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My Sports AchievementsWhite Sox vs Cubs pitchersSummer Softball 2006 Preview|
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| White Sox vs Cubs |
| Pitching Breakdown |
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| I am going to be analyzing what I feel should be the starting lineups of the 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 2005 Chicago Cubs. I am a White Sox fan, but I feel my analysis is fair and truthful. We all have our opinions, and here is mine. The Starting Rotations The White Sox 1. Mark Buerhle LHP 2. Freddy Garcia RHP 3. Jose Contreras RHP 4. Jon Garland RHP 5. Orlando Hernandez RHP The Chicago Cubs 1. Kerry Wood RHP 2. Mark Prior RHP 3. Carlos Zambrano RHP 4. Greg Maddux RHP 5. Glendon Rusch LHP Mark Buerhle vs. Kerry Wood This is a tough call. Kerry Wood is amazing when he is on, but he rarely ever finds a groove anymore. Mark Buerhle isn’t the K machine that Wood is, but Buerhle has way more endurance and isn’t on the DL as often as Wood. I think Wood’s problem is that he gets frustrated too easily and then loses his composure. Wood has a history of giving up big runs in the first inning or so of pitching and that just gets to him too much. Buerhle on the other hand isn’t the greatest pitcher either. He is highly overrated. White Sox fans rave about this guy, but he’s nearly a .500 pitcher. Sure he wins a lot, but he also loses a lot. He wins a lot of games as a number one guy, but he’s not Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson. Though in this matchup, I would have to go with Buerhle over Wood. Freddy Garcia vs. Mark Prior This is also a tough call, but not as tough as Buerhle vs. Wood. Freddy has turned it around in Chicago it seems. He’s pitching better than the last few years he has been in the majors. Prior on the other hand has been baffling batters. Prior is a K machine and has awesome endurance. Garcia also has a good amount of endurance, but I think Prior beats him out. The only thing disappointing about Prior to me is how frequently he has been on the DL. Though, when Prior is healthy, he is dominant. Garcia isn’t really a dominant pitcher, he just knows how to keep you in games and get Ws. When a healthy Prior is on the mound it’s almost a guarantee he’s bringing home a W for The Cubs. This is why I would take Mark Prior over Freddy Garcia any day of the week. Jose Contreras vs. Carlos Zambrano Contreras definitely shows promise. Why? Cause he came from the Yankees, anyone who comes from the Yankees has to have some sort of potential. His problem is how many batters he walks, if he could bring his walks down, he would be way better than he is. His stuff is just as good as the best pitchers in the majors. He obviously can strike guys out, but his endurance isn’t so great. Big Z on the other hand has the endurance. His control is consistently there, but every couple of starts he loses control and then gets really angry and ends up messing up the game for himself. That’s what I love about the guy, his temper, it gives in character. It also gets the team goin when you see him screaming and raging from Ks to batters like Barry Bonds. When he gets pumped, not only does it pump his teammates, but it pumps the crowds. This is why I would take Big Z over Contreras. Jon Garland vs. Greg Maddux There really isn’t a debate here. Greg Maddux is a winning machine. Jon Garland is the king of overrated. Ok, so Garland is having a good year, finally. 5 of his wins are from the Royals, that’s not so hot. I could beat the Royals. Greg Maddux reached 3000 ks this year, and Garland is reaching his first season that’s over .500 as a pitcher. Well, at least more than like 1, 2, or 3 games over .500. BUT! Youth is definitely on Garland’s side and he has the potential to do so much for the White Sox in the years to come. If this season is a sign of anything to come, I take Jon Garland over Greg Maddux, based on age alone. Orlando Hernandez vs. Glendon Rusch El Duque has the experience in and out of the off-season. He won a couple World Series’ with the Yankees as a starter, and hopefully he will do the same for the White Sox. El Duque has a control problem, just like Contreras, but when he’s on, he’s nearly unhittable. His stamina is very low, but he gives you a solid 5-6 IP every day he’s out there. He’d be a good guy to toss in the bullpen at the end of his career. Rusch on the other hand I am a big fan of. K machine, knows what he’s doing out there, solid 5-6 IP every time he’s out. Also a great guy to throw in the bullpen at the end of his career. But he hasn’t really put together any great seasons. Given he hasn’t played for the best teams in the world, but he’s still a good guy to have on your team. I would take El Duque over Rusch in this battle for No. 5 starter. |
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