Chris Sale gives MVP-worthy performance in All-Star Game

With teams on both sides of town languishing near the bottom of the standings, Chicago sent just three players to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, which was played Tuesday night in New York.

Pitchers Chris Sale and Jesse Crain represented the White Sox. Pitcher Travis Wood earned the lone All-Star nod for the Cubs.

Crain did not pitch because he is on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Wood also did not participate, having just pitched 48 hours earlier in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

That left Sale to represent the city, and you can make a good case his performance was the most impressive in a pitching-dominated game.

Sale tossed two scoreless innings and retired all six batters he faced, earning the win in the American League's 3-0 victory.

The Sox ace entered in the second inning and retired David Wright on a grounder to third on his first pitch. He struck out Carlos Gonzalez on a slider and got Yadier Molina on a fly out to center field. Sale came back out for the third inning and fanned Troy Tulowitzki on another slider. He retired Michael Cuddyer on a tapper back to the mound and concluded his night when Bryce Harper lined out to third baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Sale's fastball touched 96 mph, and he needed only 24 pitches (17 strikes) to retire six of the best players in the National League.

There certainly weren't any hitters in this game worthy of the MVP. Not a single player had more than one hit. There wasn't anybody with more than one RBI or one run scored, either. No home runs were hit.

It was inevitable the MVP award would go to a pitcher. Sale registered six outs, more than any other American League pitcher, and he got them in quick and dominant fashion.

But alas, this year's All-Star MVP wasn't going to go to anyone other than Mariano Rivera, the future Hall of Fame closer of the New York Yankees. Rivera is retiring at the end of the season, and the night was all about recognizing his career accomplishments.

Make no mistake, Rivera did his job as usual when he entered the game in the eighth inning. He quickly retired all three National League hitters he faced. But let's be honest, he was given the MVP as a lifetime achievement award, moreso than for his performance in this particular game.

I can understand that. It's just too bad, because Sale was pretty damn good and he would have deserved it. Sale does go down as the seventh White Sox pitcher to earn a victory in the All-Star Game. Here are the six others:

1941: Edgar Smith
1958: Early Wynn
1962: Ray Herbert
1993: Jack McDowell
2000: James Baldwin
2005: Mark Buehrle

Grady Little got a bad rap from Red Sox fans

Over the weekend, I had the chance to read Sports Illustrated's annual "Where Are They Now?" edition. The magazine comes out every July and features prominent sporting figures of the past who have fallen out of the limelight for whatever reason.

Having just turned 37, I appreciate the features a little more than I did in the past because I'm now old enough to remember watching the subjects of many of the articles.

Among those featured this year is former Major League manager Grady Little, 63, who hasn't been heard from since 2007. Little managed the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and 2007. He compiled a 385-290 career record for a respectable .552 winning percentage.

But, as the article notes, Little is best remembered for a game he lost -- Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship series. The Red Sox were leading the New York Yankees 5-2 in the eighth inning -- just six outs away from the World Series -- when Little was faced with a choice: Should he leave in ace Pedro Martinez, who was at 100 pitches and had just navigated a tough seventh inning? Or should he bring in left-handed reliever Alan Embree? Little stuck with Martinez, who gave up three runs in the eighth and surrendered the lead.

Boston lost the game 6-5 in 11 innings on Aaron Boone's famous home run off Tim Wakefield. The Yankees went to the World Series, and Little lost his job. He was never forgiven by the New England fans and media.

As I read the article, I got to thinking: Had Little really made a bad move? The more I thought about it, the more I believe he did the right thing.

Yes, that's right. He did the right thing, even though the Red Sox lost the game.

Think about it. It's Game 7 and the World Series is on the line. Martinez was 14-4 that season with a 2.22 ERA. He was among the best pitchers in the game. For a stretch of about eight years in the late 90s and early 2000s, he was a dominating force. So dominant that many people, including yours truly, believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He won three Cy Young Awards and finished second in the voting on two other occasions.

Embree? Well, he was a journeyman who played for 10 teams and had a career ERA of 4.59. In 2003, his ERA was 4.25. Was there any point in Embree's career where he could have been considered a sure bet to shut down an opponent? Not that I can recall. He was a mediocre reliever by any standard.

The Red Sox had bullpen troubles all season in 2003. They had a great lineup with Johnny Damon at the top, setting the table for the likes of Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. The rotation featured a solid top three in Martinez, Derek Lowe and Wakefield. The Achilles' heel was the relief corps. I wouldn't trust Embree, Mike Timlin or Byung-Hyun Kim very far.

