Keynan Middleton bashes White Sox culture; Lance Lynn subtly backs him

Former White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton, who was traded at the deadline to the New York Yankees, is back in Chicago this week as a member of his new team.

And when asked about the problems with his old team, he came out swinging. Middleton bashed the team culture, saying there were "no rules" with no accountability for players who showed up late for meetings and fell asleep during games and whatnot.

You can read the article from Jesse Rogers of ESPN here. For Sox fans, it's well worth your time.

The immediate thought is, "How credible is Middleton?" Well, he's very credible in my view. What reason would he have to make all this up? This Sox gave him a chance to revitalize his career this season, and to his credit, he pitched well -- well enough that a contending team wanted him at the deadline. I don't see any reason why he would have a personal ax to grind with anyone in Chicago.

Not to mention, former Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn, who was traded at the deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers, subtly backed Middleton during an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.

Former Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski asked Lynn directly about Middleton's remarks. Here's a transcript of how it went:

A.J.: Lance, did you see what Keynan Middleton said when he got traded?

Lynn: I did see what popped up yesterday, yes.

A.J.: Do you have any thoughts on that ... possibly?

Lynn: I can say this. ... Let me tell you what Key was wrong about ... <crickets>

A.J.: OK ...

<crickets>

Off-camera voice: We're ready.

<even more crickets>

A.J.: I get it.

So, Lynn told us what Middleton was wrong about, and that was ... absolutely nothing!

Thank you, Keynan Middleton, for calling attention to the dysfunction that has existed in the Sox organization for years and years.

As a fan, it's difficult when the team you've loved since you were a child absolutely stinks. It's difficult when that team is a national laughingstock. 

But in some ways, this was the best day of the season for me, because a light is finally shining on the ineptitude and suffocating failure that exists in the White Sox organization. That failure has been murdering the fan base for several seasons now. We're long past the point of needing change.

The White Sox winning percentage for 2023 is below .400, and that's even after winning two out of three in Cleveland over the weekend. That's pathetic in a supposed "contention window." 

We can only hope the embarrassment the Sox are enduring now sparks some turnover among the people in charge of this languishing operation.

White Sox make 6 deals in days leading up to trade deadline

The White Sox needed to sell at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, and they did. Here's a look at the six trades the team has made over the past week:

1. Traded pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Edgar Quero and pitcher Ky Bush.
2. Traded pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitchers Nick Nastrini, Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson.
3. Traded pitcher Kendall Graveman to the Houston Astros for catcher Korey Lee.
4. Traded infielder Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins for pitcher Jake Eder.
5. Traded pitcher Keynan Middleton to the New York Yankees for pitcher Juan Carela.
6. Acquired pitcher Luis Patino from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.

I'll talk more about these deals in the days ahead. The Sox are 43-64 heading into Tuesday night's game with the Texas Rangers, so there will not be much on the field to talk about. 

Maybe we'll get a look at a couple of these new acquisitions before 2023 is over. I'm thinking Lee and Patino are candidates to be on the roster soon. We shall see.

Luis Robert Jr. looks like favorite to represent White Sox in All-Star Game

About an hour before game time Sunday, in Suite 250.

Luis Robert Jr. went 3 for 4 with two home runs and three RBIs on Sunday, lifting the White Sox to a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Robert Jr.'s first homer was in the fourth inning, a high fly to right-center field that just cleared the fence. The two-run shot gave the Sox their first lead of the game at 2-1.

Andrew Benintendi's RBI double scored Gavin Sheets, who had walked, in the fifth inning to make it 3-1. Robert Jr. then capped the scoring in the sixth with a screaming liner to left field that cleared the Sox bullpen.

On the pitching side, it was a bullpen game for the Sox. Tanner Banks started and gave up the lone Boston run over 2.2 innings pitched. Jesse Scholtens (1-2) went four scoreless innings to pick up the first win of his career, and Keynan Middleton worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season.

Robert Jr. now has 21 home runs this season, to go along with 20 doubles.

