RedPinStripes
08-03-2002, 12:58 PM
Down and nearly out
August 3, 2002
BY DOUG PADILLA STAFF REPORTER
byline:
Doug
PADILLA
The Sox
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-- Todd Ritchie said he feels like an unwanted man in Chicago and blames nobody but himself.
A somber and downtrodden Ritchie continues to answer questions regarding his struggles, still refusing to make excuses for his 5-14 record and 6.12 ERA.
"It's just my opinion, but I don't see them trying to keep me around,'' said Ritchie, who is eligible for arbitration after this season. "That's just the nature of the game, and that's just the way it goes sometimes. Would I like to stay around? Yes, I'd like to stay around and try to help the team and try to do some damage control from what I've done so far.
"But it's a business, and sometimes things happen. Hopefully we'll win these next couple of months, and maybe they will keep me around.''
Ritchie will start tonight against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays only because the Bob Howry trade this week to the Boston Red Sox required Rocky Biddle to return to the bullpen. Manager Jerry Manuel already had made the decision to start Biddle today and put Ritchie in the bullpen until Biddle was asked to assume Howry's role in middle relief.
"I don't want to be in the bullpen,'' Ritchie said. "I'll do whatever is necessary to help the team, but I see myself as a starter. I'm in the midst of a horrible year, but I look at the big picture. I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to give up. It's hard to go through a year like this, but I think I have a lot of good years left starting.''
Ritchie missed his last start because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He said he tried to keep the injury private and still make his start last weekend against the Kansas City Royals, but trainer Herm Schneider wouldn't let him.
"I noticed it was more sore than usual, and I couldn't play catch the next day,'' Ritchie said of his last start, which came July 22 against the Minnesota Twins. "I tried to go as discretely as possible to Herm to see if he could get me back going to where I could make my next start. He pretty much told me that I could miss a start and be right back in there.''
He will try to start showing Sox fans, himself and his teammates that he is the pitcher the team thought so highly of when they traded for him during the offseason.
"I do think that you'll probably see a little better start from him [today] than you've seen in his last two or three starts,'' Manuel said.
THUMB LUCK: Joe Crede got his first day off since joining the Sox on Tuesday. Despite Crede going 1-for-11 (.091) in his first three games, Manuel said the move was not performance-related. He said Crede is suffering from a sore left thumb.
"He's our regular third baseman, and we spoke with him about that and assured him that we don't want him to put any pressure on himself to try to get hits or to try to impress,'' Manuel said. "We just want him to relax [Friday] and enjoy a ballgame and be ready to go [today] and the days after.''
LINEUP SHUFFLE: Jose Valentin, who was supposed to start in place of Crede, strained his neck during batting practice and was scratched from the lineup. Tony Graffanino took his place.
After taking a swing in the batting cage, Valentin walked gingerly back to the dugout. He originally appeared to have an injury in his right arm. Schneider said Valentin was better than day-to-day, labeling him as "hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute.''
August 3, 2002
BY DOUG PADILLA STAFF REPORTER
byline:
Doug
PADILLA
The Sox
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-- Todd Ritchie said he feels like an unwanted man in Chicago and blames nobody but himself.
A somber and downtrodden Ritchie continues to answer questions regarding his struggles, still refusing to make excuses for his 5-14 record and 6.12 ERA.
"It's just my opinion, but I don't see them trying to keep me around,'' said Ritchie, who is eligible for arbitration after this season. "That's just the nature of the game, and that's just the way it goes sometimes. Would I like to stay around? Yes, I'd like to stay around and try to help the team and try to do some damage control from what I've done so far.
"But it's a business, and sometimes things happen. Hopefully we'll win these next couple of months, and maybe they will keep me around.''
Ritchie will start tonight against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays only because the Bob Howry trade this week to the Boston Red Sox required Rocky Biddle to return to the bullpen. Manager Jerry Manuel already had made the decision to start Biddle today and put Ritchie in the bullpen until Biddle was asked to assume Howry's role in middle relief.
"I don't want to be in the bullpen,'' Ritchie said. "I'll do whatever is necessary to help the team, but I see myself as a starter. I'm in the midst of a horrible year, but I look at the big picture. I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to give up. It's hard to go through a year like this, but I think I have a lot of good years left starting.''
Ritchie missed his last start because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He said he tried to keep the injury private and still make his start last weekend against the Kansas City Royals, but trainer Herm Schneider wouldn't let him.
"I noticed it was more sore than usual, and I couldn't play catch the next day,'' Ritchie said of his last start, which came July 22 against the Minnesota Twins. "I tried to go as discretely as possible to Herm to see if he could get me back going to where I could make my next start. He pretty much told me that I could miss a start and be right back in there.''
He will try to start showing Sox fans, himself and his teammates that he is the pitcher the team thought so highly of when they traded for him during the offseason.
"I do think that you'll probably see a little better start from him [today] than you've seen in his last two or three starts,'' Manuel said.
THUMB LUCK: Joe Crede got his first day off since joining the Sox on Tuesday. Despite Crede going 1-for-11 (.091) in his first three games, Manuel said the move was not performance-related. He said Crede is suffering from a sore left thumb.
"He's our regular third baseman, and we spoke with him about that and assured him that we don't want him to put any pressure on himself to try to get hits or to try to impress,'' Manuel said. "We just want him to relax [Friday] and enjoy a ballgame and be ready to go [today] and the days after.''
LINEUP SHUFFLE: Jose Valentin, who was supposed to start in place of Crede, strained his neck during batting practice and was scratched from the lineup. Tony Graffanino took his place.
After taking a swing in the batting cage, Valentin walked gingerly back to the dugout. He originally appeared to have an injury in his right arm. Schneider said Valentin was better than day-to-day, labeling him as "hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute.''