White Sox vs. Twins: Quien Es Mas Macho?
That’s the question I tackle in today’s New York Sun. A snippet:
SCRUBS
White Sox: Scott Linebrink, Matt Thornton, D.J. Carrasco
Twins: Denard Span, Brian Buscher, Alexi Casilla
The White Sox have garnered yeoman’s work from the set-up combination of Linebrink, Thornton, and Carrasco, combining with Jenks to turn every game into a six-inning affair — if you don’t take a lead on the White Sox after six, you’re almost certainly going to lose. But as far as their lineup goes, the Sox lack the kind of castoffs and minor league veterans who define this category.
Not so for the Twins, who count Span (.306 AVG/.387 OBA/.439 SLG) and Buscher (.306/.340/.415). Both players haven’t slowed down lately either, rapping out three hits each in a Tuesday night win that drew Minnesota to within a game of first place. Buscher’s got another check mark on his resume this year, albeit one that’s a product of good luck more than anything else: His 45 RBI in 193 at-bats this season give him the highest ratio of runs batted in per AB in baseball this season, making Buscher the Pied Piper of a Twins team that’s hit better in clutch situations than any team in the game — a big reason for their overall success.
