But you'd better believe it. The lighter-tinted and lighter-hitting Sox — despite the results of their first two games this week — do have a shot. They have plenty of games like Monday night, when they can't buy an out, and plenty more like Tuesday, when they can never find the big hit, but this is a ChiSox team still very much in the hunt.
Tuesday night's loss, a 6-3 decision decided by an eighth-inning Boston rally, is one that will certainly sting for these White Sox. It drops them to an even .500 record at 63-63, threatening to drop them below the break-even point for first time in nearly two months. Their last time falling under was June 28, when the Cubs took two of three in an interleague grudge match, dropping the South Siders to 37-38.
But make no mistake — this is a Chicago team that wants desperately to make the playoffs. And they have a front office that's spent exorbitantly to make that happen.
Take a look at the actions taken by GM Kenny Williams in the past month. At the July 31 trading deadline, Williams pulled an 11th-hour deal to acquire ace Jake Peavy from San Diego, offering up a four-player package of Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter. Then, less than two weeks later, the White Sox put in a waiver claim on Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios, unburdening Toronto of an expensive failed experiment.
Peavy has a three-year, $52 million contract, plus a club option for 2013; Rios is locked in even longer, looking at a guarantee of seven years and $69.835 million, not to mention an option for 2015. 2015!
The Sox have committed $110 million to two players in the past month. And while both are long-term investments, and neither is expected to guarantee championships on the South Side right away, you have to think the White Sox will expect some kind of production out of their newest paid mercenaries.
The pressure is piling higher than you think. The White Sox are the defending champions in the AL Central, having toppled the Twins last year in a one-game playoff, and their fans are dying to see them back in the postseason. And suddenly, the stakes have gotten much, much higher. Now, you're looking at a club with a $96 million payroll. No one likes wasting that kind of money for nothing — certainly not White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
They're in the hunt, but things are looking more and more grim by the day. After beginning the week 2 1/2 games back, a pair of losses in Boston and a Tigers win in Anaheim have widened that deficit to four. Before long, you're going to see some panicking White Sox fans wondering what all that money was for.
After going 0-for-4 against Jon Lester and company Tuesday night, Rios has fallen to 8-for-41 since being picked up off the waiver wire. That's a sub-Mendoza average of .195.
Peavy was sidelined on June 9 with an ankle injury; he never pitched again in San Diego, and he's still waiting to make his White Sox debut. He's nearing a return to peak physical condition, but it's unclear when the team is planning to actually let him pitch.
Can the White Sox make their push into the playoffs this season? Maybe, but don't expect the team's recent nine-figure investments to be the reason. With Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and rookie Gordon Beckham, among others, slugging the Sox to a victory here and there, you can never count this team out.
We all learned that lesson last season. The White Sox looked dead in the water last April and May, and they came roaring back.
This is the AL Central, and here, it's anyone's game. You always go to Fenway expecting to see a playoff-contending Sox team. This week, you've got two.
