Dazed and Confused

White Sox GM Chris Getz and manager New-Mickey Venable are nothing if not confusing. Take yesterday. Before the game, Getz sent down rookie pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez, which meant that he kept Jordan Leasure. Sure enough, that move came back to bite Venable in the fifth inning when Leasure walked in the go-ahead run against the Giants. Luckily, there’s more, as in a Sox catcher saving the day for the second game in a row. Only it was Kyle Teel instead of Edgar Quero. Teel delivered a two-out, bases-loaded double in the seventh to put the Sox ahead in an eventual 5-2 win. Oh, and Mike Vasil picked up a five-out save, the second game in a row the Sox closer went over an inning for the save. Now, back to catching. This situation will have to be resolved one way or another, Quero or Teel. Right now, the sample size is too small to make anything close to an intelligent decision. Figure the two rookies continue to share time all season. After which, pick one and then decide to trade the other or move him to another position. Teel played in the outfield a handful of games in college and has appeared in left for the Sox one time. I say play him in left or at first on days he doesn’t catch; that way he could come in for Quero if necessary and Venable wouldn’t lose his DH. Or see what Quero can do in left and at first. Neither is a prototypical catcher, as in big and (kind of) slow. Teel is 6’, a trim 210 pounds while Quero is 5’10” and 205 pounds, and both look athletic. So, learning an extra position does not appear to be out of the question. Unless Ryan Noda, batting .111, is the long-term answer at first, in which case I am very confused.

What David Bowie Said

I love the unpredictability of baseball. You just don’t know what will happen when or how. Like yesterday’s White Sox -Giants’ game. The Sox managed all of one run, on a homerun by Andrew Benintendi in the bottom of the sixth. And that’s all they needed for a shutout made possible by a seven-inning start—let me repeat, seven innings—from starter Adrian Houser followed by a two-inning save—let me repeat, two innings—from Grant Taylor. Two pitchers for nine innings: Analytics be damned. As sweet as lefthanded Benintendi connecting off of lefty Robbie Ray plus the old-school efforts by Houser and Taylor, we’re probably talking about a 2-1 loss if not for catcher Edgar Quero. Consider that in the top of the sixth, the Giants had runners on second and third, nobody out, and Rafael Devers up. Oh, my. And what happened? First off, Houser struck out Devers swinging. Then, Edgar fired a throw to third baseman Josh Rojas, who tagged out baserunner Brett Wisely trying to get back to third. It’s the third time this season Quero has picked off a baserunner. For this kind of heads-up defense and a focus on putting the ball in play, Quero gets my vote as #1 catcher over Kyle Teel. And just for one day, Sox fans had four heroes to choose from.

As Professor Gump Would Say—

Stupid is as stupid does. Just look at the lineup White Sox manager New-Mickey Venable went with last night against the Giants and what he had to say about one player in particular. Venable thought it would be a good time to give Ryan Noda, who normally plays first base, his second career start in right field (as opposed to 136 at first). Noda is “kind of a sneaky athlete, good baserunner and a guy who moves, covers some ground more than I think I gave him credit for just looking at him and his overall profile,” Venable told reporters before the game. “That was part of the attractiveness of acquiring him, his defensive versatility and his ability to go to the outfield.” [quote in today’s Sun-Times] Noda did not exactly reward his skipper’s faith. With two on and one out in the sixth inning of a tied game, Noda dove for a ball that skipped past him for a triple. End of game, 3-1. Later, this is what Venable had to say: “Probably have to play that [ball] in front. Good aggressive play, you like the thought.” [quote in today’s Tribune story online] No, I don’t. And for this we got rid of Gavin Sheets?

Crossing Lines

The White Sox and major league baseball indefinitely banned a Sox fan from attending MLB games after an incident Tuesday in which the 22-year old allegedly made remarks to Diamondbacks’ second baseman Ketel Marte concerning Marte’s mother, who died from injuries suffered in an auto accident in 2017. To which I say, Yes, but. No doubt, a line was crossed, but what about the Dodgers Sym-Phony? A difference of kind or degree? Or is it OK because it’s in the past? And what about any and all Philadelphia fans? I doubt the Phillies make much of an effort to curb their fans’ “enthusiasm” at the start of a big series Fans cheer, they boo, they heckle. I have a distinct memory from 1990, of letting Ron Hassey have it after the A’s catcher muffed a foul ball. I didn’t mention anyone in Hassey’s family. I just pointed out the error, if at the top of my lungs. The point is, a modicum of behavior is to be expected and enforced. A line crossed demands a quick response. But professional sports should stop pretending it doesn’t look away every once in a while.

Do the Math

Miracle of miracles, the White Sox beat the Diamondbacks yesterday afternoon by a score of 7-3. Starter Sean Burke looked good, second baseman Lenyn looked even better. Burke threw five innings for the win, giving up two unearned runs. Sosa and rookie catcher Kyle Teel provided the offense, collecting three hits and two runs apiece. But the nod goes to Sosa, who hit two homeruns, both with two strikes. Sosa also hit an 0-2 pitch for a run-scoring single and had four RBIs on the day. Like I’ve said, he’s a bat-first kind of player. Oh, and rookie Grant Taylor pitched two innings, giving up an unearned run. The Sox used fifteen players total on the day. Of that number, six—Burke; Teel; Sosa; Taylor; Chase Meidroth; and Miguel Vargas—are worth keeping into next season. Add pitchers Jonathan Cannon; Wikelman Gonzalez; Davis Martin; Shane Smith; and Mike Vasil along with catcher Edgar Quero and you’ve got your 2026 keepers. That comes out to twelve players, which leaves fourteen spots being kept warm and nothing more. There are a handful of people in the minors who may or may not be ready next year; ditto for starter Drew Thorpe, who’ll be coming back from Tommy John surgery. That still leaves a whole lot of holes, especially on the positions’ side. Here’s a thought. Josh Naylor, who hit a two-run homer in the first (his tenth against the Sox to go with 40 RBIs and a career BA just shy of .350), will be a free agent at the end of the year. How about going after him?

Yeah, Right

When White Sox GM Chris Getz addressed the media Monday, he did a lot of smoke blowing in regards Luis Robert Jr., including the assertion the team could hold onto their non-hitting center fielder well past the July 31st trade deadline “That’s a real possibility,” Getz said with what I presume was a straight face. Robert would be gone if only he could hit in the same way Andrew Benintendi would be gone if only he could hit a little more and some contender had a gaping hole in the outfield. But Robert can’t hit, and Benintendi runs the other way every time his BA approaches .250. So, here we are. Last night, Robert hit a homerun for the Sox’s only tally in a 4-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. By going 1-for-4, Robert actually upped his average a point to .185. He also has 88 strikeouts in 249 at-bats for a strikeout rate of 35 percent. Yum. Meanwhile, Benintendi went 0-for-3, lowering his BA to .235. Like I said, yum. Manager New-Mickey Venable keeps using openers. Some days, it’s due to an injury to the scheduled starter, other days as a way to manage the workload of a young staff. I’m not sure the reason for opening with Jordan Leasure last night. Whatever, the idea still uses up pitchers, four last night. The team keeps losing while sending out the same lineup while people in charge keep singing the same happy tune. This is somewhere between insanity and hell.

Cost vs. Benefit

Last night, we saw minor-league talent at major-league prices as the host White rolled over for the visiting Diamondbacks, 10-0. The game basically ended in the first inning after Josh Naylor’s double off Shane Smith with one out brought in the first two runs. Lucky for us we didn’t have to pay for the luxury-suite tickets and parking. I figure we would have been out a cool grand, give or take. Instead, we were guests; it pays to know people who can afford this kind of thing. It was the first time we’d ever seen a game in airconditioned comfort, other than that time with Clare at the Astrodome. I mean, who knew you could take an elevator to your seats? The hallway leading to the various suites was pure AMC Theatres, with gray walls and gray-black carpeting. The suite itself was a combination of white, black and gray. Michele and I had a hot dog each; she went with a can of Diet Coke, I gulped down two Barq’s Root Beers. When the dessert cart came around, I went with a slice of carrot cake, plus a chocolate-chip something for Michele. According to the box score, there were 12,579 fans in attendance. If so, a good half of them was rooting for Arizona, and they weren’t disappointed, unless the back-to-back homeruns from Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith in the fourth inning is some kind of desert-downer. Talk about the home team being flat. And talk about the home team: According to GM Chris Getz, there’s cause for optimism. “Overall, I feel pretty good about things,” Getz offered, according to the story on the team’s website today. Getz held court with reporters before the game. He also said, “Going into the year, the focus wasn’t just primarily on the record because we knew that there are so many things that go into improving this organization long term.” [second quote from today’s Tribune] Last year at this point, the Sox were 21-58 under manager Mickey Mouse. This year, they’re 25-54 under New-Mickey Venable. Improvement is in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. What I do know is that if Vinny Capra pitches in a home game, like he did last night [two unearned runs in an inning of work], fans should get their money back. Our hosts yesterday certainly deserved better.

What I Saw, What He Said

Aaron Civale shouldn’t have pitched seven innings yesterday, not with the stuff he had, as in five earned runs on nine hits in a 7-1 loss to the Bluejays. In part, Civale was done in by analytics’ logic that dictates the use of relievers ASAP; a doubleheader on Thursday that saw the use of eight White Sox relievers; and Sox manager New-Mickey Venable’s inability to keep his pitchers rested. So, seven innings it was. What really gets me, though, is Venable’s pathological urge to sugarcoat mediocre-and-worse performance. Civale gave up four runs in the first two innings. End of ballgame, right? Right? Nope. According to New-Mickey, “After a tough start there, where he [Civale] just left a couple of pitches in the heart of the plate and paid for it, he did a great job of settling down.” We must be looking at a different box score. But wait, there’s more. Venable also said that Civale “did a great job of settling down and getting back to his game plan and did a good job of hitting spots and pitching where he wanted to pitch. Just unbelievable to be able to cover seven innings on a day where maybe at the beginning [he] didn’t have his best stuff.” [both quotes in today’s Tribune] Ya think? I’m thinking of starting a new parlor game called Venable the Disaster, pun intended. One person picks some disaster over the course of history while the other imagines how Venable would spin things. It’d be a hoot.

Stopped Clock

A stopped clock gets the time right twice a day, or so the saying goes. White Sox GM Chris Getz has achieved stopped-clock standing. Getz called up relievers Wikelman Gonzalez and Jake Palisch. Not that he wanted or planned to but because injuries to Davis Martin and Cam Booser forced him to. Well, injuries can be opportunities. Maybe my mind meld reconnected with Getz. Whatever the case, two prospects pitched in last night’s 7-1 Sox win in Toronto. Grant Taylor “opened” with a scoreless inning. Gonzalez pitched a scoreless seventh inning before giving up a run in the eighth. How Gonzalez got out of the eighth is what impresses. With two out and two on, he got Vladamir Guerrero Jr. to line out to left. Getz may even have added some players with character here. Gonzalez told reporters Friday, “I’ve been dreaming of this [day] since I was three-years old. For me baseball is happiness. Being on a baseball field is a joy for me.” [quote in today’s Sun-Times]. Amen to that. Palisch, the other callup, has not one but two degrees. One more, and he’ll be on my level, but I digress. The 26-year old lefty echoed Gonzalez on being promoted: “It means everything. It’s the dream everyone’s had since they were a little kid. To have that finally come true is hard to put into words. It doesn’t completely feel real.” [quote in today’s Tribune] Maybe a couple of scoreless innings will change that.

