By Cregen McMinn
When you’re a fan of a team who had the
potential to make the playoffs but falls short, there's always the
question of “what if?”
“What if they had made it? They have such a good top of the rotation and a ton of veterans...they were made for the playoffs!”
I found myself asking “what if?” about this years White Sox team.
The Sox came into the season with low expectations yet found themselves
competing for a division title anyway. Now they sit six games back with
too few games remaining to feel they actually have a chance.
So that question lingers in my mind about what they would do if they
did actually make the postseason. In the following paragraphs I’ll
break down their possible opponents and examine “what if” the Sox
actually made the playoffs.
White Sox vs. Yankees
Pitching: Advantage Yankees
The Sox have struggled with CC Sabathia this year while they’ve hit
Burnett well. That leaves it to Andy Pettitte who has pitched well
against the Sox in one start this season. As for the Yankees bullpen,
it became a lot more effective when they moved Hughes to the set-up
role. Oh, and then there’s Mariano Rivera for the ninth inning.
Hitting: Advantage Yankees
Jeter, Damon, Teixeira, A-Rod, Matsui, Posada, Cano...
Manager: Advantage White Sox
Girardi has done a great job with the Yankees this season, but he
hasn’t guided them to a World Series yet. That’s the most pressure that
a manager can face and Ozzie has shown he can handle it without a
problem. Those bright lights of New York shine like the sun come
playoff time and until Girardi wins a title Ozzie wins this category by
default.
Conclusion: Yankees in Four
White Sox vs. Angels
Pitching: Push
There doesn’t seem to be a real advantage for either team. Buehrle,
Danks, and Floyd are solid if unspectacular. While Lackey, Weaver, and
Kazmir (possibly Saunders) are also very solid but statistically are
very similar to the Sox starters.
The bullpens are also very similar. Jenks and Fuentes are both solid
at the end. While the bridges to get to those two guys can both be
shaky at times. Thorton, Dotel, and Linebrink have struggled as a whole
down the stretch. While Oliver, Jepsen, and Bulger have been
serviceable but far from impressive.
There’s no telling if someone on either of these staff’s would go
from good to great in the playoffs. But from the outside looking in
there's no discernable difference between the two teams.
Hitting: Advantage Angels
There was a time not long ago that every Angels starter was hitting
above .300. Conversely the Sox have one player above .300 (Pierzynski -
.312). The Angels hit the ball and run the bases the way Ozzie and
every Sox fan wishes that the White Sox would.
They have a combination of power and speed that makes them capable of coming back and winning no matter what the score is.
Manager: Push
Mike Scioscia is an experienced and successful manager. But the same
can be said of Ozzie Guillen to a lesser extent. While I’d have to say
if I had to pick a manager for my team out of these two, I’d pick
Scioscia.
Guillen gets a lot out of his players and manages his pitchers well
(I can say that now that Contreras is gone). Overall you can’t go wrong
with either of these two managers come playoff time.
Conclusion: Angels in five
White Sox vs. Red Sox
Pitching: Advantage Red Sox
The Red Sox starting pitching isn’t what impresses me. It’s that
bullpen. Delcarmen, Ramirez, Okajima, and Papelbon make up a dynamic
bullpen capable of handling any offense. To be fai,r Beckett and
Lester are plenty for a five-game series. But from the games I’ve seen,
it’s the bullpen that sets the Red Sox apart from the White Sox.
Hitting: Advantage Red Sox
The advantage in hitting isn’t as great as it was in past years.
David Ortiz is off the juice and regressing at an incredible rate.
Jason Bay has provided some pop but his average leaves something to be
desired.
However, it’s not a single guy in the Red Sox lineup that makes it impressive, it’s that it is so strong overall.
Ellsbury, Drew, Youkilis, Pedroia, the names keep coming and each
one carries with it memories of a clutch hit or run scored. The White
Sox have veteran hitters, but nothing compared to the Red Sox.
Managing: Red Sox
Terry Francona is as solid and unflappable playoff manager as there
is in the game right now. Any deficiencies the Red Sox might have on
the roster can be covered up by him come playoff time.
Conclusion: Red Sox in four