Results tagged ‘ Lance Broadway ’
Trade particulars
Despite posting a 2.81 ERA over 10 starts for Triple-A Charlotte, Wes Whisler wasn’t exactly sitting around and waiting for his contract to be purchased prior to Saturday’s game against the Royals.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but you never know,” said Whisler, after arriving at Kauffman Stadium to begin the first Major League stint of his career. “I’m just going to go out there and control what I can control. I’m happy to be here and help out anyway possible.”
Whisler’s promotion was one of the offshoots from Friday night’s trade, with backup catcher Ramon Castro being sent from the Mets, with cash considerations, to the White Sox in exchange for right-handed reliever Lance Broadway. Castro, who was scheduled to arrive at game time, will wear No. 44, while Whisler will wear No. 46 on Saturday and No. 47 from that point moving forward.
Castro’s arrival could cut into playing time for starter A.J. Pierzynski, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said the team’s improvement in reserve they believe to have found in Castro certainly will not force a platoon situation.
“It’s not going to be my platoon catcher, but obviously it seems like this summer will be hot and humid, and we got to keep A.J. in the best shape we can get,” Guillen said. “We’re going to upgrade there. Nothing against Corky. Corky was great for us. No doubt he catches a good game, and he did his job on the field and off the field. We improved ourselves a little bit with Castro.”
This move once again shows how general manager Ken Williams is putting his team in the best possible position to compete in an overall American League race without a clear frontrunner. Whether Whisler remains with the White Sox past June 8, when Jose Contreras figures to be called up from Charlotte to start in one of the split doubleheader games against Detroit, remains to be seen.
Broadway actually heard the news first on Friday from Whisler, his roommate in Charlotte, when the lefty told Broadway he had been called up for the first time in his career. Broadway found out about the trade shortly thereafter, leaving their Charlotte apartment vacant.
“It’s sitting there, but that’s a good thing,” said Whisler of the Charlotte apartment. “I just never knew. I’m ecstatic about things, but shocked too at the same time.”
Castro to the White Sox; Broadway gone
The White Sox acquired catcher Ramon Castro and cash from the New York Mets for right-handed reliever Lance Broadway in a trade announced after Friday’s victory. Castro is hitting .252 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 26 games, but more importantly, Castro has thrown out 27.7 percent of attempted basestealers in his career.
Prior to Saturday’s game, Corky Miller will be designated for assignment by the White Sox and left-handed reliever Wes Whisler will be called up from Triple-A Charlotte.
Broadway nights
The latest middle relief addition for the White Sox became Lance Broadway, with the right-hander getting called up from Triple-A Charlotte prior to Saturday’s contest with Toronto. Broadway replaced Jack Egbert, who was optioned to Charlotte after allowing six runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings during Friday’s 14-0 shellacking, who in turn, had replaced Mike MacDougal.
But Egbert’s demotion does not mean he has dropped completely from the big-league picture.
“It’s not fair for the kid to come out for two outings and all of a sudden, he’s down in the Minor Leagues,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen of Egbert. “I think we need a guy fresh to be here. That’s the reason we did it. Egbert yesterday, he throw seven ground balls. We couldn’t catch it or it was in the right place for the Toronto hitters. It’s not something you can control.
“You can’t do nothing about it. Now I know what he can bring and what he can do. We worry about can he recover for two innings and other stuff, all the little things behind the scenes. I like what I see. He no was the greatest one, but I see a lot of ground balls and I like that.”
Broadway, 25, carries a 2-1 career record and 4.44 ERA in 11 previous games with the White Sox over the past two years–two of which were starts. Guillen joked about welcoming back Broadway once again, and hopes this is the last move the team has to make in this important but often overlooked part of their bullpen.
“We wish we don’t have to do that every week,” Guillen said. “It’s not easy for anyone. It’s a very uncomfortable situation for (general manager) Kenny (Williams) and myself and Coop. Every week we have different faces. We try to figure out what’s the one that’s going to stick here and stay here.”
“Anytime you have more experience, you gain more confidence and you understand the game better,” said Broadway, who is ready for any role the White Sox have planned. “For young players, that’s a big step.”
Final Roster moves
The White Sox offcially got their roster down to 27 by making six cuts on Monday morning. The team optioned pitchers Lance Broadway, Jack Egbert and Jeff Marquez to Triple-A Charlotte, reassigned INF/OF Josh Kroeger and left-handed reliever Randy Williams to Minor League camp and placed infielder Jayson Nix on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quadriceps.
Although the move was not announced, Jerry Owens told a pair of reporters on Monday that he was placed on waivers. The move means that Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson will be patroling center field for the White Sox. Corky Miller also is expected to be named the White Sox backup catcher, with Donny Lucy returning to Charlotte.
More to come soon.
Tucson Tales, Day 1
I actually arrived in Tucson on Wednesday night and had a great dinner at McMahon’s with my friend Sarah, probably the most upbeat person I know. I had the salmon, she had the swordfish–both outstanding meals. Actually, I’ve never had a bad meal in all my year’s of going to McMahon’s, so if you are in Tucson, stop by and tell them Scott Merkin sent you. It probably won’t do you any good, but I always wanted to have that kind of pull.
On Thursday night, I dinned at Risky Business, one of my favorite sports bars in Tucson. I was the rebel at the restaurant on this night, as every one of the 25 or so televisions was on the Arizona game. The hostess was nice enough to put one of the TVs on Michigan-Purdue.
Great win for the Wolverines! They should be in the NCAA Tournament, but if they end the season with a win at Minnesota, assuming a loss at Wisconsin, they have to qualify.
During my 6 1/2 years in Tucson (split one Spring Training between covering the Cubs and White Sox while working for another organization), I always enjoyed the city. Still do, but I have to admit I’ve grown accustomed to the Glendale area.
But that’s not why you called. Here are a few brief observations from the victory over Colorado, which probably got overlooked in the bulk of the coverage:
–Gordon Beckham walked in his first at-bat in the 7th and showed a little attitude with a bat flip after the walk. Attitude, as in confidence, not in a bad way. He then proceeded to swipe second base, one of three White Sox stolen bases on the day. I know it’s one game, but this kid has the feel of a ballplayer.
–Speaking of ballplayers, keep an eye on Brandon Allen. The 23-year-old had 29 home runs and 17 stolen bases combined last year and had one hit, one run scored and a stolen base on Thursday. He moves very well for his 6-foot-2, 235-pound size. Ozzie Guillen also has taken notice of Allen.
“I love the way he swings the bat,” sad Guillen of Allen. “He’s a name I’ve talked about with (general manager) Kenny (Williams).”
–Jack Egbert, D.J. Carrasco and Lance Broadway all hurled two scoreless innings apiece, while Jhonny Nunez closed out the victory with the look of a closer.
–Corky Miller had three hits and also had the longest distance for a 2009 Spring Traning bat toss, with it landing in the stands behind the White Sox dugout. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, and Miller traded another bat for the one the fan caught.
More updates to come later, after the game against Arizona is complete. Hope I remember how to get Tucson Electrc Park.
By the way, I just noticed the time of this blog entry as 11:11:11. Weird, right? Maybe I should view 11 as my lucky number for the rest of Spring Training.
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