BALTIMORE -- Three starts, three losses. Not exactly the results the Chicago White Sox expected from Jose Contreras at the outset of the season.
The right-hander allowed six runs on seven hits and six walks over 5 1/3 innings Tuesday night in a 10-3 loss to Baltimore. That left Contreras with an 0-3 record and an 8.04 ERA.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen isn't happy with the numbers but isn't quite ready to pull the 37-year-old Contreras from the starting rotation.
"Not right now. It's kind of early," Guillen said Wednesday. "Even though the results aren't the ones we like lately, you have to be careful to not hurry into a decision based on your feelings, because it might be the wrong one."
Contreras has yielded 14 earned runs, 19 hits and 11 walks in 15 2/3 innings.
"I am going to continue to work until I get it right," Contreras said through an interpreter Tuesday.
Contreras spent two months on the disabled list last year and started just 20 games. But Guillen didn't think the pitcher's health was the problem.
"It's not his velocity. ... It doesn't look like he has the confidence now to let the ball go," Guillen said.
Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper said, "We've got to get [his confidence] back. That's our focus," Cooper said. "He's frustrated. Everyone wants better results."
I agree for now...Jose is coming off of a major achilles injury (well ahead of schedule and 30 lbs lighter than 2008). He's a veteran, he deserves a few more starts to get his game back on track. However, if he keeps throwing like this and doesn't improve, he'll have to go to the pen or the minors, we can't afford to give up a loss every 5th day in the Central this year.
Thome lifts Danks, White Sox past Orioles - ESPN.com
Danks (2-0) allowed one run, four hits and no walks in a season-high seven innings. The left-hander was so good, Jim Thome's 545th career home run was merely a footnote in the lopsided victory.
In three starts this season, Danks has given up only two runs -- both on solo homers. He retired 19 of the final 21 batters, the exceptions a fifth-inning home run by Luke Scott and a single in the seventh by Ty Wigginton.
"It's a good game, obviously, on paper, but I didn't have a lot of fun," Danks said. "After the third, I had 60 pitches and I was hoping just to get through five, maybe to the sixth. The goal is to get deeper in the game and get more efficient. As the game went on, that's what I did."
I don't agree with the headline that Thome lifted the Sox to a win last night. It was clearly Danks' outstanding pitching. He should be 3-0 so far and has an ERA of 0.95 through 3 starts. If he keeps this up he'll have an AL Cy Young Award to put above his fireplace.
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