D-Y-S-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N-A-L

If the White Sox were a real major-league organization, I doubt either GM Chris Getz or manager New-Mickey Venable would have a job outside a spot on the maintenance crew, and only as junior members under strict supervision at that. Where to begin? Yesterday’s doubleheader loss to the Cardinals offers so many examples of dysfunction, almost too many. Start with the roster—Mike Tauchman started one game and appeared late in the other. Michael A. Taylor started both games. They’re both 34. How does their playing move the rebuild along? Ditto for relievers Tyler Gilbert (age 31); Dan Altavilla (32); Cam Booser (33); and Steven Wilson (30), all of whom pitched yesterday. How do any of the promising relievers in the minors benefit with these people ahead of them on the parent club? Beats me. Then we have the matter of Vinny Capra, who appeared in both games, gong 0-for-2 to bring his average down to .106. What could possibly be worse than Getz putting Capra on the roster? Venable playing him. Speaking of Mouse II, he made at least three moves in the nightcap that qualify him for ex-manager status, pronto. Andrew Benintendi hit a game-tying grand slam in the seventh only to be pulled from the game; in came Capra as part of a multi-position shuffle. Of course, this came back to bite the Sox in the bottom of the ninth, with the score tied. Tauchman led off the inning with a walk, after which a passed ball and groundout put him on third base. Instead of Benintendi batting, it was Capra. Two problems here. First, Tauchman isn’t one-hundred percent because of a lingering groin issue. Second, Capra was up, apparently because Venable had run through all of his bench already. A suicide squeeze would seem to have been in order, but, No, Capra grounded to third and a slow-moving Tauchman was out at the plate, oh, by a mile or thereabouts. Cardinals win in extra innings. The Sox have lost eight in a row. By Sunday afternoon in Toronto, there’s a good shot for streak to hit eleven. I can’t wait to see what Mouse 2.0 will have to say about that.

I'm Not Alone

The more New-Mickey Venable speaks, the more he sounds like Old-Mickey Mouse, which is troubling. I thought this season was supposed to be better than last season. I mentioned that Miguel Vargas and Lenyn both made errors in Tuesday’s 12-2 debacle against the Cardinals. This is how Venable described Vargas’s bad throw to first: “He makes that play nine times out of ten there and [it] just was one that he wasn’t able to convert, and we weren’t able to close the door there.” News flash: Any major-league third baseman with a .900 fielding average won’t be a major-league third baseman for long. Except maybe with the White Sox. Then I’m reading Paul Sullivan today, and he offered this gem from Venable after Saturday’s loss in Texas: The feeling that we feel after this game is one that we can feel.” [both quotes in today’s Tribune] Mercy. And look out below. No, wait, we’re there.

Not Buying It

The White Sox record stands at 23-50 after last night’s 12-2 beatdown from the Cardinals. That’s all of four games better than last year, in case you’re wondering. That strikes me as being within the margin of error for another horrific season. I would think the entire Sox organization would be motivated to avoid repeating anything close to resembling last season’s 41-121 disaster, but, No, manager New-Mickey Venable keeps acting like Old-Mickey Mouse, especially when it comes to first base. Last night, he had Lenyn Sosa at first and Miguel Vargas at third; each one made an error because each one was playing out of position. Sosa should be at second; Vargas at first; and somebody other than Josh Rojas (.184 BA, four RBIs in 103 at-bats) at third. Hint, hint—Bryan Ramos. Speaking of talent wasted in the minors, consider the case of Brooks Baldwin, just recalled only to be sent down after three at-bats to make room for Sosa off the IL. Did Baldwin sulk at the demotion? No more than Tim Elko did when it happened to him last week. Baldwin went 3-for-3 with a homerun; two RBIs; and four runs scored. Another Four-A player? That, or someone who isn’t getting the necessary coaching at the big-league level. Baldwin struck out each of the three times he batted over the weekend in Texas; I saw two of them. He was doing what got him sent down in the first place, chasing shoulder-high pitches. What, nobody throws that in Triple-A? More likely, Sox hitting coach Marcus Thames doesn’t focus on it. A rebuild is supposed to be about hard decisions and letting young players go through growing pains. Instead, Sox GM Chris Getz and his manager play musical chairs with players who shouldn’t be here. Ramos should be playing third base, Baldwin second, or the outfield, where Luis Robert Jr. will be gone soon enough and Michael A. Taylor should be. Ditto Austin Taylor and Ryan Noda at first base, too. Hard decisions—that means figuring out what to do with Sosa, a bat-first player. Either trade him or move him to DH. Then let Elko hit until his average dips into Vinny Capra territory. Right now, that would be .108.

Pairings

I see in the box scores that ex-White Sox starter Dylan Cease got pounded by the Dodgers last night, giving up six runs over five innings in a 6-3 loss. For the season, Cease has a 2-6 record with a 4.69 ERA. A couple of observations here. If Justin Ishbia is in fact pumping money into the Sox, he should avoid the temptation of throwing a pile of it Cease’s way when the 29-year old righthander becomes a free agent. Let Soctt Boras fool somebody else. Though Cease might do well pitching for the Sox, Red, that is. He and ex-Sox Lucas Giolito are pretty tight. That friendship may help explain the two good years, 2022-23, Cease had on the South Side before his trade to the Padres at the start of last season. Pitchers are weird. A friendly face may be just what Cease needs. But it won’t happen on the South Side.

Connect the Dots

Yesterday, the Rangers started Kumar Rocker against the White Sox. Rocker came into the game with a 1-4 record; 8.87 ERA; and 1.84 WHIP. In other words, he was giving up nearly two baserunners an inning. But White Sox hitters healed him. Rocker threw five shutout innings for the win in a 2-1 game, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out six. For the game, Sox “hitters” struck out twelve times while walking twice. Wait, there’s more. The recently demoted Tim Elko homered for Charlotte yesterday, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Elko is hitting.325 with the Knights, .155 with the Sox. Maybe he’s just a 4-A ballplayer. Or maybe Jim Rickon is a really good hitting coach. In which case, a team that was handcuffed by a pitcher with a 8.87 ERA should give serious thought to promoting him.

A Whole Lot of Dumb Going On

For all the college degrees associated with analytics, it still makes for a lot of dumb baseball, like the idea of carrying thirteen pitchers on a 26-player roster. That leaves a four-player bench, which is sort of like having four sips of water left in your canteen for a hike through Death Valley. Yesterday, White Sox manager New-Mickey Venable took his four gulps way too early, and his team paid for it. Down a run in the eighth yesterday in Texas, Venable opted to pinch-run for catcher Edgar Quero, who’d opened the inning with a single. It was a decision both odd and dumb. First off, the 22-year old Quero doesn’t even look like a catcher, which means he doesn’t run like one either, as evidenced by his twelve stolen bases in A-Ball three years ago. Second, Venable should’ve thought twice about lifting Quero because Kyle Teel, his other catcher, was DH’ing. You know what that meant, right? Teel came into catch, and the pitcher hit in Quero’s spot. Reliever Tyler Alexander grounded out to end the tenth inning with the go-ahead run on second. Wait, there’s more. The Rangers actually gave Luis Robert Jr. a two-out intentional walk in the eleventh inning. Why? Because that brought Vinny Capra to the plate, and he did not disappoint, the Rangers, that is. Capra flied out, and Texas won on a two-out walk-off single from Adolis Garcia. I would’ve walked Garcia to pitch to Jonah Heim, who was 0-for-5 on the day, but what do I know? Then again, what does GM Chris Getz know? Before the game, Getz sent down Tim Elko and replaced him with Ryan Noda. Elko is 26-years old, Noda 29. Elko is a career .291 hitter in the minors to .255 for Noda, who hit sixteen homers with 54 RBIs and a .229 BA for the A’s in 2023. After yesterday’s 0-for-3 debut, Noda has a .210 career BA. He’s not the future. Who/what is? Miguel Vargas at first and Bryan Ramos at third, or Vargas at third and Ryan Galanie at first. Who’s Galanie? He’s the first baseman at Double-A Birmingham, with seven homers, 52 RBIs and a .302 BA, that’s who. He and/or Ramos should be here, not Noda.

Miles From Nowhere

I should be happy—my mind meld worked to the extent yesterday that White Sox GM Chris Getz promoted Brooks Baldwin and DFA’d Joshua Palacios. Getz also promoted #1 prospect Noah Schultz to Triple-A Charlotte. So, we’ll see how close the 21-year old lefty is to starting in the bigs. But, in a way, it won’t matter how Schultz fares. Why? Because good pitching is wasted without major-league hitting, and the Sox lack the necessary hitters to compete. Last night, down 3-1 in the top of the ninth against the Rangers, Michael A. Taylor batted with the bases loaded and two out. Even with the righty-lefty advantage going for him against Roberto Garcia, Taylor struck out on three pitches. Maybe two were in the zone. Taylor whiffed three times in the game; Vinny Capra merely made three outs batting ninth. You’re not going to win with batters like them at the bottom of the order. Getz either doesn’t know this; doesn’t care; or has nobody to take their place. I think there are better options at Birmingham and Charlotte. Bring ’em up.

Revised Opinions and Goodbyes

I haven’t been the biggest Miguel Vargas fan, but after last night, that may change. Ditto Tim Elko in the opposite direction. Vargas went 3-for-4 in Houston with two doubles and a triple in a 4-3 White Sox loss to the Astros. The triple and a double came against Framber Valdez, who on the whole had himself a pretty good night with twelve strikeouts in five innings of work. So, Vargas got it done along with rookie Edgar Quero, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Talk about having a plan. Twice, Quero went to the opposite field to drive in a run. Quero, all of 22, seems to know what he’s doing. Elko, not so much. Last night, he struck out three more times. On the season, he’s fanned 24 times in 58 at-bats, and fourteen times in his last 23. Throw in a .155 BA, and we have a problem at first base. And it’s one where Andrew Vaughn won’t be part of the solution. GM Chris Getz traded Vaughn this morning to the Brewers in exchange for starter Aaron Civale. On the upside, that should cut down on the Sox using an “opener” once every five games. But who’s on first? It may as well be Elko for the next three games in Houston, if only to see how the exit of Vaughn affects him. Either he puts up some nice numbers over the weekend, or off to Charlotte he goes. The logical step would be to switch Vargas to first for the rest of the season and see what Bryan Ramos can do at third. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, add Brooks Baldwin—who hit his seventh homerun for Charlotte last night—to the mix. I really don’t need to see another three-strikeout performance from Joshua Palacios to know that he can’t hit. Baldwin can play the outfield or infield. Going in rebuild mode doesn’t mean having to lose all the time. Baldwin offers a chance at the occasional win.

