Headlines of July 2, 2015 “Tatis Jr. among White Sox finds on int'l market” … Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com “White Sox show signs in two wins vs. Cards” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox not deterred by delays, top Cards” … Jenifer Langosch and Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Sale could face Buehrle if Sox shuffle rotation” … Jamal Collier, MLB.com “Chicago panel offers lessons for on and off field” … Greg Garno, MLB.com “Danks draws O's Ubaldo in Chicago opener” … David Cobb, MLB.com “ACE program not short on success stories” … Phil Rogers, MLB.com “Players value Double Duty Classic experience” … Greg Garno, MLB.com “Abreu more patient as pitchers adjust” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox lookback, Part 2: WS Game 1” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “After the glory: Paulie relishes second act” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Jose Quintana keeps calm during delays to fuel White Sox victory” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Wednesday's recap: White Sox 7, Cardinals 1” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox's Jeff Samardzija just concentrating on the task at hand” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Buck Weaver's family pushes to get 'Black Sox' player reinstated” … John Owens, Chicago Tribune “Being on time biggest challenge for Jose Abreu” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times “White Sox pull away from Cards, claim 2-game sweep” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times “White Sox considering extra day of rest for Chris Sale” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times “Dan Jennings returns from Charlotte; Guerra optioned” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times “Chicago White Sox ace Sale closes in on record” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Quintana paces White Sox to 7-1 win over Cardinals” … Associated Press, ESPN.com “White Sox activate reliever Dan Jennings from 15-day DL” … Associated Press, ESPN.com “White Sox survive three rain delays to blow past Cardinals” … J.J. Stankevitz, CSN “Kenny Williams, Mike Wilbon on importance of Double Duty Classic” … CSN “White Sox return Dan Jennings to bullpen mix” … J.J. Stankevitz, CSN “ESPN’s Michael Wilbon joins Jarrett at the White Sox Double Duty Classic” … Josh Frydman, WGN.com

Tatis Jr. among White Sox finds on int'l market Sources link club to former big league infielder's son, shortstop Reyes By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | 9:09 AM ET The White Sox are adding a slick-fielding son of a former Major League player and power-hitting outfielder to their system.

According to industry sources, the White Sox agreed to an $825,000 signing bonus with shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., ranked No. 27 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects list, and a $1.5 million bonus with outfielder Franklin Reyes, ranked No. 30. The club did not confirm the agreements.

In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool with four slot values based on the team's record in 2014 for the international signing period, which started on Thursday. Chicago's overall pool total for this year's signing period is $3,443,000.

The son of former Major League infielder Fernando Tatis, Tatis Jr. has a strong arm and fluid actions on defense. The right-handed hitter has displayed raw power to his pull side and has a knack for barreling up the ball. What's more, his repeatable swing has impressed evaluators. On defense, he could end up at second base or third base.

Scouts like Tatis Jr.'s makeup and mature attitude.

The younger brother of Franmil Reyes, who plays in the San Diego Padres organization, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Franklin has shown raw power and a plus arm in showcases and games. He profiles as a right fielder and could end up at that position.

Reyes has a big body and big potential.

White Sox show signs in two wins vs. Cards By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | 2:40 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- These words came from White Sox hurler John Danks, approximately three hours before Chris Sale took the mound Tuesday night for the start of a short Interleague stop at Busch Stadium.

"For all we know, today is the turnaround and we'll get on a roll," Danks said.

It's hard to officially label Danks as psychic, or even prescient, after just two games, especially for a team sitting at 34-42 overall and last in the American League Central. But Wednesday night's 7-1 victory over the Cardinals gave the White Sox back-to-back wins over the best team in baseball by record and handed St. Louis just its second two-game losing streak at home this season.

More importantly, the two victories gave the White Sox hope. It's really all they can ask for with the half-way point of the season fast approaching and a sizable hole to dig out of for postseason contention.

"They are obviously a good team and missing some key pieces, but you know it's nice to come in here and beat a team like this," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Offensively we put some runs up late, and the [starting] pitchers did what they did, and the bullpen did, too. There are some guys that are starting to swing it."

Tuesday's story was Chris Sale's continued dominance and a Tyler Flowers' 11th-inning home run to claim a one-run victory. Wednesday's tale, aside from three rain delays adding up to 2 hours and 19 minutes, was Jose Quintana's mound excellence in the face of primarily weather-induced adversity, Melky Cabrera showing some power and Flowers launching a two-run homer in the ninth to spark a five-run rally for breathing room.

Even little miscues didn't turn into big game-changing moments. With one out in the sixth, Adam Eaton got caught in between a dive and a slide going for a Mark Reynolds line drive to center that ended up as a triple when Eaton slipped and the ball rolled past him. But Quintana struck out Randal Grichuk and retired Yadier Molina on a flyout to maintain a one-run lead produced by Cabrera's solo homer leading off the sixth.

Pitching has not been a problem for the White Sox this season. It's just getting every other discipline at the same level. Over the last two days in St. Louis, those melding forces moved a little closer.

Flowers has gone deep in three straight games for the first time in his career; Carlos Sanchez has three multi-hit games in his last nine; and Avisail Garcia has a five-game hitting streak, just to name a few.

"There's some optimistic stuff going on right now," Ventura said.

That optimism will be carried into a tough first-half home finish against the Orioles and Blue Jays and then three at Wrigley Field. But it's optimism nonetheless leaving a rainy St. Louis, as these words from Quintana indicate.

"Everybody thinks about getting wins every day," Quintana said. "But it's special for us, because the Cardinals are the best team in the National League."

White Sox not deterred by delays, top Cards By Jenifer Langosch and Scott Merkin / MLB.com | 3:06 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- After wading through a rain-delayed start and two subsequent in-game weather stoppages, the White Sox completed their two-game stop at Busch Stadium with a 7-1 victory on Wednesday to secure back-to-back wins over the Cardinals.

Melky Cabrera's leadoff homer off Cards starter John Lackey in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and helped lift the White Sox to consecutive road wins for the first time since May. The Cardinals, on the other hand, suffered back-to-back home losses for just the second time all year.

Chicago starter Jose Quintana tiptoed around trouble throughout his six-inning start, yet he limited the Cardinals to only a first-inning run. Quintana struck out eight.

"I thought we had a little bit of an opportunity there to make something happen," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of his offense not doing more with two first-inning hits off Quintana. "He worked his way out of it, and didn't give us a whole lot after that."

Lackey finished seven innings, but allowed a two-out RBI single to Adam Eaton in the fifth before serving up Cabrera's blast an inning later.

While they are 25 games over .500 on the season, the Cardinals are now 8-9 against the American League Central. The White Sox, who got five insurance runs in the ninth inning, two on a homer by Tyler Flowers, improved to 6-6 in Interleague action.

"I mean with the weather, even when we got in here on Sunday, I think what we saw they went through on Sunday [a delayed game vs. the Cubs], you figured you had a pretty good chance of doing that tonight," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of the rain delays. "I thought Q did a good job of staying with it, the starts and stops. He did great."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Cabrera connects: There has been a power outage for Cabrera this season, but he delivered when the White Sox needed him Wednesday. Cabrera went deep on a 1-2 cutter from Lackey to open the sixth to give the White Sox a 2-1 advantage. It was Cabrera's third home run of the season in his 297th at-bat.

Scoring opportunities stalled: Following an 0-for-9 night with runners in scoring position on Tuesday, the Cards went hitless in seven such opportunities in the series finale. They ended four different innings with a runner stranded in scoring position against Quintana, and struck out six times (all swinging) after a runner advanced to second or third.

"His fastball was really sneaky," Cardinals infielder Mark Reynolds said of Quintana. "He kind of short-arms it, and it gets on you. We weren't able to string much together against him."

Quintana creates his own support: With one out in the sixth, Reynolds lined a shot to center that seemed to catch Eaton in-between in trying to make the play. Eaton slipped and fell in the process, with Reynolds ending up on third. But Quintana fanned Randal Grichuk and Yadier Molina flied out to center to preserve the one-run lead.

"I just tried to come back [after the delays] and bring my best stuff and get the win," Quintana said.

Hustling home: The Cardinals raced out to a 1-0 lead with some aggressive baserunning by second baseman Kolten Wong in the first inning. Third-base coach Jose Oquendo boldly waved Wong home on Jhonny Peralta's double to left. Sliding to the outside of home, Wong was able to touch the plate with his hand just ahead of the tag.

QUOTABLE

"It was awesome, definitely felt like all the years were worth it. Most importantly, all my family and friends, they were able to come out and see me. It's special for me and everybody else who has stuck with me throughout the years." -- Cardinals reliever Marcus Hatley, on making his Major League debut after nine seasons in the Minors.

ROSTER MOVE

After the game, Matheny announced that left-hander Tim Cooney will be recalled from Triple-A to make a spot-start on Thursday. The Cardinals had a rotation vacancy to fill once it was determined that Jaime Garcia (left groin strain) would be unable to pitch until next week. A corresponding move to clear a spot on the 25-man roster for Cooney will be made on Thursday.

WHAT'S NEXT

White Sox: John Danks takes the mound Friday against the Orioles to begin the final homestand of the first half after his start was skipped following last Saturday's rainout in Detroit. Danks went winless during the month of June. First pitch at U.S. Cellular Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT.

Cardinals: The Cardinals will see the Padres for the first time this season as San Diego comes to Busch Stadium for a four-game series beginning on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT. The Cardinals will summon Cooney for the start in place of Garcia. Cooney has made one Major League appearance.

