White Sox left-handed pitcher John Danks has scuffled in his last two starts, bringing the question of the contract extension he passed up late in spring camp to the forefront.
But before any sort of conclusion is made that his struggles have anything to do with that, Danks squashed that idea. "No, it's not like that at all, I haven't even thought about it," Danks replied, when asked if that could be weighing on him. "It's one of those things that if I do what I'm supposed to do it will all take care of itself. There hasn't been any word from me or anybody else on it. We'll deal with it when the time comes.
"I think it's fair to say I've had two pretty (crappy) outings. There isn't anything mechanical, there isn't anything wrong, it's just a matter of me not making the pitch I need to make. If you look at the games, it's not like I'm getting my face beat in. I'm not down, I'm not losing confidence, and I still feel like I have plenty of stuff."
Danks did say that he and his agent Jeff Berry have not heard from the Sox since turning down the same four-year, $15.5 million contract that Gavin Floyd signed, and didn't expect to revisit it until maybe at the end of the season.
But as the southpaw pointed out, it's not like the Mark Buehrle situation in 2007 when Buehrle was headed for free agency at the end of that season, before reaching a deal.
"Buehrle was a free agent and could have gone somewhere else and became a big trading chip," Danks said. "I don't have the option to go anywhere, nor do I want to. We're not trying to beat a deadline like Buehrle was, and hopefully everything works out.
"Who knows, maybe I can pitch well enough so that it won't be an issue and people questioning me about it."
RANGERS 6, WHITE SOX 0: Manager Ozzie Guillen said he needed to see a better performance from starting pitcher Jose Contreras, but the wait continues after Friday. The veteran continued his struggles, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work, falling to 0-5 on the season with a dismal 8.19 ERA.
The Rangers jumped on Contreras by the second inning, putting three runs on the board, and then never looked back. Now, Guillen, general manager Ken Williams and the coaching staff will discuss the Contreras situation yet again, but Guillen already said that there were no real other options and Contreras might get at least one more look.