Steps Forward and Back

I don’t get it. The White Sox bring up a bona fide prospect like reliever Grant Taylor only to play some of the people they did last night in a 10-2 loss to the Astros. Start with shortstop Vinny Capra. OK, he went 1-for-3 with a run scored, which means for the season the 28-year old is batting.096 (.158 with the Sox). In case you were wondering, Brooks Baldwin went 2-for-4 last night, raising his BA to .382. If the Sox are ever to see .500 in Pope Leo’s lifetime, I doubt outfielder Joshua Palacios will be playing on the South Side. Bring up Colson Montgomery to play short and put Baldwin in the outfield. Oh, and please, stop using retreads out of the bullpen. Last night, it was Owen White, who gave up three runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings in his Sox debut. White had two cups of coffee for the Rangers before the Sox picked him up on waivers from the Yankees, who picked him up from the Reds, who picked him up from the Rangers. White went 0-5 with a 5.24 ERA as a starter for Charlotte. He has a career 4.48 ERA across four-plus seasons in the minors. Wikelman Gonzalez, another player who came over from Boston in the Garrett Crochet deal, is 5-0 with a 3.06 ERA coming out of the pen for Charlotte. Why didn’t he get called up instead?

All According to Plan

Grant Taylor threw twelve pitches in his major-league debut, six of them clocked at over 100 mph, his best reaching 101.5 mph. That was good for two groundouts and a flyout in a perfect inning of work. White Sox 4 Astros 2. Shane Smith picked up the win with six innings, giving up a run on seven hits and two walks. Factor in three double plays, and Smith had himself a nice outing. Edgar Quero contributed a two-run single while Luis Robert Jr. woke up to hit a double and homerun good for two RBIs. Now, if my mind-meld connection with GM Chris Getz can hold just a little longer, Brooks Baldwin and Bryan Ramos will get called up before too long. Baldwin is hitting .375 with six homers; something’s clicked since his demotion last month. As for Ramos, he’s 7-for-27 in June, with three homers, a double and six RBIs. I can think of a couple of people I’d DFA to get Baldwin and Ramos up here. Now, if I can just get Getz on the same wavelength.

“Someday”—Today?

Did I say “someday”? The White Sox front office actually did something intelligent by calling up starter/reliever Grant Taylor from AA-Birmingham while DFA-ing Bryse Wilson. Why can’t I have this power all the time? Now, for my next pronouncement: In for a penny, in for a pound. If Chris Getz is going to see what Taylor can do (beside throwing the ball at 101 mph), he should also start promoting any and all of Tyalor’s fellow relievers on the Barons: Andrew Dalquist (0.94 ERA); Zach Franklin (1.90); Shane Murphy (1.75); and Jake Palisch (0.77). I mean, what do you have to lose?

Someday

Someday, when the White Sox get serious about their rebuild, they’ll start promoting pitchers from within their system and avoid games like yesterday, a 7-5 loss to the Royals. First off, Chris Getz has plenty of starters to choose from, which would eliminate the need for “openers” and “bullpen days.” Pitchers either start or relieve; they don’t, or shouldn’t, open. Mike Vasil should be coming in to relieve, not pitch three innings as the “opener.” Need a starter? Then consider Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith, both at Double-A Birmingham. Too valuable to have the clock start ticking on team control of either? In which case, Riley Gowens could be a sleeper, as evidenced by a 5-1 record starting for the Barons. Yesterday’s game was tied 2-2 going into the seventh, when manager New-Mickey Venable called on Jordan Leasure with a runner on second, one out. Not only did Leasure allowed the inherited runner to score, he added one of his own. That pushes his ERA to 4.56, bad but not as bad as Bryse Wilson’s, which climbed to 6.95 after he gave up three runs in the ninth. Once upon a time, the Sox used their young starters out of the pen, e.g., Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale. Why not do the same with Schultz and Smith? If not that, then why not call up one or some of the relievers dominating at Birmingham? Grant Taylor has a 1.01 ERA in fifteen appearances, nine of them in relief. Shane Murphy is 3-3 with a 1.75 ERA in seven appearances, five of them starts. Jake Palisch is 4-1 with a 0.77 ERA in fourteen games, six of them starts. Zach Franklin has a 1.90 ERA in eighteen relief appearances while Andrew Dalquist is 5-2 with a 0.94 ERA in nineteen relief appearances. Like I said, things could change, if and when the Sox decide they want them to.

As Simple as One, Two, Three

A rebuild on a good day: Tim Elko hit a two-run homer; Chase Meidroth added a solo shot; and Edgar Quero chipped in with a sacrifice fly. White Sox top Royals, 4-1. So, you dream about possibilities while trying to forget who didn’t pan out the last time losing was endemic. Elko could really develop into a power presence in the lineup, or go the way of Matt Davidson. Meidroth looks to be what Nick Madrigal was supposed to be, that or the injuries lay waiting somewhere in the future. And I don’t ever want to put Quero’s name—or Kyle Teel’s—on a list with Zack Collins’. So, you dream, and wait to see if this rebuilding team can make it four in a few hours.

Figures Don't Lie

With an eventual/maybe/possible new owner for the White Sox, Chicago media is all agog about a possible new stadium. That inevitably lends a platform to a local “stadium consultant,” quoted for a story in yesterday’s Sun-Times. You see, “It’s going to take some public money to keep the White Sox in town one way or another. The economics of baseball are such that the value of being in a large television market have become far less relevant.” What? Does Mr. Consultant mean that attendance matters more? If so, would a new stadium hold closer to 30,000 or 40,000? I mean, if attendance matters, it should be the latter. Only nobody is designing stadiums with larger capacities. Last night, the Sox had their first sellout of the season, with just under 37,000 fans on hand to see Kyle Teel make his rookie debut. Teel did not disappoint, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored on a pretty-mad dash to home on a wild pitch in the eighth inning; the 23-year old also threw a runner out trying to steal. Sox 7 Royals 2. The point here is that Sox fans will show up if the team puts some talent on the field and shows people some respect, e.g., last night’s Mexican Heritage Night. Wait, do you think the team is unhappy with the type of people it draws at 35th and Shields? In which case, shame on them.

Devils Known and Unknown

Hats off to Jerry Reinsdorf (and Tim Elko, for his tenth-inning walk-off single against the Tigers yesterday). As ever, he turned easy into hard. Just try following the press release the team issued Thursday afternoon. Reinsdorf, finally, agreed to sell the team to billionaire Justin Ishbia, maybe. But it won’t happen until 2029 at the earliest. That begins a four-year period during which Reinsdorf can initiate the sale, after which Ishbia can do the honors. And nothing requires “that any such future transaction will occur” at all, even though Ishbia “will make capital infusions into the White Sox as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 that will be used to pay down existing debt and support ongoing team operations,” this, apparently out of the goodness of his heart. The Sun-Times tried to stir things up today with a story about Ishbia’s Nashville connection—a law degree from Vanderbilt and a seat on the law school’s board. Steve Greenberg then spun that into “major ties” to a city interested in being home to a major league ballclub. I doubt that Ishbia is spending $40 million-plus to build a mansion on the North Shore in order to move the Sox to Nashville and be an absentee owner. What we know for sure is a billionaire might sell the team to another billionaire, or not, and the other billionaire’s brother has been a so-so majority owner of the NBA Suns and would in turn be a minority owner of the Sox. Got all that? Best to wait and see, about ownership and rookies. Kyle Teel got called up and will start behind the plate tonight while Elko gets another start at first and Chase Meidroth at…

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

I hope there’s a special place down below for the genius who came up with the idea of an “opener.” It’s gibber-analytics at its worst, especially when employed by a talent-challenged team like the White Sox. New-Mickey Venable ”opened” with Jared Shuster last night. Not a good idea, given that Shuster gave up four first-inning runs. Venable then compounded the error in the eighth inning by calling on Jordan Leasure to keep the go-ahead run at second base. Nope. Tigers 5 Sox 4. In the first game of the series, Venable decided not to burn a reliever in a blowout loss, so he used utilityman Vinny Capra to pitch the ninth, and Capra junked his way through a scoreless inning. Better that than that.

Wheat and Chaff

The White Sox beat the Tigers by a score of 8-1 last night, leaving me to wonder, yet again, how the Brewers left starter Shane Smith unprotected in last winter’s Rule Five draft. The 25-year old righty went 5.1 scoreless innings for his second victory of the season. Two wins all year may not seem like much, but considering the White Sox have won a mere nineteen games so far this season, it’s something. Smith has started twelve times, going 2-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 62.1 innings and a 1.14 WHIP. Those numbers add up to a “keeper” in my book. But not Austin Slater or Michael A. Taylor. Yes, a combined three hits and six RBIs are nice, but Slater is 32 and Taylor 34. Why are they playing if it’s a rebuild? Two reasons, starting with the organization lacking outfield talent worth taking a look at. Considering that both Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets saw action in left and right, respectively, this is a problem that’s gone on way too long. At the very least, GM Chris Getz could play prospects Kyle Teel or Tim Elko in left, but that would take something approaching guts. In which this organization is lacking, which gives us reason #2. Oh, well.

Criminal and Clueless

Jerry Reinsdorf lives, if only to further irritate his critics while demonstrating a jaw-dropping cluelessness. Yesterday, the Sun-Times quoted from a letter Reinsdorf wrote to federal authorities regarding Mike Madigan, former speaker of the Illinois General Assembly convicted of ten corruption counts and awaiting sentencing. Reinsdorf spoke of Madigan’s “character and his lifetime commitment to improving the lives of all Illinoisans.” Never one to abandon a friend, especially one who engineered a publicly-funded stadium back in 1988, Reinsdorf wrote that, “Saving the White Sox resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit to Illinois, not to mention making possible the first World Series championship in 88 years.” That’s one way of looking at it. So far, though, no word from Reinsdorf on the pitiful play of the White Sox, who lost to the Tigers at home last night by a score of 13-1. Just as I predicted, Detroit starter Jack Flaherty lowered his ERA from 3.94 to 3.72. At the same time, Luis Robert Jr. lowered his batting average to .177 after an 0-for-3 night batting seventh. But only one strikeout. Jerry Reinsdorf, friend of felons, enemy of good baseball.

Sad or Pathetic, You Choose

The Orioles have a god-awful 5.27 team ERA, and that’s after holding the White Sox to five runs in three games over the weekend. Did I mention the Sox lost all three games, including yesterday, 3-2? As May turns to June, the Sox rank 27/30 in runs scored (201); 29th in batting average (.221); and 27th in on-base percentage (293). For this they have a director of hitting? Yup, and he played all of one year in the minors. The Sox also have a hitting coach, though you’d be hard-pressed to see any evidence of his handiwork looking at the six-through-eight hitters in tonight’s lineup against the Tigers. That would be Joshua Palacios (.211); Luis Robert Jr. (.180); and Josh Rojas (.164). Detroit starter Jack Flaherty has a 3.94 ERA. What are the odds for it going down some?

Good News

Am I upset the White Sox lost—again—or that Luis Robert Jr. went 0-for-5 with three more strikeouts? No. Why? Because I’ve taken to heart what Chicago rock band Friko sings: Get Numb to it. Yes, the Sox lost to the Orioles 4-2 yesterday and New-Mickey Venable talked about grinding and getting better. Whatever. But I’m downright giddy, nonetheless. The mighty Knicks crashed and burned last night in Indianapolis. Too bad. No game seven for the Eastern Conference Finals from “The Garden” with the New York glitterati assembled courtside. No Spike Lee. No Timothee Chalamet. No Tom Thibodeau with the perpetual whiny scowl on his face. Nope, the Pacers took care of business at home, handing the world’s greatest NBA franchise a trip home with a 125-108 beatdown, in Flyoverville, no less. How humiliating, sort of like those eighteen Knicks’ turnovers the Pacers turned into 34 points. Ouch. That’s not the Knicks Way. No sirree. So, instead of advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, the team that stirs the drink that is the NBA goes home for the summer amidst grumbling that Thibodeau played his starters too long. Oh, my. Bye-bye.

