Signs

The arrows kept pointing in both directions early on in game one of the White Sox-A’s wildcard series yesterday afternoon. Tim Anderson led off the game with a single and went to third on a hit by Jose Abreu, only for James McCann to strike out. Starter Lucas Giolito retired the side in order in the bottom of the first, but all three outs were solid contact to the outfield. And then Adam Engel stepped to the plate in the second inning. And what did Engel do? Why, he put a ball over the left field wall on an 0-2 pitch, that’s what. After the game, Engel talked about how he tries to “envision” his at-bats, and he sounded just like my daughter, which makes perfect sense; choppy swing and all, Engel is one of Clare’s favorite players, and, yes, mine, too. Not that I have problems with Anderson (three hits) or Abreu (two hits, including a two-run homer). Yasmani Grandal? Now him I have problems with, but if he keeps on hitting homeruns like he did in the eighth inning yesterday’s 4-1 win, I may revise my opinion. As for Giolito, isn’t baseball grand? Here’s a guy who stunk up the joint in his Opening Day start (seven runs in 3.2 innings); throws a no-hitter a month later; and comes out yesterday to throw six perfect innings in Oakland. Giolito is what you would call a thinking person’s pitcher, always talking about mechanics and emotional states and whatnot. Well, the proof’s in the pudding, at least it was yesterday. I’m hoping Engel is back in the lineup against right-hander Chris Bassitt, but with Rick Renteria, you never know. Fingers crossed.

Gale Sayers

Words fail to describe Bears’ great Gale Sayers on a football field. “He ran like the wind”? Only the wind can’t change directions the Sayers could. Like Mercury? Like Hermes? Please. The only way to appreciate Sayers in all his jaw-dropping artistry is to watch clips of his runs; remember when you saw those runs live; or both. Anything else is a waste of time. The only comment of any value said about Sayers was spoken by the man himself: “Just give me eighteen inches of daylight. That’s all I need.” Amen. Sayers died last week. The obituaries were a reminder to anyone who’d forgotten just how petty an organization the Bears are. At one point when his playing career was over, Sayers contacted every NFL team for a front-office job and received zero offers. Shame on them, and shame most of all on the team that employed him in the first place. Repeat after me, “how Bear.” Paul Sullivan in the Tribune noted that the McCaskeys let a strike player wear Sayers’ number 40 in 1987 and were ridiculously slow in retiring it. Michael McCaskey, team president at the time, said it was hard “because of our long history and how many numbers have [already] been retired.” On the scales of football talent, how many Michael McCaskeys would it take to equal one Gale Sayers? A hundred? Or am I giving McCaskey more gravitas than he deserves?

If Only

In what I pray is his last regular-season game as White Sox manager, Rick Renteria showed off that head-scratching loyalty he has for his pitchers. In what I pray is his last-ever appearance in a White Sox uniform, starter Reynaldo Lopez had already given up three runs in the top of the second inning when he decided to get seriously bad. And Renteria let him. Lopez walked one batter, then another, then Billy Hamilton, and, if you don’t know how pathetic that is, you don’t know much baseball. So, let’s recap here—three runs in, bases loaded, postseason seeding on the line. What do you do? Renteria let Lopez give up a two-run single to Cameron Maybin, and if you don’t know how… Speaking of pathetic, Sox pitching yielded ten—count them, ten—runs to a Cubs’ lineup heavy on scrubs and subs. In what I pray are their last-ever appearances in a Sox uniform, Jace Fry grooved one to the aforementioned Billy Hamilton while Jimmy Cordero gave up another three runs in just one inning of work. But wait. There’s more. In what should be his last appearance anywhere, Sox dh Edwin Encarnacion went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, pushing his batting average down to an anemic .157 with 54 strikeouts in in 175 plate appearances. But I’m sure Renteria will use jibber-logic to play on Tuesday. The hope now is that the Sox win in spite of their coaching staff. (Yes, that means you, too, Don Cooper.) May Jose Abreu lead them and Luis Robert, who shook off his batting stupor to go 3 for 5 Sunday, be the surprise of the series against Oakland. That’s the team that will be playing ex-Sox Marcus Semien at shortstop and starting Chris Bassitt in the second game of the series. Make that in spite of the front office, too.

KISS

The White Sox woke up last night to beat the Cubs 9-5 and break a six-game losing streak. Jose Abreu—who else?—led the way with a bases-clearing double. On Friday, the Cubs’ Willson Contreras took it upon himself to outdo Tim Anderson by doing a bat flip worthy of Cape Canaveral after hitting a three-run homerun off of Dylan Cease. Sox reliever Jimmy Cordero later hit Contreras, accidentally, of course. Las night, the Sox found a better way to go after Contreras, by running on him. They stole two bases and, but for James McCann oversliding, would’ve had three. Rookie and 2020 first-round draft pick Garrett Crochet pitched two scoreless innings totaling 23 pitches. According to MLB.com, 21 pitches were 99-mph+ and 15 were 100-mph+. On the season, Crochett has thrown all of 85 pitches in six innings, 45 at 100-mph+, second-most in the majors, and 69 at 99-mph+. I wonder what happens once pitching coach Don Cooper gets his hands on Crochet.

