Connect the Dots, Don

White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper detests social media because it gives the haters and second-guessers a platform from which to attack the team and the coach.  I agree, to a point, that being critics don’t aid their cause by tossing around f-bombs and the like.  But what the Sox front office and coaching staff need to realize is that not every critic is a troll.

If Cooper wants to take credit for fixing Lucas Giolito, fine.  Then, he can also take responsibility for not being able to get through to the equally talented Reynaldo Lopez, who, after yesterday’s 6-3 loss in Detroit, is 9-15 on the season with a 5.57 ERA.  Trust me, we all pray Lopez undergoes a Giolito-like turnaround, starting now.

But there’s a whole bunch of worrisome stuff to deal with.  The game against Kansas City that Clare and I went to, I mentioned to my daughter how long Lopez was taking between pitches.  After the game, he told reporters part of the problem was rushing his pitches.  Well, one of us was wrong. 

Not long after, Lopez promised to be better prepared next season, which leads to a question: why wasn’t he prepared this season?  That would seem to be an area where the pitching coach would have some sway.  For what it’s worth, a seeming lack of preparation could be one of the things that sets off critics and trolls alike.  Here’s another.

In his previous start against Minnesota, Lopez was charged with two runs when Luis Arraez hit a ball with crazy spin on it that eluded third baseman Yoan Moncada.  After the game, Lopez complained about his bad luck.  Sorry, that’s a crutch, not an explanation.  Or, to invoke a cliché cum truism, you make your own luck on the field.

So, if Don Cooper wants the likes of yours truly to lay off him, he should get to work on his talented, unfocussed right hander.  Along the way, tell us what he’s doing with Lopez and how Lopez is responding.  I can’t say for the trolls, but that approach would go a long way towards putting me in my place.