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Home , 2010 Chicago Cubs season, Adam LaRoche, Eight Men Out, Emilio Bonifacio, Geovany Soto, Gordon Beckham

Headlines of July 29, 2015 “Red-hot White Sox aren't ready to watch standings” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox back Shark for sixth straight win” … Scott Merkin and Alec Shirkey, MLB.com “Betts flies over fence on catch-turned-homer” … Alec Shirkey, MLB.com “Samardzija rises above Trade Deadline buzz” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox rave about Pedro” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox eye seventh straight win” … Quinn Roberts, MLB.com “LaRoche eager to join White Sox parade” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “MLB Commissioner denies latest appeal for reinstatement” … John Owens, Tribune “Significant mileposts are coming into view for White Sox” … Colleen Kane, “Tuesday's recap: White Sox 9, Red Sox 4” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Slumping Adam LaRoche getting some time off to sort things out” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox crank out nine more runs, win sixth straight” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox shatters windshield at ” … Blair Sheade, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox players talk with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez” … Blair Sheade, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox notes: Sanchez gets a rest” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox beat Red Sox 9-4” … The , ESPN.com “Red Sox CF hurt in tumble over OF wall that allows HR” … Gordon Edes, ESPN.com “Tuesday's MLB trade news and views” … ESPN.com “Tonight on CSN: White Sox send Quintana in quest for seven” … CSN Chicago “Abreu, Soto homer as White Sox rout Red Sox for sixth straight win” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “ continues to excel despite Sharknado of trade rumors” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Instant replay earns Jose Abreu a homer” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox have fond memories of Pedro Martinez” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Adam LaRoche: 'My pride has been injured a little bit'” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “See how Midwest Orthopedics at Rush cares for White Sox players” … CSN Chicago “What it's like to watch a White Sox game with President Obama” … Ira Berkow, CSN Chicago “The Bernstein Brief: White Sox Are in Low-Risk Spot” … Dan Bernstein, CBS Sports Chicago

Red-hot White Sox aren't ready to watch standings

Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 29, 2015

The standings and the White Sox appear to have mended fences.

After underachieving for most of the 2015 season, the South Siders claimed their sixth straight victory Tuesday night by virtue of a 9-4 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Not only are the White Sox winning, but they are winning by a combined 45-17 margin during a stretch that has pushed them to 48-50 overall.

That record leaves the White Sox just 3 1/2 the for the second AL Wild Card spot and seemingly jumping over teams by the day in the race for the postseason. Yet, they don't seem very interested in interacting with those standings until absolutely necessary.

"Again, as soon as you start paying attention to that, you take your focus off of what's going well," White Sox manager said. "Right now, this is all going well and you continue with that. You don't need to pay attention to [the standings]. There's still a lot of left."

No truer words were ever spoken by a man who has guided the South Siders from almost certain seller mode, with the non-waiver Trade Deadline approaching Friday, to respectability. There has been a lot of talk about whether it's too late for the White Sox to get into the race for that second Wild Card, but in reality, they have 64 games to play.

And business will pick up starting this weekend with the White Sox hosting the Yankees and Rays and then moving on to Kansas City. So, instead of worrying about what others are doing or where they currently reside in the big picture, they simply worry about themselves.

"From time to time we check the standings, but it's not something where we put all of our attention," said White Sox Jose Abreu through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "Our main focus and our attention is in the daily game. Try to do what we are best at every day. That's the way you can win games and move up in the standings.

"We are trying to keep that tempo. Try hard every day, and like I said before, the results have to be with us [at some point]. We've been working so hard to play better."

A number of White Sox players have talked about breaks not going their way for much of this season, but even that fact seems to be changing. Abreu picked up a home Tuesday that only cleared the fence because Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts caught the ball, fell over the right-center-field wall and the ball came loose when he landed on his upper back in the bullpen. Upon video review following a White Sox challenge, the out call was changed to Abreu's 16th homer.

Abreu didn't have much to say about the play postgame, adding he has never had it happen before but the was welcome. The White Sox follow a similar low-key approach. Success is appreciated as a team, almost now expected with the talent on this roster, but there's more to achieve.

White Sox back Shark for sixth straight win

Scott Merkin and Alec Shirkey / MLB.com | July 29, 2015

Melky Cabrera tallied four hits, Jose Abreu went deep and a solid Jeff Samardzija pitched into the ninth inning on Tuesday night as the surging White Sox cruised to a 9-4 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

"It's outstanding," said Samardzija of the White Sox sixth straight victory. "The way these guys have been playing behind us is impressive, not only the runs, but the defense has been outstanding. [Tyler] Saladino had some great plays for me out there. Even our video staff was getting in on the action having a great day, [Mike] Kashirsky showed up today finally. Only took him about 85 games."

With the non-waiver Trade Deadline coming on Friday, Samardzija allowed four runs over eight-plus innings, but he pitched a better game than his line indicated, at one point retiring 13 batters in a row. It was the 10th consecutive start in which he pitched seven or more innings.

The Red Sox were again done in by a subpar effort from their starting , as left-hander surrendered seven runs on a season-high 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings. connected on a two-run homer in the second inning, his first long ball since June 28, but Boston would not score again until the ninth as it fell to 2-10 since the All-Star break.

"I see the guys show up every day, they're doing their best," said. "The work ethic is there. I don't see anyone loafing around showing less effort. As long as you show up every day and do the best you can, that's all anyone, especially [manager ] and his staff, can ask for."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Second verse, same as the first: For the second straight game, the White Sox jumped on a Boston starter in the first inning. They scored four off on Monday and one-upped themselves with five on Tuesday against Miley. Geovany Soto's two-run stood as the big hit of the inning, as Chicago has scored 14 first-inning runs over its last four games.

"We've seen it happen to us, so we know it can happen. We're still behind in the first-inning race," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura, whose team has been outscored, 74-41, in the opening frame. "They've seen it before, and I think they come out aggressive and if it's in there, go after it. Before, we might not have felt like that inning would continue on. Right now, they feel like it's going to continue until the last guy bats."

You can put it on the board... wait… yes: Abreu picked up what might be the oddest home run in recent memory in the sixth inning. The White Sox slugger launched a long fly ball to right-center that was tracked down by center fielder Mookie Betts, who took two steps and leaped into the fence before tumbling over, into the Boston bullpen. As he landed on his upper back the ball came loose, so Ventura challenged what was ruled a catch. The call was overturned on review, giving Abreu homer No. 16 and the White Sox a five-run lead.

"The umpires saw the replay and they called it," said Abreu, through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "I don't have anything more to say. It was a rule." More >

Wade stumbles early: Miley gave up five runs in the first and had the Red Sox playing catch-up the entire game. After striking out to begin the inning, Miley allowed six of the next seven White Sox batters to reach base on five hits (three doubles) and a walk. The Red Sox are now 12-44 this season when their opponent scores first.

"Not a lot of command in the first inning," Miley said. "A lot of fastballs in the middle of the plate. Really just not a good effort [of] me making any adjustments that first inning. I just let it keep going. Probably had a couple opportunities to maybe minimize the damage and I didn't do a very good job of it."

QUOTABLE "That's an unbelievable effort Mookie just gave to try to go run that ball down. That's kind of how he plays. He's going to give you everything he's got every out. Unfortunately, it didn't go for us. I thought he made an unbelievable play, whatever the rule states. It is what it is. But hats off to Mookie for the effort." -- Miley, on Betts' near-catch

INJURY CONCERNS Emilio Bonifacio doubled home a run in the first inning, but then crumpled to the ground about halfway down the first- base line during his inning-ending groundout in the third. The veteran infielder, who was serving as DH in this one, left the game when Carlos Sanchez pinch-hit for him in the fifth. Ventura said after the game the injury could be an oblique but was not certain.

Betts was removed with symptoms consistent with a concussion after his play on Abreu's drive in the sixth. Rusney Castillo replaced him in center field.

PEDRO HONORED The Red Sox held a stirring pregame ceremony for Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, who had his No. 45 jersey retired by the franchise. Martinez addressed a sellout crowd at Fenway Park and was congratulated on the field by several former teammates and Red Sox greats, including , and .

