Notes: Crede's offense catches up

07/20/2006
DETROIT -- It was during a June Interleague series in Colorado of last season when rumors seemed to crescendo in regard to the White Sox interest in acquiring Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez. General manager Ken Williams made it clear, at the time, that Chavez was not leaving Oakland, and said he knew this to be true from a first-hand source.
"[Chavez] is not on the block. And trust me, I know that," Williams said at the time. "Trust me."
A little more than one year later, the White Sox don't look to be in the market for any player of Chavez's significance. If they do add some impact player, which is unlikely, it certainly won't be at third base. Not when Joe Crede stands as a bona fide American League star and one of the top clutch hitters in the game.
Worries surrounding Crede's Gold Glove-caliber defense never were remotely an issue for the White Sox. It was consistency on offense leading to the White Sox low-key search for a possible upgrade at the hot corner. Crede heard the rumors and has played with them in a couple of different seasons.
While he understands trades are part of the business, Crede prefers the on-field peace and success he currently is finding for the defending World Series champions.
"I absolutely realize it's nothing personal," Crede said. "As a player, you know if something is going to happen or if there's going to be a move. You really just worry about playing your game and helping your team.
"It seems like if [manager Ozzie Guillen], Kenny or the coaches are on you, you know you aren't doing something right. If you don't really hear from them or see them, you know you are doing things right.
"So, it's good not to hear from them," added Crede with a laugh.
Crede homered in each of the first two games against Detroit, entering Thursday's series finale with the most home runs by a visiting player at Comerica Park. Crede, carrying a .302 average into Thursday, as well as 19 home runs and 62 RBIs, could also be headed toward his first .300 season.
Guillen believes the switch has been flipped for Crede with the bat, and the White Sox manager considers Crede as good, if not better, than any third baseman in the game --- including Chavez. Where talk of a multi-year deal for this talent on the rise is concerned, Guillen leaves those particulars to Williams.
"That's up to Kenny Williams, Jerry Reinsdorf, the fans -- if they're still coming, we have more money," said Guillen of re-signing Crede. "I don't know anything about budget.
"But do I want to keep him? Of course, I want to keep him. If it's up to Jerry and Kenny and all those guys, I guarantee they will want to, too. Sometimes it's, 'How much am I going to make? How much do you love me?' It's not in my hands."
Catching funk: Offensive production from behind the plate for the White Sox has hit a little bit of a rough patch. A.J. Pierzynski has just two hits in his last 17 at-bats since the All-Star break, although his .309 average ranks third among American League catchers. With left-hander Kenny Rogers starting Thursday, reserve catcher Chris Widger got the call in the starting lineup.
Widger's average has slipped to .192 as he has gone hitless in his last 21 at-bats entering Thursday. Widger wouldn't be bothered as much by his prolonged slump if it wasn't continuing on through a 2-6 stretch for his team.
"Honestly, I wouldn't care about not getting a hit the rest of the year if we won. Ultimately, that's what we are all here for," Widger said. "It would be nice to get hits and help the team win, but if our team wins and I hit .200, I'll be as happy as I was last year.
"Now, it's a struggle because both are going bad. Nobody would notice, including myself, if the pitcher working that day threw the ball well and we won."
Although Widger has only 73 at-bats this season, he refused to blame his slump on a lack of at-bats. There are no excuses coming from Pierzynski either, such as a working through some sort of All-Star hangover.
Pierzynski pointed out that his first real slump of the year simply is something expected as part of a long season.
"I feel fine. I just haven't got any hits," Pierzynski said. "It's just the way it is. You hit some balls hard, guys made some nice plays and it's just baseball. That's all it is.
"Hopefully, if I get in there today or tomorrow, we can turn it around and get back to what we were doing before," Pierzynski added.
Third to first: The White Sox requested waivers on right-handed reliever Cliff Politte for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. Politte was designated for assignment prior to Sunday's series final at Yankee Stadium. ... The upcoming six-game homestand against the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins is completely sold out, according to the White Sox.
Down on the farm: B.J. LaMura threw 2 2/3 innings of hitless ball, striking out one, as Double-A Birmingham edged Mobile by a 3-2 final. LaMura is 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA over his last 11 appearances (16 1/3 innings), striking out 19. LaMura has recorded at least one strikeout in all 33 of his appearances this season, giving him 63 in 50 1/3 innings. ... Lee Cruz had three hits and drove in three runs during Great Falls' 12-4 shellacking of Casper. ... Jerry Owens and Josh Fields each drove in one run during Triple-A Charlotte's 3-2 loss to Columbus. Fields has 55 RBIs this season, while Owens, the team's leadoff hitter, has 43.

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/