Chicago Adjusting to Life Without Baines : Calderon Moves to Third in Order and Helps Give White Sox the Victory

Ivan Calderon already misses former Chicago White Sox teammate Harold Baines, but Calderon was glad to move into Baines’ slot in the batting lineup Sunday.

Calderon, the White Sox right fielder, moved from the cleanup position to the No. 3 spot after Baines was traded Saturday to Texas in a five-player deal.

The loss of Baines left a gaping hole in the White Sox lineup, one that Calderon didn’t mind filling in a 3-2 victory over the Angels in front of 29,363 at Anaheim Stadium.

Calderon went two for three, drove in a run and scored to help the last-place White Sox avoid a four-game sweep against the Angels, leaders in the AL West.

“Hitting third or fourth in the lineup is almost the same to me,� he said. “You have to produce a lot of RBIs and home runs from those postions.

“I’m trying to do the same job as I was before. But I like hitting third better. You get an at-bat in the first inning and usually one more at-bat in a game.�

Calderon said losing Baines will change the team’s personality as well as its production. Regarded as one of the top designated hitters in the American League, Baines was batting .321 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs before he was traded.

“We’ve played a long time for this team,� Calderon said. “Harold’s been here 10 years and I’ve been here three. Harold’s a fine player and I miss him. But there’s nothing we can do about what happened. We have to move on.�

Calderon said the White Sox also need to move up. They’re seventh in the AL West with a 44-60 record, despite winning 12 of 16 games since the All-Star break.

“The first half of the season we weren’t hustling,� Calderon said. “Now we’re doing more moving and running. We’ve been doing the job.�

Second baseman Scott Fletcher, who was acquired from Texas in the Baines trade, helped the White Sox get rolling in the seventh inning. He walked, then scored on a hit-and-run double by Calderon.

“I hesitated for a second,� said Fletcher, who drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. “Then I got going again.�

Calderon moved to third when Carlton Fisk flied to center and scored on a double by Carlos Martinez.

Chicago Manager Jeff Torborg said Calderon “has been doing a heck of a job for us all year.� Calderon is hitting .280 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs.

“I hate to label players, but he’s definitely a gamer,� Torborg said. “He’s chipped in with some real key hits.�

Calderon said he was pleased to get at least one victory from the Angels before moving to Oakland for another four-game series.

“The Angels have the best pitching in the league,� he said. “They’re hot right now. Everything is happening for them. All we can do is keep doing the same things we have been.