Guillen rips effort in loss

09/22/2006

CHICAGO -- When the Detroit Tigers finished off a three-game series victory Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, all but ending the White Sox hopes of repeating their 2005 World Series title, Ozzie Guillen said that particular setback made him feel as if he was hit by a truck.
Following Seattle's 9-0 victory over the White Sox before 33,976 at U.S. Cellular on Thursday night, Guillen became that same truck and it was his team baring the harsh impact. It didn't take much prompting for the indignant manager to lambaste his team following what he perceived as a truly subpar performance.
Actually, "subpar" might be too tame of a description in Guillen's mind.
"Right now, I feel embarrassed," said Guillen, after his team managed just five hits off of Jake Woods (6-3) in losing for the sixth time in seven games. "My team should feel embarrassed. There's people paying to watch us play and that's pathetic.
"Watching this team pitch the way we pitched and play the way we play, they should be embarrassed for Javy [Vazquez], and they should be embarrassed for the fans. They should be embarrassed for themselves.
"I always hope for the best and I always stay positive," Guillen added, finishing off just the first portion of his diatribe. "But if we keep playing like that, they better start packing today."
Vazquez (11-10) was the only individual who seemed to escape Guillen's wrath, which also included a shot at veteran official scorer Bob Rosenberg, for giving Raul Ibanez a two-run single in the eighth on what Guillen thought should have been ruled an error on first baseman Paul Konerko. Vazquez struck out 12 and allowed five runs over 7 1/3 innings, although three of those crossed the plate in the eighth, when his pitch count topped out at 124.
But without any support against Woods and reliever Joel Pineiro, it was impossible to end a winless streak for Vazquez dating back to Aug. 10. Guillen understands games like Thursday's arise in the course of a 162-game season, but he won't tolerate a lack of effort.
The criticism was not necessarily disputed by any of Guillen's charges.
"I agree 100 percent," said catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who has become the voice of reason for the White Sox during their dismal 26-37 second-half run. "To go out and play like that in a game we have to win, it's a shame. What can you do? I went out and did the best I could. You try the best you can and that's the way it goes some time."
"Personally, I was going to use that exact word," continued Vazquez, when told Guillen referred to the effort as embarrassing. "We shouldn't be playing this way and I feel embarrassed."
"It's just an ugly game, one of those games that you don't foresee happening before it starts," Konerko added. "It didn't get off to a good start. There really wasn't any good part to that whole game and it just got worse as it went. Definitely not how we drew it up, that's for sure."
Pablo Ozuna opened the White Sox at-bats in the first with a double to left, but he was stranded at second when Tadahito Iguchi struck out and Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome each grounded out to second. The White Sox (85-68) have gone hitless in their last 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position and are 6-for-43 in that same situation over their last seven games.
Thursday's loss was even more troubling because it was a rare chance to pick up ground on both Detroit (91-62), which lost in Baltimore, and Minnesota (90-62), which lost in Boston with Johan Santana on the mound. Instead, the White Sox watched their elimination numbers drop to four in the American League Central and five in the AL Wild Card.
A natural letdown figured to come after losing Wednesday's series finale to Detroit. But neither Guillen nor Pierzynski accepted that reason as legitimate.
"They get paid a lot of money to play hard for 162 games," Guillen said.
"You gotta find it. We are professionals," Pierzynski added. "We have a job to do. Thirty-three thousand people paid to watch us play baseball tonight and they expected more out of us."
Guillen added there was no need to express his sentiments to the players directly after the loss, because they already knew how he was feeling. The White Sox manager said there would not be wholesale changes in his lineup to spark this group, aside from possibly giving Joe Crede a brief rest at third base.
Pierzynski also scoffed at the concept of holding a team meeting, not with only nine games remaining. This veteran squad knows where it stands, at six games back and 5 1/2 games back, respectively. They don't need to be told it's a bad place to be.
"What the heck are they going to say now? We pretty much know where we stand, to be honest," Pierzynski said. "There's nothing that could be said that we don't know. You can have all the meetings you want. It doesn't matter.
"You are six out with nine to play, which means chances aren't so good. Let's be honest. Say whatever you want about how we are not mathematically eliminated, but let's be honest.
"I don't see the Tigers or Twins going 2-7 down the road and us going 9-0 with the way we are playing right now," Pierzynski added. "I hate to say that, but I'm a realist at the same time. Where we stand right now ain't good."

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