So who are you going with in that spot? Martinez or Embree? Or somebody else from that bullpen? If it were me, I'd go with the future Hall of Famer, just like Little did.

Is it ever really a bad move to sink or swim with your best pitcher when the alternative is a journeyman left-hander? Not in my book. 100 pitches? Who cares? It's Game 7. There was no tomorrow and nothing to save Martinez for.

You see, in baseball sometimes a manager can make the right move and it still doesn't work out. Sometimes, too, a manager can make a move that makes no sense at all and have it come up aces. That's just the nature of the game.

I don't think a move that doesn't work is by definition a bad move. That's something they don't get up in Boston, and that's the reason Little has been lampooned as a bad manager up there through the years.

The real goat from Game 7 was Martinez. He was a great pitcher who had a bad inning at the worst possible time. It was a simple as that.

White Sox trade Matt Thornton to Red Sox

I mentioned earlier this week the time was right for the White Sox to trade Matt Thornton. Indeed, the rumored deal with the Boston Red Sox came to pass Friday night. The South Siders sent the veteran left-handed reliever and cash considerations to the Red Sox for outfield prospect Brandon Jacobs.

Thornton, 36, was 0-3 this season with a 3.86 ERA in 40 appearances. He ranks first in White Sox history in all-time relief appearances with 512. In those games, he went 31-35 with a 3.28 ERA. He recorded 486 strikeouts in 463.1 innings. There's no question Thornton was an effective bullpen piece for the Sox for a long time.

But, as we noted, because of age, declining performance and contract status, it was time for a change. The Sox made a move that makes sense for all parties involved.

Thornton is going to a contending team in Boston. The Red Sox lead the American League East by 4.5 games entering Saturday's play. He'll be reunited with Juan Nieves, the former White Sox bullpen coach who now serves as the pitching coach in Boston. He'll be able to fill a role as a situational left-handed reliever, a hole the Red Sox needed plugged after losing Andrew Miller for the season.

The White Sox, meanwhile, got some salary relief out of this deal. Reports indicate the team shipped about $750,000 to Boston as part of the trade, which will almost cover the buyout for Thornton's contract at the end of the season. Including buyout, Thornton was owed about $3.5 million for the rest of his deal. So, the Sox get a savings of roughly $2.75 million.

They also acquire the right-handed hitting Jacobs, who is an OK, but not great prospect.

Jacobs, 22, is hitting .247 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 84 games this year with Class-A Salem and Double-A Portland. He hit .421 with six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs over his final 11 games with Salem before being promoted to Portland on July 10.

Scouting reports indicate he lacks the arm strength to play right field, so the Sox will probably assign him to Double-A Birmingham and park him in left field. Baseball America ranks him as the 13th-best prospect in the Boston system.

Some White Sox fans have griped about the team not getting enough for Thornton, but to be honest, this is about what I expected out of this trade. Realistically, Thornton will probably make 25-30 appearances for Boston the rest of the season. He'll probably provide about 25-30 innings pitched as well, and then the Red Sox will buy him out and let him walk at the end of the year.

How much is 25-30 innings of aging Matt Thornton worth on the trade market? Well, it's worth a second-tier prospect and some salary relief. And that's what the Sox got for Thornton. 

Does trade value really increase or decrease based upon one game?

White Sox right fielder Alex Rios had a helluva game Tuesday night. He went 6 for 6 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and a run scored as Chicago routed the Detroit Tigers, 11-4.

Rios is the first Sox player to collect six hits in a game since Lance Johnson in 1995. He also became the first player to total four hits in a single game against Detroit ace Justin Verlander. 

This morning, I read articles and heard several comments about how Rios "increased his trade value" with the performance.

Really?

So what happens if Rios goes 0 for 5 in Wednesday's game? Does that mean his trade value goes back down? And if so, by how much?

Rios has been in the American League for 10 years. I would guess most scouts are well-acquainted with his capabilities. Teams that are interested in acquiring an outfielder in a midseason deal no doubt have been watching Rios for weeks. Are scouts really going to make a recommendation based upon one game?

I just don't buy the idea that a player's trade value is subject to day-to-day fluctuations. I think teams make evaluations by looking at long-term trends, not one-game snapshots.

Am I right or am I wrong?

It's time for the White Sox to trade Matt Thornton

Let's get right to the point of today's blog entry: There is no way Matt Thornton should be back with the White Sox in 2014.

Thornton is already overpaid this season. He's making $5.5 million. The White Sox hold a $6 million option on him for next year with a $1 million buyout. 

It would be insanity to pick up that option.