UPON FURTHER REVIEW The Red Sox lost a challenge in the sixth inning when Miley attempted to pick off Eaton, who was ruled safe after diving back to first base ahead of the tag. The play was allowed to stand as called following two minutes and 20 seconds of review.

WHAT'S NEXT Away: Jose Quintana threw his first career and first all in one during his last trip to the mound against the Indians. Quintana gets the call as this series continues on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, carrying a 1-0 record with a 1.27 ERA over three career starts against Boston.

Red Sox: pitched his best outing in weeks against the Tigers on Friday, holding his former club to one run over seven strong innings, and the right-hander will try to stay on track when he faces the White Sox on Wednesday night. Infielder , acquired in a trade with the Angels on Monday, and reliever (waiver claim from the Giants) are expected to arrive in Boston before the game.

Betts flies over fence on catch-turned-homer

Alec Shirkey / MLB.com | July 29, 2015

Few are the times a player goes over the outfield wall to make a catch, but Tuesday night provided baseball fans with an even rarer highlight: A home run that took a player out of the park with it.

What was nearly an amazing catch by Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts became a wild two-run blast for White Sox slugger Jose Abreu in a 9-4 Chicago win at Fenway Park. And had it not been for the replay review system instituted last season, the near-catch might have gone down as Betts' best yet, even though it took him out of the game with a potential concussion.

In the sixth inning, Abreu smacked a first-pitch fastball to right-center field that Betts gathered in his glove just before leaping into the short wall and tumbling into the Boston bullpen. Although originally ruled an out, television replay showed the ball rolling out of Betts' glove as he landed on his upper back near the base of his neck. White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged, and the call was overturned following a lengthy review.

Betts, who was tracked by Statcast™ at a top speed of 18.9 mph, had to leave the game after his hard landing on the play.

"The umpires saw the replay, and they called it," Abreu said. "I don't have anything more to say. It was a rule." The rule was 5.09 (a), and the pertinent portion reads as follows:

"... It is not a catch, however, if simultaneously or immediately following his contact with the ball, he collides with a player, or with a wall, or if he falls down, and as a result of such collision or falling, drops the ball. ... In establishing the validity of the catch, the fielder shall hold the ball long enough to prove he has complete control of the ball and that his release of the ball is voluntary and intentional. ... "

Crew chief and second-base umpire Bill Miller issued a statement on the ruling after the game, and described the play almost as a football referee might have: "[Betts] had the ball in his glove. He went up against the wall and it disappeared. In our estimation, that's a catch, because we never saw the ball come out.

"We went to replay, Robin Ventura asked us to go to replay, and replay told us it was a home run.

"The wording we use is he has to have 'control of his body.' In this case, we couldn't tell if the ball was on the ground on the other side of the fence or not, and so that's why we went to replay. They determined he didn't have control of his body when he hit the fence and the ball popped out."

Abreu's two-run homer gave the White Sox a 7-2 lead and chased Red Sox starter Wade Miley after 5 2/3 innings.

"That's an unbelievable effort Mookie just gave to try to go run that ball down," Miley said. "That's kind of how he plays. He's going to give you everything he's got every out. Unfortunately, it didn't go for us. I thought he made an unbelievable play, whatever the rule states. It is what it is. But hats off to Mookie for the effort."

Betts had to be helped up by his teammates and was slow to walk back to the Red Sox dugout as Rusney Castillo replaced him in center field.

Betts exhibited the symptoms of a concussion after being taken into the clubhouse to undergo MLB's concussion testing protocol, according to Boston manager John Farrell.

Red Sox reliever Justin Masterson saw the play up close while he was warming up in the bullpen. A difference of inches, he said, could have swung gravity in Boston's favor.

"I've never seen it finish where he drops the ball, because we never had the camera angle to see if he dropped the ball or not," Masterson said. "So I don't know if I've seen a guy fall over and drop it. But I don't think most guys when they tumble over the wall -- it doesn't happen very often, for one -- and two, just the way he landed.

"He kind of caught the feet on it. If he had been able to just somehow get a little bit more side, it would still hurt like the dickens, but it might not have been in such a vulnerable spot. He saw the wall and was like, 'Uh oh, I'm about to smash into the wall.'"

As for Abreu, who extended his hitting streak to eight games with a three-hit performance, the ruling left him plenty satisfied.

"No, [I've never seen that] in my life," he said. "But it's welcome."

Samardzija rises above Trade Deadline buzz

Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 29, 2015

Jeff Samardzija took the mound Tuesday night, for the White Sox, and put together another strong outing in the team's 9-4 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

There was some question as to whether Samardzija would even make this start for the South Siders, with his name coming up numerous times in rumors and speculation as Friday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches. But once again, Samardzija didn't let the outside distractions get to him.

"After the last couple of years, I'm pretty confident in what I'm concentrating on and what's important to me," said Samardzija, who threw 73 of his 114 pitches for strikes. "Things are not in my control, and there's really no reason to worry about them. As long as we can keep playing the way we play and up to our standards, it's going to be hard to break anyone up, and we have a great group here and I think we expect a lot of great things out of ourselves."

The right-hander, along with many players across the league in a similar situation, has been mentioned as a possible trade piece because he is set to become a free agent in the offseason.

"He's done a great job," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "I know there's a lot of speculation and there is probably a Shark Watch somewhere. He's done a great job of just staying focused on what he's doing. I enjoy having him go out there every five days, that's for sure."

Samardzija allowed four runs on seven hits over eight-plus innings, striking out three. But after giving up three hits in the first two innings, the right-hander didn't allow another hit until the eighth, covering 21 straight batters.

Tuesday's start marked his 10th straight going at least seven innings, which stands as a career best. His next start is scheduled for Sunday, and with the White Sox matching a season-high winning streak at six games, it looks more and more as if Samardzija will be making that trip to the mound against the Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field. But Samardzija doesn't seem worried about the situation.

"I'm not a GM," said a smiling Samardzija. "You want to improve every time out and I think I've done that and now it's just about sustaining where you're at and improving little things."

White Sox rave about Pedro

Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 28th, 2015

Among White Sox pitchers, Jeff Samardzija stands as the best hitter of that group. That level of talent still didn't prepare him for a lone career at-bat against Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who had his No. 45 retired by the Red Sox prior to Tuesday night's game.

Samardzija struck out, but should take solace in the fact that he was not alone in those Martinez-based struggles. Adam LaRoche was 4-for-23 in his career against Martinez, while was 1-for-5.

Manager Robin Ventura posted a 3-for-21 ledger during his playing career against the Red Sox legend.

"I probably helped him get [to the Hall of Fame], I can tell you that," Ventura said. "He threw hard, good command, change was unbelievable.

"Not a lot of fun going to the plate thinking you were going to do something against him but you knew you had your hands full. It just wasn't fun, going up there trying to sit on something because he could throw anything at any time."

Martinez limited fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas to two hits in 24 at-bats, with one homer and 11 . finished 4-for-14, was 2-for-10 and Ozzie Guillen was 3-for-9 when facing Martinez.

LaRoche spoke of a game against Martinez in which he worked into the sixth inning without using a fastball. He didn't know if Martinez was doing it just to see if he could.

"He had two different kinds of changeups he was using and a or and after like the second or third inning, we're thinking 'OK, that must be his fastball today. He must be hurting or something,'" LaRoche said. "And then in the sixth he threw one at 90 or 91 or whatever and started using his fastball again.

"Sure enough he was shutting us down with basically a changeup and a real slow changeup. Just a creative mind and knew how to get guys out."

Much like LaRoche, Martinez was considered a consummate teammate. Players raved about being around him, a trait shared by his fellow Sunday Hall of Fame inductees Craig Biggio, and .

On Tuesday, though, the night belonged to Martinez at Fenway Park.

"He's 'Pedro Grande' and he's one of the best from the Dominican Republic, and to be able to face him was exciting," said Cabrera through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "He's a great human being.

"When he was on the field, he was outstanding. He was aggressive because that is his nature and because he liked to compete. But off the field he also was a great person. He's humble. In the Dominican Republic, he's an idol, and he was my idol also."

White Sox eye seventh straight win

Quinn Roberts / MLB.com | July 29, 2015

Each looking to build off his previous start, White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana and Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello will take the hill on Wednesday night at Fenway Park as Chicago seeks its seventh straight victory.

