Shortstop Alexei Ramirez realizes he has been in a serious rut to start the 2009 season, but at the end of the day he believes it's much ado about nothing.
"I'm a slow starter," Ramirez reiterated through interpreter Omer Munoz on Wednesday. "But I know it's there, and I know it's going to get better." As for whether he has started to look over his shoulder or get concerned about a benching, that's not weighing on him in the slightest.
"It's normal for an athlete to fail," Ramirez continued. "I'm not concerned. No, I don't have any pressure."
Ramirez is optimistic, and the Sox seem dug in on the idea he will turn it around. The only criticism he has received in his dismal start was manager Ozzie Guillen publicly letting him know that if he's going to be bad, he'd better not be feeling sorry for himself at the same time and start sulking.
"Ozzie is just sending a message, 'Hey, don't do it,'" hitting coach Greg Walker explained. "We understand frustration with this game or just being mad, but feeling sorry for yourself, we just can't put up with that."
The good news coming from Walker is that Ramirez's problems are minor and easily fixed. As a matter of fact, Walker is already seeing improvement, and that was before Ramirez singled in his first at-bat Wednesday.
"I think the first few games when we faced (Zack) Greinke and (Gil) Meche, I think those two got him sped up, started expanding the zone," Walker said. "I think that's his biggest problem is he's swinging at a lot of bad pitches. I've been asked if the league has caught up with him now, and I totally disagree. This league's scouting is so good that they knew the first week of last season how to pitch him.
"There are a few mechanical things that I don't want to get into that we feel are really affecting his at-bats, but we feel they're easy to clean up. Long haul, I'm not worried about him. We like his makeup and feel he'll come out of it, and do so sooner than later."
WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 3: The long ball is still alive and well on the South Side, evident by three more homers hit in the win over Seattle. A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye each connected on solo homers as the Sox offense finally woke up for a 12-hit game.
Gavin Floyd had a solid outing in picking up the no-decision, going six innings and allowing three runs on 10 hits, with a three-run fifth inning his only real stumble. But the game fell on the shoulders of the bullpen, and they once again delivered with three shutout innings. Closer Bobby Jenks recorded save No. 5.