Sale could face Buehrle if Sox shuffle rotation By Jamal Collier / MLB.com | July 1st, 2015

ST. LOUIS -- Nothing has been officially announced, but Monday's series opener between the Blue Jays and White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field could feature a mound matchup between Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale.

Buehrle pitched 12 years for the White Sox, won a World Series with the team in 2005 and was a valued teammate of Sale. He beat the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon for win No. 9, moving the southpaw closer to his 15th straight season with at least 200 innings pitched, 30 starts and double-digit victories. With the Blue Jays having no off-days this week, Buehrle would be on his regular turn Monday.

Sale matched Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in Major League history to record double-digit strikeouts in eight straight games by fanning 12 Cardinals on Tuesday. He would line up for Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, but White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Wednesday that they might move Sale back one day and use Carlos Rodon on Sunday.

There's nothing physically wrong with Sale. But with Rodon having not started since June 25 in Detroit, the White Sox want to get the rookie back to work.

"We don't want too long of a layoff, because of the feel and command," said Ventura of Rodon. "You want him to have the most normal experience, but it's hard to do that with a guy as young as him and has made it here this quick.

"You're trying to be careful with him, but making it normal as possible while giving him a break here and there. We did it with Chris, so kind of going along the same lines with Carlos. But don't really want it to be two weeks off and then pitch. For him to have this one is a nice little stretch."

In Sale's last 10 starts, he has thrown under 110 pitches just once. So this discussion is more about Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper taking care of Sale and keeping him sharp.

Ventura said that often times Sale comes back from a little rest and has even stronger starts, if that's possibly imaginable at this point. Sale's last 10 starts have yielded 115 strikeouts and 12 walks over 76 innings pitched.

A great trust exists between Sale and catcher Tyler Flowers, with Sale basically throwing what Flowers puts down. He's similar to Buehrle in that they both get the ball and throw.

"When you have stuff like they did and the feel they do, you can trust it," Ventura said. "[Sale] has conviction with everything he throws."

• The White Sox reinstated left-handed reliever Dan Jennings from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated him from the 15-day disabled list. They also optioned right-hander Junior Guerra to Charlotte.

Jennings, 28, was placed on the disabled list on June 7 (retroactive to June 5) with inflammation on the left side of his neck. He threw six innings for Charlotte and hopes that the little added something at the end of his pitches returns now that he's 100 percent healthy.

"I threw a lot of ground balls in my rehab stint, which was really comforting," Jennings said. "I was able to throw my sinker and get those ground balls, which was a really good feeling again."

Chicago panel offers lessons for on and off field White Sox executive Williams joined by Wilbon, Baldwin and draftee Hickman By Greg Garno / MLB.com | July 1st, 2015

CHICAGO -- Wednesday afternoon's forum from the eighth annual Double Duty Classic focused less on the history of the game for African-Americans than looking ahead at it.

Before taking the field in an afternoon showcase, inner-city high school players from across the country came to U.S. Cellular Field as part of a forum to provide insight and celebrate the history of the game.

This year's panel, including Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick, ESPN analyst and columnist Michael Wilbon and White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams, spent the morning answering questions from players and providing tips on how to improve on the field.

"I was once one of these kids," Williams said. "When you provide a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of vision, some semblance of opportunity at the their thoughts for the day, a lot of kids will run toward that. A lot of kids will grab that and make the most out of that.

"A lot of the reason we run this program is because kids who did not have that opportunity now have that opportunity and run with that."

Questions ranged from the panelists' best way to overcome adversity to what advice they might provide if they were younger. Others talked about life after baseball or just finding the best area of focus in college.

Some of that advice came from a player not too far removed from playing in the event. A seventh-round pick of the White Sox in last month's Draft, right-hander Blake Hickman played in the Double Duty Classic for four years before playing at the University of Iowa.

"Just go out and play hard," Hickman said. "Make sure you leave it all out on the field."

Hickman was joined by James Baldwin, a White Sox pitcher for seven seasons and an All-Star in 2000 who has recently coached young athletes.

"The game will give you a lot if you put the effort in and work hard," Baldwin said. "Play the game first and then worry about everything else that comes with it."

The advice from Baldwin and the other panelists was focused on what players could do to excel and develop. But that's not to say the entire day was spent looking forward. Kendrick highlighted contributions to the game provided by the Negro Leagues, such as batting helmets.

Wilbon touched on the growth of baseball in Chicago, where opportunities to play have at times been scarce.

"The structure [to grow the game] that's needed -- and the White Sox provide -- is extraordinary," Wilbon said. "You have to have that passion, you have to have that structure and you have to have kids who are willing and talented enough to participate."

As Williams noted, every year, former participants tell him they still remember the messages shared at the forum.

"It really makes you feel like you're doing something of value," Williams said.

Danks draws O's Ubaldo in Chicago opener By David Cobb / MLB.com | 2:04 AM ET

White Sox pitcher John Danks can't put his finger on why he always seems to have Orioles center fielder Adam Jones' number, but when Baltimore travels to Chicago for the start of a three-game series on Friday, Jones will try and halt a career's worth of frustration against Danks if he is in the lineup.

Jones, a right-handed hitter, is 1-for-30 against the left-handed Danks, with just one walk.

"I'm sure he's hit some balls hard that have been caught. I don't know," Danks said. "I've never thought about it facing him. He's one of the better players in all of the game."

Jones' .033 average against Danks is the worst of any hitter who has faced Danks more than 20 times.

"You can't go into the game thinking he's out just because of past performance," Danks said. "You've got to get him out still."

Ubaldo Jimenez, who threw eight scoreless innings in his last outing, gets the start for Baltimore. Jimenez hasn't lost since May 16, and has earned the win in four consecutive starts.

Things to know about this game

• The White Sox are coming off of their second off-day this week, while the Orioles are in a stretch of 17 games in 16 days.

• Baltimore is 16-21 on the road this year, and the White Sox are 18-15 at home.

• The teams were scheduled to play in Baltimore from April 27-29, but the first two games of the series were postponed due to rioting in the city. The teams made up those games by splitting a doubleheader on May 28.

ACE program not short on success stories With life on streets a threat, White Sox keeping young ballplayers focused By Phil Rogers / MLB.com | @philgrogers | 1:43 AM ET

CHICAGO -- Not all days are created equal.

For Lorenzo Elion III, who heads into his senior season at Simeon Career Academy, one of the biggest came along six years ago, when he was 11. It was his tryout for a spot in the White Sox Amateur City Elite baseball program, which seemed like a long shot. After all, he had started playing baseball only within the last year.

"I was pretty nervous,'' Elion said. "It was my first tryout, people watching me. I didn't know what to expect. Other kids had been playing since they were 6 or 7. I'd been playing nine months, and I went to that tryout.''

Elion was at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday, playing shortstop in the eighth annual Double Duty Classic, an All-Star Game for inner-city players. There's no way to know where he would have been had he been too timid to go to that tryout, or if his talent and willingness to learn hadn't stood out.

Elion lives in the Chicago community of Englewood, which ranks high on the list of the city's troubled neighborhoods. He's lost more friends than he can count to gang life; his devotion to baseball is his means to survival.

"Baseball's really my way out,'' Elion said. "The way my schedule is, it keeps me away from all the gangs, everything negative. Going to school, going to practice, going to games -- there's really no time to sit around thinking about something to do. I'm always busy.''

Elion was drawn to baseball by the game's difficulty.

"You rarely find kids in my type of neighborhood that want to grow up and be a baseball player,'' said Elion, who is sorting through scholarship offers, including interest from Northern Illinois University and Lewis University. "Everybody wants to be a Michael Jordan or a Barry Sanders. Nobody wants to be a baseball player. Anyone can pick up a ball and shoot. But not many can pick up a bat and square up a 95-mph fastball. It's pretty rare. Most people hate challenges, so they don't go for this sport. They think it's too hard.''

Kevin Coe, the White Sox director of youth baseball initiatives, has fallen in love with Elion's approach through the years.

"He works his tail off,'' Coe said. "He is the epitome of hard work.''

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, acting largely on a recommendation by Chicago-based scout Nathan Durst, established the ACE program to help develop and showcase teenage baseball players from the inner city and lower-economic neighborhoods. It operates 11 months out of the year and emphasizes scholastics and social development as well as baseball.

Blake Hickman, a right-hander from the University of Iowa, was drafted in the seventh round by the White Sox a few weeks ago after participating in the ACE program. But more than developing players for professional baseball, the program is designed to help prepare players to attend college.

Ninety athletes associated with the ACE program have received aid to play baseball in college since it was established in 2007. Perhaps the best known are Ronell Coleman Jr., a 5-foot-5 outfielder who batted leadoff for Vanderbilt in the College World Series last month, and University of Louisville right fielder Corey Ray, who is considered a possible first-round selection for the 2016 MLB Draft.

They serve as role models for the high school juniors and seniors who were on the field on Wednesday.

"Ro's dad coached me on my first baseball team,'' said catcher A.J. Lewis, who has committed to play at the University of Missouri. "To see him go to the SEC and have success at a very young age, it just inspired me that I can do the same exact thing. That's probably the best baseball conference in the country right now. For him to show that from the South Side of Chicago you can go and do great things and compete with guys from Texas and California, it really spoke volumes to me.''

Lewis, whose Mt. Carmel High team lost in the Class 4A Illinois championship game last month, also plays football.