Enough Already

Another game, another bunch of strikeouts for White Sox centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. Yesterday, Robert racked up three more in a 2-1 Sox loss to the Orioles. If you go by at-bats, Robert is striking out 34.6 percent of the time; by total plate appearances, it’s a slightly less egregious 30 percent. Oh, and he’s batting .187 with five homeruns; 20 RBIs and 24 runs scored. The major-league leading 20 stolen bases hardly make up for any of the other stats. If the Sox and Robert were ever in sync, that ended a long time ago. The situation is so bad right now that Robert can’t do the one thing he needs to for a change of scenery, and that’s hit. Not many teams will trade for a player having the kind of season Robert is. Check that, the onetime projected cornerstone could get a change of scenery another way. All it would take is for the front office to DFA him. Unfortunately, that’s looking more and more likely.

She's Not Going to Like This

Clare called me yesterday to say MLB is partnering with the new Athletes United Softball League. AUSL is another attempt at a pro softball league. According to a story posted on mlb.com yesterday, “The investment, which is part of MLB’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels, will include joint sales and marketing efforts, extensive promotional support and broadcasts on MLB Network and MLB.com to raise the visibility of the AUSL and its athletes.” Hmm. Notice how there’s no dollar amount attached to this “investment.” Also no mention of how this investment would help women interested not in pro softball but baseball. Without some nod in that direction, this all strikes me as more Negro League “separate but equal.” I know my daughter will disagree, but that’s how I see it.

Recalculating

In the not-so-distant past, I’ve dissed Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa and Mike Vasil. Time to un-diss. Vargas hit all of .217 in April with one homerun and seven RBIs. In May, he has seven homers and seventeen RBIs to go with a somewhat misleading .275 BA. By “misleading,” I mean the 25-year old is hitting .310 over his last 30 games. And he has fifteen doubles, including one yesterday in the White Sox 9-4 win over the Mets. Sosa didn’t do too badly, either, with three hits on the day plus an RBI. Also 25, Sosa is hitting .280—and .340 over his last fifteen games—with seventeen RBIs. Not bad. So, let me regrade them as solid-B prospects with this caveat—they have to stay at one position, Vargas at third and Sosa at second. If and when Colson Montgomery gets a crack at shortstop, that will mean Chase Meidroth slides over to second. Not good for Sosa, but I wouldn’t try to turn him into a utility player to take advantage of his bat; he’s just not that good of a fielder. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I have my doubts Montgomery will ever play an inning on the South Side. On to Vasil. Now, this is a guy I find intriguing. In seventeen appearances out of the pen, Vasil—yup, he’s 25, too—has pitched two or more innings eleven times and three innings six times, including three scoreless innings yesterday. Talk about a throwback player. Vasil has pitched 34.1 innings on a still-young season. I’m guessing I like him better than the analytics’ crowd because he only has 24 strikeouts. In other words, he pitches to contact. But, if people catch the ball, who cares? And, given his 2.10 ERA, it looks like people are catching balls. The Sox move onto Baltimore for a weekend series with the disappointing Orioles. Here’s hoping the three 25-year olds keep it up.

Feel the Excitement

If the White Sox win today and salvage a game against the Mets, they’ll have eighteen wins on the season. That would be three better than at the same point last season. You can feel the excitement. I mean, today’s lineup has just two players—Josh Rojas (.154) and Michael A. Taylor (.196)—hitting under .200 and two more—Andrew Benintendi (.216) and Joshua Palacios (.222)—hitting under .223. The Sox lineup totals 86 RBIs to the Mets’ 190. A tip of the cap to Sox hitting coach Marcus Thames. This time last year, the Mickey Mouse-led Sox were in the midst of a fourteen-game losing streak. Right now, New-Mickey Venable is working on a three-gamer. So, of course, I’m optimistic. Just kidding.

Whatever

I’m supposed to get excited because Adrian Houser is the fourth White Sox pitcher ever to go six-plus scoreless innings in each of his first two starts for the team. Wow. If he keeps that up, GM Chris Getz should be able to flip him for a mid-level prospect at the trade deadline. Yes, it was nice that Houser shut out the Mets for six-plus innings yesterday at Citi Field. Too bad the bullpen couldn’t hold a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. Instead, Franciso Lindor hit a walk-off sacrifice fly for a 2-1 Mets’ win. As if that wasn’t bad enough, New-Mickey Venable offered his dumbest comment yet, and that’s saying something. Venable complimented catcher Korey Lee for the numbers he’s putting up during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. Not that a .302 BA and eight RBIs in eleven games necessarily means Lee will be back on the South Side anytime soon. You see, “Korey’s in a good spot down there. He’s feeling really good and continues to play well. Happy with everything he’s done this whole year.” [quote from story in today’s Tribune] I’ll bet you Lee is anything but happy that he’s still down there. Triple-A catcher Kyle Teel has also been on a tear, and Venable is “[s]upper excited” for what he’s done. Again, not that Teel will be called up to play first base or the outfield to get some big-league at-bats. Better to keep playing musical chairs in the infield. Funny, Tim Elko and Andrew Vaughn get sent down so they can clear their heads and have a reset, but not Luis Robert Jr. (.191 BA) or Josh Rojas (.140). I’m sure there’s a reason for that. Whatever.

How Bad Teams Lose

It starts with a manager who is either crazy or dumb because he keeps doing the same thing while expecting different results. In this case, it’s White Sox manager New-Mickey Venable calling on Jordan Leausre to protect a one-run lead going into the ninth of yesterday‘s game against the Rangers. Leasure did as I thought he would, which was to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. First, he hit Josh Jung, on an 0-2 pitch, no less. Then, third baseman Miguel Vargas paid a price for choosing not to play on the line for pull-hitter Jake Burger, who promptly hit a hard grounder past Vargas for a double. Wait, there’s more, but don’t forget we could be talking about two out and nobody on right now. Instead, with one out and runners in scoring position, infield in, Kyle Higashioka hit a shot to Vargas, who couldn’t field the ball cleanly to get the runner at the plate. So, Vargas did the next best thing and threw to first base, where Lenyn Sosa was a good two-three feet off the bag when he caught the ball. Usually, a first baseman wants to have a foot on the bag in order to record the out. Wait, there’s more. Venable decided to keep Leasure in the game to face Adolis Garcia. How did that go? Garcia doubled in two runs for the lead. Wait, there’s more. Edgar Quero left off the bottom of the ninth with a double and scored on a one-out double by Michael A. Taylor. Sox down a run, 5-4. Guess who got picked off of second base? Final score, 5-4. Leasure is 0-4 on the season with three blown saves. At Triple-A Charlotte, the Sox have Wikelman Gonzalez, who’s 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA in seven appearances, all in relief. Gonzalez came over in the Garrett Crochet deal. You’d think the Sox would want to see what they have in him. Oh, and James Karinchak 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA in nineteen relief appearances. Karinchak used to embarrass the Sox when he pitched for Cleveland. Apparently, no one wants to see if he can do the same for the South Side. Double-A Birmingham has three relievers worth a look: Peyton Pallette, eight saves and a 3.43 ERA; Zach Franklin, 1.96 ERA in fourteen games; and Andrew Dalquist, 1.16 ERA in fifteen games. The Barons also have starters Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor, their #1 and #7 prospects, respectively. They can’t pitch out of the pen? Now, it’s on to New York for three games against the Mets. I hear Juan Soto is slumping; facing the Sox should help. He might consider hitting the ball to Vargas or Sosa. They’re both playing different positions today. We wouldn’t want them getting used to playing just one position adequately, now would we?

Which Proves What, Exactly?

The White Sox beat the Rangers 10-5 yesterday. It’s always nice to win a game or, in this case, two in a row. But to what end? The Sox are in full rebuild, or not. Only one true prospect, Chase Meidroth, and two possibles, Miguel Vargas and Lenyn Sosa, started in a lineup populated by the likes of Michael Tauchman; Joshua Palacios; Matt Thaiss; and Josh Rojas. Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr., two people Chris Getz would trade in a heartbeat for any prospect with a hint of upside, also got the nod. Sosa had a bases-clearing double to go with two hits; he’s now batting .284 with sixteen RBIs. He’s a C+/B- talent in my eyes, and you shouldn’t want anybody under a B in the lineup, not if you’re serious about winning (see below). Sosa might be the real deal with his bat, not so much his glove. He’s average at best playing second, and he’s at first base today. What’s the plan here, guys? Say Colson Montgomery gets his callup next month and Meidroth moves to second, where he belongs. Sosa is not the answer at first base. Maybe Vargas is at third, but right now I’d put him in that same C+/B- category; he’s also seeing time at first. Why? And right now Bryan Ramos is starting to heat up at Charlotte. Shouldn’t he get a shot? Somebody’s got to go here, and just shuffling people around merely delays the inevitable. Unless— You put some of the borderline prospects in the outfield; better that than retreads on the corners, like yesterday. I’d do that because the Sox cupboard is bare of major league-ready outfielders. Way to go, Rick (Hahn) and Chris. The Sox just released Oscar Colas, by the way. Did I mention they used four pitchers yesterday? Only Mike Vasil looks to be a keeper. The minor league-system is full of both starters and relievers. If they don’t get the call now, then when? Unless, of course, Getz and pitching coach Ethan Katz see something in Miguel Castro and Brandon Eisert that escapes my untrained eye. Did I mention Manager New-Mickey Venable is starting 28-year old Vinny Capra, with a .103 career BA for four teams, at shortstop today? Why, exactly?

Clown Show

Something clicked last night for White Sox starter Sean Burke, who actually managed to pitch six innings throwing under a billion pitches. But a 4-1 win can’t hide the clown show on 35th and Shields. Before the game, not only did the team send down rookie first baseman Tim Elko, they optioned incumbent Andrew Vaughn as well. GM Chris Getz told reporters that Vaugn needed “[s]ynching up his lower half and upper half” while Elko had to “[t]ighten up the strike zone, [and] there was some chase [of pitches out of the zone].” [quotes from story in today’s Tribune] Apparently, Triple-A Charlotte is just the place to make it all happen. Or not. Charlotte’s hitting coach was a career .257 hitter during a four-year career that peaked at Double-A (no RBIs at that level, though). And he’s going to tell Vaughn, what, exactly? This is how I worked through it? The same holds for Elko, who pretty much through force of will made it impossible for the team to ignore him any longer. What does the coach who had all of 30 at-bats in Double-A tell the rookie who’s already had 31 at-bats in the majors? Once upon a time, the White Sox employed the likes of Bill Buckner Gary, Ward and Greg Walker—bona fide major leaguers all—as hitting coaches. Now, it’s pretty much any guy with access to tech. Maybe there are more and better gizmos in Charlotte than the ball mall. Oh, and did I mention that third baseman Miguel Vargas is now first baseman Miguel Vargas? Or that Getz replaced two first basemen with two outfielders, Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi? Or that Joshua Palacios and Vinny Capra are still on the team? Those two don’t need a Triple-A reset, I guess.