Rebuild? What Rebuild?

The handiwork of White Sox GM Rick Hahn was on full display last night during his team’s 10-0 beat-down by the Cubs. There was catcher Yasmani Grandal, with his .223 BA—he’s a switch-hitter, don’t you know—to go with an error for dropping a perfect throw to the plate from Luis Robert. There was dh Edwin Encarnacion, whose latest 0-fer has his average down to .167. And, lest we forget, right fielder Nomar Mazara also went 0 for 3, which left him batting .219 on the year. But, hey, Mazara is off the schnide on homeruns. Those are just the hitters Hahn went out and got this past postseason. He also signed pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who gave up two runs last night in 1.1 innings of relief; Gonzalez now has a 4.88 ERA. In case he’s wondering, Gonzalez should be safe until his ERA reaches the neighborhood of 5.40. That’s what it was for Hahn-find Steve Cishek, when the Sox let him go. So, including Dallas Keuchel, Hahn went out one for six in big roster moves. He also relented and finally let top-prospect Luis Robert start to play. Well, maybe if Robert had gotten his feet wet last September, he wouldn’t be so lost, as he is right now. You do not win Rookie of the Year batting .222, in case anyone is wondering. This is where I could toss in a quote by skipper Rick Renteria, but that would be too cruel, sort of like watching Renteria manage his bullpen. Better for my wellbeing to focus on Frank Thomas, who had a meltdown during the postgame show. The Big Hurt said the game he’d just watched was an embarrassment; that the team lacked energy; and there was a clubhouse problem—by which I think he meant the team’s general drift—that needed to be fixed immediately. But not to worry, Sox fans. Because I’m pretty sure there’s a spreadsheet somewhere in the front office with columns titled “ticket prices 2021”; “ticket prices 2022” and so on; and “new suite deals” and “new special-member club offerings.” Ownership won’t hit the revenue numbers it wants to with who it has coaching right now. Bye, Rick. Bye, Don. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Oh, and Rick…

Presto, Change-o

The White Sox took a three-run lead into the bottom of the seventh innings last night when Sox manager Rick Renteria set about working his magic. First, Renteria brings in Jimmy Cordero from the bullpen. Presto. Three singles and two non-scoring outs later, he has Carlos Rodon face switch-hitting Cesar Hernandez, who delivers a two-run single. Next up is Jose Ramirez, who hits a two-run double off the left-field wall. Change-o. Gosh, who’d think Rodon would be so rusty after not pitching since August 3rd? Oh, and Rodon hasn’t pitched in relief since 2015. In his post-game comments, Renteria said he wanted to see how Rodon would do in relief, which is how the Sox intend to use him in the postseason. A question that might have gone unasked—then why have him on the roster at all? I mean, fifteen pitchers? Evan Marshall is an honest-to-goodness reliever currently on the IL. When he comes back, are they going to send down another position player in order to carry sixteen pitchers? Most likely, reliever Jose Ruiz gets demoted. And Danny Mendick has to wonder what exactly it was he did wrong. Fifteen pitchers versus thirteen position players? This ain’t baseball like I know it. Here’s why most Sox fans are going crazy—for the first time in over a month, Renteria had Aaron Bummer available, and he puts in Rodon first; Bummer pitched a scoreless eighth. That’s a move right out of Jim Boylen’s playbook. I wonder, how long until Renteria joins Boylen on the unemployment line? Boylen could use the company.

Matchups

The White Sox lost in Cleveland, again, on a walk-off homerun, again, this time by Jordan Luplow off Gio Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth. Sox manager Rick Renteria was quoted on the team website, saying after the game, “It’s tough, it’s tough. I’m not going to lie because we’re still trying to continue to move forward.” Coulda’ fooled me. Maybe Renteria was looking at Luplow’s .190 BA or career .193 mark against righties, in which case, shame on him. First, Luplow was batting .278 on his career against lefties. Second, lefty-reliever Gonzalez hasn’t exactly been fooling people; right-handed batters were hitting .310 against him coming in. Third, of Luplow’s 22 career homeruns, 17 were off of lefties and six were against the White Sox. Shades of Ryan Raburn there, my friends. Did Renteria know any of that? If not, why not? Isn’t that what bench coaches are for? And, if he did know, why not switch to a rightie and force Cleveland’s hand? I mean, if it’s all about moving forward.

