When a 9-2 loss is actually a win ...

Michael Kopech

It was disappointing that the White Sox were rained out Wednesday. The Sox were supposed to play the Colorado Rockies in Cactus League action, and Lucas Giolito, Gio Gonzalez and Jace Fry were all scheduled to pitch.

Each of those three pitchers is coming back from an injury that sidelined them during the early part of camp, and I was eager to see how close they would look to being ready to start the season.

Alas, Mother Nature had other plans.

But, speaking of returns from injury, how about Michael Kopech on Tuesday? Sure, the Sox lost, 9-2, to the Texas Rangers, but it was actually an encouraging day for the South Siders and their fans.

That's because Kopech looked like he did before his elbow injury. He needed only 11 pitches to work a 1-2-3 first inning. His fastball consistently hit 98 mph-plus on the radar gun, and his heater topped out at 101 mph -- his final pitch striking out Greg Bird looking.

After missing the zone on each of his first two pitches, Kopech fired seven of his final nine over the plate and ended the inning quickly.

Kopech admitted that "adrenaline was a factor" with the high velocity, but hey, at least we know it's still there after surgery. It will be an exciting time when Kopech returns to the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field for the first time since 2018.

Gold Glove winners announced: White Sox CF Adam Engel didn't win

Adam Engel

Major League Baseball announced its Gold Glove winners for the 2018 season Sunday night, and White Sox center fielder Adam Engel did not win.

In fact, I'm pretty sure Engel finished third among the three finalists for center field in the American League -- Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. won the honor, and Los Angeles' Mike Trout was the other contender -- but there's really no shame in it for Engel.

I've often felt as though a player has to hit well in order to get consideration for a Gold Glove, which I know sounds completely ridiculous, but rare is the case when a player gets much publicity for being a defense-only guy -- especially on a 100-loss team such as the Sox.

Engel is a defense-only player. He finished the 2018 season with a .235/.279/.336 slash line, and that actually was an improvement over the .166/.235/.282 line he posted as a rookie in 2017.

And heck, Engel didn't even play his best defense the first couple months of the season. His error total (7) worked against him, and he only had five outfield assists all season. However, he gained attention in August when he made three spectacular catches to rob opposing players (Greg Bird, Kyle Higashioka and Yonder Alonso) of home runs in the same week. Each catch was better than the one before it, and it didn't hurt that two of them came against the high-profile New York Yankees.

In that context, it was a nice accomplishment for Engel to be named a finalist. His weak bat likely will knock him out of the Sox's everyday lineup at some point, so being in the Gold Glove conversation this season probably will go down as a career highlight for him.

Here is the list of Gold Glove winners from both leagues:

American League

Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel, Astros (fourth award)
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals (fifth award)
First base: Matt Olson, Athletics (first award)
Second base: Ian Kinsler, Red Sox (second award)
Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Angels (fourth award)
Third base: Matt Chapman, Athletics (first award)
Left field: Alex Gordon, Royals (sixth award)
Center field: Bradley Jr., Red Sox (first award)
​Right field: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (third award)

 

National League

Pitcher: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (fifth award)
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals (ninth award)
First base: Freddie Freeman, Braves (first award) and Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (second award)
Second base: D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies (third award)
Shortstop: Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks (first award)
Third base: Nolan Arenado, Rockies (sixth award)
Left field: Corey Dickerson, Pirates (first award)
Center field: Ender Inciarte, Braves (third award)
​Right field: Nick Markakis, Braves (third award)​

It's time for White Sox to put Dylan Covey in the bullpen

There is nothing White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey could have done to win his start Monday against the New York Yankees.

New York starter Lance Lynn dominated Sox hitters in a 7-0 Yankees victory. Lynn allowed only two singles over 7.1 innings and retired 19 straight Sox hitters at one point, so Covey was going to be in trouble unless he figured out a way to give up negative runs.

That said, Covey continued his well-established pattern of being shelled in the middle innings. Entering Monday night's start, Covey was limiting opposing batters to a .207/.296/.333 slash line the first time through the order. But the second time through the batting order, opponents were hitting .321/.395/.468 off Covey.

We saw it again Monday, as Covey breezed through the first three innings. He retired the first 10 men he faced, but it fell apart on him in the fourth and fifth innings. The Yankees got two in the fourth and two in the fifth, and with Lynn dominating, the game was over at that point.

New York batters went 4 for 8 with a walk the second time through the order, and it would have been 5 for 8 if Adam Engel had not made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall to rob New York first baseman Greg Bird of a 3-run homer. That two-run Yankees fourth inning would have been a five-run rally if not for the tremendous defensive play of Engel.

Here's the problem for Covey -- he's basically a two-pitch pitcher. He's got a good fastball, 95 mph with good sink. His changeup is decent, good enough to get outs if he can locate it and he's ahead in the count. However, his slider is not an out pitch, and it's basically a show-me offering and nothing more.

You can be effective as a relief pitcher with one good pitch and one decent one, but that's not enough of an arsenal to be a good starting pitcher. More often than not, a two-pitch pitcher is going to get hit around the second and third time through the batting order, unless he's pinpoint with his command, which Covey typically is not.

As we've all noticed, the Sox bullpen stinks, so I can't help but wonder if there might be a role for Covey as a one- or two-inning reliever over the long haul. Again, opponents are hitting only .207 the first time they face him in a game. That's good, and I'd be willing to give Covey a shot in that role. It's his best chance for long-term success in the major leagues.

Of course, somebody would have to take Covey's spot in the rotation, and that means the front office would have to bring Michael Kopech to Chicago.

Honestly, Kopech is ready. The Sox's top pitching prospect has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts at Triple-A Charlotte. The command issues that plagued him in June have been ironed out. Kopech has struck out 41 men and walked only four in his past five starts, spanning 31 innings.

At one point, Kopech's ERA had swollen to 5.08 -- that was on June 20. His ERA is now 4.05 as Triple-A hitters no longer seem to be a challenge for him.

That doesn't mean the Sox won't play the service time shenanigans game with Kopech, but right now, the correct baseball move is to put Kopech in the MLB rotation to gain experience, and move Covey to the bullpen to see if he can carve a niche for himself with his more limited arsenal of pitches.

Covey now is 4-8 with a 5.58 ERA in 15 starts this season. He's just not a starting pitcher.