With an Asterisk

I just finished reading an op-ed piece in the Tribune slamming Commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstating Pete Rose and, in particular, Shoeless Joe Jackson. You’d think the writer was the second coming of Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Save the bluster for the living, friend. Yes, I think Jackson was in on the fix of the 1919 World Series, just as I think being banned for 100+ years is punishment enough. If a HOF veterans’ committee wants to vote Jackson in, that’s fine by me. Just make sure all the evidence pointing to his guilt gets included on his plaque. Same goes for Rose, a few years after if and when Jackson wins admission. Why? Because Rose was a jerk who’d make Ty Cobb blush over his excesses. In addition, there’s a good chance Jackson is enshrined well before a plaque listing all of Rose’s transgressions could be ready. The one that especially bothers me concerns the allegation he had sex with a minor in the 1970s. Pointing out the age of consent in Ohio—where Rose admitted a sexual relationship occurred, though not with a minor—was sixteen at the time hardly constitutes a defense in the court of public opinion. That said, all that included (plus maybe a video of the sucker punch of a shoulder into Ray Fosse at the 1970 All-Satar Game), let ’im in.

How Bad Teams Lose

The White Sox are a bad—make that very, very bad—team, so inept they may come close to breaking their own record for losses (121) in a season. Witness yesterday afternoon. With the score tied at four, rookie Chase Meidroth hit an opposite-field single to die for or, in this case, to score the go-ahead run. That put runners on the corners, one out. Miguel Vargas, on his way to an 0-for-4 day, then struck out. With runners on second and third after Meidroth stole second, Matt Thaiss also fanned. So, the Sox settled for a 5-4 lead. Which lasted all of four pitches, until reliever Mike Vasil could give up a single and two-run homerun, the latter to Leody Taveras, the #7 hitter; it was Taveras’s second homer in 123 at-bats. The 25-year old Vasil is on his fourth organization since December, by the way. Andrew Vaughn singled to open the bottom of the ninth, but, being a very, very bad team, the Sox failed to score. Nothing says “train wreck” better than being 20 games under .500 going into Memorial Day weekend.

Dirty

With child #2, Clare is up all hours of the night. In a way, softball helped prepare her for that. Hit the road at 6 AM during the travel season, up past midnight for practice in college. God knows how long my daughter had been up when she walked into the kitchen this morning. Wednesdays, we watch Maeve, grandchild #2. If 7:45 AM seemed a tad early for Grandpa, not so for mother and daughter. Luckily, they were both in a good mood, which probably had something to do with adequate amounts of sleep. Anyway, my daughter had just enough time to talk about the White Sox before she was out the door for a from-here-to-eternity commute to work in north-suburban Evanston. “I know their record doesn’t show it, but at least this year they have people who look like they want to play,” she offered. Because her parents taught her well, Clare had an example in mind, rookie second baseman Chase Meidroth. “I don’t want to call him ‘scrappy’ but ‘dirty,’” by which I think she meant the usual condition of his uniform after the second inning. Last night, Meidroth had two of his team’s seven hits and scored the only run…of the ballgame. Only run for the Sox you expect, but for the ballgame with just-signed journeyman Adrian Houser making his first start of the season—this after being released by the Triple-A Round Rock Express—that, you don’t expect. But a tip of the hat to Houser for throwing six shutout innings followed by three more from four Sox relievers. Cam Booser managed not to give up an eighth inning grand slam in back-to-back games and Jordan Leasure actually recorded a save. Oh, my. As for Meidroth, he opened the bottom of the third with a single and then stole second base. He scored on a one-out single from Joshua Palacios. By then, his uniform was already dirty.

Me, Not Me

If I’m White Sox starter Travis Martin, I’m either throwing stuff in the dugout after leaving last night’s game with one out in the eighth inning or counting down the days to free agency. Heaping praise on my catcher for good pitch-calling wouldn’t factor into it. But that’s what Martin did after going a career-high 7.1 innings. At the time of his exit, Martin had given up just one run on four hits and a walk. Of course, the Sox were down 1-0, but still, there was hope. I mean, a runner on first and one out. What could go wrong? Oh, right, Cam Booser could give up a walk and a single before tossing a big, fat cutter to Julio Rodriguez for a grand slam. Mariners 5 White Sox 1. Martin has a 3.49 ERA to go with a 2-5 record. Sox starters have a 3.85 ERA, tied with the Astros and Giants for sixteenth best in baseball. They’re within striking distance of thirteenth, held by the Pirates with a 3.81 ERA. But the Pirates don’t hit, either. In fact, they’re last in all of baseball with 142 runs scored. The Sox are sixteen better than that, but another one-run performance by the offense could put them behind the Rockies for second-to-last. Yup, that’s something to hang your cap on for a rebuild. Me, I’m the manager, I’m ticked off and showing public displeasure, especially at my offense. New-Mickey Venable prefers rainbows and unicorns. He praised the “really good fastball” of Mariners’ starter Luis Castillo and mentioned “a couple of hard-hit balls early” by Sox hitters. [both quotes from today’s Tribune story online]. Me, I’m the team owner, I’d want to avoid a repeat of 2024 at all cost. But Jerry Reinsdorf..well, it’s hard to say exactly what Reinsdorf thinks because he doesn’t deign to talk to the media. Me, I take that as a message in itself.

Karma

The older I get, the more I tend to believe in reincarnation if for no other reason that it would explain my being a White Sox fan. I must’ve been very bad in a pervious life. At 14-33 after yesterday’s 6-2 loss to the Cubs, this team is not one game better than last year’s disaster was after 47 games. In three games at Wrigley Field, the Sox scored all of eight runs, vs. the 26 they ever so generously provided the home team in their sweep of us. How the Rockies and Pirates have managed to score fewer runs than we have is a mystery to me. This year’s team is supposed to be better defensively; you could’ve fooled me and most of the Western Hemisphere over the weekend. Yesterday, Brooks Baldwin dropped a ball that led to a run, and Luis Robert Jr. failed to catch a ball hit by Pete-Crow Armstrong that turned into a leadoff triple and the first run of the game. All weekend, Armstrong offered a master class on playing the outfield and hitting at the top of the order. But I doubt Robert was paying attention. Last season, this kind of game would’ve generated all sorts of excuses from ex-manager Mickey Mouse. It’s no different this year. Manager New-Mickey Venable continued his habit of praising the other side—just like old Mickey did—while making excuses for his players. Mickey 2.0 told reporters after the game, “I think with the elements, that added a layer of plays, probably four or five, that left us leaving here feeling like we played worse than we probably did in most areas.” [quote in today’s Tribune] If those aren’t weasel words, I don’t know what are. I promise to lead a better life from now on. I can’t go through this again in my next go-around.

Explain Two Things to Me

First, what’s up with Sean Burke, and how are they going to fix it? Unless New-Mickey Venable and his staff are happy with a starting pitcher who walks five batters in 4.2 innings while giving up five earned runs in a 7-3 loss to the Cubs. Oh, and the rookie righthander needed 97 pitches to do it. You either throw strikes or perish in baseball, a message that has to be sent fast and clear. Yesterday, neither catcher Edgar Quero nor pitching coach Ethan Katz was able to do that. And it doesn’t help to have Venable offer up one of his milquetoast observations, that “We’ve just got to get him back on track and competitive in the zone.” Ya think? Now, tell us exactly how you’re going to do that, New-Mickey. While you’re at it, why don’t you call out your right fielder, Joshua Palacios, who did a middle-school impersonation yesterday of a major-league right fielder? What I don’t need is milquetoast gibber about the conditions at Wrigley Field and “Just one of those things where you’ve got to battle, do everything you can and hope you’re able to make plays.” [both quotes from today’s Tribune] Hope doesn’t get the ball caught, New-Mickey. The second thing I’d like explained to me was Venable’s decision to pinch hit for Tim Elko in the ninth inning. Elko was 1-for-2 with a homerun and a walk. Why not see what he could do against right-hand reliever Porter Hodge? If anybody deserves to be lifted for a pinch hitter, it’s Luis Robert Jr. Unless the manager and his staff are OK with another 0-for-4 performance that included two strikeouts, that is.

Sliding Back into…

Nothing cures delusions of progress like a 13-3 humiliation, which was what happened to the White Sox yesterday at Wrigley Field. Outside of Miguel Vargas going 4-for-4 with two homeruns, there was precious little evidence of a major league team at work. And maybe starter Shane Smith, who gave up six runs in five innings and still saw his ERA go down to 2.05. In other words, somebody caused five unearned runs to score. That would be you, catcher Matt Thaiss. In the bottom of the second, Thaiss had two chances to record outs at the plate; the first time he missed the tag, the second time he dropped the throw. Hold onto the ball and five runs don’t score. Not to harp, but if Edgar Quero is the or one of the catchers of the future, Thaiss really shouldn’t be spending all that much time behind the plate, especially with a .213 BA. But what do I know? Me, I’m looking to build a bullpen and checking on any talent in the minors. Chris Getz, he’s looking for warm bodies. Four pitchers followed Smith, and not one of them was developed by the Sox. In fact two, Miguel Castro and Yoendrys Gomez, were acquired last week in separate transactions. Castro and Gomez allowed a combined five runs to score. Chase Meidroth managed two hits, and Quero got one from the DH spot. On a day that saw three homeruns, Tim Elko sat so Thaiss could catch. New-Mickey Mouse is as New-Mickey Mouse does.

Tell Me Why

First off, why pitch Bryse Wilson and his 4.88 ERA if you want to sweep the Reds? If there’s some gibber answer about how well Wilson did in his previous start (five innings, one run against the Marlins), then why run out the lineup you did, New-Mickey Venable? I mean the lineup with Jacob Amaya (.102 BA going into the game, .097 BA in 62 at-bats after going 0-for-3 on the day) starting but not Chase Meidroth, Tim Elko or Edgar Quero. News flash: Lenyn Sosa is not a first baseman. Wilson went 5.1 innings, giving up seven earned runs on ten hits. Sox “hitters” managed three singles and a double in a 7-1 smackdown of a loss. Will it be any better today, against the Cubs in Wrigley Field? Well, Meidroth and Quero are slated to start, but not Elko. Yeah, we wouldn’t want a slugger getting his first look at the Friendly Confines, now would we?

More, More, More

Last night in Cincinnati, Davis Martin took his cue from Jonathan Cannon the night before. Cannon threw six shutout innings on 96 pitches; Martin went 6.2 innings, giving up one earned run on 95 pitches. The White Sox spoil Pete Rose Night, topping the Reds 4-2. Meanwhile, Andrew Vaughn must be channeling his inner Satchel Paige, who advised against looking back, unless you want to see something or somebody gaining on you. In Vaughn’s case, that would be first baseman Tim Elko. Vaughn has three RBIs in the four games Elko has played since being called up. Nothing like a little healthy competition.

Like That

Last night, Jonathan Cannon threw five more pitches than Sean Burke did the day before, and it got him through six shutout innings. He would’ve won the game but for reliever Steven Wilson grooving a full-count, 82.5 mph blah of a sweeper to Elley De La Cruz to tie the game at one in the bottom of the ninth. Fear not, because the Sox scored four in the tenth to win 5-1 over the Reds at Great American Ballpark. Chase Meidroth whacked a 1-2, shoulder-high fastball through the right side for a run-scoring single ahead of a three-run homer by Miguel Vargas. How odd to write that. Supposedly, Vargas has “tweaked” his stance, something about where/how he holds the bat. Whatever. If it works, great. William James—look up “pragmatism,” in case you’re wondering—may have been the greatest hitting coach of them all.

