(Not) Rocket Science

Not only did White Sox manager Tony LaRussa opt to play Leury Garcia over Jake Burger yesterday against the Rays, LaRussa also batted Garcia sixth. The Sox won 3-2 while Garcia went 0-for-3, which puts his BA for the season at .043, as in 1-for-23. Unlike Burger, Andrew Vaughn got to play, which probably made White Sox Nation happy, more or less. Earlier in the week, a rumor spread over social media that Vaughn was being shipped to Oakland for starter Sean Manaea. The reaction got so bad that GM Rick Hahn felt the need to publicly dismiss the rumor, going so far as to say Vaughn would be one of the last people he’d trade. When Rick Hahn goes on record to give anything other than the time of day, it’s news. So, why wouldn’t Sox fans be excited to see their second-year hero in the lineup? Because the manager decided to bat him ninth, that’s why. Vaughn managed a double off of Rays’ starter Corey Kluber that didn’t figure into the scoring. How could it, when one of the best young hitters on the team is stuck in the nine-hole? Oh, well. Today’s game of musical chairs features Gavin Sheets batting sixth; Burger eighth; and Adam Engel ninth, in place of Vaughn. God give me strength, this day and every day.