"In playing football and baseball, I like to consider myself a competitor,'' Lewis said. "I go out there and compete. You can put anybody out there against me. I don't care about the size, ranking, anything. I'm going to go out there and compete against them, give it my all.''

Lewis lost his mother, Airree Lewis, to breast cancer when he was 10. He has continued the pursuit of success with help from his father, Alfred Lewis, other relatives and his coaches.

"I'm surrounded by great coaches,'' Lewis said. "To have my father, my aunt and grandmother -- those who care for me truly -- try to take the place of my mother, I'm truly blessed. I'm in a good situation.''

You might not say the same thing about Elion or anyone else growing up in Englewood, but the ACE program is making a difference.

"It's what keeps me out of the streets,'' Elion said. "Baseball is the only positive thing that will keep me away from the violence.''

Elion had a run-scoring single, a stolen base and scored a run for the West in a 7-2 loss to the East. He'd love nothing more than to one day be back at U.S. Cellular in another uniform, playing in the Major Leagues.

"I'm trying to go all the way,'' Elion said. "Putting in all this work, why stop?"

Players value Double Duty Classic experience By Greg Garno / MLB.com | July 1st, 2015

CHICAGO -- Not only did Najee Gaskins get the chance to do something most players never do -- play on U.S. Cellular Field with other elite players from across the country in the Double Duty Classic -- but he also led the East team to a 7-2 victory on Wednesday.

Still, his favorite part of the event wasn't the game or even the advice he received in the forum to begin the day. It was the chance to teach groups of younger athletes how to play the game of baseball, having grown up playing it for much of his life.

"We got to give them gloves and everything," Gaskins said, a smile beaming across his face. "It was just really nice."

Gaskins and 35 other players took part in the Double Duty Classic on Wednesday, an All-Star game for elite inner-city high school baseball players hosted by the White Sox. Players had the chance to work with kids and listen to a panel of speakers in the morning before capping it with a game in front of scouts and fans.

Gaskins, a right fielder, made the most of his trip from Vail, Ariz., reaching base five times in six at-bats, adding three hits, two RBIs, four steals and scoring two runs. He was quick to deflect praise, and instead heaped it on the players in a program that has seen more than 90 athletes gain scholarships to college.

"I'm surprised nobody else won MVP, because they're the real deal," Gaskins said. "I don't know [what I did well], but I think the experience helped me want to do more."

And Gaskins didn't let a long, unpleasant trip dampen his time. He didn't land until midnight local time, only to find out the airline lost his bags, but he said the experience was "definitely worth it."

Earlier in the day, players heard from White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams, ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon, and president of the Negro League Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick, among others, about the history of the game while providing advice on how to be a better player.

The event is named after Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, who played for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues, and is designed to teach players about history while developing them toward the future. Players wore authentic replica uniforms from those East-West All-Star Games of the past, and used wooden bats.

West pitcher Tyler Laux said the event was something he'll never forget, despite not having his strongest performance. He pitched two innings, but said he wants to work even harder after his first year in the event.

"It was real special and an honor," he said. "And it meant a lot to pitch at such a special event like this."

Laux and Gaskins didn't have trouble bonding with everyone else and clicking on the field. Both teams made a handful of plays on the infield worthy of a highlight reel, including Gaskins' East teammate, Alex Thomas. The center fielder sprinted to make a catch to rob an extra-base hit.

Many players are from the Chicago Amateur City Elite program, created by the White Sox, and have played together for years. And that support trickled down to younger players, like Thomas, who is one of just three players to graduate in 2018.

"All these older players help me strive to do better, and that's what it's all about," Thomas said.

Abreu more patient as pitchers adjust By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | July 1st, 2015

ST. LOUIS -- The raw results, offensively, might be a tick less impressive for Jose Abreu in 2015 compared to his breakout rookie campaign of 2014. But the White Sox first baseman feels as if he's in a better place offensively.

One change made by Abreu is that he's swinging less at first pitches. Per MLB Network Gameday notes, the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year Award winner swung at 37.1 percent of first pitches last season in comparison to 18.9 percent this season. The league average is 28.8 percent in 2015.

That overall approach develops as Abreu learns the league and the league learns Abreu.

"Last year, I didn't know the league very well and I was a little more aggressive," said Abreu through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "But since Cuba, my trainers there teach me that if you are a good hitter, you are not going to swing at the first pitch too often. If you are able to see more pitches, you can identify what is the best pitch to swing.

"It was good for me swinging at the first pitch last year, but it wasn't always the right pitch to hit. I swing at too many bad pitches, also. For this year, I just made the adjustment. I'm being more patient this year in my at-bats."

Abreu believes that the same pitcher doesn't throw him the same first pitch that he threw him last year, when a little bit more of the unknown was in play.

"They make adjustments, and I also have to do my adjustments," Abreu said. "This is the best baseball in the world. But I think with the adjustment that I did, I'm in a better position right now to hit. Probably the results aren't there, but I'm feeling more comfortable."

White Sox lookback, Part 2: WS Game 1 South Siders take advantage of Astros starting Clemens to open 2005 Fall Classic By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | July 1st, 2015

CHICAGO -- The White Sox will be honoring the 10-year-anniversary of the team's 2005 World Series championship during the weekend of July 17-19 at U.S. Cellular Field. And this latest celebration presents a chance to look back at key moments from that postseason run, with a special focus on the World Series, with the words coming primarily from the participants themselves.

Here is Part 2 of this multipart championship oral history series.

Game 1 of the 2005 World Series: Clemens vs. Contreras, White Sox win, 5-3

Because of an Albert Pujols three-run homer off of Houston closer Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, the Astros had to use ace hurler Roy Oswalt in Game 6 to close out the series. The NLCS MVP was unavailable for Game 1 against the White Sox, putting Roger Clemens on the mound.

Clemens lasted only two innings before being replaced by Wandy Rodriguez, as the right-hander was hampered by a hamstring pull.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf: "I remember thinking how happy I was that the Astros had to use Oswalt against the Cardinals because of the Pujols home run. He couldn't start Game 1. I was pretty confident we would get to Clemens."

Reinsdorf: "I think he got hurt and had to leave before we really got enough runs against him. I don't even remember how we won the game. I don't have any great memory of that game other than Clemens. I was happy he started, and I was sad he had to leave before we really beat him up."

It wasn't until the White Sox beat the Angels behind four straight complete games from Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras that Reinsdorf believed his team could win it all.

Reinsdorf: "You always know you have a chance. Beating the Red Sox [in the American League Division Series], I think was important because we had, every other year that we'd been in the playoffs, we went out right away. Whatever the first round was, we went out. Beating the Red Sox, all of a sudden, we advanced a round. I don't like to anticipate. It was

only when we won the AL pennant that I realized we probably were going to play a team that wasn't as good as we were. We could win."

Next up: Paul Konerko's grand gesture.

After the glory: Paulie relishes second act By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | July 1st, 2015

Something was noticeably missing from White Sox Spring Training this year when the full squad reported to Camelback Ranch on Feb. 24. Make that someone, an important piece of the White Sox organization for close to the past two decades.

Paul Konerko was nowhere to be found at the complex for the first time in memory with his 16-year run on the South Side coming to an end last Sept. 28 via his retirement following the 2014 season's final game. The captain's familiar clubhouse spot was occupied by Adam LaRoche, a free-agent signee, as part of general manager Rick Hahn's offseason push to regain the sort of playoff contention present for so many years during Konerko's career.

Konerko never again has to worry about preparing for Spring Training or setting up his offseason vacation schedule to maximize down time prior to the White Sox February report date. One of the most accomplished players in franchise history now totally belongs to the Konerko family of Arizona.

In fact, Konerko was on vacation with his family when Spring Training officially began.

"I had lunch with him a month or so ago and he's like a different guy. He's just so relaxed," said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf of Konerko in February. "It was great that he got to go out on his own terms."

His last at-bat came via a groundout to third leading off the fifth inning against Kansas City reliever Casey Coleman in a game at U.S. Cellular Field on Sept. 28. Andy Wilkins replaced Konerko at first base after the veteran took his position in the bottom half of the inning. Then, Konerko stopped to acknowledge the thunderous standing ovation as he departed. He soon returned to the field for a curtain call, with the 32,266 in attendance finishing off a wonderful weekend celebration honoring the 18-year veteran.

One final on-field postgame television interview followed. Then Konerko circled the field, talking to fans who had basically followed his every move since he arrived from the Reds before the 1999 season in a trade for Mike Cameron.

"That kind of stuff never gets old. But over the last couple days it just gets more...not awkward, but you wonder, 'Am I wearing out my welcome with all this stuff?' And I know [the fans] are calling for it, so I'm trying to soak it all in," said Konerko of the standing ovations and curtain calls. "Even the last thing here, I went around the field and all that, it wasn't planned.

"I went out there to wave to some people down the left-field line and then once you start going, you realize, 'OK, I gotta go all the way around.'

"It's not in my nature to try to drag things out. I feel like my whole career was based on coming in and playing the game and just trying to blend in with everybody else and get the job done. So when these times come and you have to [do things] like that, I'm just not comfortable.

"I do the best I can, and I always have, but it feels bizarre to me. I understand it's the end. And I now understand -- I don't think I would've understood this a year ago -- there's a lot of people out there I've impacted over the years here. I see people crying out there. That's crazy. Just because I played a game. I never thought about that. Sometimes it's not always about what's comfortable to me," Konerko said. "I have to make that happen and get closure for them as well. It's something they don't teach you in the Minor Leagues."