The Good and Bad of It

On Sunday, White Sox rookie righthander Sean Burke gave up one run over four innings, which is a good thing. But to do that Burke needed to throw 91 pitches, and that, my friends, is a very bad thing. I watched enough of the game to see that Burke had no idea where his pitches were going. How ironic that all the pitching gizmos teams use now for developing pitchers can’t help them with location. If I make a comment like that, you can pretty much guess what I’m going to say next—that young man needed a good talking-to. And the people to do it should’ve been his catcher, his pitching coach and, maybe, his manager. A pitcher has to get into the mindset that he’s going to throw strikes. Catcher Matt Thaiss needed to get Burke there, even if it meant letting Burke call his own game. That message needed to be repeated by pitching coach Ethan Katz. Manager New-Mickey Venable would’ve been a last resort. I will say this for Venable: He didn’t lose the game, and he didn’t burn his bullpen winning it. Venable actually had reliever Mike Vasil pitch three innings. If Venable makes more decisions like that, I may even give him his first name back.

Three's a Charm?

The White Sox blew it with Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets. Maybe they’ll hold onto Tim Elko. The 26-year old rookie recorded his first major-league hit in the bottom of the sixth inning of yesterday’s game against the Marlins, a three-run homerun that proved the difference in a 4-2 win. We’ll save the insanity of Sean Burke needing to throw 91 pitches to get through four innings for another day. Elko stands 6’3” and weighs a sculpted 250 pounds. He kind of swatted at a curveball from 2022 Cy Young award-winner Sandy Alcantara down in the zone in a way that reminded me of Mark McGwire, who stood two inches taller and weighed 35 pounds less. But I’m willing to bet Elko’s muscles, which allowed him to drive the ball 381 feet into the left-field stands, are not the science project that McGwire’s were. One game does not a career make. But it gets one to dreaming…

Pointless

A week ago today, Michele and I were walking up and down Montmartre, one of the nine hills of Paris, desperate not to lose sight of our guide. Let’s just say it was a very challenging 428 feet this way, then that; one crowded street, then another; right foot in, right foot out. At the end, we shook all about. But at least our guide knew where she was going; the four-hour walk had a beginning, middle (with countless steps to the top, trust me) and end. With the White Sox, it’s more about walking in a meaningless circle. Last night, they wasted six shutout innings from starter Shane Smith; talk about a find. Smith has a 2.08 ERA over eight starts spanning 43.1 innings. But this team doesn’t hit (as evidenced by their four hits total in a 3-1 defeat), and they have no real bullpen. Jordan Leasure picked up the loss. Wow, there’s a surprise. The 2025 Sox under manager New-Mickey Venable have the same 11-29 record the 2024 team had under the original Mickey Mouse. Yes, the starting pitching is young and at times pretty good, with three more intriguing arms—Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor—putting up nice numbers at Double-A Birmingham. But winning depends on good pitching with at least a teeny assist from the offense. That’s not happening, and it doesn’t look like it will anytime soon. These hitless blunders rank 27th out of 30 both in runs scored (135) and on-base percentage (.291). Their team batting average is a baseball-worst .214, and yet Marcus Thames stays employed as hitting coach. Tim Elko went 0-for-3 last night, robbed of a run-scoring single in the seventh inning by Marlins’ second baseman Mario Sanoja. All I can do is hope Elko stays in the lineup and doesn’t panic. Oh, and stay as far away from Thames as possible. The same goes for the other young Sox players, starting with Brooks Baldwin, Chase Meidroth and Edgar Quero. All three have shown flashes, though with Meidroth it comes with concerns he’s going to break down the way Nick Madrigal did. As for the one or two bats in the minors—Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery—take your time. It's not like this team is going anywhere, except in circles.

I Predict

Actually, I did almost two weeks ago, about the possibility of the Sox calling up slugging first baseman Tim Elko. Hitting .348 in Triple A didn’t hurt, and having Andrew Vaughn funking along at a .188 clip—including a homerun in last night’s 6-2 win over the Marlins—probably forced things, too. I just hope the guy can hit. Promoting Elko to the major-league roster means someone has to go. I wonder if it’ll be Nick Maton, just recalled to take the spot of Andrew Benintendi. Maton is “hitting”.167 with four RBIs, stats which explain why the team outrighted him to Charlotte in late April. When he was called back up on Wednesday, manager New-Mickey Venable raved about Maton’s presence in the clubhouse. I’m sure opposing pitchers feel pretty much the same way.

It's Official

It’s official—I’m back from Europe, and White Sox manager Will Venable is the new Mickey Mouse. After 38 games played, the 2024 White Sox had a record of 10-28 on their way to a 121-loss season. The record of this year’s team? Yup, 10-28. The pitching’s better, the hitting’s worse. Again, hats off to Marcus Thames for being able to keep his job. Yesterday, I got home from O’Hare in time to see the Hitless Blunders lose their fourth straight in Kansas City, 10-0 to the Royals. Starter Davis Martin gave up four runs in 4.1 innings on seven hits and a walk. Not a quality start. Check that. Mickey Venable told reporters after the game that Davis “actually pitched OK, then in the fifth ran into some trouble trying to keep it close.” What does that even mean? Venable’s team was already down 2-0 when Davis gave up a walk and a single to start the fifth. The triple to Maikel Garcia came two outs later. Wait, there’s more. The Blunders managed six hits on the day; that’s five shutouts and counting. But not to worry, New Mickey has a way out: We’ve just got to keep going. Just string as many quality at-bats together as we can. Leadoff guys in innings have done a good job. And just got to get consecutive good things to happen so we can score some runs.” [both quotes from story in today’s Tribune] We just got to keep going through the chaff until we find someone who can manage.

Any Takers?

Wow, White Sox reliever Jordan Leasure gave up a walk-off, two-run homerun to Luis Urias with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning for a 3-2 A’s win. Who’d have thought that was possible, I mean, other than me? Not Sox manager Will Venable, that’s for sure. If I’m Venable (perish the thought), I’d take note of what Leasure said after the game: “At the end of the day, if I could go back in time, I’d probably make the same exact pitch and do it again. He [Urias] just be me that time, and sometimes that happens.” [quote from online story in today’s Tribune] Only with Leasure pitching, that’s going to be the result more often than not. Not to be cruel (but maybe a tad masochistic), look at Leasure’s stats, 0-4 with a 5.88 ERA over two seasons. So far this year, in just over a month, he’s appeared twelve times and given up runs four times. That translates into a 0-2 record with two saves and a 4.50 ERA. Any takers on that ERA going up in the not too distant future? Any takers on Tim Elko putting in an appearance at first base before long? Elko is an unheralded if large—as in 6’3”, 250 pounds—at Triple-A Charlotte. Picked in the tenth round of the 2022 draft, the 26-year old righthanded hitter has amassed 60 homeruns and 215 RBIs to go with a .292 BA in his three-plus seasons in the Sox system. Elko isn’t a top-30 prospect, but— It's getting hard to ignore the numbers he’s putting up and the numbers Andrew Vaughn isn’t. Yesterday, Elko hit two homers, giving him nine on the season, good for four RBIs, and twenty total, along with a .354 BA. Like I said, hard to ignore. And then there’s Vaughn. As we head into May this week, the Sox starting first baseman is hitting an anemic .157 with three homers and eleven RBIs. Yesterday, he went 1-for-5, a single. He also grounded out three times, including the tenth inning when he hit into a double play with runners on the corners and one out. A hit meant a run at least and would’ve extended the Sox lead until maybe it was Leasure-proof. A 26-year old rookie can establish himself; the odds are on the long side, but it happens. And with Vaughn going the way he is, we may soon find out what Tim Elko has to offer.

Say What?

We live in strange times. It used to be April meant baseball, and plenty of it. Now, football has bullied its way onto the calendar with its annual draft. For reasons beyond me, a whole bunch of people out there appear to care about who takes whom in the seventh round. I say this after having watched a clip of a zoom call the Bears’ seventh-round pick had with WGN Sports. If only I could find a baseball story that made sense. Instead, the Tribune ran one today straight out of the “Twilight Zone,” where major-league teams employ a “director of hitting” and a “biomechanist.” The White Sox pay Ryan Fuller to be their director and to talk about third baseman Miguel Vargas (.189 BA) like this: Being able to have where his hands could go to with his first move stay a little bit higher to cover the top part of the zone when they were going high to low; his barrel was underneath. He crushed the bottom part of the zone but a pretty good hole in the middle, top part where he was getting attacked swinging to find a solution for that part of the zone.” Got that? Maybe the gibber makes sense to a hitter tuned in; Vargas is, I admit, starting to hit, batting .308 (8-for-26) over his last seven games. But here’s a thought—what if he’s just a good low-ball hitter? Can the biomechanist really increase his hot zones? The Sox are tied with the Bluejays for 26th place in runs scored (93) and rank dead last in team batting average at.209; their on-base percentage (.284) put them at 28th. The figures don’t lie. It’s the people doing the talking I wonder about.

Nighty Night

It was 11 PM last nighjt and I’d had enough reading about the Battle of the Somme. After a quick check of the White Sox game, they were down 5-3 going into the bottom of the eighth against the A’s in Sacramento (!), time for bed. Daddy doesn’t stay up late anymore to catch the latest installment of the Reinsdorf Follies. Sure enough, I woke up this morning to find the (un)lovable misfits lost 6-5, in large part because of a porous bullpen and the continued atrocious play of centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., who went a whopping 1-for-4 with a walk, a run and three strikeouts. Robert is batting .143 on the season with a godawful six RBIs. Jacob Amaya, who would never be confused with a major-league hitter, has four RBIs in 46 at-bats (to Robert’s six in 84). The one thing that Robert excels at right now is striking out, 33 times so far for a 39 percent rate (throw in his fourteen walks, and it goes down to a slightly less egregious 33.7 percent). And still he bats up in the order (second last night), and still manager Will Venable calls upon his inner Mickey Mouse to offer excuses. Robert also had an error in the field that cost the Sox a run in the sixth inning. The future Mouse defended the 27-year old, telling reporters afterwards, “I'm not sure if it [either the ball or Robert’s career, at this point it’s hard to say] snaked on him or what happened as he got to it. It was unfortunate that the play went that way, but he's going out there and giving everything he's got.” No, Skipper, he isn’t, and pretending otherwise only makes it worse. [quote from today’s story on team website] A stopped clock gets the time right twice a day, or so the saying goes. Starter Shane Smith and utilityman Brooks Baldwin would be the Sox front-office equivalent of that, Smith a Rule-5 pickup by Chris Getz and Baldwin a twelfth-round draft choice by Rick Hahn (!!) in 2022. Baldwin hit a two-run homerun in the ninth last night to set up the final score of 6-5, A’s. The unheralded Baldwin has twelve RBIs in 68 at-bats. Maybe he could offer some batting tips to his teammate Robert? Continuing with the broken-clock metaphor, we also have Hahn (!!!) to thank for Edgar Quero, acquired from the Angels in exchange for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez about a month before Hahn was shown the door in late August of 2023. Quero looks to be a keeper, and there was no way Reinsdorf was going to sign either Giolito or Lopez, who were in their walk year. Also keep an eye on the Sox possible shortstop of the future, and I don’t mean Colson Montgomery, he of the .169 BA at Triple-A. I do mean 20-year old William Bergolla, a middle-infielder at Double-A Birmingham; Getz got him last summer from the Phillies for reliever Tanner Banks. Bergolla hit .300 for two teams in High-A last season and is hitting .328 this season for Double-A Birmingham. Colson Montgomery is the anointed one at short in large part because he fits the analytics-driven profile of what a hitter should be, tall (6’3”, 230 pounds) and strong (eighteen homeruns and 21 doubles at Triple-A Charlotte last year). Too bad he only hit .214, which happens to be 45 points higher than he’s hitting right now. No doubt it’s just a problem with his mechanics that can be tweaked once his swing his analyzed with the right gizmos. The Dr. Frankensteins who control most front offices in baseball wouldn’t take a second look at Bergolla, who stands a mere 5’9”. Yeah, nice eye and some speed (27 stolen bases last year, nine already this season), but not enough hard contact. Lucky for Bergolla the White Sox organization is so dysfunctional he has a real shot at making the major-league roster by this time next year. I can dream, right?