Quintana picked up his first complete game and first shutout of the season in his last start, holding the Indians to seven hits while striking out eight and walking none. The left-hander has walked just one batter in his last six starts.

Against the Tigers, his former club, Porcello allowed one run on five hits in seven innings for the no-decision in his last outing. It marked the first time since May 5 that he held an opponent to fewer than two runs.

Things to know about this game

• Quintana is 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox. In his lone start against Boston last season, he allowed three runs in seven innings of a no-decision.

• Porcello has faced the White Sox 19 times, the second-most times he's faced any opponent. He's 9-7 with a 4.02 ERA against them, with one complete game.

• White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has the fourth-most at-bats against Porcello, hitting .160 (8-for-50) with one home run.

• Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts is questionable for this game after showing concussion-like symptoms following a wild crash into and over the right-center-field wall on Jose Abreu's home run Tuesday night.

LaRoche eager to join White Sox hit parade

Scott Merkin / MLB.com | July 28th, 2015

Adam LaRoche didn't know he was getting the day off Monday until he arrived at Fenway Park for the White Sox series opener with the Red Sox. The veteran designated hitter/first baseman, mired in a season-long slump, didn't argue with the decision made by manager Robin Ventura.

"I told Robin, 'I don't want it. But I know I need it,'" said LaRoche, who spoke on Day 2 of his two-day break from the starting lineup. "I've played long enough to where I know there's a time when you are just fighting against yourself every day. [Ventura] could sense it and he's been there, and that's why I think he said now is the time to take a day or two and kind of relax and try to reset.

"It will help, no question it will help. I just want to help out. That's the most frustrating part. Been there before, done it for plenty of years, and to not be able to do it for this long of a time, it just [stinks]. It's a mental thing now, I will say that."

The White Sox entered Tuesday's game with a .314 average, seven home runs and 36 runs scored (7.2 per game) over the team's five-game winning streak. They had recorded 10-plus hits four times and scored seven or more runs in four games. Add in a .386 mark with runners in , and it's easy to see why the team feels this current streak is different from other moments of excellence earlier in the season.

That resurgence on offense has not rubbed off on LaRoche. He has a .122 average (6-for-49) with one RBI in his last 14 games, despite making small changes in swing mechanics. So with LaRoche admitting the slump has become more mental, it makes sense for him to get the rest.

"I'm healing. My pride has been injured a little bit," said LaRoche with a bit of an exasperated smile. "I'm going to use these couple of days to kind of regroup. I told you guys before, it has been frustrating. "I've tried to change small things that probably don't show up. It hasn't been a huge mechanical adjustment outside of some little things that you probably couldn't see unless you were looking for them. They just don't seem to be working, so keep fighting through it. Keep swinging."

By the time LaRoche gets going, he hopes the White Sox attack remains on an upswing. Ventura pointed out that it's no longer about what LaRoche has done to date, or any player for that matter, but how he finishes through the next 64.

"We've kind of [gone from] that mentality of 'I hope we are going to score a bunch' to showing up and 'We are probably going to score a lot of runs today,'" LaRoche said. "That last series against Cleveland kind of started it.

"Showing signs of what the lineup can do. Good to see, which I've been watching most of it. It's fun to watch, but it would be nice to be able to participate in that here hopefully shortly."

MLB Commissioner denies latest appeal for Buck Weaver reinstatement

John Owens, Chicago Tribune July 28, 2015 e latest request to get Major League Baseball to clear the name of former White Sox third baseman Buck Weaver, one of the eight Sox players banned from baseball after being accused of throwing the 1919 , has been denied.

In a three-page letter addressed late last week to Weaver advocate David Fletcher, Commissioner Rob Manfred said he wouldn't re-open the case, citing information that Weaver had participated in players-only meetings in 1919 to discuss the scheme to fix the World Series.

"The great weight of scholarly research we have discovered confirms Mr. Weaver's presence at these meetings and his awareness of the scheme to fix the ," Manfred wrote. "There is some evidence that he took an active role in proposing the design of the scheme."

"I, therefore, decline to give additional consideration to this matter."

Patricia Anderson, the niece of third baseman Buck Weaver, holds up a photo of her uncle as she sits in her home in Kimberling City, Mo. on May 17, 2015. (John Owens / Chicago Tribune) It is an extremely disappointing decision for Weaver's family. The family, working with Fletcher, the founder of the Chicago Baseball Museum, had formally requested in March that Manfred reinstate Weaver.

Family members hoped to for a favorable ruling while Weaver's niece, 88-year-old Patricia Anderson, is still alive. The former Sox player raised his niece on Chicago's South Side as his surrogate daughter after her father died when she was 4.

"I know I'm pretty old, so I hope he can be reinstated while I'm still alive," Anderson told the Tribune earlier this year from her home in Kimberling City, Mo. "That way, I can let him know up there that he's back in."

Anderson, who has been in and out of the hospital over the past year for various illnesses related to a bladder infection, was admitted to Cox Hospital in Branson, Mo. on Sunday, after suffering from internal bleeding.

She is recovering from surgery, which took place on Tuesday. Her family has not told her about Manfred's decision.

"We want her to feel stronger before we tell her," said Debbie Ebert, Anderson's daughter. "She really thought something would happen with the new commissioner, so she'll be heart-broken."

Added Anderson's granddaughter, Kristi Berg: "Sometimes, you wonder if she is just hanging on (for Weaver's reinstatement). This is something that has been so important to her."

Weaver's innocence in the 1919 World Series scandal has been a topic of discussion ever since he and seven other players dubbed the "Black Sox" were banned from organized baseball in 1921 by then-Commissioner , after being accused of accepting money from gamblers to throw the games against the Reds.

Almost from the time he was banned from baseball, Weaver lobbied tirelessly on his own behalf, saying that he never took money for the fix and citing his stellar performance in the Series — he had a .324 average with no errors. He appealed unsuccessfully for his reinstatement six times to Landis and successors Happy Chandler and Ford Frick before dying in 1956.

Anderson and other relatives took up the cause after Weaver's death. And most literature on the subject — including 's book "Eight Men Out" (1963) — has portrayed Weaver as someone who didn't throw the games or take money from gamblers.

But historians believed that recently unearthed documents about the Black Sox now at the Chicago History Museum — including grand jury testimony from 1920, the only known existing copy of the 1921 criminal trial court transcripts (where all eight players were acquitted of criminal charges) and documents from Weaver's 1922 lawsuit for back pay — would result in posthumous reinstatement.

In those documents, Weaver never is mentioned as a conspirator. In fact, Billy Maharg, a gambler involved in the 1919 Series fix, stated during testimony in the back-pay trial that he had no knowledge of Weaver being involved in the fix.

"These new documents offer further proof that of anyone who has been banned from baseball, Buck Weaver has the strongest case to be reinstated," said Jacob Pomrenke of the Society of American Baseball Research, who is the editor for "Scandal on the South Side," the recently released book on the 1919 Black Sox.

But Manfred's letter did not mention these recently unearthed documents. Instead, the commissioner cited a 1956 Sports Illustrated interview with former White Sox player , who accused Weaver of being an active participant in the fix who was present at the players-only meetings on the subject.

Weaver's supporters say Gandil — long-believed to be the ringleader of the fix — wasn't a credible witness.

"Of course, (Gandil) would try to pass the buck and make himself seem less guilty," Ebert said. "His statements were complete hearsay, and Buck wasn't given a chance to rebut them."

"There is no dispute that Buck attended two meetings where the throwing of the World Series was discussed," added Fletcher, who also runs a website on Weaver's behalf called ClearBuck.com. "But he rejected being part of the scheme as evidenced by his performance in 1919 World Series and the fact that no one has ever said he took any money as part of the scheme."

Manfred also said that Weaver's case shouldn't be reopened because he had knowledge of the fix.

"Judge Landis determined that the best interest of the Game was threatened not only by players who acted, undertook or promised to throw games, but also by players who participated in discussions with other players and gamblers concerning the ways and means of throwing games without reporting such schemes to appropriate authorities," Manfred wrote.

But historians like Pomrenke say that argument is specious, because gambling and throwing games were common knowledge among players, managers and owners in organized baseball during the late 19th and early 20th century.

