One of the bigger concerns the White Sox must address during the All-Star break is what to do about their designated hitters.
The Sox have used five players in the DH spot and have little to show for it.
The five have combined for eight homers and 52 RBI through 86 games. And they have hit .216, 24 for 111, with runners in scoring position.
George Bell started 73 games at DH, far and away the most, and he was far and away the least productive. Bell stranded 178 men in scoring position.
Manager Gene Lamont benched Bell on July 1 and used Bo Jackson at DH in a 10-day experiment. Counting one earlier start, Jackson hit .205 with two homers and nine RBI in 11 games.
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“If you’re going to have Bo as a DH, he’s going to have to provide power,” Lamont said.
Lamont made a point of saying he hadn’t ruled out Bell returning to the DH spot after the break.
The Sox also have used Steve Sax, Dan Pasqua and Frank Thomas at DH.
Little big man: The team’s best hitter with runners in scoring position is Joey Cora at 22 for 58, a .379 average. He has been more amazing with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs: 16 for 37, .432.
Rare start: Utility infielder Craig Grebeck started in place of Cora, Grebeck’s 27th start of the season and eighth at second base. Lamont said he made the move to rest Cora, who has appeared in 82 games, 18 shy of his career high set in 1991.
Cora already has 11 errors, most for him in a single season, and he’s on a pace to match the 20 errors Sax made at second last season. But Cora is the key to the Sox’s 91 double plays in 86 games this year, compared with 134 in 162 games last year.
“Grebeck will get a little more playing time the second half of the season, but it has nothing to do with Cora’s defense,” Lamont said. “Joey’s been outstanding. I just want to keep him from getting run down.”