Full Circle

On Christmas Eve 1992, I carried my thirteen-month old daughter into Grandstand Sports on the corner of 35th and Wallace. Michele was working, and I had to pick up my Christmas gift, a 1938-41 White Sox varsity jacket reissued by Mitchell and Ness. For over 30 years, I wore that jacket. It had a red, wool body and tan, leather sleeves. The logo went on the left side of the chest, a large blue S with a smaller O and X fitting inside the two loops of the S. Sox great Billy Pierce saw me wearing it once and approved. I wore and wore the jacket until the leather wore in places, with holes by the cuffs and creases that threatened to turn into rips.. On Wednesday, Maeve was over when another 1938-41 White Sox jacket arrived; it really does pay to shop on eBay. This one has virtually no signs of wear, as if it had been hanging next to the one I bought at Grandstand all those years ago. If our daughter ever had any doubt we were a White Sox family, that jacket taught her otherwise. With luck, this one will do the same with our granddaughter.

Random Observations

Last night in Minnesota, the White Sox needed seven pitchers just to lose to the Twins by a score of 6-3. Speak not the name of the pitch they teach not. But I will: knuckleball. Last night, Luis Robert Jr. went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. This afternoon, he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a 3-0, seven-inning 3-0 Sox win (Shane Smith’s major-league first, by the way). On the year, Robert is hitting .138 with 30 strikeouts in 80 at-bats. So, why does Will Venable insist on batting the enigmatic one second or third? At 6’3” and 225 pounds, Bobby Dalbec looks like your typical right-hand hitting first baseman. Indeed, he’s started 221 games at first since his rookie year in 2020. You do not expect to see him at shortstop, although he did start two games there during his time with Boston. Today was game #3 with the White Sox. Bobby Dalbec, Jacob Amaya (.087)—this tells you how bad Colson Montgomery is doing in Triple-A.

Scout and Draft

Where are you, Matt Davidson and Daniel Palka and Nicky Delmonico and Yolmer Sanchez and Adam Engel, when White Sox fans turn our lonely eyes to you? Gone, replaced by the likes of Jacob Amaya, Joshua Palacios and Nick Maton. This is a rebuild devoid of personality. Instead, we have a manager, Will Venable, who insists on starting Jacob Amaya at shortstop. Yes, Amaya managed his fourth RBI of the season last night in Minnesota. That goes with a.089 BA, three singles and a double in 45 at-bats. Venable also appears fond of Maton (.167) and Palacios (.182). Last night with the Sox down by three in the top of the ninth, bases loaded and nobody out, Palacios faced Twins’ closer Jhoan Duran and did pretty much what you’d expect. He struck out, which he’s done seven times in 22 at-bats. This and that happened afterward, Byron Buxton robbed Andrew Benintendi, and the Sox lost—again—by a score of 4-2. A big part of the reason this team is in this situation is a longstanding inability to scout and draft the right players. Imagine Steven Kwan batting instead of Palacios. Kwan didn’t go until the fifth round of the 2018 draft; we took pitcher Jonathan Stiever instead. Stiever has since retired. We could’ve had Alek Thomas batting instead of Palacios. The Sox front office had some idea who Thomas was because his dad Allen was the strength and conditioning coach for the Sox at the time, and the younger Thomas spent a lot of time around the team shagging flies. He also played at Mt. Carmel, just a few miles down the Dan Ryan from 35th and Shields. Instead, Thomas went to Arizona while Rick Hahan opted for Steele Walker in the second round of the 2018 draft. Walker later netted Nomar Mazara in a trade, and both are out of major league baseball. That’s sort of how a team ends up with Joshua Palacios batting in a crucial situation. Last but not least, the Sox could’ve had Corbin Carroll batting. Carroll was a first-round pick by the Diamondbacks 2019, when the Sox selected Andrew Vaughn. Carroll has a career WAR of 11.3, and this season he’s batting .323 with seven homeruns and nineteen RBIs (plus 21 runs scored because he’s fast). And Vaughn? A career WAR of 0.4 isn’t much, and neither are his stats for the year, a .145 BA with three homers and ten RBIs (plus five runs scored because he’s slow, and there’s no one to bat him in those few times he’s on base). Last night, Vaughn went 0-for-4 and grounded into a double play. Kwan went 2-for-4 with a run scored in a Guardians’ win against the Yankees while Carroll went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in a Arizona win over the Rays. But, hey, Thomas didn’t do anything, just like the Sox.

You Get What You Pay For

In sports like the rest of life, you get what you pay for, and the White Sox are nothing if not cheap. I mean player development and compensation, not prices at the ball mall. So, news that starter Martin Perez was placed on the 60-day IL shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Perez, 34, was signed to a one-year deal, to be flipped or to flop, it didn’t matter all that much to be bottom-dwelling Sox. GM Chris Getz took a chance on Perez’s left elbow. After 1595.2 innings, Getz looks to have lost his bet. Not to worry, and not to expect any of the team’s Double-A talent to step in, not while Mike—Bad Penny—Clevinger is still around. Clevinger was DFA’d last week; cleared waivers (as in no orthwe MLB team wanted him); and assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Apparently, the plan is for Clevinger to go to Arizona and get stretched out so he can return to starting. If all works out, he could be back on the South Side sometime this summer. Oh, fingers crossed.

Where Were They?

Baseball has rules against a straight-tank, which is why the White Sox won’t be drafting first come June despite losing 121 games last season. Anyway, tanking in April is bad form. But here we have the White Sox with Will Venable penciling in lineups only Mickey Mouse would understand or appreciate. Yesterday in Boston, rookie catcher Edgar Quero didn’t get the start despite going 2-for-4 the day before. When Quero did appear, he pinch hit in the seventh inning with his team down a run, runners on second and third. Quero hit a shot up the middle good for two runs and the lead. So, Quero started today’s morning game, it being Patriot Day and all. But where was Andrew Vaughn, who hit a two-run homer to cement Sunday’s 8-4 win? Nowhere to be seen. Nick Maton and Brian Dalbec at first sure looks like tanking to me. Red Sox 4 White Sox 2.

By the Numbers

We could start with these: a 4-16 record after a ten-inning, 4-3 loss to the Red Sox. A 0-8 record on the road to go with 2-14 over their last sixteen games. Wait, there’s more. Andrew Vaughn batting .135, which happens to be 37 points higher than Jacob Amaya’s .098. Both Vaughn and Amaya are back in the lineup today unlike rookie catcher Edgar Quero, who went 2-for-4 with a double while throwing out a baserunner. Maybe Quero needs to get that batting average down a little so he can play more. But enough of the travails of these purported big-league White Sox. Let’s go down on the farm, where, supposedly, a rebuilt system will be developing more Queros and Chase Meidroths (both of whom came from other systems, by the way). Odd how the records don’t reflect all the talent I keep reading about. Triple-A Charlotte is 7-13; Double-A Birmingham ,7-6; high-A Winston-Salem, 5-9; and single-A Kannapolis, 7-7. They all must be playing tough schedules at the same time. In which case, let’s see what the talent is doing on an individual basis. Top prospect Noah Schultz—and how many times have I seen him compared to Randy Johnson?—is 0-1 with a 4.97 ERA at Birmingham. Prospect #2 Kyle Teel is hitting .215 with nine RBIs at Charlotte. Prospect #3 Hagen Smith is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA at Birmingham. Prospect #4 Colson Montgomery is batting .162 with five RBIs at Charlotte. And Prospect #4 Braden Montgomery is hitting .326 with seventeen RBIs for Kannapolis. Funny how Braden Montgomery is just like Quero and Meidroth, from a different organization. There are some people further down the list who look like they’ll be cracking the top five soon along with a few unranked players who could be drawing attention before long. If I’m Andrew Vaughn, I’d be worried about multiple first basemen in the system. If I’m a Sox fan (and I am), I’d be worried about following a team with a solid shot at 110 losses, at least.

Ha-ha

What a joke, or series of jokes, each one worse than the last, all of them at the cost of White Sox fans. Last night, the Hapless Hose lost their fifth straight, this time 10-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway. They’ve started the season a team-record-breaking 0-7 on the road. Wait, there’s more for our 4-15 patsies. Today’s starting lineup—against Garrett Crochet, no less—features six “hitters” with batting averages under .200, ranging from a high of .190 (Chase Meidroth) to a low of .103 (Jacob Amaya). How do you say “six in a row”? Now, consider the standup routine manager Will Venable is working on. Martin Perez, last night’s starter, looked bad and exited after yielding four runs in three innings of work; Perez mentioned arm fatigue as a possible factor for his crappy performance. Whatever. So, Venable felt the need to tell reporters, “We need Martin. We need the things he does on the mound, the things that he does in the clubhouse.” Ha-ha, very funny, Skipper. Because we all know Perez is gone come the trade deadline if Chris Getz can get anything in return. Wait, there’s more. Miguel Vargas, Getz’s “get” for Michael Kopech, is stinking up the joint at third base, at least with the bat. Vargas is “hitting” .145 with six RBIs in 69 at-bats. But Venable has detected some recent signs of life in the 24-year old’s bat. Considering Vargas is 3-for-26 in last seven games, he must be using top-secret criteria. “That’s what we were waiting to see a little more of, where he’s making good swing decisions, having quality at-bats. Just need to impact the ball a little bit more, but [I] feel like it’s coming [around] for him.” [both quotes from today’s Sun-Times] Vargas is in the lineup today facing Crochet, who struck him out three times their last meeting. Ha-ha, joke’s on us.

Tell Me Why

The White Sox lost to the A’s 8-0 yesterday afternoon, their third shutout loss in a very young season. Three players hit four singles for the weakest-hitting team in baseball (collective .196 BA). And hitting coach Marcus Thames has a job why, again? Sox starter Davis Martin gave up four runs in 5.1 innings. I don’t know what I dislike more, the two homeruns Martin threw or his insistence that he and catcher Edgar Quero “executed” both pitches how they wanted to. [story in today’s Tribune] I’m also not a fan of a pitcher saying, “It is what it is. Some days, it’s a popup. Some days, it’s a homerun. You just live with the fact that you executed the pitch the way you wanted to and move on.” [today’s Sun-Times] Some days a popup? The gopher ball to Lawrence Butler traveled 414 feet, the one to JJ Bleday 372 feet. Outside of the Grand Canyon and or the wind blowing in from a hurricane, those are balls that are going to be out of just about any ballpark. One of the jobs of a pitching coach is, or should be, to make sure his charges are honest with themselves. I don’t see that here. You’d think that the pitching coach for a team with a 4.26 ERA could at least do that. Ethan Katz has a job why, again?