Unlike the Saturday night before the finale, when he took the field by himself at the start of the game following a poignant farewell tribute, Konerko made sure he ran out with his teammates on that final Sunday. He wanted to keep the

game as normal as possible, in true Konerko form, because he knew it could mean something to the eventual American League champion Royals as well as to White Sox starter Chris Bassitt, who was pitching for a spot on the team in '15. (Bassitt ended up pursuing that roster spot with Oakland after he was included as part of the Jeff Samardzija trade).

"This whole weekend with Paul Konerko Day and obviously [the final game], was really cool," said Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. "A lot of fans came to show their appreciation. It's well deserved."

There were handshakes for first-base umpire Chris Conroy and Royals first-base coach Rusty Kuntz as Konerko took his familiar post. He then wrote Nick, Owen, A (Amelia) and J in the dirt behind first base in honor of his three children and wife Jennifer.

He topped off that on-field artwork with a heart at the bottom, something he said he thought about 20 minutes before first pitch.

"It was a thank you because your family is always in the back seat. Your mom, your dad, your wife, your kids," Konerko said. "You do the best you can, but if you're a big league baseball player, you have to be selfish. You have to leave the house early. You're traveling. You come home late. You just miss a lot. It's not a normal thing.

"So it was kind of A) a thank you, and B) to remind me that when this all ends, [family] is what really matters. That's what's always been waiting for me on the other side, and that's pretty good," Konerko said. "I came here as a 22-year-old, 23-year-old kid with nothing; a single guy and all that. I'm leaving with a wife and three kids. You're leaving here with everything you worked for in life. It reminded me that that's what's on the other side, and it will be good."

What wasn't on the other side was Konerko making countless appearances, or any appearance for that matter, at Camelback Ranch following his retirement, despite the Konerko family living in Arizona. That sort of attention is not even close to his style, with Konerko stating at the end of the '14 season that he would be fine never offering up his expert analysis again in another media interview when his time was done. Family, golf, following hockey or one of his many other endeavors would occupy Konerko's time, not batting practice.

It wasn't going to be that easy, though, for Konerko to escape the White Sox spotlight. He was a very deserving co-winner of the Roberto Clemente Award with Jimmy Rollins in 2014, with that honor leading to a press conference. And on May 23, before a late afternoon home game against the Twins, the White Sox retired his No. 14 jersey. There's also a 10-year-reunion weekend for the 2005 World Series champions on July 17-19, so Konerko could make an appearance once again during that stretch.

"I don't think, until I see it up there, that you'll actually deserving of it," Konerko said before his number was retired. "There's plenty of guys that I looked up to when I was a kid or while I was playing that don't have their numbers retired that, no matter what happens, they'll always be better than me in my eyes because I'm looking at it from the inside out. But I think, more than anything, it's just a really nice gesture by the team. A lot of teams make players wait [for the honor], but for whatever reason, it's happening just months after I retire which says a lot about the White Sox and about [Reinsdorf]."

A perfect ending would have been career home run No. 440, or even some sort of hit during that last game. But Konerko, playing with a fractured sesamoid bone in his left hand, finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. His career numbers show a .279 average, 439 homers and 1,412 RBIs, not to mention 2,340 hits, of which 410 were doubles.

But by Konerko's own admission, he hasn't been the same hitter since 2011. There's a natural drop for a player coming to the end of his career.

"Hit-wise that wasn't necessarily the way he wanted to go out, but the crowd reaction and having the people he cared most about here was very important to him," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He went out in a classy way."

For Konerko, baseball has moved to the backburner, although when the White Sox remodeled the home clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field, Konerko's locker was shipped to Arizona along with the necessities for Spring Training. Call it another parting gift for a player who gave so much.

Jose Quintana keeps calm during delays to fuel White Sox victory Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | June 2, 2015

Jose Quintana survived three rain delays Wednesday and the White Sox somehow survived two games at Busch Stadium against the team with the best record in baseball.

After rain delays totaling 2 hours, 19 minutes, Quintana allowed one earned run over six innings to help propel the Sox to a 7-1 victory over the Cardinals. The Sox (34-42) return to U.S. Cellular Field with a two-game sweep of the Cardinals (51-26) in hand and a 4-4 record on their road trip to Minnesota, Detroit and St. Louis.

“Every time we tried to come back in the game, it was bad weather tonight,” Quintana said. “I just tried to come back and bring my best stuff and get the win.

“Everybody thinks about getting wins every day, but it’s special for us because the Cardinals are the best team in the National League.”

The Sox now have a seven-game homestand against the Orioles and Blue Jays and a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field to close out the first half before the All-Star break.

Quintana gave up six hits, walked none and struck out eight. He allowed the only run on Jhonny Peralta’s RBI double in the first inning. He left five Cardinals runners on base, including stranding Mark Reynolds on third after his one-out triple in the sixth.

“He did a good job with staying loose,” Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He didn’t really let it affect him.

“It’s all mental. You get a little frustrated because the rain starts coming every time you are out there. … He was able to withstand that mentally.”

Quintana entered with just 2.70 runs of support per nine innings pitched, but he received enough Wednesday.

Adam Eaton’s RBI single in the fifth and Melky Cabrera’s solo homer in the sixth gave Quintana the lead.

Tyler Flowers gave the Sox a cushion with a two-run homer in the ninth inning, marking the first time in his career he has homered in three straight games. That sparked a five-run inning with RBIs from Jose Abreu and Cabrera.

“They are obviously a good team and missing some key pieces, but it’s nice to come in here and beat a team like this,” Ventura said. “There are some guys that are starting to swing it.”

Wednesday's recap: White Sox 7, Cardinals 1 Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | June 2, 2015

White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers homered in his third straight game to fuel a five-run ninth inning in a 7-1 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday. The Sox swept the two-game series at Busch Stadium. The teams sat through three rain delays totaling more than two hours before finishing the meeting.

At the plate

Adam Eaton singled off Cardinals right-hander John Lackey to drive in Flowers in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1.

On the mound

Jose Quintana allowed one earned run on six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over six innings. Jhonny Peralta had a first-inning RBI double off Quintana.

In the field

Mark Reynolds’ triple bounced over slipping center fielder Adam Eaton with one out in the sixth inning, but Quintana recorded a strikeout and a flyout to strand Reynolds on third.

Key number

2 – Homers in the last three games for Melky Cabrera, including the go-ahead solo shot in the sixth inning. He has homered three times this season.

The quote

“I thought (Quintana) did a good job of staying with it, the starts and stops. He did great. He did what he was supposed to do and the bullpen came in and did a nice job. … It was a good job by these guys of staying focused with starting and stopping on all the rain delays.” –Sox manager Robin Ventura

Up next

Vs. Orioles, 7:10 p.m. Friday, CSN.

White Sox's Jeff Samardzija just concentrating on the task at hand Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | June 1, 2015

It was just about a year ago that Jeff Samardzija's world was shaken up and he was traded away from a stumbling Chicago team. Two stops later, the rumors are popping up that he could be traded away from the other stumbling Chicago team.

If Samardzija has learned one thing on his journey from the Cubs to the A's to the White Sox, it's to focus on what he can control, he said Wednesday from the visiting clubhouse at Busch Stadium before a heavy rainstorm delayed the Sox's game against the Cardinals.

"From what I've learned, it's how important your routine is," Samardzija said. "Being traded and moving around a lot these last 12 months, has allowed me to find what really works for me, which is a consistent work basis … and understanding the things that can't change, regardless of team, month and speculation. … You fall back on that, and anything else that happens after that is out of your hands."

It's an attitude that is necessary given the disappointing situation Samardzija has found himself in with the Sox. He joined a team in the offseason a team with lofty expectations, which since have been found to be off the mark as they entered Jose Quintana's start Wednesday with a 33-42 record, worst in the American League.

Some of that disappointment have fallen on Samardzija, who has posted a 5-4 record with a 4.56 ERA over 16 starts, well off his 2.99 ERA from 2014.

Working with yet another set of coaches, Samardzija said he has tried "mixing and matching and piecing information together" to find what works for him. But he hasn't been the consistent No. 2 starter the Sox thought they were getting to pair with ace Chris Sale, though he certainly has shown flashes of it.

St. Louis Cardinals' Xavier Scruggs eats sunflower seeds in the dugout during a rain delay in the first inning.

That an up-and-down campaign has come in the season before he becomes a free agent is another thing he can't dwell on.

"You understand when you do your job and pitch to win games and you do win a lot of games, the money's going to be there," Samardzija said. "It really doesn't even factor in at all. I always put more pressure on myself to succeed than any contract situation or trade situation can do from the outside. I expect a lot of myself, and that's what drives me."

The Sox said when they traded for Samardzija that they wanted to try to keep him around long term, but given their poor first half, there's also the possibility of using him as trade bait for prospects. Beyond that, Samardzija said he lets his agent deal with any inquiries about his impending free agency.

"We've talked previously about what deserves a lunch," Samardzija said. "If there ever is a situation when we need to get together to discuss something he has heard, we'll do that, but at this point that hasn't happened. I'm just going to continue playing baseball and let him handle that."

The Sox visit Samardzija's former team next week at Wrigley Field, though as of now he wouldn't be on track to pitch in the series July 10-12. Samardzija said it will be "a little weird" to return as a visitor, but then again, Samardzija has grown accustomed to change over the last year.