Here is a list of Sox players to clear 20 home runs and 20 doubles before the All-Star break:

• Frank Thomas, 1993
• Frank Thomas, 1994
• Magglio Ordonez, 2000
• Frank Thomas, 2003
• Jermaine Dye, 2008
• Jose Abreu, 2014
• Jose Abreu, 2019
• Luis Robert Jr., 2023

It's exclusive list. Robert Jr.'s slash line is now .269/.326/.559. Even with his high strikeout totals (91 in 315 plate appearances), his extra-base power and premium defense in center field easily make Robert Jr. the most effective player on the Sox this season.

It's hard to see a scenario where he isn't the guy to represent the Sox during the MLB All-Star Game next month in Seattle.

Bullpen isn't biggest problem for White Sox

The White Sox lost two out of three games to the Miami Marlins this past weekend, with all three games being decided in the ninth inning.

Luis Robert Jr.'s walk-off single lifted the Sox to a 2-1 victory on Friday night, but the other two games were losses characterized by bullpen meltdowns.

Joe Kelly gave up five runs (two earned) in the top of the ninth Saturday, turning a 1-0 lead into a 5-1 loss. He was not helped by Tim Anderson's error.

On Sunday, the Sox took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning, but they lost 6-5. Keynan Middleton, who hadn't allowed a run since April, gave up two solo home runs in the eighth. Kendall Graveman, who also hadn't allowed a run since April, gave up three runs in the ninth and took the loss. He was not helped by a catcher's interference call against Seby Zavala.

That said, I don't feel like the bullpen is the biggest problem for the Sox. Far from it. Before Saturday, the relievers were receiving praise for a lights-out performance. Through the first seven games of June, the Sox bullpen posted 0.78 ERA with a .117 batting average against. 

The Sox won six of those seven games, with relievers earning the win in five of those contests. What happened over the weekend is inevitable regression.

Here's something that is not regression: The Sox offense stinks. Despite being 6-3 in June, this team is batting .202/.274/.343 this month. The Sox need more from hitters up and down the lineup, as we detailed last week.

Nothing has changed. The Sox are 29-38.

White Sox sweep Detroit Tigers

Guaranteed Rate Field moments before first pitch Saturday.

The White Sox limited the Detroit Tigers to only three runs total in a three-game weekend sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field. 

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 2

White Sox 3, Tigers 0. Detroit pitcher Reese Olson made his MLB debut and held the Sox hitless through five innings. But the South Siders broke through with two runs on four singles in the bottom of the sixth. Andrew Benintendi and Eloy Jimenez delivered the RBI hits. Tim Anderson added an RBI double in the seventh, and the Sox bullpen made the lead stick.

Mike Clevinger pitched five innings of scoreless ball in his return from the injured list. Four relievers pitched a scoreless inning each. Keynan Middleton (1-0) got the victory after working the top of the sixth. Kendall Graveman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.

Saturday, June 3

White Sox 2, Tigers 1, 10 innings. This was one of the weirdest games I've ever attended. There were only three runs scored, and all of them came home on wild pitches. In fact, this was the first game in MLB history with three run-scoring wild pitches and no runs scored on anything else.

In the fourth inning, Benintendi singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers answered in the sixth when Zach McKinstry tripled and scored on a wild pitch by Sox starter Dylan Cease.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 10th. With the bases loaded and two outs, and Anderson at the plate, Detroit reliever Jose Cisnero threw a high fastball that catcher Eric Haase missed. The ball struck umpire Cory Blaser square in the mask and deflected away. Yoan Moncada came home from third to score the winning run, while Anderson and Haase helped a stunned Blaser back to his feet. 

The Sox celebrated a win, but there was also a great deal of concern for the injured umpire, who ended up missing Sunday's game with concussion symptoms. You may never see an ending like that again.

Sunday, June 4

White Sox 6, Tigers 2. Jake Burger became the ninth Sox player to hit a walk-off grand slam, and the first since Jose Abreu on April 25, 2014.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Burger got a 1-0 curve from Detroit closer Alex Lange and golfed over the left-field fence for the game-winning hit. It was Burger's 12th home run of the season.