"Buck was one of hundreds or thousands of people in baseball who had guilty knowledge of gambling and throwing games in the sport," Pomrenke said. "It was baseball's worst kept secret at the time."

Still, Weaver's supporters were appreciative of the detailed response from Manfred.

"In a weird way, it makes me feel a little better, because he actually made a decision, even though it's not the decision we want," Berg said. "It's different from someone like (former MLB Commissioner) Bud Selig, who would just tell us that the case was under advisement."

Despite Manfred's decision, historians familiar with the case say that they will continue to try to uncover new evidence that could help determine Weaver's innocence.

"Even though this probably closes the book on any chance of reinstatement for Buck in Major League Baseball, we say the scandal is a cold case and not a closed case," Pomrenke said.

Significant mileposts are coming into view for White Sox

Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune July 28, 2015

The crowd at Fenway Park was in great spirits before Tuesday night's game as the Red Sox retired Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez's number.

Before the top of the first inning was over against left-hander Wade Miley, though, the White Sox had irritated the fans so much that they mixed boos and chants of "Pedro! Pedro!" together to voice their distaste.

The White Sox offense, out to prove its recent scoring outburst isn't a fluke, scored five first-inning runs to give Jeff Samardzija a nice cushion for his last start before Friday's trade deadline.

Whether it was also his last start in a White Sox uniform this season is the big question after his club won its sixth straight game with a 9-4 victory over the Red Sox. The White Sox climbed to within two games of .500 for the first time since June 10 and climbed over the Tigers so four teams now stand between them and the second American League wild- card spot.

Samardzija said he is not worrying about the deadline.

"No, I'm not a GM," he said. "So there's really no reason to worry about it. As long as we keep playing the way we can play and up to our standards, it's going to be hard to break anyone up because we have a great group here and we expect a lot of great things out of ourselves."

Samardzija cruised to an easy eighth victory with the first-inning lead. He gave up a two-run homer to Pablo Sandoval in the second but didn't allow another run until giving up three straight singles to start the ninth.

Samardzija and the rotation were never the primary reason for the first-half hole.

Jeff Samardzija celebrates with Jose Abreu after he made a defensive play in the seventh inning. As the front office tries to make decisions about whom to trade and whom to keep this week, it must scrutinize the club's recent offensive surge against struggling teams to try to determine if it can sustain a longer run at the second wild card. The White Sox don't face a starter with an ERA below 4.00 in their series at Fenway Park.

Meanwhile, Melky Cabrera's recent run no longer can be classified as a fluke.

With a , two doubles and a Tuesday, Cabrera had his sixth straight multihit game, the best streak for a White Sox hitter since had six straight in 2009.

He doubled to drive in the first run, and Avisail Garcia, Geovany Soto and Emilio Bonifacio added run-scoring hits in the inning. Soto also hit a homer in the seventh.

"This is what we've been looking for all year," Samardzija said of the offense. "The great thing is the pitchers have fought and the defense has played great long enough to allow the hitters to come around as a lineup."

Said Cabrera, through a team interpreter: "We're enjoying the game, and that's important. The pitchers have been doing their job also, and we're hitting the ball well.

"This is one of the best moments of the season for us."

Tuesday's recap: White Sox 9, Red Sox 4

Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune July 28, 2015

White Sox extended their winning streak to six games and moved to two games below .500 for the first time since June 10 with a 9-4 victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The White Sox have outscored their opponents 45-17 during their 6-0 trip to Cleveland and Boston.

Pivotal at-bats

Melky Cabrera, Geovany Soto and Emilio Bonifacio doubled in runs against left-hander Wade Miley in the five-run first.

On the mound

With eight-plus innings pitched, Jeff Samardzija has thrown at least seven innings in 10 consecutive games, a career high and the longest streak in baseball this year.

Favorable review

After a White Sox challenge, Jose Abreu was credited with a two-run homer in the sixth when center fielder Mookie Betts caught the ball but dropped it after jumping and falling over the bullpen wall in right-center.

Key number

6 — Consecutive multi-hit games for Cabrera, the most by a White Sox player since Jermaine Dye had six in 2009.

The quote

"I know there's a lot of speculation and there is probably a Shark Watch somewhere. He's done a great job of just staying focused on what he's doing. I enjoy having him go out there every five days, that's for sure." — Manager Robin Ventura on Samardzija blocking out trade rumors

The quote II

"The way these guys have been playing behind us pitchers has been pretty impressive, not only the runs, but the way they've been playing defense has been outstanding. … Even our video staff was getting in on the action, having a great day." — Samardzija

Up next

At Red Sox, 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, CSN.

Slumping Adam LaRoche getting some time off to sort things out

Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune July 28, 2015

Adam LaRoche said he is using his two days off to do some healing.

"My pride has been injured a little bit," LaRoche said Tuesday before sitting out the White Sox's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Manager Robin Ventura has given LaRoche, who joined the Sox via a two-year, $25 million free-agent contract in the offseason, two days off to try to work out his problems at the plate, which have resulted in him hitting .141 with three RBIs and a .345 OPS over 21 games in July.

"I told Robin, 'I don't want it. But I know I need it,'" LaRoche said. "I've played long enough to know there's a time when you are just fighting against yourself every day.

"No question it will help. I just want to help out. That's the most frustrating part. I've been there before, done it for plenty of years and to not be able to do it for this long a time, it just sucks. It's a mental thing now, I will say that."

Ventura started Emilio Bonifacio, who was hitting .160 in 75 at-bats entering Tuesday, at designated hitter over left- handed hitting J.B. Shuck against Red Sox lefty Wade Miley. Bonifacio got in on the White Sox's big five-run first inning Tuesday with a double that gave him just his fourth RBI this season.

But Bonifacio left the game after his third-inning at-bat with a left rib injury and will be re-evaluated Wednesday. Carlos Sanchez took over as the designated hitter in the fifth inning.

Ventura said he wants LaRoche, who in his career has had typically better numbers in August and September, to hit the "reset button."

"You can look at the average, but what really we care about is this point forward," Ventura said. "A lot of guys want to look at the full year picture but all that matters is right now going forward. You want to get him in a good spot and swinging it like he can."

Off the bench: Gordon Beckham, who hadn't started a game at any position since July 17, made just his second start at second base this season.

Ventura said he wanted to get him some playing time and thought facing a lefty was a good time to do it. It meant sitting Sanchez to start the game. But filling in after Bonifacio's injury, Sanchez extended his hitting streak to 11 games, with a .415 batting average and two homers during that stretch.

Fabulous first: The White Sox have outscored opponents 14-2 in the first inning over their last four games. They scored five in the first Tuesday, marking the first time they have scored four-plus runs in the first inning in back-to-back games since Aug. 2-3, 1996, according to Stats LLC.

White Sox crank out nine more runs, win sixth straight

Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times July 28, 2015

Adam Eaton and Jose Abreu are heating up, and Melky Cabrera is on fire.

Even the White Sox’ bottom of the order guys are producing runs these days for a suddenly potent lineup.

From top to bottom, the lowest-scoring outfit in baseball is on its best roll of the season, the latest overflow of runs coming in a 9-4 rout win over the Tuesday, their sixth consecutive victory that gives them, with Jose Quintana and pitching the last two games of an eight-game road trip, a chance to be at .500 at Friday’s trade deadline.

“Right now when you’re playing good ball you just enjoy playing good ball and come to the park the next day trying to repeat,’’ said Samardzija, the subject of trade rumors yet a piece the Sox would need to be factors in a wild card chase.

“After the last couple of years I’m confident what I’m focusing on and what’s important to me,’’ Samardzija said. “Things that aren’t in my control, there’s no reason to worry about them. As long as we keep playing up to our standards it’s going to be hard to break anyone up because we have a great group here and we expect a lot of things from ourselves.’’

The Sox are now getting hits in bunches, driving in runners with less than two outs and giving their starting pitchers comfortable leads. They’re even catching breaks like the big one Abreu got when Red Sox center fielder Mookie Bettis caught his fly ball to deep right-center field on the run but flipped over the wall into the bullpen. It was called an out, but White Sox manager Robin Ventura – who recalled catching a foul ball as a Sox third baseman at Yankee Stadium but losing control of the ball when he slid into the dugout — challenged the call and got it turned into a home run because Betts didn’t “have control of his body,” crew chief Bill Miller said.