Buck Weaver's family pushes to get 'Black Sox' player reinstated John Owens, Chicago Tribune | June 2, 2015

For almost 30 years, Patricia Anderson has lived in this scenic, rural Missouri town about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis.

But in her living room, she is surrounded by images of her youth on the South Side of Chicago, where she was raised by her uncle — former White Sox third baseman George "Buck" Weaver.

Weaver is in almost all of the photos, often appearing with celebrities. One picture features Weaver with Babe Ruth and silent-film swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks. Another is of Weaver with film star Buck Jones. And there are photos of Buck with his family, including one of an older Weaver with his wife, Helen, and others at Anderson's wedding in Chicago in 1948.

"Living with Buck, it was a wonderful way to grow up," Anderson said. "He was my idol."

Chicago White Sox player George "Buck" Weaver takes batting practice at Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1917. Weaver, banned for life from baseball after being accused of throwing the 1919 World Series, always said he was innocent and appealed for his reinstatement before three commissioners. Now his 88-year-old niece, Patricia Anderson, is lobbying current commissioner Rob Manfred to lift the ban.

Now 88 and housebound, Anderson thinks about her uncle often these days, especially when it involves his controversial baseball career. And she is on a crusade to save his reputation.

This spring, Anderson and her family launched their latest attempt to clear the name of Weaver, one of the eight "Black Sox" accused of accepting money from gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series between the White Sox and Reds. He was banned from organized baseball in 1921 by then-Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

In March, the family, working with Chicago Baseball Museum founder David Fletcher, sent an official request to Commissioner Rob Manfred, urging him to consider Weaver's reinstatement because the player had "been denied justice for far too long" and because "it's the right thing to do."

Weaver's descendants believe this is the right time to make their latest appeal because Manfred's office currently is reviewing a request to reinstate Pete Rose, the all-time major-league hits leader who was banned from baseball in 1989 after being accused of betting on major-league games.

"Pete Rose was a great player and we understand why baseball's is considering his reinstatement," said Sharon Anderson, Patrica's daughter who lives in west suburban Wayne. "But our family can't give up on Buck."

The family wants Weaver reinstated while Patricia Anderson is still around to celebrate for the man who raised her as a surrogate daughter.

"I know I'm pretty old, so I hope he can be reinstated while I'm still alive." Anderson said. "That way, I can let him know up there that's he's back in."

Baseball officials say Manfred's office received the most recent request for Weaver's reinstatement. But they couldn't say if Manfred will follow up with an official review of the request, like he is doing for Rose.

"We are continuing to study the issues that (Weaver's descendants) have raised in order to send a response (to the family request for a reinstatement review)," MLB spokesman Michael Teevan wrote the Tribune in an email.

Almost from the time he was banned from the game, Weaver's supporters have been trying to get him back in, saying he was unfairly punished because he was not involved in the fix. Weaver appealed unsuccessfully six times to Landis and his successors, Happy Chandler and Ford Frick, before dying in 1956.

And Anderson, her daughters Sharon Anderson and Sandra Schley and even her granddaughter, Kristi Berg, repeatedly lobbied Manfred's predecessor, Bud Selig, about Weaver.

Anderson and her cousin, the late Marge Follett, attempted unsuccessfully to meet with Selig during the 2003 All-Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field, when the former commissioner was sent a petition with more than 10,000 signatures calling for Weaver's reinstatement.

And in 2013, Berg wrote a heartfelt, handwritten letter to Selig, in which she stated that "We pray that one of your last acts as commissioner is to reinstate my Uncle Buck."

In his written response to Berg, Selig admitted that the late Jerome Holtzman, the former Tribune and Sun-Times baseball writer who was Major League Baseball's first official historian, always believed Weaver should be reinstated. But Selig could only say the case was "a matter that I'll continue to take under advisement."

Supporters are baffled by MLB's continued tepid response to Weaver's case.

"Basically, Major League Baseball's commissioners have this thing about not wanting to overturn the decision of a predecessor," Fletcher said. "But the man who banned Buck Weaver also condoned the unofficial ban of African-Americans in the game before 1947, so it's time for a fresh look."

Historians also agree with Weaver's descendants — now is the time to revisit Weaver's case. They also cite the commissioner's willingness to review Pete Rose's request for reinstatement — a request that may have taken a hit after a recent ESPN "Outside the Lines" investigation uncovered a 1986 notebook that allegedly includes dozens of bets Rose made on baseball games when he still was playing.

New documents also have been recently unearthed in the case of Weaver and his fellow Black Sox, including the only known existing copy of the 1921 criminal trial court transcripts for the eight accused Sox players, which was purchased by the Chicago History Museum in 2007. Unlike Rose's situation, historians say these recently unearthed documents help Weaver's case.

"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.

The story of the 1919 White Sox became a part of American folklore almost as soon as the alleged World Series fix became public knowledge.

Most accounts say Sox first baseman Chick Gandil approached gamblers with the idea of throwing the series in exchange for $100,000 to be paid to a group of Sox players. Gandil was responsible for recruiting the players involved — including pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams, infielders Swede Risberg and Fred McMullin and superstar outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Gandil was also the players' main liaison with the gamblers, including Sport Sullivan, Bill Burns, Abe Atell and — most famously — mob kingpin Arnold Rothstein.

In most contemporary news accounts, and in later literature on the subject, such as Eliot Asinof's landmark book "Eight Men Out" (1963), Weaver was portrayed as someone who didn't throw the games or take money from gamblers.

Weaver's story, which he repeated to his family, was that he attended a few players-only meetings on the fix but opposed throwing the games. And Weaver did have a strong series, batting .324 with no errors.

"He told the gamblers where to go when they approached him — Buck didn't want anything to do with them," Anderson said. "But he had sympathy for the other Black Sox and didn't want to tell on them."

The recently unearthed documents at the Chicago History Museum, including the grand jury testimony from 1920 and the criminal court transcripts from 1921, back up this story. Weaver rarely is mentioned in both — he's placed at two players-only meetings on the subject in the grand jury testimony and is rarely brought up in the criminal trial, in which he apparently wasn't asked to testify, and was not mentioned in other players' testimony.

"There are no statements that he took an envelope with 'X' amount of dollars or committed an error and let a number of runs in," said Peter Alter, a curator at the Chicago History Museum. "And in terms of the trial transcript, Weaver is never really named as a co-conspirator."

In the end, all eight players accused were acquitted in the 1921 trial. But Landis still banned them from baseball. Weaver was banned apparently for his knowledge of the alleged scheme.

But the documents at the history museum show that gambling on baseball and throwing games was an open secret in professional baseball during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cicotte, for instance, says in the grand jury testimony that the Black Sox got the idea to throw the 1919 Series from members of the 1918 Cubs. Cicotte said certain members of the 1918 Cubs were offered $10,000 to fix the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, a series the Cubs lost.

And Cubs team secretary John O. Seys testified in the 1921 criminal trial for the Black Sox that he was a stakeholder for bets placed with gambler Abe Attell in the 1919 World Series. Seys, who served with the Cubs as traveling secretary and vice president until his death in 1938, testified that he bet on the Reds in the first two games of the Series before Attell told him to switch to the White Sox for Game 3, a game eventually won by the Sox's Dickie Kerr, who was not in on the fix.

"Buck's so-called crime was guilty knowledge, but he 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. The gamblers were operating in the wide open in the hotel rooms and the ballparks."

After being banned from baseball, Weaver sued Sox owner Charles Comiskey for back pay. During that 1922 court case, according to documentation now in the Chicago History Museum, gambler Billy Maharg stated during testimony that he had no knowledge of Weaver being involved in the fix.

"The evidence is pretty clear — Buck Weaver was given the ultimate punishment but never really accused of actually committing the crime," Pomrenke said.

After playing semi-pro baseball for much of the 1920s, Weaver returned to Chicago, where he lived for the rest of his life in a spacious apartment at 7814 S. Winchester Ave.

Anderson and her sister, the late Bette Scanlan, moved in with Weaver and his wife, Helen, after their father died in the early 1930s.

"That helped my mom tremendously because it was depression time and my mom had been in show business — she didn't know how to get a job," Anderson said.

Weaver supported his extended family, first with a string of drugstores he co-owned that went belly-up by the in the mid-30s, then through a series of odd jobs — from painter to a longtime job as a pari-mutuel clerk at Sportsman's Park, the Cicero horse racing track that closed in 2003.

"He was always at the $50 window," Anderson recalled. "He'd try to get information on good horses to bet on and he'd let us or his friends know."

Sportsman's Park and Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals owner Charles Bidwill even hired Weaver to manage his semi-pro women's softball team in the mid-1940s — Bidwill's Bluebells.

"What I remember about him is that he always had a smile on his face," Anderson said of her uncle. "He wasn't a tall man — only around 5-foot-10 — but he had really broad shoulders. He could hit a golf ball a mile."

Anderson could talk to her uncle about anything except the World Series scandal.

"He never talked to Bette or I about it because he felt we didn't have to know when we were young," Anderson said. "We knew about it when we got older because other family members would bring it up. But Buck never mentioned it, and we never talked about it with him."

But Weaver never stopped lobbying for baseball to clear his name. And his supporters were legion, including the judge who presided over the Black Sox criminal trial.

That judge, Hugo Friend, sent letters to the Major League Baseball office in the 1950s, lobbying for Weaver's reinstatement, according to notes from Asinof, who interviewed Friend before he died in 1966.

Asinof's notes are also a part of the Chicago History Museum's collection on the scandal.

