#AskSpector: Is White Sox manager Robin Ventura on the hot seat?

Jesse Spector

#AskSpector: Is White Sox manager Robin Ventura on the hot seat? image

Welcome back to the #AskSpector tweetbag, where all of your questions will be answered. OK, some of your questions, and quite possibly not to your satisfaction. But whose fault is that, anyway? Actually, don't answer that. Just enjoy the fact that we get to have this time together in the middle of the busy baseball season. To ask your question, about baseball or anything else, just head over to Twitter and send it with the #AskSpector hashtag. It's that easy!

 

 

The White Sox are four games under .500, at 21-25, which hardly screams "fire the manager."

The White Sox are four games under .500, at 21-25, even though their lineup has tallied the fewest runs in the American League, hit the fewest homers and posted the lowest OPS. The lowest ERA among Chicago's starting pitchers is 3.66 (Chris Sale, naturally) and the .737 OPS allowed by Pale Hose relievers is the fourth-worst in the Junior Circuit. Basically, the White Sox are playing about as badly as they can possibly play, but they're only four games under .500, which should get the manager a raise. Chicago's actual record is three games better than its Pythagorean record of 18-28, based on having been outscored 215-167 for the season.

This is a team that was expected to hit, but the only players with an OPS+ of better than 100 are Avisail Garcia, Jose Abreu, Adam LaRoche and Gordon Beckham. Oh, also Jeff Samardzija, who went 1-for-2 in interleague play. On the pitching side, Samardzija has been mildly disappointing, Jose Quintana has been majorly disappointing and John Danks has been almost as bad as Hector Noesi.

When his bosses decide that this is somehow Ventura's fault, he'll get fired. But the players have plenty of responsibility in the matter.

 

 

I don't get it. The Rays usually are smarter than a team that would have a leadoff man with a .270 on-base percentage, but here we are. Kevin Kiermaier has been the No. 1 hitter in 21 games, the most of anyone on the Tampa Bay roster. As I looked at that roster, the name that jumped out at me as someone who should be leading off was David DeJesus. He's hit in the top spot 13 times, tied with Brandon Guyer for the second-most on the team. Guyer also is a solid choice.

 

 

I have no idea. I wouldn't have had the Tigers going for David Price last year. Dave Dombrowski goes out and makes the deals that he thinks can help his team the most. Perhaps, this year, that will include shoring up the bullpen. Who the Tigers are interested in also will depend on which teams become sellers. For now, it's just too early to say.

 

 

I think the Giants' pitching looks just fine right now, though with Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong being way up there in age, and Jake Peavy old and hurt, it's something to monitor as the trade deadline approaches.

 

 

The most likely scenario for the Mets remains waiting until closer to the deadline to assess where they are, how their young talent is performing, and adjust accordingly. That's also another two months to evaluate Wright's health.

 

 

It definitely can happen. It's that "when" part that's a problem, both on MLB's side and Montreal's side. There needs to be a legitimate plan in place from the city to get a suitable ballpark for Major League Baseball in this century. The stadium wouldn't have to be built in time for a new team to play -- Stade Olympique would be acceptable for a year, maybe two -- but it has to be really and truly happening. But how do you get a team there? Relocation or expansion? There are no teams -- not even the Rays -- who are in such dire straits that they absolutely have to move. Meanwhile, there are currently two 15-team leagues, leading to scheduling problems, while expansion always is a good way for owners to get some free money -- and to boost offense in the game, a stated goal of the commissioner. Could Montreal get a new team by the end of this decade? I wouldn't bank on it, but the case for such a thing happening looks better all the time.

 

 

Going to Milwaukee and eating all of the available types of sausage at once was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it.

 

 

I do believe in Verlander. I hope to see him back on a mound, healthy and pitching, soon. He's 32 years old, so he might not return to being the dominant power pitcher he was, but I do think he's a smart enough pitcher to remain effective when healthy.

 

 

Huge edge for Kershaw, if he can get the ball in the strike zone at all with his off hand. Hitting a baseball with an upside-down bat will not have much of an effect at all. There's a reason hitters try to get the ball on the fat part of the bat, as they say.

 

 

Have an independent doctor on hand at each game to make those determinations. Still, there will be players who can beat tests, proclaim themselves fine and play on, even though they know that the concussion is there and will be diagnosed for sure the next day. Lots of players are willing to play through extreme pain and put themselves in danger. It doesn't mean they should be allowed to do it, but some won't be able to be stopped.

 

 

3-D printers are pretty much magic, but I don't think they've advanced to producing organic matter just yet.

 

 

Now that we're almost 1/3rd of the way in, I haven't been wrong about anything, nor have I been right about anything, because my picks for making the playoffs were based on 162 games. I had the Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Mariners and Angels in the American League, with the Nationals, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers and Giants in the National League.

 

 

I think that anything that would make good closer music would make good road trip music. My pick for the best road trip song is one that I've always wanted to see a closer use: "Invincible" by OK Go.

 

 

The incidents that led to me getting ejected from the Igloo in 2008, when I went to Pittsburgh as a fan, were drinking several beers at a bar across the street before the game and drinking several beers in the arena during the game. The consumption of those beers led to behavior that was against the rules of the establishment, and I was politely asked to leave.

 

 

No, but I don't think there is a right coach for the Sharks right now. They missed their window with this group.

 

 

It kind of has to be the NCAA, doesn't it? Nobody can match college athletics for the amount of participants and opportunity for shady dealings. The major pro leagues all are confederations of 30-32 billionaires, and really, if last year didn't bring down Roger Goodell, it is hard to imagine what would.

 

 

"Interesting" is not the word I would use. It's more emotionally draining, certainly. I would be thrilled to have a mediocre mid- table club next season. The last three seasons following Sunderland probably have taken years off my life.

 

 

No. She's 2, and the last thing she wants to do with stickers is put them in a book. She decided the other day that a Barret Jackman hockey sticker should be applied to last year's Mets magnetic schedule. I have enough stickers around the house to keep my daughter entertained until she is ready to put stickers in albums.

 

 

Still mostly in Toronto, and happier than they were a few months ago.

 

 

A lot of them are really enjoyable, but the winner is "Tik Tok" because of the great opening to The Simpsons that it provided to the world.

 

 

I have not.

 

 

Yes. Just add "usewife," and you're there.

 

 

I told you that you don't have to ask about it, but since you did, I'll answer. The Bat-Man Suit is the best Acme product. It actually allowed Wile E. to fly. The only reason that it didn't work for him was that he got arrogant, lost his focus and flew right into the side of a cliff. That's on him, and not Acme for once.

Maybe you could argue the same for the earthquake pills, but that's some mighty small print that said they're not effective on road-runners. Also, why is Acme sending stuff to the Coyote if it's not effective on road-runners?

 

 

I've always liked the theory that the Coyote is a product tester for Acme.

Jesse Spector