The Promised Land

By all accounts, Moses was a very good leader, but he was not allowed into the Promised Land. I doubt anyone would confuse Rick Renteria with Moses. Which leads to the question, should Renteria be allowed to manage the pretty much rebuilt White Sox? Off of last night’s 5-3 loss in ten innings to the Indians, the answer is a resounding No. The Sox were ahead 3-1 with two out in the tenth when Francisco Lindor lined a ball to dead center field. Luis Robert jumped…and missed the ball. It’s a catch Adam Engel probably makes. If the game’s important, Engel’s in center and Robert moves over to right. If the next five games are important, Engel is in the lineup and Nomar Mazara is on the bench. Back to the game. Closer Alex Colome needed all of six pitches to get through the ninth inning and should have been back out for the tenth. Supposedly, he didn’t on account of back spasms. OK, so let’s say it’s two out and the switch-hitting Lindor is up. Why does he get to bat left-handed, his stronger side? If you don’t trust Jace Fry to turn him around and the game’s important, bring in Dallas Keuchel. All I know is Matt Foster gave up the (catchable) double to Lindor and then walked the next batter, bringing up switch-hitting Jose Ramirez. Instead of Foster facing Ramirez, in comes Joe Shlabotnik, or his 21st century equivalent, right-handed reliever Jose Ruiz. And what does Ruiz do? He puts a ball right where Ramirez can drive it for a three-run walk-off homerun. If you’re afraid to turn around Ramirez with Fry, then why not bring in Lucas Giolito? It’s one batter, and Giolito keeps the ball high in the strike zone, where Ramirez can’t drive it. Your thoughts, Rick? And, while you’re at it, tell us what’s up with Luis Robert, whose average is down to .225 to go with 68 strikeouts, including three last night. What exactly are you doing to help Robert out of his hellacious slump? The same thing you’re doing with third baseman Yoan Moncada, who’s batting an even worse .221? I’m not a doctor, but it seems to me Moncada hasn’t recovered from his bout of COVID-19. He should be playing at most every other game with Yolmer Sanchez and Danny Mendick spelling him. Oh, wait, Mendick was sent down for Ruiz. The Promised Land is great, if you can get there. Just ask Moses.

It Bears Repeating

In the first inning of last night’s 7-4 loss to the Indians in Cleveland, White Sox dh Edwin Encarnacion batted with the bases loaded and two out. Encarnacion grounded out to short. The word “meekly” comes to mind. Encarnacion’s 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and four runners left stranded leaves him batting .159. Somewhere in Korea, Daniel Palka shakes his head. At least Yasmani Grandal doubled and scored a run. Grandal is hitting 76 points higher than Encarnacion, which sounds great until you do the math and come up with a .235 BA. Oh, Nomar Mazara also got a hit; his batting average now stands at .217. In other words, the Sox are going with Adam Engel’s bat from two years ago, but not his glove. Somewhere… If this is the formula for winning baseball in the postseason, then up is definitely down.

Something My Kid Said

Watching the White Sox stink up Great American Ballpark in a 7-3 loss to the Reds yesterday, I thought of something Clare told me once at the start of her baseball season. “If I miss a ball, it’s because I stink,” she said, no doubt after hearing that very thing. “If they [boys] miss a ball, it’s because they missed a ball.” Or keep striking out or keep throwing balls a foot outside. To be fair, Sox dh Edwin Encarnacion had a homerun to go with his three strikeouts on Sunday. So, Encarnacion is now batting .164 with ten homers; 18 RBIs; and 47 strikeouts in 134 at-bats. Even if you factor in the thirteen walks, Encarnacion has struck out in 32 percent of his plate appearances. What if those stats belonged to a female baseball player? Encarnacion gets the benefit of the doubt because he’s hit 424 homers in his career. And Sox pitchers Dylan Cease? We have to be patient because Cease has all kinds of talent, or so I’m told. Yesterday, Cease walked seven batters in three-plus innings. Add 32 walks to 45 hits, and Cease has a 1.43 WHIP this season. But, boy, can he hum that pea. That said, how would Sox fans react to a female pitcher putting up those numbers? Clare was eleven or twelve when she ran up against a baseball instance of Catch-22. Nothing’s changed since then, I’m sad to say.

To the Pen, Pen, Pen

Like I said, the White Sox don’t have to run the remainder of their schedule, but when they hit five homeruns, like last night against the Reds in Cincinnati, it feels like they will. I mean, even Nomar Mazara and Yasmani Grandal went yard. Good guys, 5-0. Negative Nancy that I am, I sometimes worry that this Sox team will be a copy of 2005, with a roster not exactly built for the ages. Then I look at Matt Foster and Codi Heuer, two of the relievers used last night, and hope returns. It’s always good to develop your own pitching. Better yet when that pitching wasn’t drafted in the first round, like Garrett Crochet, who made his MLB debut Friday. You want—and moreover, expect—your #1 pick to mow down the order, striking out two and needing just thirteen pitches to get the job done. But that’s not Foster and Heuer. Foster was drafted in the 20th round in 2016. His record stands at 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA over nineteen games and twenty-four innings pitched. Heuer was picked in the sixth round two years ago. He’s managed a 3-0 mark with a 1.77 ERA over eighteen games and 20.1 innings. The Sox actually drafted a kid from Missoula, Montana, by way of Wichita State. Be still, my beating heart. This is how you build a bullpen, not by throwing money after the likes of Kelvin Herrera and Steve Cishek. Oh, and finding someone like Evan Marshall, who needed to approach the age of 30 before figuring things out.