"A murderer even serves his sentence and is let out," Weaver told noted Chicago author James T. Farrell before he died. "I got life."

Weaver died Jan. 31, 1956 at the age of 65, collapsing on a sidewalk after suffering a heart attack on West 71st Street. Always a South Sider, he is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in the city's Morgan Park neighborhood.

Anderson and Scanlan, a longtime financial writer for the Sun-Times, continued to lobby for their uncle. After Scanlan died in 2002, Anderson's daughters and granddaughters became involved in lobbying MLB on behalf of Weaver.

Celebrity supporters also joined the cause.

Then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama wrote Selig in 2005 asking for MLB to review the case.

"Contemporary news accounts, interviews, and reports as well as serious historical research has reached a consensus that Buck Weaver was innocent of conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series," Obama wrote to Selig.

And John Cusack, the actor who portrayed Weaver in the 1988 John Sayles film "Eight Men Out," continues to stump for Weaver.

"He played to win every game (of the 1919 Series)," Cusack wrote in an email to the Tribune. "He could only control his own play."

Supporters look at Weaver's eight-year career with the Sox and see a player who was improving steadily, posting a .331 batting average in more than 600 at-bats in 1920, his final season.

"Weaver never has gotten due process," said Fletcher, who also runs a website called "clearbuck.com" in support of the third baseman's reinstatement. "If what had been done to Weaver was done to a player in the modern era, it would have been an issue. He was deprived of his income and he could have played a lot longer than he did."

Anderson hopes Manfred will have a change of heart, sooner rather than later.

"Buck was a good man and a marvelous player," she said. "Reinstate him and people will know how good he really was."

Watch Patricia Anderson, the niece of Buck Weaver, talk about her famous uncle and the Black Sox scandal at http://www.chicagotribune.com/buck.

Being on time biggest challenge for Jose Abreu Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS — Jose Abreu batted second for the third straight game Wednesday. He hoped to be on time.

Abreu, who usually bats third, said through an interpreter that “the most difficult thing to remember is going to the on-deck circle.’’

As in out of the dugout before the game starts on the road, and keep an eye on leadoff man Adam Eaton. Abreu has scrambled a time or two getting out there.

“Now I have to be prepared faster,’’ Abreu said. “A couple of times I was a little late on deck.’’

He might get used to it. It’s early, but the results have been fairly good.

Speaking through an interpreter, Abreu smiled talking about batting second, so he seems to be enjoying the change. The first two times he saw his name posted in the lineup, he grinned and pumped his fist for reporters nearby.

Having the best hitter bat higher gives him more at-bats, and manager Robin Ventura and bench coach Mark Parent expect Eaton to get more opportunities to steal because they usually want Eaton staying put if Abreu, a home run threat, is up.

“Robin likes how our lineup stacks up after that, and if Eaton gets on and Abreu makes an out with Eaton on, you still have two more outs to steal,’’ Parent said. “You hate having a guy thrown out with Abreu coming up.’’

The whole town’s talking about the Webb boy

Right-hander Daniel Webb had pitched in 10 games and hadn’t allowed a run. Webb, who spent all of his rookie season in the majors in 2014, pitching to a 3.99 ERA, struggled during spring training and opened this season at AAA Charlotte. Since his first outing May 28, Webb’s command has been good – he had 10 strikeouts and two walks.

“If I do fall behind 1-0, I am coming back with a strike,’’ said Webb, who got two outs against the Cardinals to earn his first win of the season Tuesday.

“Maybe more of a mindset. Not so much ‘don’t throw a ball’ but go right after hitters and give them what I got. If he beats me, he beats me. Just challenging hitters.’’

Webb has a power arm, but his offspeed pitches seem better thus far.

“My slider is better this year, and my changeup as well,’’ he said. “Having confidence in my secondary pitches helps a lot.’’

Note

When Melky Cabrera attempted a sacrifice bunt with no outs and Abreu on first in the eighth inning of a tie game Tuesday, he did it on his own. Cabrera’s intention was good but Ventura wanted Cabrera, who is finally hitting (.329 over his last 20 games) to swing away. It wasn’t the first time that has happened, and Ventura talked it over with the $42 million left fielder after the game.

White Sox pull away from Cards, claim 2-game sweep Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS — Jose Quintana shook off multiple rain delays to pitch six innings of one-run ball, and Tyler Flowers and Melky Cabrera homered to lift the White Sox to a 7-1 victory and two-game series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night.

Quintana gave up six hits and no walks while striking out eight Cardinals, a night after Chris Sale fanned 12 in a 2-1 Sox win in 11 innings against baseball’s hottest team. The Cardinals (51-26) had won six straight games before the struggling Sox (34-42) came to town.

“It’s special for us because the Cardinals are the best team in the National League,” Quintana said.

Cabrera homered for the second time in three games, breaking a 1-all tie in the sixth inning with a solo shot to right against John Lackey, and Flowers hit a two-run blast to start against Seth Maness the proceedings on a five-run ninth inning. It marked the first time the Sox catcher has homered in three straight games during his career.

Rain and lightning over Busch Stadium delayed the start to 9:04, one hour and 49 minutes after the scheduled start. More rain caused delays of 14 and 16 minutes during the first two innings. The last out was made at 12:51 a.m.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Jhonny Peralta’s RBI double, but Quintana was unharmed after that. The lefty gave up a one-out triple to Mark Reynolds in the sixth but left Reynolds at third by striking out Randal Grichuk and retiring Yadier Molina on fly ball. On Reynolds’ triple, a liner hit in front of center fielder Adam Eaton, the ball skipped to the wall as a charging Eaton slipped and fell on the wet grass.

Quintana (4-7), who lowered his ERA to 3.87, won for the first time in four starts. He was on the field when both times when rain interrupted play.

“Q did a good job of staying with it, the starts and stops,” manager Robin Ventura said.

Protecting a one-run lead, Zach Putnam, Zach Duke and Jake Petricka combined on two scoreless innings of relief before Scott Carroll finished up with a scoreless ninth.

Eaton drove in the tying run when he singled with two outs in the fifth against Cardinals starter John Lackey to score Flowers from second. Flowers had singled and advanced to second on Carlos Sanchez’ grounder that was bobbled by Reynolds at first base as Reynolds tried transferring the ball to his throwing hand with a chance to get Flowers at second. Reynolds settled for the out at first, and after Quintana struck out, Eaton lined a hit to center to tie the score at 1.

Jose Abreu drove in a run in the ninth with a single and Cabrera drove in a run with an infield grounder in the ninth.

Eaton, Avisail Garcia, Alexei Ramirez, Flowers and Carlos Sanchez each had two hits for the Sox, who out-hit the Cardinals 12-7.

“Flow with another big homer to kind of stretch it out for us,” Ventura said, “and then finally there we got something going and put it away. It was a good job by these guys of staying focused with starting and stopping on all the rain delays.”

Sox pitchers held the Cardinals to a single run in each game of the series. The Cards were 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position over the two games.

”They are obviously a good team and missing some key pieces but you know it’s nice to come in here and beat a team like this,” said Ventura, whose team went 4-4 on a road trip through Minnesota, Detroit and St. Louis. “Offensively we put some runs up late and the pitchers did what they did and the bullpen did too. There are some guys that are starting to swing it.

“There’s some optimistic stuff going on right now.”

White Sox considering extra day of rest for Chris Sale Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUS — Chris Sale might get an extra day of rest.

He certainly has earned it.

The White Sox star left-hander, whose historic performance over the last month and beyond has been nothing short of amazing, may not take his scheduled turn on four days rest when the Sox host the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Instead, manager Robin Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper are considering inserting Carlos Rodon back into the rotation a day or two sooner than originally planned, allowing Sale to pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday on five days rest.

“Chris has been pitching well, and the innings have been piling up because he has been pitching so well,” Ventura said the day after Sale struck out 12 St. Louis Cardinals in a 2-1 Sox victory in 11 innings.

If Sale does go Monday, that sets up the possibility of a Sale vs. Mark Buehrle matchup at U.S. Cellular Field. Buehrle, one of the all-time Sox fan favorites, was a teammate of Sale in 2010 and 2011 when Sale was a relief pitcher.

Sale joined Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers to record eight consecutive double-digit strikeout games. In the month of June, Sale was 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA. Over 44 1/3 innings, he struck out 75, walked eight and allowed 28 hits.

Sale feels fine, Ventura said, and he has looked strong.

“He hasn’t brought up anything about soreness, this is just Coop and I kicking it around to take care of him and make sure he’s fresh and keep him going the same way,” Ventura said. “We’ve spent enough time looking at Carlos, inserting him and moving him and everything else and you want to do that with Chris. He deserves it.”

Rodon was skipped in the rotation as the Sox keep close tabs on the rookie left-hander’s workload. The Sox have given Sale, who has encountered occasional soreness, even going on the disabled list with a flexor muscle strain, extra days in previous years.

Here are Sale’s pitch counts, in order, in games during May and June: 109, 110, 109, 113, 120, 112, 119, 125, 111, 112, 116.

“None of it has anything to do with him not feeling good or not feeling good physically, it’s just giving him that extra day,” Ventura said. “When we’ve done it for him, it sounds crazy, but he’s always bounced back and pitched maybe a little better. That probably sounds odd but he has looked stronger and fresher when he gets an extra day.”

In his 100th career start Tuesday, Sale beat the major leagues’ best team in the Cardinals. His 12 strikeouts put him on pace for 305 this season, which would be a franchise record and the highest total in the majors since Randy Johnson (334) and Curt Schilling (316) with Arizona in 2002.