Samardzija pitched seven innings or more for the 10th straight time, the longest streak in the majors this season. He gave up a two-run homer to Pablo Sandoval in the second, retired 13 straight batters after that and was dinged for two in the ninth before giving way to Dan Jennings.

The Sox have life for the first time this season, enough to keep general manager Rick Hahn’s asking price high for Samardzija.

“There’s probably a Shark Watch somewhere,’’ manager Robin Ventura said. “But he’s done a great job staying focused doing what he’s doing and I enjoy having him go out there every five days, for sure.’’

The Sox’ rejuvenated offense is making them watchable again. Eaton extended his hitting streak to six and was hit twice by pitches, Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a double and triple to record his sixth straight multiple hits game — the first Sox hitter to do that since Jermaine Dye in 2009 – and Abreu was 3-for-5 with a homer, double and three RBI, extending his hitting streak to eight.

Ninth-place hitter Carlos Sanchez has an 11-game hit streak and backup catcher Geovany Soto hit one over the Green Monster for his third home run in his last four starts. Soto also singled and walked three times, reaching base five times for the second time in his career.

The Sox scored five runs in the first inning after scoring four in the first on Monday, and have averaged more than seven runs a game during the six-game streak.

The four-plus runs in the first inning in consecutive games marks the first time since August 2-3, 1996 at Texas (four and four).

The feeling the Sox clubhouse is “normal,” Samardzija said.

“This is what we’ve been looking for all year,” Samardzija said. “This is the faith we’ve had in our team to do this all year and I think the great thing is the pitchers have fought and the defense has played great, long enough to allow the hitters to come around to get comfortable as a lineup.

“We’ve had five new guys in this lineup all year trying to learn how to play with each other, so it takes time and I think you’re starting to see all that pay off now … and it gives us pitchers a lot of confidence.”

White Sox six-game win streak:

Thursday: Sox 8, Indians 1

Friday: Sox 6, Indians 0

Saturday: Sox 10, Indians 3

Sunday: Sox 2, Indians 1

Monday: Sox 10, Red Sox 8

Tuesday: Sox 9, Red Sox 4

White Sox catcher Geovany Soto shatters windshield at Fenway Park

Blair Sheade, Chicago Sun-Times July 28, 2015

In the top of the seventh inning, White Sox catcher Geovany Soto hit a deep home run off Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson over Fenway Park’s “Green Monster” in left field.

The ball traveled so far it shattered a windshield in the parking lot on the other side of the left field wall.

No indication if Soto will pay for a new windshield, but that car will never park there again.

White Sox players talk with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez

Blair Sheade, Chicago Sun-Times July 28, 2015

Before the White Sox took the field at Fenway Park on Tuesday night, some of the White Sox players got a chance to chat with former Red Sox and Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.

Martinez talked with shortstop Alexei Ramirez and outfielder Melky Cabrera. The former Red Sox All-Star knew Cabrera from the Dominican Republic national team, and Cabrera was proud to see a fellow Dominican Republic native voted into the Hall of Fame.

“They were very special moments for me because like everyone has said, he’s “Pedro Grande” and he’s one of the best from the Dominican Republic, and to be able to face him was exciting,” Cabrera said.

“He’s a great human being. When he was on the field, he was outstanding. He was aggressive because that is his nature and because he liked to compete. But off the field he also was a great person. He’s humble. In the Dominican Republic, he’s an idol, and he was my idol also.”

The eight-time All-Star was 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA and 3,154 strikeouts during his 18-year career.

White Sox notes: Sanchez gets a rest

Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times July 28, 2015

Manager Robin Ventura didn’t want Gordon Beckham and Emilio Bonifacio to rust away, so he got them both in the lineup against against left-hander Wade Miley Tuesday. But Bonificio didn’t last long, suffering a left rib injury and leaving the game after he grounded out in the third inning.

Even though the Sox were on their best roll of the season, Ventura changed the lineup around with Beckham at second base in place of Carlos Sanchez, who had a 10-game hitting streak and was hitting .391 over the last 14 games. Bonifacio, batting .160 in 75 at-bats and not contributing much after he was signed last offseason as a multi-purpose last winter, doubled in a run in the first inning filling in as the designated hitter in place of slumping Adam LaRoche.

Sanchez, a switch-hitter, is hitting .156 against lefties, so it seemed as good a time as any to give the rookie a day off. Sanchez pinch-hit for Bonifacio in the fifth and tapped out to Miley with a runner on third.

“With Miley going, get Beck in there,” Ventura said. “You have to keep those guys fresh and play them and get them in there. There hasn’t really been a spot of late to do that but today is a good day to do that.”

Sanchez will be back in the lineup Wednesday. Bonifacio, who went down in a heap after running about halfway down the first base line, will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

Beckham, whose average dipped to .193 after he flied out in his first two at-bats, had been something of a forgotten man. He was platooning with at third base when Tyler Saladino was called up July 1. With Saladino playing ever day over the last 18 days, Beckham had entered as a late-inning replacement twice and started one game of a split doubleheader.

LaRoche gets two days to “heal”

The only thing hurting on LaRoche is his pride.

“I’m healing,” he said Tuesday. “My pride has been injured a little bit.”

The Sox DH, who has been in a horrendous slump, said he’s using the two days off given by Ventura to regroup.

“It has been frustrating,” said LaRoche, hitting .156 with one homer since June 10. “I’ve tried to change small things that probably don’t show up. It hasn’t been a huge mechanical adjustment outside of some little things that you probably couldn’t see unless you were looking for them. They just don’t seem to be working, so keep fighting through it. Keep swinging.”

Ventura hoped a couple days on the bench would help the 35-year-old LaRoche, who was a .264 career hitting with eight seasons of 20 or more homers, “rearrange his mind.’’

Martinez honored

The Red Sox retired Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez’ No. 45 before the game, which started about 20 minutes late because of the ceremony.

LaRoche gets two days to “heal”

The only thing hurting on LaRoche is his pride.

“I’m healing,” he said Tuesday. “My pride has been injured a little bit.”

The Sox DH, who has been in a horrendous slump, said he’s using the two days off given by Ventura to regroup.

”It has been frustrating,” said LaRoche, hitting .156 with one homer since June 10. “I’ve tried to change small things that probably don’t show up. It hasn’t been a huge mechanical adjustment outside of some little things that you probably couldn’t see unless you were looking for them. They just don’t seem to be working, so keep fighting through it. Keep swinging.”

Ventura hoped a couple days on the bench would help.

“It’s time to kind of rearrange the feeling,” Ventura said. “If you don’t have to go up there and hit sometimes it can help you clear your mind, just watch guys, watch it in a different way.” Samardzija unfazed

Ventura was quick to praise Samardzija, the subject of trade rumors in advance of Friday’s non-waiver deadline.

“Oh, he’s been great,” Ventura said. “He’s put all the distractions behind him and pitched with the command, attitude, everything you want. He’s given you everything. Nothing in his mind is on the side stuff. It’s all on pitching and winning that game and that’s the kind of guy he is. You enjoy and appreciate that when you go out there.”

Samardzija made his last start before the deadline Tuesday knowing it might be his last with the Sox. He’ll become a free agent after the season. If Ventura has an inkling of whether he’ll have his top right-hander beyond Tuesday, he wasn’t tipping his hand.

“Right now, he’s pitching tonight,” Ventura said. “That’s as far as we’re going and until somebody calls and says he’s not with us, he’s with us. Right now I’m counting him with us.” Samardzija had pitched seven innings or more in nine straight starts, the most by a major leaguer this season. Standings watch

It’s too early to scoreboard-watch but with the deadline approaching, teams like the Sox have to decide whether to buy or sell, and their chances of making the postseason have to be weighed. Ventura said he and his players, who went into Tuesday’s game with a five-game winning streak, are better keeping their heads down and playing hard.

“We’re just trying to keep what we got going, going,” Ventura said. “When you start trying to figure stuff out your focus can go somewhere else and I don’t want our guys doing that, either. Whatever they’re doing now you let them do and keep that the major focus. You want the good feeling we got going to keep going. As soon as you turn it and look at something else it can change that.”

