Likes and Dislikes

Luis Robert Jr. struck out three times in last night’s 3-1 White Sox loss to the Tigers. Each time, Robert looked awkward swinging at strike three, with all his weight on his front foot, after which he slouched off to the dugout. On his fourth at-bat, Robert singled in the lone Sox run of the night. Michael Kopech pitched an inning in relief; the solo shot he gave up means he has a higher ERA relieving than starting. On his first pitch, he delivered a 95-mph fastball for a strike. He also consistently hit 97-mph on his pitches. Hope springs eternal. Other teams call up young pitching talent; on Saturday the Sox went with thirty-one year old Jose Urena, claimed last month off the scrap heap. Today, it’s twenty-nine year old rookie Jesse Scholtens getting the call. If only indirectly, new Sox GM and former head of player development Chris Getz is responsible for the lack of pitching in the organization. I don’t like rewarding failure.