Whispers

If the Chicago White Sox climb out of their early hole to make the playoffs, something that didn’t happen Tuesday will be one of the keys. Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez narrowly avoided an ugly collision when Beckham reversed field to grab a bunt over his head by the Dodgers’ Juan Pierre. Seattle Mariners outfielder Endy Chavez’s career outlook is uncertain after smashing into shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. . . . The Futures Game is on July 12 in St. Louis. It’s the one All-Star event for which tickets are easy to find, and fans can check out prospects such as Tyler Flowers, Josh Vitters, Mike Stanton, Madison Bumgarner and Junichi Tazawa before they got to the big leagues. . . . Teams looking to add pitching in midseason trades could be disappointed. There’s not a lot on the market, which could play to the White Sox’s advantage if they decide to deal Jose Contreras. They have a decision to make on Bobby Jenks: try to sign him to a long-term contract or listen to offers. They could get a lot if they moved him, with teams such as the Angels, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers looking to beef up their bullpens. . . . John Smoltz’s Boston Red Sox debut was unimpressive, but he takes comfort in his velocity, which was in the 92-94 mph range. . . . General Manager Brian Cashman rarely travels with the Yankees but joined them during a trip to Florida and Atlanta, triggering questions about Manager Joe Girardi’s status. Consecutive victories against the Braves quieted the rumors, for now. . . . Kudos to Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto for talking about the panic attacks he has suffered since his father’s death last year. . . . With the Twins’ Justin Morneau and the Phillies’ Ryan Howard missing games recently, the leader in consecutive games played is the Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez, who entered the weekend at 278. . . . Brewers reliever Mitch Stetter recorded 14 consecutive outs via strikeouts in a recent stretch of six outings. . . . Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb appears headed for shoulder surgery. . . . Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is set to come off the disabled list this week, just in time to jump into a sea of trade rumors.

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