Sale’s 75 strikeouts in June broke lefty Juan Pizarro’s franchise monthly record of 61 set in August 1961 and are the most in the majors since Nolan Ryan set the modern-era monthly record of 87 with California in June 1977.

Sale is 3-3 with a 1.80 ERA during his strikeout streak, which began May 23 against Minnesota.

Dan Jennings returns from Charlotte; Guerra optioned Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS — Left-hander Dan Jennings will rejoin the White Sox Wednesday after finishing an injury rehabilitation assignment at AAA Charlotte. The Sox optioned right-hander Junior Guerra to Charlotte.

Jennings went on the disabled list on June 7 with inflammation on the left side of his neck. He threw six innings over three relief appearances at Charlotte, allowing two runs, striking out five and walking one. Acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins for right-hander Andre Rienzo, the 28-year-old Jennings pitched to a 2.38 ERA over his first 10 appearances but struggled in May. He is 1-2 with a 7.83 ERA over 23 innings.

Guerra, 30, gave up three earned runs in four innings over three relief appearances with the Sox. He was 2-6 with a 2.72 ERA between Class AA Birmingham and Charlotte.

Chicago White Sox ace Sale closes in on record Scot Gregor, Daily Herald | June 1, 2015

White Sox ace Chris Sale is going to get a shot at setting a major-league record at U.S. Cellular Field next week.

On Sunday or Monday, Sale will take the mound at home and attempt to become the first pitcher in history to strike out 10 or more batters in 9 straight starts during the same season.

Not surprisingly, Sale is not impressed with personal achievement.

"Those kinds of things don't really matter to me," he told reporters Tuesday night after striking out 12 over 8 innings in the Sox' 2-1 win at St. Louis in 11 innings. "There's a time and a place for that stuff, and it's not now, not here." Sale has always put the team first, and there has been little to get excited about with the White Sox this season.

But there is an instant buzz when it is Sale's day to pitch, and his next outing will attract international interest.

Sale is tied with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez for the single-season record with 10 or more strikeouts in 8 straight starts. He is scheduled to pitch against the Orioles on Sunday at the Cell, but the Sox might give the 26-year-old lefty an extra day of rest.

If Sale is pushed back, he will start against the Blue Jays on Monday night.

"None of it has anything to do with him not feeling good or not feeling good physically, it's just giving him that extra day," manager Robin Ventura said. "When we've done it for him, it sounds crazy, but he's always bounced back and pitched maybe a little better. That probably sounds odd, but he has looked stronger and fresher when he gets an extra day."

Over the streak of 10 or more strikeouts, Sale has averaged 116 pitches per game.

"He hasn't brought up anything about soreness, this is just Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper) and I kicking it around to take care of him and make sure he's fresh and keep him going the same way," Ventura said. "We've spent enough time looking at (rookie starter) Carlos (Rodon), inserting him and moving him and everything else and you want to do that with Chris. He deserves it."

Over his record-tying run, Sale has pitched 60 innings and struck out 97. He's on pace for 305 strikeouts this season, which would be the most in the majors since 2002, when the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson struck out 334 and teammate Curt Schilling fanned 316.

Roster move:

The White Sox reinstated relief pitcher Dan Jennings from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and optioned Junior Guerra to Class AAA Charlotte.

Jennings went to the DL on June 7 (retroactive to June 5) with inflammation on the left side of his neck. In 22 appearances, the left-hander is 1-2 with a 7.83 ERA.

Guerra pitched in three games for the Sox and allowed 3 runs in 4 innings.

Quintana paces White Sox to 7-1 win over Cardinals Associated Press, ESPN.com | June 2, 2015

ST. LOUIS -- Sweeping a two-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals made it easier for the Chicago White Sox to overlook the three rain delays in the finale after needing 11 innings to win the opener.

"Everybody thinks we'll get a win every day," Jose Quintana said after a strong outing in a 7-1 victory on Wednesday night. "But this is special for us because the Cardinals are the best team in the National League."

Melky Cabrera hit the go-ahead homer and the White Sox pulled away late with a five-run ninth.

"They're a good team, missing some key pieces, but it's nice to come in here and beat a team like this," manager Robin Ventura said. "So, there's some optimistic stuff going on right now."

The Cardinals lead the majors with a 51-26 record and had a six-game winning streak entering the series but were held to a single run in each of the two losses. They were 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position, including seven hitless at-bats Wednesday.

Chris Sale struck out 12 in eight dominant innings in the opener Tuesday, a 2-1, 11-inning victory.

"Those are a couple of our horses," said catcher Tyler Flowers, whose two-run homer highlighted the ninth. "You expect for them and you hope for them to keep us in ballgames whether they have their best stuff or not."

Manager Mike Matheny wouldn't blame the soggy conditions for the Cardinals' poor offensive showing.

"It's not like we're the only guys in a holding pattern. No excuse there," Matheny said. "We've had plenty of experience in the rain and everybody does know the routine."

Quintana (4-7) allowed a run in six innings with eight strikeouts to win for the first time in four starts. The lefty worked at least six innings for the 10th straight time, none of the starts lasting longer than seven innings.

Cabrera homered in the sixth to give the White Sox the lead. They had dropped 12 of 16 entering the series.

There were 2 hours, 19 minutes in delays, all but a half-hour coming before the first pitch. On Sunday, the Cardinals beat the Cubs in a game that lasted 2:28 but consumed 2:29 in delays.

John Lackey (6-5) allowed two runs in seven innings with six strikeouts and two walks. The 36-year-old right-hander worked seven or more innings for the sixth time in seven starts.

"I've always thought of him as more crafty but he still has the velocity to get it by you," Flowers said. "He's got the whole package.

"He looks like he'd be a fun guy to catch, I know that."

Lackey left Busch Stadium without speaking with reporters.

Cabrera hit his third homer, and second in three games, for a 2-1 lead leading off the sixth. Flowers has homered in his last three games, a career best.

The Cardinals wasted Mark Reynolds' first triple since 2011 in the sixth after Adam Eaton missed on a sliding attempt in center field when Quintana struck out Randal Grichuk and Yadier Molina flied out.

Jhonny Peralta had an RBI double in the first for St. Louis.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: LHP Dan Jennings (neck) was activated from the 15-day disabled list.

Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia was ruled out for Thursday's start against the Padres but is optimistic about returning from a mild groin strain Tuesday in a double-header against the Cubs.

UP NEXT

White Sox: John Danks, who faces the Orioles Friday, was 0-4 with a 6.85 ERA in four starts last month.

Cardinals: Rookie Tim Cooney is likely to be recalled from Triple-A Memphis to face the Padres Thursday. It'll be Cooney's second career start -- the lefty lasted just 2 1/3 innings April 30 against the Phillies.

TOUGH ASSIGNMENT

Marcus Hatley made his major league debut for St. Louis in the ninth, entering with the bases loaded and nobody out and top Chicago RBI man Jose Abreu at the plate. Abreu hit a two-run single through a drawn-in infield.

"There's definitely nerves there," Hatley said. "I definitely had to calm myself down."

White Sox activate reliever Dan Jennings from 15-day DL Associated Press, ESPN.com | June 2, 2015

ST. LOUIS -- The Chicago White Sox activated reliever Dan Jennings from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Junior Guerra to Triple-A Charlotte.

The White Sox made the moves before Wednesday night's game against St. Louis.

Jennings, a left-hander, has been on the DL since June 7, retroactive to June 5, with inflammation on the left side of his neck. He tossed six innings in three relief appearances during a rehab stint with Charlotte.

The White Sox acquired Jennings during the offseason from the Marlins. He has a 7.83 ERA in 22 appearances covering 23 innings.

Guerra made three relief appearances in June and allowed three runs in four innings. He was 2-6 with a 2.72 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 12 games, eight of them starts, with Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte.

White Sox survive three rain delays to blow past Cardinals J.J. Stankevitz, CSN | June 2, 2015

ST. LOUIS — The White Sox came to Missouri with the worst road record in the American League for a short series against baseball’s best team. On paper, things didn’t appear to bode well for the White Sox. But baseball can be a weird game.

After surviving three rain delays totaling 2:19, the White Sox beat St. Louis, 7-1, Wednesday at Busch Stadium to sweep a two-game series from a Cardinals team that entered the week with only seven losses in St. Louis this season. Tyler Flowers homered for the third consecutive game and Melky Cabrera blasted his third home run of the season to pace the White Sox offense.

Jose Quintana pitched well despite warming up prior to the first delay, which lasted 1:49, and dealing with the other 14- and 16-minute delays, both of which started with the White Sox in the field. The left-hander allowed one run on six hits in six innings with eight strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 3.81 and out-dueling Cardinals starter John Lackey in the process.

“He did a good job with staying loose,” manager Robin Ventura said. “He didn’t really let it effect him. He does a good job of that.

“It didn’t happen to Lackey. It happened to Q. He was able to withstand that mentally.”

St. Louis struck in the first inning after the game’s second delay, with Kolten Wong narrowly beating Alexei Ramirez’s relay throw home on Jhonny Peralta’s double. Adam Eaton’s fifth-inning single was the equalizer and Melky Cabrera’s sixth-inning solo home run, his third of the year, put the White Sox ahead for good.

