Still Not Ready

Anthony Kay pitched like Davis Martin did the night before; the White Sox bullpen took the night off; and the Sox laid a second egg in the Bronx, losing to the Yankees 10-5. No pitching, no postseason, by the way. Right now, the hitting shows more promise long term. The Sox won’t go anywhere with Colson Montgomery hitting under .250. Last check shows him 25 points below that mark, but, like I said, there’s hope. Montgomery hit a three-run homerun last night to bring his team to within a run in the third inning, and he hit it lefty-on-lefty against Carlos Rodon. Montgomery added a second homer in the eight for the first multi-homerun game of his career. In addition, Sam Antonacci homered for the second time in three games, so that’s nice, and Chase Meidroth continues to impress. His two hits yesterday give him a .278 BA with a .347 OBP. Bet you the Red Sox regret including Meidroth in the deal for Garrett Crochet. Braden Montgomery is doing what I’ve seen him do twice in the minors after a promotion—start hot, then struggle. After a 4-for-9 start with three extra-base hits, Montgomery is batting .222 in 27 at-bats since being called up. If past is prelude, the rookie should go from hot to cold to hot again before long. Tonight would be a good time to start. Last and not least, Edgar Quero went 3-for-4, which makes me think he doesn’t want to be the catcher sent down when Kyle Teel returns from his rehab stint in Charlotte. Just keep hitting to make that happen, young man. Because, if the Sox don’t get better pitching, they’ll need to score a whole bunch of runs.

Not Ready for Prime Time

Davis Martin laid an egg in the Bronx last night, and the rest of the White Sox clucked along in a 12-2 drubbing from the Yankees. Ouch, in case I forgot. Martin gave up nine earned runs, all earned, in a labored 3.1 innings; Chase Meidroth and Jacob Gonzalez gave the Yankees two extra outs in a four-run third inning. And nine Sox batters managed four hits along with two walks. Ouch, again. Game two features Anthony Kay going up against ex-Sox lefty Carlos Rodon. I can’t wait.

Different Memories

Paul Sullivan wrote a column in the Trib today about the White Sox going to New York in mid-June of 2000 and sweeping a four-game series from the Yankees. You’d think I’d remember something like that, but I don’t. My mid-June memory dates to 2008, when I took Clare to a softball-skills’ evaluation camp. The weather was perfect, sunny and cool, the sky blue and my daughter’s face a darkening shade of red as the day progressed. It seems the coach didn’t think much of her hitting ability. We suspected that from the way he acted with her then. The report he mailed didn’t exactly come as a surprise. Sullivan’s point was that a team can surprise from time to time. Young ballplayers, too, especially when they go on to set homerun-hitting records in college.

Up Next

When your leadoff hitter in an inning homers and the guy five batters later homers in the same inning, you know things are going good. When those batters are Sam Antonacci and Chase Meidroth, respectively, it’s cause for celebration. That’s what happened yesterday when a Dodgers’ 1-0 lead vanished in the bottom of the sixth as the Sox scored six runs on three homers, with Colson Montgomery sandwiched between Antonacci and Meidroth. The bullpen tried but failed to give the game back, for a final score of Sox 6 Dodgers 4. Dodgers’ fans, enjoy your ride back to the airport. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to start calling manager Vibes Venable by his given name; I can live with that. Hey, if Venable can get one or more of his young starters—Sean Burke, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, who gave up four homeruns in his latest Triple-A start—to step up, I’ll be more than happy to refer to myself as “New Mickey.” Up next, the Yankees on the road. No Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, though. It’s only fair they should have injuries if we do, too.

One Stepped Up, The Other Didn't

Ozzie Guillen, bless him, said this week that White Sox starter Sean Burke is his own worst enemy. The 26-year old righthander proceeded to prove Ozzie’s point by grooving the second pitch of the game to Shohei Ohtani. For added measure, Burke then gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Max Muncy. Dodgers 7 Sox 1. On top of our bad pitching, the Dodgers’ YoshinobuYamamoto came within four outs of a perfect game, until shortstop Mookie Betts booted a groundball by Chase Meidroth. But that still left the no-hitter intact. Which Tristan Peters took care of with a homer to right to lead off the ninth inning, thank you very much. Miguel Vargas said the hit made it feel “like we won the game after that. We really needed it.” [quote from story today on team website] I’ll say. Nobody, myself included, expected anything from Peters going into this season; he was just a guy. But given a chance, the onetime Savannah Banana has shown himself to be a plus-defender and, so far, a surprisingly good hitter, especially in the clutch. That homerun included.

About Last Night

Clare and Chris went to the White Sox-Dodgers’ game last night, leaving the Katzenjammer Kids to sleep over. I’m pretty sure they didn’t burn down the house and our hair was already green before they stepped through the door. What an evening. After batting practice and hot dogs outside, we went in for lots of Bluey mixed in with baseball, so I could be wrong about some of what I saw, or think I saw. The White Sox beat the Dodgers, 8-2, before a packed house at the Rate. I think. I do know I wanted to shout some inappropriate words at the TV screen for how Sox starter Anthony Kay was pitching in the second inning—two runs in, two runners on, nobody out, then bases loaded one out after the second hit-by-pitch in the inning. Miracle of miracles, the Dodgers were done scoring. In fact, Kay and three relievers retired the last nineteen Los Angeles batters in a row. Leo cheered Andrew Benitendi’s first-inning homerun while I cheered Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidtroth picking up three hits. As for Tristan Peters, he tripled on pitch shoulder-high, driving in two runs. Way to go, young man. You squash that bug. Funny how quiet a house gets with the kids gone.

The Business of Baseball

White Sox rookie Rikuu Nishida has a personality so infectious it would make even Ted Williams smile. But Nishida wasn’t hitting all that well (7-for-29, all singles), and Braden Montgomery looked to be ready. It only made sense to move one prospect up and the other down. Derek Hill had himself some nice hits as a spare outfielder for the Sox, including a pinch-hit homerun that beat the Royals back in May. Like Nishida, the veteran Hill was a positive presence in the clubhouse. But Hill is 30, and Everson Pereira clocks in at five years younger, with some pop in his bat. The smart move was to trade Hill, which GM Chris Getz did yesterday in a move with the Phillies, and active Pereira from the IL, where he’s been since late April with a pectoral sprain. Not that Pereira should feel too comfortable. Munetaka Murakami will be coming off the IL, late this month if his hamstring heels quickly. That means Pereira or rookie Jacob Gonzalez will go. And when Kyle Teel is activated, either Edgar Quero or Drew Romo most likely will have to find a new home. Even teams evoking talk of Cinderella and magical seasons go about the business of baseball.