Dane Dunning should be No. 3 starter for White Sox in playoffs

Dane Dunning

With a 32-16 record with only 12 games left to play, we know the White Sox will make the American League playoffs in 2020. And we know that, ideally, Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel will start Games 1 and 2 of the postseason.

But what about that No. 3 starter? It has to be either Dylan Cease or Dane Dunning, and I looked at these first two games against the Minnesota Twins this week as a huge test for these two young starters. Here's how they fared:

Cease on Monday: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 Ks, 5 BBs, 99 pitches, 58 strikes

Dunning on Tuesday: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 Ks, 2 BBs, 102 pitches, 62 strikes -- WIN

Dunning improved to 2-0 as the Sox beat the Twins, 6-2, and I think he clearly showed he is the young pitcher most prepared to start a playoff game at this time.

It wasn't that Cease was terrible. He pitched into and out of trouble. He didn't get blown up, and he kept the Sox close in a game the team ultimately won. But his inefficiency created a situation where the bullpen needed to cover 13 outs.

Dunning, in contrast, did not walk people. He used an economy of pitches, and he left the bullpen with only six outs to cover. His slider is getting swings and misses, his fastball command is good, and I'm not seeing any signs that this is a fluke.

Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. Dunning had made four previous starts -- all Sox wins -- and he had a 2.70 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 31 strikeouts against only three walks in 20 innings. However, those games were against the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals (twice) and the Pittsburgh Pirates -- all bad teams.

The Twins were Dunning's first big test, and he passed it with flying colors.

The Sox now possess a three-game lead over the Twins in the American League Central entering Wednesday's play. The Cleveland Indians have fallen six games behind. They dropped their seventh straight game Tuesday night, losing 6-5 to the Cubs.