Negative Nancy

No. I don’t think the White Sox have to run the rest of their schedule to set the tone for the postseason. Still, there were things about last night’s 7-1 shellacking by the Reds that gives me pause. Let’s start with catcher Yasmani Grandal; it’s reaching the point where manager Rick Renteria is playing the contract more than the player. Grandal is hitting all of .234, and, if I’m supposed to be impressed by his .360 OBP, then someone explain to me the 49 strikeouts in 141 at-bats. And the catching. In his first major-league start, against the Tigers, Sox pitcher Jonathan Stiever went 3.2 innings, giving up a run on two hits and two walks; James McCann was his catcher. In his second start last night, with Grandal behind the plate, Stiever went 2.2 innings yielding six runs on five hits, four of them homeruns. Yup, Grandal was the catcher. For me, you’ll go farther the less Grandal plays. And, if you insist on playing him, put him down in the order. Of course, there are at least two other candidates for bringing up the rear. Right fielder Nomar Mazara was acquired from the Rangers for his power. Not only hasn’t Mazara hit a single homerun in 108 at-bats, he’s batting a rather sad .222. Adam Engel must be wondering why he’s on the bench, and Danny Mendick must be wondering why he got sent to the taxi squad. And let’s not forget DH Edwin Encarnacion. As things stand right now, Encarnacion is a lot more famine than feast, hitting a mere .167 with nine homers and seventeen RBIs; also keep in mind the 44 strikeouts in 126 at-bats. It’s going to be hard to generate baserunners in the postseason with Encarnacion and Mazara in the lineup. Ditto Grandal. As for pitching, Jimmie Cordero seems to have righted the ship his past few appearances. Steve Cishek, not so much. Cishek has had 21 games to figure it out, but the best he can do is a 5.89 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Not good. Enough of this negativity. Wait, did I mention centerfielder Luis Robert? He’s down to .240…

Teacher and Student

Jose Abreu is the smartest hitter on the White Sox. Abreu goes to the plate with a plan. Get two strikes on him, and he stops swinging for the fences. Establish a pattern of pitches, and he’ll figure it out before long. Eloy Jimenez is the best hitter on the Sox. Somehow, the 6’4” right-handed hitter has never gotten caught up with hitting homeruns (Luis Robert, please take note). Like Abreu, Jimenez will shorten his swing with two strikes, and he’ll always take the ball to right field. If anyone on the Sox can win the Triple Crown (batting average, homeruns, RBIs), it’s Eloy. In yesterday’s come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Twins, Abreu reached out for a 2-2 pitch and hit it to deep short with runners on the corners and two out; never has a man so big run so hard to beat out a hit. Because Abreu valued contact over distance, he tied the score. I was amazed Abreu even made contact off of Minnesota reliever Sergio Romo, a master of slop if there ever was one. Abreu was followed in the order by Eloy, who had already struck out three times in the game. At least it’s tied, I thought. Oh, ye of little faith. Jimenez lined the first pitch he saw down the third base line to drive in what proved to be the winning run. Abreu wears a bead or rubber band in his beard for reasons that escape me. As Eloy was shouting and celebrating his hit, I noticed he had a bead or rubber band in his beard, just like the batter before. The student emulates the teacher in ways big and small.

Asked and Answered (Unfortunately)

Well, I wondered if Lucas Giolito could make a statement in his start last night, and he did. Too bad it was the wrong kind. Giolito fed his gopher, as Jim Bouton used to say, twice against the Twins. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano went deep, and the resulting three run were too much for a suddenly quiet White Sox offense to overcome. The final score was 5-1, bad guys. I can live with Rosario’s homer. But the walk before Sano’s and giving a .225 hitter like Sano anything good to hit are mistakes Giolito shouldn’t be making as staff ace. And now we have to depend on Reynaldo Lopez to make it three out of four against Minnesota. Fingers crossed.

Random Thoughts on a Wednesday Afternoon

I decided to bike the 606 Trail today, skateboarders and inline skaters be damned. Good news is I hit nobody and nobody hit me over the course of 45 miles. Probably the first random thought I had concerned the White Sox, who beat the Twins 6-2 last night to open up a three-game lead on Minnesota in the AL Central. Now, we’ll see if Lucas Giolito, who’s going tonight, has what it takes to be a number-one starter. After throwing seven innings last night to get the win, rookie Dane Dunning sure looks like he’s going to be no worse than a number three. Ah, such thought to have while dodging runners and skaters. Second random thought of interest is the unyielding pressure from parents to have their kids play football, now. It looks like the Big Ten will give in and offer some sort of shortened season. So far, though, no signs of change in regard Illinois high school football. Again, I get where parents are coming from; I was there with a high school athlete. To take away one of the major pillars of adolescent existence is anything but fair. That said, I want to know that the parents and children holding up signs in school parking lots have done more research than a simple Google search or phone call to a sympathetic friend. Maybe a compromise would be to allow games with only immediate family in the stands. What do you think, Governor?

