Cluck

This is not how you reward a packed house of raucous fans, by laying a big, fat, ugly egg, but that’s exactly what the White Sox did yesterday in their 9-3 loss to the Guardians. Sox pitchers walked ten; Sox batters struck out nineteen—let me repeat, nineteen—times; and manager Vibes Venable provided his share of head-scratching moments. As for the hitting and pitching coaches, I have a question. Per “the plan,” Venable went with an opener, and Sean Newcomb pitched lights-out for two innings, retiring all six Guardians he faced, thanks to a double play, on just 22 pitches. Why not let the onetime starter go another inning or two? Why? Because of “the plan,” per Venable’s postgame comments. Well, Skipper, good leaders adjust their plans as condition warrant. Just because you wanted Bryan Hudson to follow Newcomb, that doesn’t mean you had to stick with him for the four batters you did. Hudson walked his first batter, Travis Bazzanna, on five pitches before going to a full count on Patrick Bailey, who lined out to short. Next up, Brayan Rocchio, who singled on a 1-2 count. That’s two on, one out, fourteen pitches thrown. How much more do you need to see that Hudson didn’t have it? Apparently, not until the run-scoring single by Steven Kwan. While I’m at it, let me ask a question about the lineup composition. Both Sam Antonacci and Randal Grichuk played, with Antonacci the dh. Say what? Antonacci is the better fielder and would’ve had a far better chance at catching Jose Ramirez’s two-run, opposite-field triple with two out in the eighth inning. A 5-3 game suddenly turned into a four-run deficit as Grichuk started his dive for the ball a good half-step too soon. Now, a question for both pitching Zach Bove and hitting coach Derek Shomon—how do you stop a bad tendency from turning a close game into a sure loss? Bove challenged his pitchers to throw strikes, yes? After the first inning, when the Sox left runners on second and third with one out and a run in, Shomon addressed the two strikeouts, by Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters, that ended the inning, right? And, again, after Peters doubled in a run with nobody out and Braden Montgomery failed to advance him, swinging and missing three pitches high and inside? That one hurt because Randal Grichuk’s subsequent flyball would’ve meant another run. Kyle Teel said after the game, “Today is over with. All that matters is tomorrow now, so throw this one out and get ready to go.” [quote from story today on team website] From Teel’s lips to God’s ears.