hit game of the year and doubled his RBI output from two to four. Beckham was in an 0-10 slump before hitting his home run.

Outside the box:The White Sox are now 5-1 against the American League Central after going 32-40 in their division during 2011. Both Beckham and Brent Morel started to hit after manager Robin Ventura said that both players needed to improve their performance soon.

Up next: Right-hander Phil Humber (1-1, 4.66) and Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin (1-2 5.48) are the starting pitchers for Wednesday’s 7:10 start at U.S. Cellular Field.

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski discusses what it was like to catch Phil Humber's perfect game.

CHICAGO – The Chicago White have experienced some good and some bad this season as one would expect from a team which stands at .500 after 12 games.

Here’s a look at what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong for the White Sox so far in 2012:

The good: Jake Peavy looks like the Jake Peavy of old through three starts. He’s 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA and has allowed 14 hits, six runs, two walks and struck out 21 in 19 2/3 innings.

The bad: April and May have often been Gavin Floyd’s worst months, and that appears to be the case again this season. With Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Floyd’s record fell to 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA for the season.

The good: The White Sox’s starting pitchers have been consistently solid this season. Only once in 12 games has a starter allowed more than four earned runs. The starters have combined to allow 30 runs in 73 innings.

The bad: Hector Santiago still hasn’t proven he can be an effective closer. Santiago has three saves and one blown save in four opportunities. He allowed runs in two of those appearances and has allowed a total of three runs in four innings. His ERA is 6.75.

The good: The White Sox’s pitchers strike out opposing hitters a lot. The White Sox are tied for fourth in the majors with 103 strikeouts.

The bad: The White Sox’s hitters strike out a lot. They added more 16 strikeouts to their season total Thursday and tied for the major league lead with the Orioles with 111 strikeouts.

The good: Adam Dunn broke off his recent slump with back-to-back positive hitting days on Wednesday and Thursday. He went 1-for-2 with a double, three RBIs and three walks on Wednesday and 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and a walk on Thursday. He’s improved his average to .222 and leads the team with eight walks.

The bad: Dunn is still striking out a lot and isn’t hitting home runs. He leads the White Sox with 21 strikeouts and has one home run and seven RBIs on the season.

The good: Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, the team’s regular fourth and fifth hitters, are on a tear. Pierzynski leads the White Sox with a .400 average, four home runs and 13 RBIs. Konerko has 17 hits, five doubles, one home run, nine RBIs and eight runs.

The bad: Brent Morel, the team’s regular No. 2 hitter, has struggled at the plate. Morel, who had the day off Thursday, has four hits in 39 at-bats and is hitting .103. He’s had one hit in his last four games.

The good: White Sox catchers A.J. Pierzysnki and Tyler Flowers have been nearly perfect throwing runners out. Flowers threw out both runners who tried to steal second on Thursday, and the pair have combined to catch six of seven potential base stealers.

The bad: The White Sox have been mediocre on the bases. They’ve stolen seven bases and caught stealing four times.

The good: The White Sox got runners on base during the Orioles’ series. They reached base 51 times on hits and walks in the four-game series.

The bad: The White Sox didn’t score the bulk of those runners against the Orioles. They left 33 runners on base in the series. On Thursday alone, they left the bases loaded in three innings.

The good: The White Sox have six wins.

The bad: The White Sox have six losses.

CHICAGO -- Catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s day off is Tyler Flowers’ gain.

While manager Robin Ventura didn’t say if there’s a set plan as to when Pierzynski gets rest, he did make it clear that it’s a move to keep his 11-year veteran fresh. The next game behind the plate will be career No. 1,500 for Pierzynski, and Ventura only sees that number steadily increasing over the course of the season.

“It’s not a platoon or anything like that,” Ventura said. “It’s more of making sure he stays fresh, and I just think he’ll be better for that. We’ll be better for that.”

Pierzynski has been the White Sox’s most productive player at the plate so far this season with a .417 batting average, a triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and two runs scored in the last three games. Ventura likes him behind Paul Konerko in the No. 5 spot of the lineup, where he’s hit in all but one game. The durable Pierzynski is also coming off his 10th straight season of 1,000 or more innings caught.