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Déjà Vu All Over Again “I wanted to call, but I didn’t know if you were up,” said my daughter in a call this morning, as if I’ve entered into sleepy old age. Yes, I was up and watching. “As soon as he hit it, I thought of high school,” which I did, too. Yet another connection between Clare and MLB. For whatever reason, Clare’s varsity softball coach wanted her to fake bunt all through sophomore year. Whether or not Adam Engel was doing the same in the bottom of the eighth inning in last night’s Sox-Twins’ game, I can’t say. But with two runners on and nobody out in a 1-1 tie, pinch-hitter Engel definitely needed to move the runners up. With Clare, Coach wanted to draw infielders in for the bunt, which would allow little Miss Quick Hands to power the ball past them. This tactic played itself out in junior year, when Clare hit .425; the opposition figured players built like Clare don’t make a habit out of bunting and slapping. Again, with Engel, I can’t say. But I do know that after fouling off his initial bunt attempt, he showed bunt on the next pitch, only to hit away and ground the ball to short. Only the shortstop had moved to cover third base with the third baseman charging the bunt. And so a simple groundball turns into a run-scoring single. In other words, a game between two of the best offenses in baseball was decided by a bit of “small ball.” I’m sure the analytics crowd is speechless. What I can’t figure is how the Sox held Minnesota to one run, this despite Sox pitching giving up ten walks to go with eight hits. Starter Dylan Cease had so much fun putting runners on he started off five straight innings doing allowing the first batter to reach base; reliever Cody Heuer made it six straight innings. You don’t expect to win a game like that. As if that wasn’t lucky enough, Sox leftfielder—and I use that term in the most technical sense, to note someone was out there at that position —Eloy Jimenez misplayed a ball with two out in the top of the ninth into a ground-rule double, make that an inside-the-park homerun, make that a ground-rule double. Jimenez broke in on a ball he should’ve stood in his tracks to catch; had the ball hit off his glove and then wedge itself beneath the base of the fence. Eloy held up his hands to say he couldn’t get the ball, only the Twins’ Bryon Buxton kept running, and I think that panicked Eloy into dislodging the ball and trying to throw Buxton out at the plate. Buxton scored. Only the call was overturned on replay. Again, talk about luck. And talk about winning a game with Angel Hernandez umping behind the plate. Here’s hoping all the Sox luck wasn’t used up in game one of four with the Twins. Because we’ll definitely need some more to keep winning this way.

Chicago Trifecta

It isn’t often three Chicago professional sports team all win on the same day, less so when one of the games is a no-hitter and another a three-touchdown fourth-quarter comeback engineered by Mitch Trubisky. If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t have been betting on this. I do admit to being a fair-weather Bears’ fan. Tivoing back and forth with the White Sox, I was pretty much ready to write off Trubisky and the Bears’ season after three quarters of ineptitude. At one point, the Bears’ offense was 0 for7 converting third downs. So, good for Trubisky. If only the Bears could play Detroit every Sunday. And the White Sox the Tigers every series. Yesterday’s 5-2 win gave the Sox the season series, nine games to one, the same margin they enjoyed against the Royals. But at some point they’re going to have to start beating the good teams, too. Speaking of good, the Twins roll into town for four games, starting tonight. It was certainly fun to watch Jonathan Stiever, the pride of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, recover from a bad case of first-inning jitters and come back to hold Detroit to one run over 3.2 innings. Sox scouts actually were able to find their way to IU to get a look at the right hander. Maybe one day Northwestern. And, yes, hats off to the Cubs’ Alec Mills, a 22nd round pick of the Royals back in 2012. This is a guy who had to walk on in college, and we’re not talking Indiana or NU but Tennessee-Martin. The 28-year old had Tommy John surgery and was DFA’d by the Royals, so I can’t—and won’t—say he’s undeserving. He’s definitely tenacious. How about a Giolito-Mills matchup the last weekend of September?

What are the Odds?