The blast made a winner of Liam Hendriks (1-0) on National Cancer Survivors Day. The veteran right-hander worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth with two strikeouts, and this was by far the sharpest he has looked in three outings since returning to the mound after winning his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks' fastball topped out at 97 mph, and he was throwing his slider for strikes -- both positive signs.

Also a positive sign: Michael Kopech had a strong outing. He allowed only two runs on three hits. He struck out nine and walked one. He has struck out at least nine batters in each of his past four starts, totaling 38 strikeouts in 26.1 innings during that span. 

The Sox are 26-35 heading into an off day Monday. Next up, a three-game series in the Bronx against the New York Yankees (36-25).

Liam Hendriks speaks; Keynan Middleton(!) closes out a victory for the White Sox

White Sox closer Liam Hendriks met the media Wednesday and made his first public comments since announcing his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in January.

Hendriks, wearing a shirt that read "struckout cancer," is in remission, and all systems are go for him to head out on a rehab assignment later this week. He'll join Triple-A Charlotte in Gwinnett, and Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Hendriks will need four or five appearances with the Knights, according to a report from MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

There hasn't been a lot of positive news this season, but there's no question Hendriks' improving health is the feel-good story of the year for the Sox. If he returns to pitch effectively so soon after treatment, it would be remarkable. 

People around the game of baseball, not just in Chicago, are pulling for him.

Meanwhile, on the field, the Sox have won three in a row. They secured their first series win of 2023 with a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

And get this ... the Sox bullpen was excellent, with four relievers combining to throw four shutout innings after starter Dylan Cease labored to get through five innings. 

Keynan Middleton, who started the season in Triple-A, earned his first MLB save in two years. He faced four batters in the ninth inning, striking out three and walking one. The final strikeout came against All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, who came to the plate representing the tying run.

Middleton has been a pleasant surprise. In 11 appearances since his recall, he's posted a 2.89 ERA, and now he's being trusted in higher-leverage situations. He might stick in the bullpen, even after Hendriks returns.

Gregory Santos (1-0) got four outs and earned his first major league win. He deserved it, because he pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the top of the seventh, while the score was tied 4-4. And it wasn't just any jam either -- he had to face Correa, Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach, the 3-4-5 batters in the Minnesota order.

Correa grounded to shortstop, and Tim Anderson threw home to get the force at the plate. Buxton bounced back to the mound. Santos knocked the ball down with his pitching hand, gathered the ball quickly and threw home for the force and the second out. Then Larnach struck out swinging on a 3-2 slider.

The Sox grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Eloy Jimenez. Pinch runner Billy Hamilton scored from second base on an infield grounder in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the Sox an insurance run that they ended up not needing.

Luis Robert Jr. hit his sixth home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the first inning. In his second game back from the injured list, Anderson went 3 for 4 with three singles, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

The Sox are 10-21 and will look for a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon. Lucas Giolito starts for the South Siders. Minnesota will counter with Pablo Lopez.

White Sox bullpen remains a disaster

Andrew Vaughn hit a 3-run homer to cap a seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field, lifting the White Sox to a 12-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the win, the Sox (8-21) snapped a potentially season-killing 10-game losing streak and overcame yet another spectacular bullpen meltdown.

Don't let the final score fool you, folks. This game was not a slugfest. In fact, the Sox led 4-2 after seven innings, before the whole thing went off the rails in the eighth and ninth.

The Rays scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 7-4 lead. The Sox answered with one in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-5. The Rays increased their lead to 9-5 with two runs in the ninth.

Fortunately for the Sox, the Rays (23-6) chose to use two of their weaker relievers -- Jalen Beeks and Garrett Cleavinger -- in the bottom of the ninth. Closer Pete Fairbanks was evidently unavailable, and the Sox pounded the lesser Tampa Bay bullpen arms for an exciting and improbable victory.