Flowers, meanwhile, was 0-for-4 in his only start of the season, a 4-3 Sox win over Texas in the second game of the season. He’s looking for any opportunity he can get.

“There’s always opportunities late in games with this kind of team where we’re not afraid to use our ‘backups’ in big game situations,” Flowers said.

--Dayan Viciedo has been moved around so often throughout his young career -- going from third base to right field and now to left field -- that Ventura said he’s not too worried about the 23-year-old adjusting at his new perch in left. Ventura said that Viciedo’s diving catch to end the seventh inning of Friday’s win was indicative of the amount of work he put in during spring training.

“It’s been a lot of work and it hasn’t been comfortable for him but he’s getting better every time he goes out there and with the defense that he played yesterday, that’s stuff that bonds a team and raises the level that that’s kind of expected,” Ventura said.

CLEVELAND -- It may be a small sample size, but the Chicago White Sox certainly get a passing grade for winning three out of five to begin their season on the road.

On Wednesday the offense put up plenty of support for starter John Danks in a 10-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Danks, who lost on Opening Day in Texas, did not have his best stuff, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings but benefited from the support to earn the win.

“It was a tough day to pitch,” Danks said in reference to the cold, damp conditions . ”Every pitcher that came in there struggled. It was cold but both teams had to play.”

Danks got plenty of run support early as the Sox posted four runs in the first inning off Cleveland starter Justin Masterson. Danks will take the win, especially after starting the 2011 season 0-8 and waiting until June to get his first victory.

(Read full post)

CLEVELAND -- A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday at Progressive Field.

How it happened: The Sox put three runs on the board in the first inning, courtesy of two home runs . Alejandro De Aza led off the game with his first career home run to start a game. A.J. Pierzynski's two-run blast also came off of Indians starter Josh Tomlin. However, the evening belonged to Chris Sale, who made his first professional start after spending the 2011 season in the bullpen.The 23-year-old left-hander did not allow his first run or second hit of the game until the sixth inning. Sale went 6 2/3 innings and threw 100 pitches.

What it means: The Sox are off to a good start in their division, where they play 20 of their first 37 games. The starting staff has given up just 12 runs in the first four games of the season. The South siders are now 2-2 on the road trip.

Outside the box: The team was silent in front of media members about former manager Ozzie Guillen’s predicament after he praised Fidel Castro in a magazine interview. Off the record, they were mostly surprised that things would blow up so early in Miami. Third baseman Brent Morel broke an 0-10 start to the season with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Morel had struck out six times in those 10 at-bats.

Up next: Right-hander Philip Humber makes his 2012 debut on Tuesday as he faces Indians right-hander Jeanmar Gomez.

ARLINGTON, Texas-- The White Sox can point to lost opportunities at the plate, rather than poor pitching, as to why they lost two out of three games to start the 2012 season.

The South- Siders stranded 17 of 19 runners in scoring position during their series with Texas. During Sunday’s 5-0 loss, Chicago went 0-for-8 at the plate with runners in scoring position.

Following the defeat, the White Sox were quick to give credit to Texas starter Matt Harrison, who threw six strong innings.

“We talked about it on the bench, he had more pitches the he normally does,” said catcher A.J. Pierzynski. “He threw a lot of changeups to lefties, he pitched everything we had seen. He deserves a lot of credit. When he had to make a pitch, he did.”

The Sox scored only 6 runs in the three-game series. That lack of production may be a season-long concern for the team.

“It’s only three games into the season” said manager Robin Ventura. “ I’m sure there will be another game like this out of a 159.”

Many positives came out of the three games in Texas -- even with two defeats. For instance, the White Sox made only two errors, and the young bullpen has not allowed a run in 9 1/3 innings so far this season.

“We have good arms out there,” Pierzynski said. “It’s always good when you get the young guys out there and get the first one out of the way and then they can kind of start their career. … Because opening week has so much hyp,e so now you can just worry about the rest of the season.”

ARLINGINTON, Texas -- Don’t read much into regulars A.J. Pierzynski and Dayan Viciedo being on the bench for the second game of the season. Ventura wants to get his entire team some playing time in the early part of the season .

”I want to get guys in there as soon as we can,” Ventura said.”I am sure in Cleveland (Kosuke) Fukudome and (Eduardo) Escobar will get a start . I don’t want guys sitting on the bench six or seven days, going home and not have played yet.”

• Chicago White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn said on ESPN 1000’s “Talkin’ Baseball “ Saturday that manager Robin Ventura and the front office had discussed not naming a closer to begin the season during spring training. Ventura told the media on Friday that he would prefer to mix and match his bullpen choices at the end of the game. The 2005 World Champion team had three closers in Shingo Takatsu, Dustin Hermanson and Bobby Jenks.

• Ventura has not considered when he will rest captain Paul Konerko. When Konerko sits, the team will play Adam Dunn at first base.

»2012 White Sox Fantasy Projections: Starters | Relievers | INFs | Catchers | OFs

The Chicago White Sox’s infield should be the strength of the team this season. Comeback seasons from Adam Dunn (DH-1B) and second baseman Gordon Beckham will be key elements to the club’s success.

The infield returns in tact from last season’s group and only first baseman Paul Konerko could be considered as having lived up to expectations during the 2011 season. Konerko gets better with age. The 36-year-old slugger, who has averaged 35 home runs and 100 RBIs in his last three seasons, is just four homers away from 400 for his career. He will need more time at DH in order to keep his legs strong, and that’s where Dunn must step up his game.

Management believes Dunn will benefit from more time on the field. The outlook is good for Dunn, who has been more aggressive at the plate driving balls to all fields earlier in the count all spring after a disastrous debut season in Chicago. Dunn worked hard at his conditioning in the offseason which began with extensive hitting, something he never had to do in the past. Defense always has been a challenge for Dunn, who has looked good digging balls out of the dirt in spring training. Range is an issue regardless of whether it’s Konerko or Dunn at first.

This is Beckham’s time to prove himself after struggling the past two seasons following a promising rookie season in 2009. Beckham changed his approach after his father told him to get back to his roots and quit the big-league posturing. Beckham is as good on defense as any second baseman in the league. Taking the loop out of his swing will be his major challenge.

Like Beckham, shortstop Alexei Ramirez is one of the elite defenders at his position in the major leagues. Ramirez was supposed to step up his offense in 2011. Instead he hit 15 points less while staying flat in home run and RBI production (.269, 15, 70). The Sox will need more offense from him to make up for the loss of Carlos Quentin in the lineup.

In September, Brent Morel looked like the power-hitting third baseman the team was hoping for when he hit eight of his 10 homers on the season during the final month. Taking more walks will be key for a more productive season for the 24-year-old. Sox officials believe in Morel and feel manager Robin Ventura will have a strong influence on his career. Although he made 14 errors in 126 games, Morel is a solid defender.

Backup infielders Brent Lillibridge and Eduardo Escobar will get plenty of playing time as Ventura promises to rest his position players all season long. Sox fans will enjoy Escobar, who has some flash that might remind people of a young Ozzie Guillen. Lillibridge will back up the infield and outfield.

The White Sox are in transition behind the plate with a veteran in A.J. Pierzynski and heir apparent Tyler Flowers fighting for time. Ventura will be able to platoon the left-handed hitting Pierzynski and right-handed hitting Flowers but at some point the club may want Flowers to get more playing time.

At some point during the season a contending team will lose a catcher and approach the Sox about the availability of Pierzynski, who has 5-10 trade protection rights and will have to decide to stay or go.

Flowers, who has 20-homer potential, has improved dramatically at calling pitches at the major league level. He needs to catch 120 games to begin to reach his own expectations as a catcher.

Three keys to success

• Dunn bats at least .240. If he is able to make contact he will hit 35 home runs and drive in 100 runs.

• Beckham lives up to expectations, hitting .280 with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs.

• Ramirez and Morel pick up the slack left behind by Quentin’s departure, combining for 35 homers and 150 RBIs.