BALTIMORE (AP) -Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen anticipated a roster shake up if the team struggles during an 11-game road trip that began Thursday against the Orioles.
The White Sox (39-47) started the second half in fourth place in the AL Central, 13 games behind first-place Cleveland.
“If we don’t start playing the way we should be playing, there is going to be a lot of moves,” Guillen said. “I don’t know how much or how many guys, but that’s the way it should be. Hopefully, we’ll play better and be able to keep this team together for at least a year, cause this bunch of guys have played pretty good in the past.”
The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 and won 90 games last year, but this season they haven’t been at .500 since June 1. But Chicago entered the break with a run of 10 wins in 15 games, and Guillen expected continued improvement in the second half.
“We know we’re going to play better. No way we’re going to play worse than we did in the first half,” he said.
Chicago did make one move before the start of the four-game series in Baltimore, recalling knuckleballer Charlie Haeger from Triple-A Charlotte. Haeger takes the roster spot vacated when the White Sox optioned pitcher Gavin Floyd to Charlotte on Tuesday.
After facing the Orioles, the White Sox travel to Cleveland and Boston.
“If we play real poor here and in Cleveland, you maybe see a lot of people missing in Boston,” Guillen said. “People have to understand this is a business. Whatever move is made, will be for the good of the ballclub.”
Guillen and pitcher Javier Vazquez arrived at Camden Yards just before 5 p.m. after needing three planes to get from a small airport just outside Miami.
Guillen, Vazquez and their families were to leave Florida on a small private jet around 9 a.m., but the original plane could not fly and the second plane, which was brought in from the Bahamas, had an engine quit just as it was beginning to take off.
A third plane was called in and the group finally made the trip to Baltimore.
“What a day. We were in the airport for eight hours and two planes broke before we took off,” Guillen said. “It was a mess.”
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