Flowers’ two-run home run added some insurance in the ninth, but the scoring didn’t stop there. Carlos Sanchez singled Adam LaRoche and Adam Eaton were hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats to load the bases for Jose Abreu, who drove in Sanchez with a single to left. LaRoche scored on Cabrera’s groundout, and Matt Carpenter’s error trying to catch Yadier Molina’s rundown throw allowed Eaton to score for the seventh and final run.

Zach Putnam, Zach Duke and Jake Petricka combined to throw two scoreless, high-leverage innings before turning things over to Scott Carroll to polish off the win with a six-run cushion in the ninth.

The first-place Cardinals — baseball’s only team with 50 or more wins — entered this week’s short series with a 29-7 record at Busch Stadium, and only lost two consecutive home games one other time this season (May 15-16 vs. Detroit). The White Sox, conversely, entered the week with an AL-worst 14-27 road record.

“They are obviously a good team and missing some key pieces but you know it’s nice to come in here and beat a team like this,” Ventura said. “I think offensively we put some runs up late and the pitchers did what they did and the bullpen did too. There are some guys that are starting to swing it.”

Flowers a not-so-invisible hand pushing Chris Sale’s success J.J. Stankevitz, CSN | June 2, 2015

ST. LOUIS — As Chris Sale bulldozed his way to tying a major league record over his last eight starts, there’s something he hasn’t done much, if at all.

Shake off catcher Tyler Flowers.

Sale and Flowers have as good a working pitcher-catcher relationship as you’ll find in baseball. Whatever Flowers calls, Sale throws. If an adjustment needs to be made during a game, Flowers will make it and Sale will trust it.

That happened Tuesday night when Sale didn’t have good command of the inner third of the plate. Flowers made the adjustment and called for more two-seamer fastballs away to a righty-heavy lineup and mixed in more sliders than usual — Sale threw 24 percent of the time, up about eight percent from his season average.

The result: Eight innings of one-run ball with 12 strikeouts — all swinging — giving him eight consecutive games with double-digit strikeouts to tie Pedro Martinez’s major league record set in 1999.

“We both trust each other entirely,” Flowers, who's caught all 15 of Sale's starts this season, said. “It just allows him to stay focused on whatever pitch, executing that and not worrying about the preparation as far as pitch sequences and those kind of things. He leaves that in my hands, and I kind of enjoy that aspect of the preparation to help him have success and give us a chance to win.”

As Sale said after a start earlier last month: “Just follow Flow, whatever he’s got, that’s what I’m throwing.”

The Sale-Flowers relationship is a subtle aspect to the White Sox ace’s success over the last few seasons. The pair worked together during Sale’s brief stint in Triple-A in 2010 and have formed the White Sox battery 74 times, teaming up to limit hitters to a .212 batting average and .591 OPS. In 446 2/3 innings with Flowers behind the plate, Sale has 538 strikeouts.

Those on-the-fly adjustments Flowers is able to make on an inning-by-inning, batter-by-batter, pitch-by-pitch basis have helped keep Sale effective even if he doesn’t have his best stuff or command.

“He’s caught him enough and he can tell if one pitch isn’t as sharp as another,” manager Robin Ventura said. “There is trust when he puts down down different fingers that there is a reason for that. They get along well. They’re in sync, he doesn’t spend much time shaking off and standing out there.”

Ventura said Sale’s preferred rhythm is similar to the one former White Sox starter Mark Buehrle is known for — get the ball, get on the mound and throw it quickly. Having a strong trust in Flowers to call the right pitch in the right location helps Sale find that rhythm and not overthink things.

The results, especially in 2015, have been staggering. If Sale makes 17 more starts at his current pace he’ll finish the season with 301 strikeouts, a total which hasn’t been reached by a pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2002. And if Sale racks

up 10 or more strikeouts in his next start — which will be either Sunday or Monday next week — he’ll set a major league single season record for most consecutive starts with double digit strikeouts.

The relationship between pitcher and catcher didn’t develop immediately, but it did develop quickly. And it’s become an important part of Sale’s dominance.

“It’s easier for pitchers to trust in a guy when they have success, and it’s easier for me to have success with him when he can execute, and we have some weapons to work with,” Flowers said. “So it kind of goes hand-in-hand where he gave me a shot to run the game, to run an inning, to run the next inning with some success and it just kind of snowballed into where we’re at today.”

Kenny Williams, Mike Wilbon on importance of Double Duty Classic CSN Staff | June 1, 2015

The 8th annual Double Duty Classic featured the top inner-city high school baseball players from Chicago squaring off at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday.

The event celebrated the history and tradition of Negro League baseball, and as White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams and Chicago native Mike Wilbon speak about in the video above, promoted the importance of baseball in the inner-city.

Also, former White Sox pitcher James Baldwin and Chicago native Blake Hickman - who the White Sox drafted in 2015 - shared their experiences, both past and present, of being part of the White Sox organization and the movement to promote African-American participation in baseball.

See what they had to say in the video below: http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/kenny-williams-mike-wilbon-importance-double-duty-classic

White Sox return Dan Jennings to bullpen mix J.J. Stankevitz, CSN | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS — Dan Jennings is back with the White Sox and feels like a different pitcher than he was when he was placed on the disabled list with a neck issue last month.

The 28-year-old left-hander was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list before Wednesday’s game against St. Louis after being shelved June 7 with left neck inflammation. Jennings began to feel the discomfort in May, and from the start of the month until he was placed on the disabled list he allowed 17 runs with nine walks and 20 hits in 13 innings.

Jennings had a 2.70 ERA after nine appearances in April and feels like he’s prepared to return to that kind of success.

“I was noticing at the beginning of the year, I was getting a ton of ground balls and more in May I wasn’t getting those ground balls again,” Jennings said. “And for me to go back get some time and I threw a lot of ground balls in my rehab stint, which was really comforting — I was able to throw my sinker and get those ground balls, which was a really good feeling again.”

Jennings is right — 92 percent of balls put in play against him in April were ground balls, while that dropped to 46 percent in May.

Getting Jennings back will allow manager Robin Ventura to turn to a lefty in middle relief, with Zach Duke largely pitching as a setup man.

“We felt that (neck issue) made him lose command and not pitch as well because he was sharp early when he felt well,” Ventura said. “For us to get the lefty back is important, Dukey has been filling in as slash left-on-left and one inning guy and going in between that. Now with Dan you have a lefty for middle innings.”

Jennings said the inflammation affected him in games in a more subtle way, as he felt the action on his pitches wasn’t as good after he began feeling it. But from a quality of life standpoint, the effect is more noticeable.

“In between outings when I go home at night and wake up in the morning, it feels fresher. Being able to sleep is a good thing and I found myself waking up in the middle of the night. When your arm’s hurting a lot it’s tough to sleep.”

Carlos Rodon’s flexibility allows White Sox to consider extra rest for Chris Sale J.J. Stankevitz, CSN | June 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS — By skipping Carlos Rodon’s turn in the rotation, the White Sox may also be able to give Chris Sale an extra day of rest.

Manager Robin Ventura said Wednesday he and pitching coach Don Cooper were considering bumping Sale’s next start to Monday against Toronto and starting Rodon Sunday against Baltimore, affording Sale five days of rest between starts. Sale is healthy and didn’t come to Ventura and Cooper requesting the extra day, but the White Sox feel it could be beneficial to the left-hander who tied Pedro Martinez’s major league record for most consecutive starts with 10 or more strikeouts Tuesday night.

“This is just Coop and I kicking it around to take care of him and make sure he’s fresh and keep him going the same way,” Ventura said. “We’ve spent enough time looking at Carlos, inserting him and moving him and everything else and you want to do that with Chris. He deserves it.”

Sale, who has a 2.87 ERA and a major league-leading 141 strikeouts, has averaged 116 pitches and a little under 7 2/3 innings over his last eight starts. Thanks to an off day Monday, Sale went five days between starts leading into his 12-strikeout masterpiece against St. Louis Tuesday night.

Ventura likes having the option — thanks to off days and the plan to periodically rest Rodon — of giving Sale that extra day, if possible.

“When we’ve done it for him, it sounds crazy but he’s always bounced back and pitched maybe a little better,” Ventura said. “That probably sounds odd but he has looked stronger and fresher when he gets an extra day.”

What isn’t part of the decision is Sale’s impending All-Star berth, and he’s made a strong case to start the game in Cincinnati July 14. His schedule isn’t ideal, though, no matter when he starts — if he goes Sunday or Monday, his final start before the All-Star break would be July 10 or 11 against the Cubs.

Ventura acknowledged Sale deserves to pitch in the All-Star Game, but lining him up to have a better chance of appearing at Great American Ballpark isn’t the team’s focus.

“For the importance of the game they probably want the best guys to pitch and he’s one of them,” Ventura said. “But our decisions are based on us and where we’re at. Because Carlos has had extended time off you can slip him Sunday or Monday.”

ESPN’s Michael Wilbon joins Jarrett at the White Sox Double Duty Classic Josh Frydman, WGNtv.com | June 1, 2015

CHICAGO — On Wednesday the Chicago White Sox held their 8th annual Double Duty Classic to celebrate Negro League baseball in Chicago and showcase the team’s Amateur City Elite (ACE) program and inner-city baseball players.

A star-studded panel including ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, White Sox Executive Vice President Kenny Williams and Negro League Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick discussed African-Americans in baseball and fielded questions from members of the team’s ACE program.

Sports Feed host Jarrett Payton caught up with Wilbon afterword to talk to the Chicago native about what the White Sox are doing to help promote the game with inner-city youth.