In my last column, I discussed the possibility of White Sox proto-Messiah Gordon Beckham joining the club to shore up the infield. However, I also brought up the possibility that perhaps Kenny and Co. were simply using The Beckham Threat to scare some of the younger players into performing. Well, the early results are in (although polls are still open) and it seems to be having an effect. Jayson Nix, the grind-it-out fan favorite, has been playing increasingly well all over the field. He’s been used mostly at second base recently, but he’s also played third and both corner outfield spots. He was the difference in the Tuesday night games in Los Angeles, belting two solo shots in a 4-2 Sox win.

Josh Fields has been playing better, too. He’s raised his batting average fifteen points since Beckham-gate began late last week. He

turned in a  2-for-4 performance last night (the good news), but also left three men on base (the real news). I’m not gonna harp on Fields too much yet, he’s been playing better the past week and may be starting to heat up.

Also instrumental was Bartolo Colon, who held the Halos to one run over 6 and 2/3 innings. The key for Colon is control: when he has it, he’s good. When he doesn’t… it’s ugly. He’ll walk people, he’ll get hit hard all over the place, and the bullpen is usually up by the second inning. Getting quality starts out of your fifth starter is important for the health of the team over the long haul, and especially for this team.

The bad news? Carlos Quentin was sent back to the Chi for more tests on his ailing foot. Trainer Herm Schneider said the “pop” Quentin felt while rounding first base was a good thing. I’m no doctor, but when a guy runs full speed to first base and then a pop in his foot causes him to practically crawl into second… how is that a good thing? Another possibility is that Quentin will have to be fitted for special therapeutic shoes to alleviate discomfort. I don’t know much about that either, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Quentin was bound for the DL. However, the Sox might be waiting for injured outfielder DeWayne Wise to come off the DL so they can make both moves at the same time.

Quentin or not, this team has been playing a hell of a lot better of late. It’s fun to watch baseball again, which is all I’m looking for.