So, the White Sox absolutely demolished the Tigers last night, 14-0, with Jose Abreu hitting two homeruns and driving in seven runs. Tim Anderson matched Abreu’s four hits while Eloy Jimenez added three of his own. The Sox stand atop their division—by one game over the Twins—with a 29-16 record. The odds for the Sox making the postseason now stand at between 99.9 and 100 percent (I’m not kidding). My guess is the sports’ betting sites are praying (and encouraging) Sox fans to bet with their hearts. Too bad I’m so hard-headed. But I always resent people trying to take my money. Consider the postcard I got in the mail this week from Fanduel Sportsbook. They’re offering a “$1000 Risk Free Bet” as soon as I open an account. Somehow, I doubt they’re going to let me rack up $1000 in losses and call it a day, and I’m not about ready to find out. A very long time ago, when Clare was in first grade, her school required volunteer hours of parents, including a couple of nights working Bingo; somebody pinched my butt on a Monday. Maybe that soured me on games of chance. That, or knowing the odds of beating the house.

Time is on Their Side

The White Sox managed to beat the Tigers 4-3 at home last night while collecting all of three hits (to Detroit’s five); Eloy Jimenez’s three-run homer in the sixth may have had something to do with it. Thank you, Cubs. I’m sure Jose Quintana will be getting off the IL any day now to stabilize your starting staff. Speaking of the North Siders, they lost to the Brewers last night 1-0 up in Milwaukee; the Cubs managed two hits to the Brewers’ four. Will someone please tell me how a game with six hits and three walks total can take two hours and fifty minutes to play? A major factor is that Cubs’ batters struck out sixteen times, the inevitable consequence of going for the launch angle (but missing time and again). Every strikeout lengthens a game to the point, I fear, that fans will start to turn away. And don’t give me any crap about this being some sort of worthwhile tradeoff. The Cubs lead all of baseball in striking out while ranking sixteenth in homeruns. At least with the Sox, ranking seventh in strikeouts goes with being fourth in homeruns. So, am I arguing against myself? Not at all. Eloy’s homerun would have been meaningless without the walk, double and hit-by-pitch that preceded it, along with an RBI-producing groundout. Little ball makes big ball possible. Everything else is just exit velocity.

I Want My MTV

The Cubs’ Javy Lopez is upset he doesn’t have the same access to in-game video that he’s had in previous seasons. “To be honest, it sucks,” he told reporters this week, “because I make my adjustments during the game. I watch where the ball went, where the contact was. I’m mad. I’m really mad about that we don’t have it.” Well, that would explain why Baez is presently hitting an anemic .196 with 60 strikeouts in 168 at-bats. But how come over on the South Side, Tim Anderson is hitting .350? He can’t go to his tablet during a game. The same goes for Nelson Cruz (hitting.342 with the Twins) and Freddie Freeman (.333, Braves). What’s their secret? And that part about seeing where the contact is doesn’t ring true, or it shows Baez doesn’t know how to use technology to figure out where the contact isn’t (and why). From 2016-2019, Baez’s annual strikeout totals have been 108; 144; 167; and 156. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, Javy. Baez and any other ballplayer pining for their in-game video might ask themselves, WWBRD? What would Babe Ruth do? Or, better yet, what would the Babe have done if he had the same clubhouse and training facilities today’s players do, along with access to video? And, for matter, WWHAD? What would Hank Aaron do? They probably would’ve hit more homeruns than Barry Bonds, that’s what.

Jeff Pico

Back in 1988, Cubs’ fans were ready to vote pitcher Jeff Pico into the Hall of Fame after his MLB debut, a complete-game shutout against the Reds. Pico would go 13-12 in his big-league career. I keep that in mind when trying to assess a young pitcher like White Sox rookie Dane Dunning, who needed four games to notch his first major-league win. That happened last night after the 25-year old righty went six-plus innings against the Pirates. Dunning has a 2.70 ERA over twenty innings in his four starts. So far, so good, then, just as long as you keep in mind that all of his starts have come against Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Not exactly the Indians and Twins, but you have to start somewhere. Dunning was part of the Lucas Giolito-Adam Eaton trade. If he develops into a good three- or four-starter, great. But we really won’t know until Dunning gets a full year under his belt, at the earliest. Anything less is just Jeff Pico. No offense to the current bullpen coach for the Tigers. Just saying.

Pick Your Posion

If I were a Bears’ fan the way I’m a White Sox fan, right about now I’d be asking a loved one to hide all the sharp objects in the house. I wouldn’t be able to take how Bears’ GM Ryan Pace thinks solving a problem is the same as hiring John Fox or Matt Nagy or drafting Mitch Trubisky. And I wouldn’t be able to take how Pace also creates a problem where there is none; see Robbie Gould and all the non-kickers who’ve followed in his wake. But I am a Sox first. Who opens the season under center Sunday worries me less than the Sox bullpen. Jimmy Cordero in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded? Fielding a comebacker? Throwing the ball to Yasmani “Clank” Grandal? Missing a chance to put distance between us and Cleveland and Minnesota? That’s reason enough to ask a loved one to hide the sharp objects.

