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.