Ozzie Guillen isn't the easiest manager to understand, but when he talks, we listen – especially when he's discussing his ninth-inning plans.Brad Evans discussed the Chicago bullpen Saturday in Closing Time (Chris Sale closed, Matt Thornton rested), and Guillen addressed his bullpen before Sunday's game. Matt Thornton, you're still the head of the room, but it might not be an exclusive gig.
Here's what Ozzie had to say, from Kevin Allen of ESPN Chicago:
"I've got three or four guys who can close," Guillen said. "I got [Jesse] Crain, [Chris] Sale, [Sergio] Santos and Thornton that can close the end of the game. Don't be surprised if you see one of those guys. We'll do that because someone needs the rest or we like the matchup better. There's a lot of things going through our minds about who's going to be pitching the ninth."
"I didn't use Thornton [Saturday] because we used him too much the night before -- he got too many pitches," Guillen continued. "If Thornton was ready [Saturday], I would have put him in. That's the way it should be. Meanwhile, don't be surprised when you see Santos on the mound in closing situations."
Yikes. That's not what fantasy owners want to hear – we like simple, open-and-shut bullpens. At least Guillen has plenty of quality options to consider, but Thornton probably deserves a longer leash based on his track record and how Friday's blown save went down (all runs unearned, two errors in the field).
The White Sox won comfortably over Tampa Bay on Sunday – a 6-1 victory where Gavin Floyd worked eight super innings – so we didn't find out anything new on the field. The Sox remain home all next week, hosting the Athletics and Angels.
If I were entering a new draft today, this is how I'd attack the White Sox saves chase: Thornton, Sale, Santos, Crain. Feel free to make your picks in the comments.
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Image courtesy Associated Press
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