A Problem or Two

Including last night in Kansas City, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has five blown saves on the season, all of them the result of gopher balls. The Sox have come back to win three of those games, but not last night, bowing 3-2 in ten innings and wasting Lucas Giolito’s second consecutive start of one run in six innings. This is where pitching coach Ethan Katz earns his money. Either he helps fix Hendriks, or we on the South Side better get used to heartbreak in September and/or October. Speaking of problems, hitting coach Frank Menechino might want to have a heart-to-heart with Yoan Mondada. Some games at the plate, Moncada looks lost, other times bored. In his last thirty games, Moncada is hitting .241; .236 in his last fifteen; and an anemic .148 in his last seven games. What gives? All I know is what I see in Moncada’s body language, which is pretty much reflected in his stats. Come Sunday, the calendar turns to August, when the marathon switches over to the sprint phase of the season. Right now, the Sox look more than a little gassed. That has to change, or else.