Is this the type of win that can turn a sagging season around? Sadly, no, that seems unlikely. Outslugging your terrible bullpen is something you can do every now and then, but trying to do that regularly is not a recipe for long-term success.

I would have been happier if the Sox had won 4-2 on Sunday, as opposed to this wild finish. Why? Because having relief pitchers who can record big outs and post shutdown innings IS a sustainable way to win games over a 162-games season.

Unfortunately, the Sox have nothing of the sort. Their bullpen, coming into Monday, ranks last in MLB with a 6.86 ERA. Almost everyone has been bad, but let's look at the current members of the bullpen -- starting with those who have struggled the most:

Aaron Bummer. The man who is supposed to be the primary left-handed reliever in the bullpen has a 9.64 ERA through 13 appearances. He can't retire lefties, who have a .417 OBP against him. He can't retire the first batter he faces either. So far this season, the first batter Bummer faces has posted a .500/.615/.700 slash line. At Guaranteed Rate Field, he has a 16.62 ERA and a 3.231 WHIP over seven appearances. That's ridiculously bad.

Reynaldo Lopez. The man who would be closer has a 8.76 ERA in 14 appearances and a home run problem. Lopez did an incredible job of keeping the ball in the park in 2022, when he allowed only one homer in 65.1 innings. So far in 2023, he's allowed five home runs in only 12.1 innings. He might not be healthy either. After surrendering three runs in the eighth inning (including a go-ahead home run) Sunday, he was removed from the game with biceps discomfort.

Jake Diekman. Here's another left-handed reliever who can't get out left-handed batters. As a matter of fact, lefties have an OBP of .500 against Diekman. Is he aware that he's supposed to have the advantage in those situations? It sure doesn't look like it. Diekman has a 7.94 ERA, and he's lucky it's not worse -- given that he's walking 10.3 batters per nine innings, and has a 2.118 WHIP.

Joe Kelly. Hey, he struck out the side in the seventh inning Sunday! That represents Kelly's first positive contribution to the 2023 Sox. As usual, he's been injured. He's made only five appearances, with a 7.71 ERA. The two-year, $17 million contract he signed with the Sox before the 2022 season remains some of the worst money on the team's books.

Jimmy Lambert. After not giving up an earned run over his first seven outings of the season, the roof has caved in on the right-hander. He's allowed 10 earned runs over his last seven appearances. In fact, he's allowed six runs earned runs over his past two innings of work, causing his ERA to balloon from a respectable 3.27 to an ugly 6.92. Lambert appears to be suffering from overuse, having appeared in 14 of the team's 29 games. 

Kendall Graveman. The veteran's ERA has shot up to 5.56, largely because he's given up three home runs in his last three appearances. He pitched in three of the four games against Tampa Bay, and got taken deep in all of them. A home run allowed Friday night cost the Sox a game in the ninth inning.

Keynan Middleton. The journeyman didn't make the roster out of spring training, but he showed enough to get a call-up early in the season. He's struck out 13 in seven innings pitched over nine appearances. He has a 3.86 ERA in middle-leverage work. In other words, he's been fine. It's a sad commentary that he's the second-best pitcher in the Sox bullpen.

Gregory Santos. The guy who made the club as the 13th pitcher on the staff out of camp is actually the Sox best reliever. Santos has been performing a lot of low-leverage work and middle inning relief, but he has a 1.88 ERA over 13 outings. He's struck out 16 batters in 14.1 innings. This is an inexperienced pitcher -- he has only 18 MLB games under his belt. It's unclear whether he's ready for a higher leverage role. He might get an opportunity, just because everyone else stinks.

After Sunday's game, I saw people on social media criticizing Sox manager Pedro Grifol for bringing Lopez into the game. I guess that's understandable, since Lopez lost the lead, but who exactly should he have brought in? (Santos had already been used.)

There just aren't a lot of good options here. The Sox find themselves nine games out of the AL Central lead on May 1 for a lot of different reasons. Chief among them is the fact that this bullpen is terrible.