The Sox went into Tuesday’s game four down in the loss column behind the Twins, who currently hold the second wild card spot.

White Sox beat Red Sox 9-4

The Associated Press, ESPN.com July 28, 2015

The Chicago White Sox hit two home runs, one needing a video replay and the other leaving someone in need of a new windshield.

Jose Abreu and Geovany Soto homered and drove in three runs apiece and the surging White Sox won their sixth straight, beating the Boston Red Sox 9-4 on Tuesday night.

"We've been swinging the bats good. You don't want to think about it," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of his club's recent good fortune.

It continued as the White Sox quickly spoiled Boston's pregame party for Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez by scoring five runs in the first inning. They scored again in the sixth on a play that qualified as both a great catch and a home run.

Boston center fielder Mookie Betts ran down Abreu's shot deep to right-center field, then went tumbling into Boston's bullpen. Betts grabbed the ball on the run and managed to hold on while twisting his body and hitting the wall with his lower back, but dropped it when he landed.

Initially called the third out, umpires reviewed the play for nearly three minutes before overturning the call and allowing Abreu to round the bases for his 16th homer.

"Even our video staff was getting into the action and having a great day," joked Jeff Samardzija, who pitched eight strong innings.

Samardzija (8-5) scattered four hits before unraveling slightly in the ninth, when he was pulled after allowing three straight singles to start the ninth during a meaningless two-run rally. Samardzija allowed four runs and seven hits, struck out three and walked one.

Samardzija had a big lead throughout the game, which Abreu extended to 7-2 on his homer in the sixth. Soto led off the seventh with a solo shot that cleared Fenway Park entirely, breaking the windshield of a car parked in a lot behind the Green Monster on Lansdowne Street.

Chicago tagged Boston starter Wade Miley for 10 hits and seven runs, all earned, over 5 2/3 innings, and finished with 14 hits. The last batter Miley (8-9) faced was Abreu.

Betts left the game and was being evaluated for a concussion.

"It was an unbelievable effort Mookie gave just trying to run that ball down. That's kind of how he plays. He's going to give you everything he's got," Miley said. "Unfortunately it didn't go for us. I thought he made an unbelievable play, whatever the rule states."

Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer for Boston in the second to cut Chicago's lead to 5-2. The Red Sox didn't score again off Samardzija until the ninth when an infield single by Hanley Ramirez drove in David Ortiz.

SO LONG SAMARDZIJA?

Samardzija pitched well enough to keep other teams interested in speaking with the White Sox before Friday's trade deadline. He had little to say about the rumors he could be headed elsewhere.

"I'm not a GM," he said. "I felt great. I'm just trying to get better every time out. You just want to get better and I think I've done that."

BIG BATS

The White Sox have scored 19 runs in the first two games of the series. The winning streak has Chicago within two games of .500 (48-50).

Ventura said the White Sox are enjoying the confidence at the plate.

"Before we haven't felt like that, now we feel like it'll continue until the last guy bats," Ventura said. "I think it's just been a good mood. The offense -- everybody can enjoy that."

PEDRO'S PARTY

With little to celebrate, Boston fans resumed chanting "Pe-dro! Pe-dro!" for Martinez, whose No. 45 was retired in a pregame ceremony.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: DH Emilio Bonifacio, who started with slumping Adam LaRoche out of the lineup for the second straight game, left after the fourth inning with sore ribs and was replaced by INF Carlos Sanchez.

Red Sox: Betts was being evaluated for a possible concussion. ... RHP was transferred to the 60-day DL. Buchholz went on the 15-day DL July 11 with a right elbow strain.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana (5-9) makes his first start since shutting out Cleveland on Friday in his first career complete game.

Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (5-10) allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out six in his last start, a no- decision against .

Red Sox CF Mookie Betts hurt in tumble over OF wall that allows HR

Gordon Edes, ESPN.com July 28, 2015

Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts left Tuesday night's game in the sixth inning after tumbling over the low bullpen retaining wall in center field while in pursuit of a long drive by Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu.

Betts was replaced immediately in center field by Rusney Castillo and headed directly to the Red Sox clubhouse. The team announced in the eighth inning that Betts was being evaluated for a possible concussion.

"He has symptoms consistent with a concussion," manager John Farrell said following the team's 9-4 loss. "He's being examined further right now. At the minimum, he'll have to go through the major league protocol to be cleared. Before stating exactly what he has, we've got to get some further information from the tests."

Betts, after a long run, reached out and grabbed Abreu's drive just in front of the Red Sox bullpen, then vaulted over the wall backward to avoid colliding with the structure. Upon impact with the ground, the ball was jarred loose.

"When they showed the replay, he goes over the wall, lands and hits the back of his head." Farrell said. "As he's coming in, he's starting to experience some light-headedness. He sat down, went through some field tests right there, and it was immediate to get him off the field and out of the game."

The umpires initially ruled a catch, which was challenged by the White Sox and ultimately overturned upon review. In the official Major League Baseball Rules, under the definition of a catch, it states:

"It is not a catch, however, if simultaneously or immediately following his contact with the ball, he collides with a player, or with a wall, or if he falls down, and as a result of such collision or falling, drops the ball. It is not a catch if a fielder touches a fly ball which then hits a member of the offensive team or an umpire and then is caught by another defensive player. If the fielder has made the catch and drops the ball while in the act of making a throw following the catch, the ball shall be adjudged to have been caught. In establishing the validity of the catch, the fielder shall hold the ball long enough to prove that he has complete control of the ball and that his release of the ball is voluntary and intentional."

"The replay shows the ball's dislodging," Farrell said. "He's got to hold onto the ball. That's a bottom line."

If Betts is deemed to have a concussion, the Red Sox could place him on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

Tuesday's MLB trade news and views

ESPN.com July 28, 2015

The MLB trade deadline is nearing, and speculation is heating up across baseball. Here is what our writers are hearing today:

Complete trade deadline coverage

Trade Deadline Daily: July 27

Crasnick's take: Carlos Gonzalez's recent torrid streak is generating a lot of trade speculation, but one person familiar with the Rockies' situation thinks they might wait until the winter. "Colorado will want more than I think the market will give," the source said. "Better to trade him in the offseason."

Gonzalez is hitting .455 (15-for-33) with seven homers and 16 RBI since the All-Star break and has a contract that several teams wouldn't mind picking up, provided he's healthy.

Finally, the Rockies are trying to move him in a hurry while a lot of other lefty outfield bats (from to to ) are on the market. That can't help Colorado GM Jeff Bridich's trade leverage.

Stark's take: 's no-trade clause allows him to veto a deal to the Nationals, so he would want his $13 million vesting option to be guaranteed in order to approve a deal. But the teams still need to agree on how much of Papelbon's salary for this year and next the Phillies would pick up. An even larger issue is Papelbon's repeated assertions that he would not approve any deal to a team where he wouldn't be the full-time . So if the Nationals viewed his acquisition as an opportunity for him to share that role with , or hoped he would agree to set up for Storen, that's a problem they need to grapple with on multiple levels.

Stark's take: One AL exec predicted Tuesday that James Shields would wind up getting traded to the Giants. But the Padres have told clubs they don't want to trade within the division.

Shields fits the profile of the type of starting pitcher the Giants are shopping for -- a guy who could slot in behind in their rotation. The Giants also had interest in Shields early in the offseason as a free agent.

But despite the Padres' willingness to make that -Yasmani Grandal trade last winter, they seem to have changed their minds about making deals with their NL West competition. So NL West teams that have spoken with the Padres say they've shown no interest in trading any of their prominent trade chips within their division.

Jayson Stark -- Dodgers could trade for two starters: The Dodgers are in on a long list of starting pitchers -- and haven't ruled out trading for two this week, if the price is right.

In a glutted starting-pitching market, the Dodgers haven't ruled out the possibility of trading for two starters instead of one. But they have only so many prospects they're prepared to deal. So if they have to use too many chips to trade for a or , two trades for starters are unlikely. But if the Dodgers wind up shopping in the bargain bin and prices come down before the deadline, it's still "possible" they could deal for two, according to one source who spoke with them.

Crasnick's take: The market for starting pitching continues to change and evolve. Detroit is looking to add a starter, rather than trade David Price, and Jeff Samardzija could very well be staying in Chicago since the White Sox are riding a five-game win streak.