Jerry's Kids

The two Chicago sports franchises that Jerry Reinsdorf mis-owns both played in town last night. Did I mention they both lost? The Bulls stunk up the United Center from the get-go during their play-in rematch with the Heat. Down by eleven after one quarter, the home team managed to dig an even deeper hole by halftime, trailing Miami, 71-47. It was, as the saying goes, a team effort. Billy Donovan either did not or could not elevate his team, which shouldn’t have been hard given that they were playing at home in front of a full-house ready to go crazy, if only given the chance. Didn’t happen. The Heat kept going after Josh Giddey, who obliged every time. In what qualified as the biggest game of his career, Coby White came up beyond short, scoring a mere seventeen points on 5-of-20 shooting. White also committed a team-high seven turnovers. Did I mention the Bulls managed seventeen on the night? There is where I also mention the team enters its offseason trying to figure out what’s next. Arturas Karnisovas in possession of a clue? Good luck with that. Me, I’d sign Giddey to an extension—at least he scored 25 points to go with ten rebounds and four rebounds—and trade just about everyone else to get a real center under the age of 100. Ok, 28, then. As for my beloved White Sox, another game, another loss, this time 3-1 to the A’s. As long as they keep thinking Jordan Leasure is a major-league reliever, they’ll get the same results. No better way to kill a season than by giving up a two-out, two-run triple in the sixth inning. But, hark, do I spy a glimmer of hope through acts of subtraction and addition? First, the subtraction—Mike Clevinger was DFA’d yesterday. My daughter is ecstatic beyond belief. “What does it say about your organization when you have somebody like him on your roster?” Clare asked this morning. Nothing good, was the only right answer. Next, addition—catching prospect Edgar Quero was called up and will start today’s game behind the plate. Hallelujah. Too bad Omar Narvaez has to go, but he should have enough left in the tank to catch on with another team. Oh, and Andrew Benintendi was activated. Wow. Prospects Chase Meidroth and Quero both starting, along with an improving Brooks Baldwin. It’s enough to give a fan hope, maybe, keeping in mind the decades-long ineptitude of a certain owner.

Garbage

It’s a bad sign when the team website doesn’t even bother talking about the team’s latest game, which, in the case of the White Sox, was a 12-3 humiliation at the hands of the visiting A’s. But I did read what ex-Sox infielder Micah Johnson is up to these days. For fun, before the game I took a look at the Sox lineup, consisting of five players with batting averages of .194 or lower; that group managed three of the team’s six hits. Andrew Vaughn got himself a three-run homer, Miguel Vargas managed a double, Joshua Palacios a single. Again, hitting coach Marcus Thames has a job why? After a strong Opening Day start, Sean Burke has been god-awful, going 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA. In none of those three starts has Burke made it through the fifth inning? Again, pitching coach Ethan Katz has a job why? Burke gave up five earned runs last night in 3.1 innings. As for the other seven runs, that was the work of Penn Murfee (four) and Mike Clevinger (three). All these numbers add up to two more questions, starting with, GM Chris Getz has a job why again? And Jerry Reinsdorf gets to run a franchise into the ground because why?

Will This Amount to Anything?

For two straight years now, the Bulls have finished the regular season at 39-43, with a play-in game against the Heat. Same-old same-old? Yes and no. I think. For one, this Bulls’ team looks different from the other one, which featured Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Kevin Huerter are a younger, faster, more athletic threesome. Same for the bench. Where once you had the trundling presence of Andre Drummond on the court, you now have the likes of Zach Collins and Jalen Smith. At least these guys can run. The Bulls have lost two straight play-in games to the Heat, so they definitely want three to be a charm. They have momentum, with fifteen wins in their last twenty games. They also have injuries, especially Giddey’s painful right wrist. Enter Coby White and Nikola Vucevic. The one has to keep leading the offense, the other has to keep up and make the occasional three-pointer while grabbing some rebounds. We’ll see.

Money's Worth

The Red Sox paid big bucks, as in $170 million over six years, to extend Garrett Crochet, who rewarded them with 7.1 innings of no-hit ball against his old team. The White Sox responded by starting Shane Smith, their Rule-5 find. Ex-Sox, new-Sox Chase Meidroth broke up the no-hitter with a grounder that bounded past shortstop Trevor Story. Two batters later, the score was 2-1 Boston with White Sox runners on second and third. And the White Sox proceeded to get what they paid for. Journeyman Joshua Palacios struck out pinch-hitting for journeyman Jacob Amaya. Future journeyman Miguel Vargas—who struck out three times against Crochet, twice with what can only be called a lumberjack swing—followed with a harmless flyball to left field. Final score: Boston 3 Chicago 1. Let me be blunt—this team has next to no hitting, not on the major-league roster, at the very least, with the jury out on Triple-A prospects Colson Montgomery (who upped his average to .122 with two hits yesterday) and Kyle Teel (hot early but now batting .192). Hats off to Smith for putting up a 2.04 ERA in three starts over 17.2 innings. But you can’t win a game unless you score runs. And that the 4-11 White Sox have yet to show they can do.

Perspective

By walking off the Red Sox, 3-2, with a Brooks Baldwin single against Aroldis Chapman, the White Sox doubled their win total on the season to four, this in under 24 hours, no less. They were 2-12 at the same point last season. So, Yay! for the two-game improvment, and a little perspective. The season before last, the team was 5-9 on its way to 101 losses. Those numbers dampen the excitement. In which case, I’ll try some others. In his rookie season last year, Baldwin needed 114 at-bats to reach eight RBIs; he has seven already in just 39. Cause for hope, maybe. If everything goes really, really well, Baldwin could turn into another Jeff McNeil. Of course, the Sox need another Pete Alonso and Juan Soto, too. But at least it would be a start.

Is He Anything?

The White Sox snapped their eight-game losing streak last night, thumping the visiting Red Sox, 11-1, with rookie Chase Meidroth making an immediate contribution. The 23-year old played a nice second base and went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored. Does it mean anything? As you might expect, the team website today said Meidroth “made great impression vs. former club in MLB debut.” OK, but Zach Remillard had an even better first game back on June 17th, 2023, when he went 3-for-3, driving in the tying run against the Mariners in the top of the ninth and the eventual winning run in the eleventh. From what I can tell, Remillard is now retired. Along with Danny Mendick, another compact infielder who came up with the White Sox. In fact, Meidroth looks to me to be Mendick with better plate discipline. We’ll see. Ditto for tomorrow, when Garrett Crochet gets the start. Talk about brutal. Crochet made some remarks to reporters before the game yesterday that, under ordinary circumstances, would get posted in the clubhouse for motivation. Only they work even better as a warning to Meidroth and his new teammates. Crochet said going to spring training this year “felt like the big leagues, you know?” As for his White Sox experience, “it was not very hard to move on, honestly.” And does he care if the trade works out for his old team? “Not really, no.” [quotes from column and story in today’s Sun-Times] Yikes. Add that to Gavin Sheets saying the other day how Dylan Cease told him he’d love playing in San Diego, and you can’t help but think there’s something rotten in Denmark, I mean, the South Side.

Repeat Season

With their 6-1 loss to the Guardians yesterday, the White Sox lost their eighth straight game to fall to 2-10 on the year, which comes out to a .167 winning percentage. That compares to .253 last year. As if that weren’t depressing enough, manager Will Venable continues to channel ex-manager Mickey Mouse, who never had enough good things to say about the opposition. For Venable yesterday, it concerned Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, from the sound of it, the second coming of Bob Feller. Williams, now 7-15 on his career with a 4.00 ERA, “has really good stuff,” at least against a lineup with five of the “hitters” batting under .186, and that didn’t include Luis Robert Jr. (.154 BA) who had the day off. Oh, Venable’s team “had some opportunities, [and] he [Williams] made some really good pitches, and we weren’t able to string some things together. Credit to him.” No, skip, shame on you. The Sox rank dead last in baseball for runs scored and second-from-last for batting average. Why does hitting coach Marcus Thames still have a job? The team ERA is 3.96, or seventeenth out of thirty. And I’d say that stat is misleading because during those eight straight losses, the staff has given up six or more runs five times. How exactly is pitching coach Ethan Katz helping his young starters? Let’s not forget the front office in all this. The team has been hit with a rash of injuries, including catcher, the one position where they have some promising talent in the minors. So, who do they bring up to replace Korey Lee, on the 10-day IL with a sprained ankle? Why, 33-year old Omar Narvaez, of course. GM Chris Getz did see fit to bring up someone younger in the person of 24-year old Chase Meidroth, one of the prospects acquired in the Garrett Crochet deal. Meidroth could start as early as tonight, most likely at second or short. It doesn’t matter which. They suck at either position.

Strat-O, 101

I’ve been playing the board-game version of Strat-O-Matic Baseball since eighth grade, when LBJ occupied the Oval Office. So, I learned a long time ago you don’t let someone like Smoky Burgess run the bases if the game’s on the line. Instead, you go with a pinch runner. I guess White Sox manager Will Venable didn’t play Strat-O growing up and never saw it happen during his nine-year major league career. With the White Sox down 3-1 in the top of the ninth yesterday against the Guardians, bases loaded and two out, Venable opted not to pinch run for Mike Tauchman, just off the IL with a strained right hamstring. Tauchman represented the tying run at second base. Miguel Vargas took the first pitch he saw from Guardians’ closer Emmanuel Chase and grounded it past shortstop Brayan Rocchio into left field. Jacob Amaya scored easily, Tauchman, not so much. No, he pulled up lame midway between third and the plate, an easy out for catcher Austin once he caught a so-so throw from left fielder Steven Kwan. Final score: Cleveland 3 Chicago 2. And Chris Getz fired Mickey Mouse why, again?

Just Your Run-of-the-Mill Edge of the Abyss

First, the good news—Rule-5 find Shane Smith no-hit the Guardians for 5.2 innings and shut them out over six. Now, the bad news—Smith’s supporting cast couldn’t hit their way out of a paper bag. Sox hitters—and I use that term very, very loosely—managed two singles on the day. Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn each failed to drive in a runner in scoring position. In fact, Vaughn managed that trick not once, not twice, but three times. The team batting average stands at .199, second-worst in all of baseball. Yet hitting coach Marcus Thames gets to keep his job. Maybe Mike Clevinger won’t be so lucky; I can hope. Clevinger started the ninth by failing to corral a low throw from second basemanLenyn Sosa while trying to cover first. Three walks later, and the Guardians had themselves a nice 1-0 win. Nothing in the three stories I read indicated Clevinger’s job was in jeopardy. Oh, well. Then again, why should I expect anything different? The team website ran a story, “Hungry for wins, White Sox front office still has faith in long-term plan,” that pretty much says nobody in the organization possesses much of an appetite. Consider this comment from assistant general manager Josh Barfield: “The worst thing we can do is get in our own way by trying to force something,” as in trying to find ways to win ballgames, I guess. Wait, there’s more. According to Bob Nightengale in Sunday’s USA Today, “White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, 90 [actually, 89], has made it perfectly clear to friends that he has zero interest in selling as long as he remains in good health.” Wow, Reinsdorf has friends. Who knew?