Jon

Rauch

Rauch threw a 60 pitch simulated game on Saturday and came out of it feeling good. If manager Frank Robinson is confident Rauch is healthy, he could pitch one of the double-header games on Wednesday. If not, he will return in the near future.

Neil Cotts and Dan Wright are his main competition for the spot.

Despite his blow-up with management last month, Rauch is tentatively slated to start on Thursday following yesterday’s disatrous performance by Arnie Munoz. Since returning to Charlotte on May 29, Rauch is 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA in three starts, making him 6-2 with a league-best 2.30 ERA in 13 games overall. He has struck out 60 and walked 23. There is no question that Rauch has the talent to pitch in the major leagues, but we will see if he can harness it this time around with Chicago.

Rauch drove home to Louisville after Saturday’s game, prompting GM Kenny Williams to say he may be done with the team. He was, however, Baseball America’s minor league player of the year in 2000, even though he has a 7.24 ERA in nine career major league appearances.

After being pulled from his start yesterday, Rauch left the clubhouse and the stadium. This prompted anger from the Sox organization and particularly GM Kenny Williams. “He severely hampered his chances for ever pitching for the White Sox again,” an angry Williams said in a statement after the game.""If any team has any interest in Jon Rauch, they should contact me.” Pretty clear statments if you ask us. He still has potential, so teams looking for pitching could do worse than giving Rauch a look.

Sun Woo Kim replaces Rauch in the rotation and goes Tuesday against the Giants, while Francis Beltran comes up from Edmonton to replace Kim in the bullpen.

Rauch is 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA, 68 H and 55/18 K/BB in 74 IP for Charlotte. He missed most of 2001 after undergoing shoulder surgery, so any problem in that area is a major concern.

Rauch had missed a couple of weeks with rotator-cuff tendinitis. He’ll rejoin the Charlotte rotation soon.

Rauch is expected to undergo season-ending surgery in the near future. The free-agent-to-be ends a disappointing season with a 4.85 ERA and 11 saves in 52 innings. The Jays don’t figure to exercise his $3.75 million option, but they might have some interest in bringing him back at a lesser salary.

Mets’ manager Terry Collins believes he will only have to miss one game. It’s not clear where he would go in a potential save situation Monday, but Ramon Ramirez would appear to be the best alternative after Jon Rauch labored by throwing 22 pitches on Sunday.