That could be good news for the Reds, who are trying to trade , and the Rangers, who will move if they get an offer to their liking.

A baseball source said that ' market is also starting to come into "focus,'' and the Marlins are confident they can deal him by the deadline.

Among the teams still shopping for starting pitcher upgrades: The Dodgers, Giants, Cubs, Blue Jays, Astros and Tigers.

Stark's take: The Tigers' stance could change if they completely unravel in their next three games, according to teams that have spoken with Detroit. After their 5-2 loss to the Rays on Monday, they've dropped to 4½ games behind in the wild-card race -- and are now 12 games under .500 since their 11-2 start.

But with due back in the next three weeks, the Tigers are now actively shopping to add pitching. Other teams say they've asked about a large number of starters and setup relievers. So this could be a busy week.

Stark's take: A little over three weeks ago, the White Sox had fallen to a season-worst 10 games under .500. But since then they've gone 15-8, and now appear reluctant to break up the rotation that has fueled that run.

So one club that spoke with them reports it was told they would need a return for Samardzija that "substantially" improves their chances to compete next year without sacrificing their ability to compete this year.

Tonight on CSN: White Sox send Quintana in quest for seven

CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

The White Sox take on the Red Sox on Wednesday night, and you can catch all the action on Comcast SportsNet. Coverage begins with Hawk Harrelson and at 6 p.m. Be sure to stick around after the final out to get analysis and player reaction on White Sox Postgame Live.

Abreu, Soto homer as White Sox rout Red Sox for sixth straight win

Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

Know how you can tell things have gone well for the White Sox this week?

Mookie Betts made a spectacular running catch to rob Jose Abreu of extra bases on Tuesday night but dropped the ball after falling over the bullpen fence and hitting the ground — which, upon review, resulted in two-run homer.

Thems the breaks, and suddenly the White Sox have stumbled into a bunch. Abreu and Geovany Soto homered, and the White Sox scored five more first-inning runs en route to a 9-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of 38,063 at Fenway Park. Granted a huge early cushion, Jeff Samardzija did the rest as the White Sox won their sixth straight game to improve to 48-50. The White Sox have outscored their opponents 45-17 on the trip with two games left.

“It feels normal,” said Samardzija, who allowed four runs over eight-plus innings. “I think this is what we’ve been looking for all year. This is the faith we’ve had in our team to do this all year.

“This is the time to push.”

Though Samardzija described it as normal, there has been a strange sensation in the White Sox clubhouse unlike anything they’ve previously experienced in 2015 aside from a few games here and there. Confidence that the team can score runs is oozing in every nook and cranny, and the White Sox have reveled in it. That’s what happens when a team on pace for one of its lowest-scoring averages in franchise history puts up 12.7 percent of its season-long run production in half a dozen games.

Designated hitter Adam LaRoche said the mood has shifted from: “I hope we are going to score a bunch to showing up and we are probably going to score a lot of runs today.”

For the second straight game, the White Sox started to score early and didn’t stop. Red-hot Melky Cabrera — who has six straight multi-hit games, the most by a White Sox hitter since Jermaine Dye in June 2009 — doubled in a run off Wade Miley, Avisail Garcia chopped singled in another and Soto ripped a two-run double to make it 4-0. Emilio Bonifacio, who later left the game with a rib injury, doubled in a fifth run. The outburst didn’t impress Red Sox fans, who began to chant for Pedro Martinez, whose number was retired by the team before the game.

Coupled with Monday’s four-run first, the White Sox scored at least four runs in the first inning in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 2-3, 1996 at Texas, according to Stats, LLC.

“You just keep going and don’t try to think too much about it,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “You just keep going and swing the bats. It’s a good feeling.

“Right now, they feel like it’s going to continue until the last guy bats.”

Even though they put six men on over the next four innings, the White Sox wouldn’t score again until Abreu’s deep drive in the sixth was overturned after replay officials determined Betts didn’t have control of his body as he fell into the home bullpen and the ball popped out.

Betts would eventually exit the game and was later examined for concussion-like symptoms.

Abreu’s 16th homer extended the lead to 7-2, and Soto’s shot, which broke the windshield of a car parked beyond the Green Monster, gave the White Sox a six-run lead. Soto finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs and three walks.

Abreu doubled in Adam Eaton, who reached base three times and scored twice, in the eighth inning. Cabrera, who tripled, doubled twice and singled, flew out to left in the eighth as he sought to complete a cycle. Eaton also fell a homer shy of the cycle in Monday’s win.

The White Sox are hitting at a .322/.368/.555 clip on this road trip and averaging 7 1/2 runs per game. The team also has recorded nine or more extra-base hits in consecutive games for only the second time since 1914, joining the 2003 White Sox.

Samardzija made easy work of the Red Sox as he made his 10th straight start of at least seven innings. The right-hander, whose availability for a trade seems smaller by the day, gave up a two-run homer to Pablo Sandoval in the second inning as Boston cut the lead to 5-2. But with the help of his defense, including a nice catch by Cabrera and several nice stabs by Abreu and Tyler Saladino, Samardzija retired 20 of 21 batters into the eighth.

“We’ve had five new guys in this lineup all year trying to learn how to play with each other so it takes time and I think you’re starting to see all that pay off now,” Samardzija said.

Said Cabrera: “This is one of the best moments of the season for us.”

Jeff Samardzija continues to excel despite Sharknado of trade rumors

Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

If Jeff Samardzija is worried about Friday’s trade deadline, it hasn’t surfaced on the mound.

The White Sox right-hander made the most of his first start at Fenway Park on Tuesday night and kept his red-hot team in the thick of things as he pitched into the ninth inning in a 9-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

With a White Sox selloff seeming less likely each day — six straight victories has quickly changed matters — Samardzija kept the Red Sox in check while his offense and defense continued to impress. Once 32-42 and ninth in the wild-card race, the White Sox are four games back and sixth in the race for two spots.

“He’s done a great job,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “I know there’s a lot of speculation, and there is probably a Shark Watch somewhere. He’s done a great job of just staying focused on what he’s doing.”

The recent run reportedly has forced general manager Rick Hahn to give his club more time before he makes the choice to buy or sell, most analysts heavily expecting the latter. A free agent at the end of the season, Samardzija is the team’s most tradable commodity and would seem to command a strong return for the White Sox given the recent trades of and . Along with Cole Hamels and David Price, Samardzija’s name has been one of the most common in trade rumors for weeks as the White Sox sputtered. But it hasn’t affected Samardzija, who is 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA in five July starts.

He credits his success to last year’s experience with the Cubs, when Samardzija knew it was only a matter of when, not if, he would be traded. Now that the White Sox have begun to hit — they’ve outscored opponents 45-17 on their road trip — and catch the ball, Samardzija thinks the club’s actions have extending its chances of avoiding the chopping block.

“After the last couple of years, I’m pretty confident in what I’m concentrating on and what’s important to me, and like I said, things are not in my control and there’s really no reason to worry about them,” Samardzija said. “As long as we can keep playing the way we play and up to our standards, it’s going to be hard to break anyone up. We have a great group here, and I think we expect a lot of great things out of ourselves.”

Instant replay earns Jose Abreu a homer

Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

Once Mookie Betts went over the fence on Tuesday night, Robin Ventura knew he might end up challenging the play.

Two minutes, 49 seconds later, Jose Abreu had a two-run homer courtesy of instant replay. Though the ground can’t cause a fumble, replay officials in New York determined Betts didn’t have control of his body when he snagged Abreu’s deep drive on the warning track in right-center. Betts — who later was examined for a possible concussion — went over the fence after the catch and dropped the ball after he fell hard onto his head in the home bullpen.

“It looked like he had it, and once he went over you’re questioning it,” Ventura said. “I didn’t know if he had dropped it or not.”

But Ventura remembered a play from his own career where he slid into the dugout and dropped the ball. That memory told Ventura he should have his replay crew of video coordinator Bryan Johnson and pregame instructor Mike Kashirsky take a longer look. They quickly informed Ventura he should challenge the call.

“You always remember stuff you should have had,” Ventura said.

Crew chief Bill Miller said first-base umpire Adrian Johnson initially called an out because Betts had the ball in his glove when he went over the fence. Because Betts had disappeared, the umpires had no way of knowing Betts dropped the ball on the ground until after Ventura asked for the replay.