Over/Under Russo

For the life of me, I can’t figure how Chris Russo has a job in sports’ media. If Russo qualifies in any way as a journalist, then I’m a brain surgeon. The mute button was made for this man. So was the remote. Back in July, I happened on Russo giving his overs and unders for the upcoming baseball season. Of course, he went under on the White Sox at 31.5. Why? Because “When a team is beloved, go the other way.” Good thing Russo didn’t say, “Numbers don’t lie.” Because, if he did, then he’d have to explain how the Sox got to be 26-15, for the third-best mark in baseball. Worse yet, the small-market Rays check in at a second-best 28-14, well ahead of the increasingly hapless 21-20 Yankees and the circling-the-drain, 14-28 Red Sox. For the broadcast powers that be, the 30-12 Dodgers had better not stumble. That’s exactly what I’m hoping for, along with Chris Russo keeping his mouth shut.

Chicago Baseball

God, I hate the Royals. George Brett, Mike Sweeney, Billy Butler—did I forget to include Willie Wilson? Winning eight out of nine from these guys doesn’t even begin to even the score. FYI: White Sox fans are known for holding grudges. We also worry and complain a lot, e.g., about the condition of Dallas Keuchel’s balky back and the state of the bullpen. I guess I should be happy that Jimmy Cordero and Steve Cishek only gave up two runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work yesterday. For those two, that’s progress, but showing they can make meaningful contributions in the postseason, not so much. When they’re not busy nursing a chip or worrying, Sox fans are more than happy to throw some shade on the North Side. Lou Brock’s passing yesterday offered a nice reminder that the Cubs traded a young Brock for a bunch of broken bats and a sore arm (attached to starter Ernie Broglio). The retort might be that we traded away Sammy Sosa, but most South Siders I know can live with that deal. After Brock-Broglio, dare I mention Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease for Jose Quintana? ESPN broadcast the Cubs-Cardinals’ game last night at Wrigley Field, and I didn’t hear the announcers comment about what the cameras were showing, mostly mask-free fans bunched together on the rooftops across from the ballpark. You have to give it to the Ricketts’ family. They just don’t care what other people think or do.

Raised and Answered

Well, that didn’t take long. The same day I question the defense of White Sox centerfielder Luis Robert he makes an incredible catch. Show me up like that anytime you want, Luis. With the Sox leading 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Maikel Franco led off for the Royals and jumped on the first pitch from Alex Colome. Borrowing a page from Wee Willie “Hit ’Em Where They Ain’t” Keeler, Maikal lined the ball into the gap in right center. Because Franco is a right-handed pull hitter, Robert was playing him far over in left-center. But when the ball went right, so did Robert. According to the story on MLB.com, Robert covered 86 feet in 4.5 seconds to make a catch that Statcast calculated would fall in for a hit 85 percent of the time. What’s worth noting here is that Robert wasn’t outrunning a mistake, as is often said of athletic but not particularly good outfielders; no, he was set up exactly where he should have been for Franco. You hang a star on that play, friends, as Ed Farmer used to say, Here’s hoping Robert builds on that catch. He’s already a plus outfielder, Aaron Rowand with a better arm in my book. Now, he needs to move into Jim Landis/Ken Berry/Adam Engel territory. There’s plenty of time for that, I hope. Next up is Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal. “He fields like I did in eighth grade,” Clare said on Friday during her visit. Allow me to explain. The first thing coaches noticed about my daughter was her bat; after that, it was her range and arm. So, they put her at shortstop. Things did not go well. Clare had this tendency to slap at the ball rather than field it cleanly. Then, she’d pick it up and throw it God knows where. Once the coaches shifted to second base, the slapping went away, and the kid turned into an all-conference worthy infielder. The problem with Madrigal is he’s doing the same thing, but there’s nowhere to shift him from second base. Calling Yolmer Sanchez, calling Yolmer Sanchez. Your team needs your expertise and a willingness to share it. Please respond.

Great Minds

Clare stopped by yesterday on her way to a nail appointment. Naturally, we talked baseball at a social distance. “I just wish he could make more plays,” offered my daughter referring to rookie sensation Luis Robert. “He could’ve caught that ball he took off the wall,” said the girl who spent all of high school playing second base, only to be thrown into the outfield in college. “And that ball he dived for.” She was talking about two plays from Thursday, and we might be the only two Sox fans who can remember them in the wake of the 458-foot homerun Robert hit in the seventh inning against Royals’ reliever Jake Newberry. “Oh my God,” said an admiring Adam Engel caught on camera as he watched what Robert had wrought. Now, if Robert can just make some of the plays Engel has in the field, then we can start talking about all-time greats, fingers-crossed.

Making Book

The Cubs and Draftkings are partnering to bring sports’ betting to the Wrigley Field “complex” at Clark and Addison. Apparently, sports’ fans want to double down on losing. According to comments and the official press release, this is all part of some sort of “experience” that’s become central to sports. Yeah, pay for tickets to see your team lose and place a bet on the wrong team. No thanks. Before anyone starts screaming that my puritanical streak shouldn’t stop anyone else from betting, fine, I won’t do anything to ruin it for the other guy. I mean, other than to suggest that MLB not giving some sort of pardon to the Black Sox sure looks bigtime hypocritical. The Cubs envision a betting parlor cum restaurant to generate year-round activity. Just what the Ricketts’ juggernaut needs, more dough in the family till. Too bad nothing I read about this blooming partnership indicates the new revenue stream will go to the scouting department, which is expected to take a sizeable hit come the end of the season. We can’t let finding talent get in the way of making money, now can we?