Thornton is being paid like a closer, but at this stage of his career, he's nothing more than a situational left-handed reliever. Just check out his lefty-righty slash line for this year:

vs. left-handers: .176/.236/.629
vs. right-handers: .333/.429/.866

Thornton looks like a pitcher who no longer trusts his stuff against right-handed batters. Case in point, Monday night's game against the Cubs. Thornton entered the game in the eighth inning of a 2-2 tie. He retired the left-handed batting Anthony Rizzo, then started picking at the corners of the plate against a pair of right-handed hitters.

It's difficult to walk the free-swinging Alfonso Soriano, but Thornton managed to do it on four pitches. He then fell behind 3-and-1 to switch-batting Dioner Navarro before giving up a single. Then, the left-handed Luis "Boom Boom Valbuena, who inexplicably owns the Sox, punked Thornton for a two-run double that gave the Cubs a 4-2 lead. That ended Thornton's night, and he took the loss as the North Siders went on to an 8-2 victory.

Thornton is 36 years old, and he's been in steady decline over the last four years. His numbers reflect that. Take a look at the statistics below. In particular, pay attention to the rising ERA and declining strikeout rate.

ERA
2010: 2.67
2011: 3.32
2012: 3.46
2013: 4.00

Ks per 9 IP
2010: 12.0
2011: 9.5
2012: 7.3
2013: 6.7

WHIP
2010: 1.005
2011: 1.358
2012: 1.231
2013: 1.296

Hits per 9 IP
2010: 6.1
2011: 9.1
2012: 8.7
2013: 8.3

HR per 9 IP
2010: 0.4
2011: 0.5
2012: 0.6
2013: 1.3

You can see the problem. Thornton doesn't miss as many bats these days. He gives up more hits and home runs than he did in the past. His ERA climbs each year as a result. It's nothing to be ashamed about. It's just reality for an aging pitcher who has made 60 or more appearances for 7 seven straight seasons. Soon, it will become 8 straight seasons.

There's no reason for the White Sox to waste $6 million on this declining pitcher for next season. Thornton is still useful as a situational left-hander, but you can find guys to fill that particular role for much less money.

There are rumors the Boston Red Sox are interested in Thornton's services for the rest of this year. If I'm White Sox GM Rick Hahn, I'm pulling the trigger on that deal.

Thornton's subtraction from the Sox roster will not hurt the team now or in the future. Thornton has done a nice job for the Sox through the years, but his best days are past and it is time for a change -- for both the player and the team.

White Sox call up Josh Phegley; Jordan Danks optioned

The White Sox made two roster moves before embarking on a brief three-game weekend road trip to Tampa Bay.

Catcher Josh Phegley, 25, has been called up from Triple-A Charlotte, while backup catcher Hector Gimenez was designated for assignment.

Phegley, the 38th overall pick in the 2009 draft, was hitting .316 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs for the Knights. He was chosen to play in the July 14 Futures Game in New York and the July 17 Triple-A All-Star Game. Instead, he'll be the new starting catcher for the White Sox.

This move relegates Tyler Flowers (pictured) to the bench. The Sox had hoped Flowers would fill the shoes of veteran A.J. Pierzynski, who signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers last offseason. Instead, Flowers has struggled both offensively and defensively. He is batting a measly .208 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 65 games. He also has seven passed balls and has thrown out just 25 percent of baserunners who have attempted to steal against him.

Flowers will probably play a little more frequently than Gimenez as a backup, but it's unlikely he'll be in the lineup anymore than twice a week moving forward. It is possible Phegley will see time at DH on days he's not catching, at least until veteran 1B/DH Paul Konerko comes off the disabled list after the All-Star break.

In a second move, outfielder Jordan Danks was optioned to Charlotte and outfielder Blake Tekotte was recalled. Tekotte, 26, was hitting .249 at Charlotte and is not considered a prospect anymore. Danks was 5-for-37 at the plate in limited playing time with the Sox. What would be the point of this move? The Chicago media asked manager Robin Ventura that question:

“We’re just making a different move,” Ventura said. “It’s nothing he’s done. We’ve got to go give him at-bats. It’s not easy sitting around and expecting to do well with one hit every two weeks. That’s the tough part of the game.”

In other words, the team is getting ready to trade right fielder Alex Rios. Somebody will have to play right field once that happens, and that somebody is Danks. So, he needs to go to Charlotte and chip the rust off his bat in preparation for the opportunity that awaits.

Is Danks part of the Sox future plans? I doubt it. He's a backup outfielder in my estimation. But sometimes you need placeholders while you're looking to acquire or develop somebody better.

Welcome to rebuilding, Sox fans. Ain't it fun? 

Happy Fourth of July to all!