“The wording we use is he has to have ‘control of his body,’" Miller said in a statement to a pool reporter. “In this case, we couldn’t tell if the ball was on the ground on the other side of the fence or not, and so that’s why we went to replay. They determined he didn’t have control of his body when he hit the fence and the ball popped out.”

Aside from Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson, like most everyone else Abreu couldn’t recall seeing any kind of similar play in his career.

He didn’t mind it, either.

“Never in my life, but it’s a welcome thing,” Abreu said through an interpreter.

White Sox have fond memories of Pedro Martinez

Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

Few active White Sox players ever faced Pedro Martinez, but for Melky Cabrera those moments are some of his favorites.

Cabrera grew up about 15 minutes away from where Martinez did in the Dominican Republic and idolized the Hall of Famer, who had his number retired by the Boston Red Sox before Tuesday’s game. The White Sox outfielder said he looked forward to watching Tuesday’s ceremony in person.

“They were very special moments for me because like everyone has said, he’s 'Pedro Grande' and he’s one of the best from the Dominican Republic, and to be able to face him was exciting,” Cabrera said through an interpreter.

Cabrera went 2-for-8 with a walk against Martinez, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside players Craig Biggio, John Smoltz and Randy Johnson.

Designated hitter Adam LaRoche had the most plate appearances of any current White Sox, going 4-for-23. LaRoche caught Martinez at the end of his career when he threw 90-91 instead of 95. Give how difficult Martinez was to face then, LaRoche can only imagine how good he was at the start of his career.

“One game we had to go into the sixth inning before he threw a fastball,” LaRoche said. “I don’t know if he was doing it just to see if he could. He had two different kinds of changeups he was using and a curveball or slider and after like the second or third inning we’re thinking ‘OK, that must be his fastball today, he must be hurting or something.’ Then in the sixth he threw one at 90 or 91 or whatever and started using his fastball again. Sure enough he was shutting us down with basically a changeup and a real slow changeup. Just a creative mind and knew how to get guys out.”

Robin Ventura led the White Sox coaching staff with 21 at-bats against Martinez. His three hits are tied with Harold Baines, who faced Martinez 13 times. Joe McEwing went 2-for-3 against Martinez.

“It wasn’t fun,” Ventura said. “I probably helped him get there.

“He could throw anything at any time.”

Cabrera has had a chance to get to know Martinez over the years and calls him a friend. He said he respects Martinez just as much off the field as from his playing days.

“He’s a great human being,” Cabrera said. “When he was on the field, he was outstanding. He was aggressive because that is his nature and because he liked to compete. But off the field he also was a great person. He’s humble. In the Dominican Republic, he’s an idol, and he was my idol also.”

Zach Duke went 0-for-2 against Martinez and Jeff Samardzija went 0-for-1. Bench Mark Parent went 0-for-5 against Martinez.

Adam LaRoche: 'My pride has been injured a little bit'

Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

He’d prefer not to be in a position where he required a two-day breather, but Adam LaRoche is on board with the idea.

Locked in one of the worst slumps of his career, LaRoche was out of the lineup for a second straight game on Tuesday by design. Of the belief that two days off could get the veteran far enough away from his struggles, manager Robin Ventura wants LaRoche to work on his approach without having to worry about the results. LaRoche said the timing is right.

“I’m healing,” LaRoche said. “My pride has been injured a little bit.

“I told Robin, ‘I don’t want it, but I know I need it.’ I’ve played long enough to where I know there’s a time when you are just fighting against yourself every day. I think he could sense it and he’s been there, and that’s why I think he said now is the time to take a day or two and kind of relax and try to reset.”

LaRoche has a .212/.306/.347 slash line with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 356 plate appearances this season. He is striking out in 30 percent of his plate appearances, about eight more than his career average. But Ventura hopes LaRoche is able to focus on his stats the rest of the way rather than those he accumulated over the season’s four months.

“What we really care about is this point forward,” Ventura said. “A lot of guys want to look at the full year picture, but all that matters is right now going forward. You want to get him in a good spot and swinging it like he can.”

LaRoche is in the first season of a two-year, $25-million deal. His slow campaign hasn’t removed him from the team’s plans — they signed him to play a big role in the offense and intend to get LaRoche back into the lineup. If the White Sox want to contend, they know they’ll need contributions from LaRoche. He has seen the team’s recent run of 36 runs in five games and wants nothing more than to get in on the action.

LaRoche believes the break can help him accomplish that goal.

“It will help, no question it will help,” LaRoche said. “I just want to help out. That’s the most frustrating part. Been there before, done it for plenty of years, and to not be able to do it for this long time, it just sucks. It’s a mental thing now, I will say that.

“I’m going to use these couple of days to kind of regroup. I told you guys before, it has been frustrating. I’ve tried to change small things that probably don’t show up. It hasn’t been a huge mechanical adjustment outside of some little things that you probably couldn’t see unless you were looking for them. They just don’t seem to be working, so keep fighting through it. Keep swinging.”

See how Midwest Orthopedics at Rush cares for White Sox players

CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush equips the Chicago White Sox with a team of skilled physicians to help keep their players healthy. Two doctors are at every game and several others provide service for surgeries, rehabilitation and continued treatment.

"We're the team physician, but we're the physician for that player," Head White Sox Team Physician Dr. Charles Bush Joseph said. "We treat that player just how we treat any patient in our office. Whether it be a high school athlete or a college athlete or a some guy who works for a living as a construction carpenter, the medicine is really the same."

Check out the video above to learn more about the importance of these doctors and how they help keep healthy players on the diamond.

What it's like to watch a White Sox game with President Obama

Ira Berkow, CSN Chicago July 28, 2015

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, I was having lunch in a restaurant near my home in Manhattan with Bill Marovitz, a friend from Chicago, where I was born and raised. Marovitz, of medium build and with a thick thatch of sandy hair, is a former State Senator and possesses a broad smile that surely helped him get elected several times in his Gold Coast district of lakefront Chicago. Marovitz is friends with , principal owner of the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Bulls. When Marovitz was in the State Senate, in 1988, he co-sponsored a bill to keep the White Sox in Chicago rather than, as team ownership threatened, to have the franchise moved to Tampa-St. Petersburg unless it would get a tax break on building a new ballpark. Marovitz was the political face of the bill, appearing on television on numerous occasions and being quoted in newspapers with, “Let’s keep the White Sox where they belong, in Chicago. What’s it say about a city that can’t keep a valuable franchise like this big-league ballclub.”

And Marovitz meant it. He is a fervent sports fan, especially when it comes to the White Sox. (He had even been known to attend a play in a downtown theater while listening to a Sox game with a transistor radio ear-piece glued to his ear.) And the bill allowing the use of public funds passed, narrowly, enabling the White Sox to build and finance their present ballpark, U.S. Cellular Field, across 35th Street from old (now a parking lot). The passing of that bill most surely had something to do with Reinsdorf later smiling when Marovitz would come into his view. And they became very friendly.

The Bernstein Brief: White Sox Are in Low-Risk Spot

Dan Bernstein, CBS Sports Chicago July 28, 2015

It has been a fun little spasm of competence for the White Sox, this six-game win streak that has vaulted their -calculated playoff chances from 0.7 percent a week ago to 9.1 percent entering play Wednesday.

Their odds of winning the World Series have increased from 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent over that span, too, with the team said to be remaining in evaluation mode as the non-waiver trade deadline looms Friday. The good news is that they really can do no wrong at this point with their primary asset.

If general manager Rick Hahn can get something better than the compensatory draft pick for Jeff Samardzija signing elsewhere this offseason, he’ll trade him. Or he can keep him, let him walk and take the pick. Hahn could also let him test free agency and sign him to a multi-year deal, keeping a very solid rotation intact for the near term. In another scenario, Hahn trades Samardzija, then later signs him as a free agent.

It all makes very little difference, is the real point. There’s just not much at stake at the moment.

Anything other than a quixotic effort to bolster this year’s roster by dealing any of their viable prospects seems reasonable, and unless executive vice president Kenny Williams is meddling in the day-to-day operations, that’s not happening. Hahn may be many things, but dumb is not one of them.