Return of Jose Contreras key to White Sox' playoff chances

August 9, 1:00 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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Jose Contreras hasn't pitched since July 13 at Texas and is 7-6 in 2008.

The White Sox welcome Jose Contreras back to the team tonight against Boston after a stint on the disabled list due to right elbow tendinitis, and injury that shelved him for nearly four weeks.

The return of Contreras could be a deciding factor in the White Sox' push for the playoffs in these final two months, as Javier Vazquez has struggled, Mark Buehrle has been inconsistent, and the bullpen has been stretched without Scott Linebrink. If Contreras comes back at full strength, it could propel the White Sox to the postseason for the first time since 2005.

One has to wonder how long Contreras was bothered by the elbow tendinitis that landed him on the disabled list—after the month of May, Contreras' ERA was 2.89. By the end of June, it has rocketed to 3.99, and when he went on the disabled list, it has ballooned to 4.60.

Since his start June 5 against Kansas City in which he went seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits, Contreras has been hit hard—like, 2007 hard. In the seven starts between June 5 and his trip to the disabled list, Contreras allowed four or more earned runs and double-digit hits four times. He fell behind in far too many counts, and as a result, he went from being tough to hit to extremely hittable.

Again, there's a good chance the elbow tendinitis had something to do with this extreme dropoff. Contreras looked tentative on the mound in June and July, compared to his fiercely competitive demeanor on the mound in April and May.

Maybe what Contreras needed was some time off to rest his arm and clear his head. Or, maybe Contreras is done for as a big-league pitcher.

He got hit hard in his lone rehab start at Triple-A Charlotte, so that isn't a good sign. But it's not uncommon to see established major-league players do poorly on minor-league rehab assignments, as the intensity of a major-league game isn't there. Also, it's not very easy to come right off the disabled list and regain form you haven't had in two months.

A return to the majors after this extended break hopefully is just what Contreras needs to regain his early-season form.

With Vazquez looking like he'll never come out of his pitching slump, the White Sox will certainly need the good Contreras to return to their starting rotation if they want to play into October.