Like I was Saying

Guess who came in to pitch for the White Sox last night. Yup, Jimmy Cordero. Guess who gave up two runs to push his ERA to 6.19. Yup, Cordero. Somebody needs to let manager Rick Renter know the team is carrying fourteen pitchers. Given how crappy the Sox looked in losing the rubber game to the Twins, 8-1, better to talk about Mike Brosseau again. The pride of Munster, Indiana, had to duck away from an Aroldis Chapman 101-mph fastball while pinch-hitting Monday night. “We don’t know what was in Chapman’s mind,” offered one of the Yankees’ television broadcast team about the pitch. Apparently, the commissioner’s office didn’t care. Chapman was suspended for three games. Brosseau finished the at-bat by striking out, which is understandable; it’s hard to concentrate after somebody’s almost cracked open your skull. Which is what makes what happened next so enjoyable, for Brosseau and anyone out there—like me—who loathes the Yankees. Brosseau hit two homers against New York last night to pace the Rays to a 5-2 win. I wonder what was in his mind.

Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire

 

Did I say something yesterday about White Sox manager Rick Renteria being infatuated with reliever Jimmy Cordero?  Let me expand on that.

 

Going into last night’s game against the Twins, Cordero had made sixteen appearances this season and given up at least one hit in eleven of them; of his five hitless appearances, he yielded a walk in one.  Add it all up, and Cordero had given up sixteen hits and three walks on the season.  If that’s not worrisome enough, the righty has been nicked for at least one hit in nine of his last eleven appearances.  Hence the 4.50 ERA as he made appearance no. 17 in the sixth inning.

 

In consecutive one-out at-bats, Cordero gave up a triple and a double for the tying run; both hits were by left-handed batters, who have a combined .387 batting average against Rick Renteria’s go-to “hold” guy.  For reasons best known to himself, Renteria brought Codero back in the seventh inning, to face DH Nelson Cruz.

 

Maybe Renteria thought the righty-righty match-up would work to Coerdero’s favor.  Nope; he yielded a double on a one-and-two pitch for what turned out to be the eventual game-winning run.  This time, Sox hitters had no late-inning magic in their bats.  For two nights straight, Minnesota reliever Sergio Romo has thrown Kryptonite-coated junk past Sox bats.  If Minnesota converts Romo into a starter, we won’t stand a chance.

During a regular 162-game season, Cordero might be able to work out his problems, only this is the season of the 60-game sprint.  Go with the hot relievers, Rick, or go home.  

Clownin' Around

Well, the White Sox keep playing clown ball, and they keep winning.  Personally, I’ll take the one but not the other.

 

Sunday against the Royals, manager Rick Renteria lifted starter Dane Dunning after Dunning 79 pitches.  Never mind Dunning was throwing a no-hitter.  Under the big top, pitch counts are pitch counts, and Dunning had to go.  Then Renteria went all Bozo by bringing in Steve Cishek and his 6.39 ERA.  Bye-bye, lead.  Thank you, Louis Robert, for saving the day with a walk-off three-run homerun.

 

Next, the circus travelled from 35^th and Shields to Target Field for Monday’s game against the Twins.  Clowns juggling balls in the center ring may be funny; fielders juggling balls on the field in a game, not so much.  Only the Sox made three second-inning errors and spotted the Twins to an eventual four-run lead.  Lo and behold, the game was tied at four going into the bottom of the sixth.  This is where I’ll refrain from a crack about sending in the next clown.

 

That’s because reliever Codi Heuer could be a real keeper; the guy throws heat.  But that’s the problem.  Heat’s the only thing he can throw for strikes, and that not all the time and not always in the spots he needs to hit.  Bye-bye, tie.  At least Renteria didn’t put Jimmy Cordero in, again.  That’s an infatuation that needs to be watched.  And where’s that greatest of all clowns, Emmett Kelly, aka pitching coach Don Cooper?  Codi Heuer (and Steve Cishek and Zach Burdi) could sure use some sound advice. 

 

Thank you, Louis Robert, for tying the game in the seventh with a mammoth shot to dead center, and thank you again for the go-ahead double in the top of the ninth.  Heck, even a thanks to closer Alex Colome for giving up just one baserunner before recording his seventh save; Colome pitches like it doesn’t count until he’s put two runners on.  But that’s life under the big top.

 

At least the little guy Nick Madrigal collected another two hits.  I’m warming to the next Nellie Fox, despite his throwing a ball into left field.