Brooms, Oswalt and Good Home Cooking

The Good: The White Sox accomplished something this weekend they have been waiting for since....well, the beginning of the season. Sweeping a series. An official series. Back on May 7th the Sox took a one game series from the Tigers at the Cell and then a two game sweep of Seattle at the end of April. Each series had one game called due to rain. This time against the struggling Royals in K.C., the Sox would get it right. More importantly, they took two of three in Kansas City without the help of the long ball. Heading back to 35th and Shields for an 11 game home-stand, the Sox will not only bring with them momentum, but the knowledge that their feisty GM is hard at work to bring another ace to their pitching staff.

The Peaved: Reports had surfaced over the weekend that Kenny Williams' assistant Bill Scherrer had been tailing the Houston Astros for the better part of two weeks. Sources close to the Williams' camp have indicated that the Sox have their sights set on Houston starter Roy Oswalt. It was just two weeks ago that the ever diligent Williams had Jake Peavy on his radar, only to get shot down by Peavy exercising his no trade clause. Oswalt, who signed a five-year extension in 2006 with an option year for 2012, is due to make $15 million in 2010 and $16 million in 2011. Any trade involving the Olympic gold medalist would have to get his approval. Regardless of what Oswalt does, one thing is unavoidable....Jake Peavy's decison to snub the Sox has lit a fire under Kenny Williams. Expect to see a new starter by the All-Star break. Case Closed.

Sweet Home Chicago: 23 of the Sox 28 games in June will be played at home, or within 90 minutes of downtown Chicago. The White Sox are 12-10 at home this season.

BTW: Scott Podsednik entered Friday's series opener at Kansas City batting .275. He will enter Monday's game against Oakland batting .297.

Up Next: Oakland (19-29 4th) at Chicago (24-25 2nd) - (7:11 PM) Trevor Cahill (2-5) Bartolo Colon (3-4).

Hitting Their Stride

Story Line: Following a recent 4-2 homestand, the Sox pummel the Angels of Anaheim 17-3. The White Sox registered 24 hits on a night when Jim Thome surpassed Mike Schmidt on the all-time home run leader board, with his 549th round tripper.

First Time Since: It's the first time in 54 years that the White Sox had at least 20 more hits in one game than their opponent. On April 23, 1955, in a 29-6 win against Kansas City, the Sox out-hit the Athletics, 29-6, mirroring the final score.

Hitting Their Stride: Every Sox starter had at least one hit last night. Scott Podsednik (.303) and Alexei Rameriez (.243) each had four hits apiece, while Brian Anderson (.307) and A.J. Pierzynski (.273) raised their season averages with three hits apiece.

"Dank You": John Danks improved to 4-3 on the season, scattering four hits on three runs, while walking a career high six batters through six innings.

Santana Says: Angels starter Erwin Santana (0-2) was yanked in the second inning after surrendering nine hits to 13 batters. "Everything was OK but they just hit everything," Santana said. "I located my fastball, my breaking ball, but they hit it. Every time they saw a white thing, they just hit it. I'm not the only pitcher that's happened to. That happens to everybody. Next time, I'll come out and try to do my job better."

549: Jim Thome smacked number 549 last night in Anaheim. Thome passed Phillie great Mike Schmidt on the all-time home run list. Thome will now pursue the likes of Reggie Jackson who is number 11 on the list with 563 home runs.

Where's OsWaldo? Bench coach Joey Cora managed the White Sox for the third straight game Monday night. Ozzie Guillen was in Caracas, Venezuela, where his father-in-law died on Saturday and was buried on Sunday. Guillen is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday in Anaheim.

Next Up: Bartolo Colon (2-4, 4.23 ERA) will visit the mound in Anaheim tonight for the first time since he was a member of the Angels six years ago. The Angels will counter with staff ace Joe Saunders (6-2, 3.17 ERA).

Youth Exposed

As my wife and I watched the White Sox game yesterday evening, she repeated a question many casual Sox fans are asking, "who is that guy?" Jason Nix, Brent Lilibridge, and Wilson Betemit. All strangers to the casual observer. I told her that these guys may become franchise faces before long. Throw in the addition of 33 year old back-up catcher Corkey Miller, and the confusion is complete. With both Jermaine Dye out with a sore hand and Josh Fields out, fresh new faces took to the field last night out in Kansas City.

Tough night to have fresh meat in the batter's box.

25 year old Zack Greinke improved to 6-0 on the season with a stellar complete game shutout. It was Greinke's second shutout of the season. Scott Podsednik and A.J. Peirzynski had two hits apiece in the loss, while as a team, the Sox had six. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen may of seen the best the Majors have to offer in Greinke. "To me, he's the best in the league right now," Guillen said.

The Sox have been downright awful at the plate as of late. They did not have a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning, and the first five batters were 1-19 on the night, striking out six times. Greinke fanned 10 Sox batters to add insult to injury.

The White Sox have scored one sad run in their last 20 innings and have scored one run or fewer in seven of 25 games played.

Something to think about... Is Wilson Betemit really worth the $1,300,000 he is getting paid? Meanwhile, Brian Anderson will only make $440,000 in 2009.

R U Kidding? : Zack Greinke overcame a social anxiety disorder following his 2005 season. He was only 20. This season his 0.40 ERA in 45 innings is the best in the majors. He has allowed just 30 hits, two earned runs, walked eight and struck out 54, while tossing three complete games and earning two shutouts.

Center of Attention

Are the White Sox truly a team that is moving toward a "youth movement"? They can't be. Not truly, anyway. Along with Chris Getz and Jim Thome, 33 year-old Scott Podsednik will rejoin the Chicago White Sox this evening, when the Sox open up a three game series in Arlington, Texas. Podsednik will most likely be in center field for an ailing Brian Anderson, who is recovering following a strain in his right oblique. Podsednik inked a Minor League deal with the Southsiders on April 14. In 10 games with Tripe-A Charlotte, Podsednik hit .262 and swiped one base.
The Sox have been searching for a reliable lead-off man, since Podsednik went on and off the DL in 2006. "Pods" was very instrumental in Ozzie's "small ball", where he hit .290 in the lead-off spot and grabbed 59 stolen bases. Podsednik joined the Colorado Rockies in 2008. The question many Sox fans are barking is , "Where is Rowand?" Truth is, with Brian Anderson showing promise at the plate, along with his exceptional range in center-field, the White Sox have no room on their roster for Aaron Rowand. While Rowand would be a nice addition for a team lacking character, it cannot come at the expense of the energetic and maturing Brian Anderson. In the meantime, the Sox will get what they can out of Podsednik and hope for the best.