AMERICAN LEAGUE: INSIDE THE A.L.: CHICAGO, MANUEL LABOR OVER BUEHRLE.Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (pronounced BUR-lee) (born March 23, 1979 in St. Charles, Missouri) is a left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Chicago White Sox since 2000. Buehrle is a command pitcher, relying on finesse and accuracy. chose to bet on himself this season, turning down a three- year, $11.5 million contract from the Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. in spring training. Instead, he allowed them to renew his salary for one year and $445,000, figuring another strong year would bring greater riches through arbitration. So far, the gamble has not paid off. Buehrle won 19 games last season, made the All-Star team and established himself as one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game. This year, he is 2-7 with a 5.18 ERA and hasn't won in six weeks. Worse, the previously unflappable pitcher is making those around him wonder whether his rejection of a multiyear deal heaped undue pressure on himself. Not helping matters is poor run support from his teammates, who provided 30 runs in his first 10 starts. ``I think sometimes he has tried to be perfect because we haven't supported him,'' catcher Sandy Alomar Sandy Alomar can refer to different people:
(data) nibble - /nib'l/ (US "nybble", by analogy with "bite" -> "byte") Half a byte. Since a byte is nearly always eight bits, a nibble is nearly always four bits (and can therefore be represented by one hex digit). . That's not the kind of pitcher he is.'' Buehrle won 35 games the past two seasons, but his drop-off in 2003 only has added heat to manager Jerry Manuel, who seems to go through this sort of wringer wring·er n. One that wrings, especially a device in which laundry is pressed between rollers to extract water. Idiom: put (someone) through the wringer Slang To subject to a severe trial or ordeal. on a semiannual basis. The Sox, expected to contend for the American League Central The American League Central is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division was formed in the 1994 realignment. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States. after acquiring starter Bartolo Colon, are just 22-25 and entered the weekend five games behind first-place Minnesota. Colon, who will miss a start while serving a five-game suspension, rallied with a complete-game victory Monday to improve to 5-3. A similar surge from Buehrle would greatly aid Chicago's cause, though he's never had to rebound from such a rough stretch. ``You're seeing some of the disappointment that you've never seen before, because something like this hasn't happened,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said. --Ailing Yanks: The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Yankees' 18-3 start is a distant memory, lost in a stretch of 11-16 ball that saw them regain shortstop Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera but lose center fielder Bernie Williams, possibly until the All-Star break, with knee surgery, and designated hitter Nick Johnson to a hand ailment ail·ment n. A physical or mental disorder, especially a mild illness. . What's more, starter Andy Pettitte has lost four consecutive games and first baseman Jason Giambi (.212 entering the weekend) has yet to find his stroke. Giambi wondered aloud this week whether the restricted access of his personal trainer, Bob Alejo, has contributed to his funk. Alejo no longer is allowed in the clubhouse or on the field but has access to team flights, the weight room and batting cage. ``It's definitely changed my routine, his access being different,'' Giambi said. ``It's not up to me, to be honest. It's not my call. I just go and play and go from there.'' |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion