White Sox opener strategy works ... sort of

Give White Sox manager Will Venable credit for trying something new. 

The Athletics have a left-handed-dominant top of the batting order, and the Sox have nothing but right-handers in their starting rotation. 

It's a matchup made in hell, so Venable used a left-handed reliever to pitch the first inning of all three games in Sacramento this weekend, and then he went to his regularly scheduled right-handed starter in the second inning.

Even though the Sox lost two of three games, it mostly worked. Tyler Gilbert pitched a scoreless first inning Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Brandon Eisert allowed one run in the first inning Sunday. 

The right-handers who followed them pitched well. On Sunday, Davis Martin tossed six shutout innings. Jonathan Cannon got his first win of the season Saturday when he allowed three runs over 7.2 innings. Sean Burke on Friday allowed three earned runs over 5.1 innings, which wasn't great, but it was an improvement over his previous outings.

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

Friday, April 25

Athletics 6, White Sox 5: The Sox took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Burke got in trouble. With two on and two outs, Jacob Wilson singled to center, and Luis Robert Jr. booted the ball, allowing both runners to score and tie the game at 3.

The A's tacked on two in the seventh and one in the eighth to take a 6-3 into the ninth. The Sox rallied against closer Mason Miller. Lenyn Sosa singled and scored on a two-run homer by Brooks Baldwin. Miguel Vargas lined out to center, and Edgar Quero just missed tying the game on a fly ball to right that was caught at the wall.

Four good ABs in a row, and then Robert Jr. struck out on three pitches, the last of which was nowhere near a strike. It was a tough game for Robert Jr. overall: 1 for 4 with three strikeouts and the crucial error that flipped the game in the Athletics' favor.

Saturday, April 26 

White Sox 10, Athletics 3: Robert Jr. redeemed himself with a solo home run in the top of the first that started a four-run rally. Quero walked, and then there were three straight RBI doubles by Sosa, Michael A. Taylor and Baldwin.

The Sox added two more in the second inning and jumped out to an early 6-0. Cannon (1-3) made it work from there with his best outing of the season. He struck out five and walked two, while allowing six hits over his 7.2 innings.

Taylor finished 3 for 5 with three doubles. Quero and Vargas also had two-hit games.

Sunday, April 27

Athletics 3, White Sox 2 (10 inn.): The Sox had 14 men reach base in this game -- nine hits, four walks and a hit batsman. You would think that would be a recipe for more than two runs, but you'd be wrong.

Joshua Palacios hit a solo home run to start the game, but the Sox didn't score again until the top of the 10th when Robert Jr. plated the ghost runner with an RBI single to put the South Siders ahead 2-1.

Quero then singled, advancing Robert Jr. to third with only one out. It looked like the Sox might break the game open. Alas, Andrew Vaughn grounded into a double play to drop his average down to .157 and kill the inning.

That proved really costly because the Sox needed another run. Jordan Leasure (0-2) gave up a homer to Luis Urias in the bottom of the 10th with the ghost runner aboard, and that provided the winning margin for the Athletics.

The Sox stranded 10 runners, went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays. Woof.

The 10-game road trip is over. The Sox went 3-7 and are now 7-21 for the season. They start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at Rate Field.

Sean Burke's April: It's not going well

The White Sox raised some eyebrows at the beginning of the 2024 season when they named Garrett Crochet their Opening Day starter.

Prior to that, Crochet had never started a game in the big leagues. Turns out, making Crochet a starter was a rare good decision in a historically terrible season. Crochet made the All-Star team and established himself as a clear top-of-the-rotation arm. 

He pitched so well that he got himself traded to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects, and Boston has since given him a lucrative six-year, $170 million contract extension.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the Sox once again raised some eyebrows when they announced Sean Burke would be their Opening Day starter. 

Burke made three strong September starts last season, winning two of them, but it was still curious that the Sox decided to trust a pitcher with only 19 major league innings under his belt with a high-profile start.

That said, the Sox lacked options, and perhaps they earned the benefit of the doubt after their bold decision on Crochet last season came up aces.

Initially, Burke rewarded the Sox for their faith. He fired six scoreless innings on Opening Day and picked up the win. But man, in the three starts since then, it has been rough. Here are Burke's most recent pitching lines:

April 2 vs. Minnesota: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 K, 0 BBs

April 9 at Cleveland: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 Ks, 4 BBs 

Tuesday vs. Sacramento: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 Ks, 2 BBs

Fourteen earned runs in 10.2 innings over three starts isn't going to cut it. Burke is now 1-3 with a 7.56 ERA after taking the loss in Tuesday's 12-3 defeat to the Athletics.

Three batters into the game, Tyler Soderstrom hit a 3-run homer to put Sacramento up 3-0. The Sox got that back in the bottom of the first when Andrew Vaughn answered with his second home run of the season, a 3-run shot that tied the score.

But Burke continued to struggle, giving up a run in the second and another run in the third, before he failed to make it through the fourth inning. The Athletics pounded lumps on the Sox bullpen, and this was never much of a game.

My initial thought is to send Burke back to Triple-A Charlotte to work out his problems. Unfortunately, the Sox are lacking in starting pitching options with Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush and Mason Adams all done for the season with elbow injuries.

Thorpe was projected to be part of the major league rotation this season, but he's not available. Bush and Adams were supposed to be the top two guys in the Charlotte rotation this season. Coming into the year, I figured we would see both in Chicago at some point. Because of injury, we will not.

So what other options are there in Charlotte? None, frankly. Jairo Iriarte has walked nine batters in nine innings, and he's got an 8.00 ERA. Nick Nastrini has a 6.17 ERA, and he has nothing that can get left-handed batters out. I think his future is in the bullpen. Justin Dunn (7.11) is a 29-year-old journeyman who hasn't distinguished himself.

Those are the top three in the Charlotte rotation. Pitching struggles are the reason the Knights are 6-10. Despite Burke's issues, there may be no other choice than to let him work his problems out in the Chicago rotation.

The Sox are 4-12.

Sean Burke will start Opening Day for White Sox

When spring training began, it was a question mark whether Sean Burke would make the White Sox roster. I had him at No. 6 on my list of 10 candidates for the starting rotation.

Turns out, Burke is not only on the team, but he'll also start Opening Day on March 27 against the Los Angeles Angels, according to manager Will Venable.

Burke, 25, was a third-round pick out of the University of Maryland in 2021, and he did not make his MLB debut until last season.

In fact, Burke has only three starts and 19 innings in the majors to his credit, but hey, he was effective in a small sample size. He went 2-0 on a team that only won 41 games all season, and he struck out 22 in those 19 innings.

It's just a surprise the Sox are going this direction, with more experienced options such as Martin Perez and Davis Martin on the roster.

That said, of all the candidates for the Opening Day start, Burke perhaps has the best stuff. He's got the 95 mph fastball. He's added a sinker to his power slider, and he showed a good changeup last season that helped keep opposing batters off his higher-velocity pitches.

Ultimately, what is there to lose if Burke fails? Expectations for the season are super low. The ceiling for Burke is higher than someone like the journeyman Perez, so I see no real drawback to giving this a shot.

10 candidates for White Sox starting rotation

When I heard the White Sox were signing veteran left-handed pitcher Martin Perez to a one-year contract, my reaction was, "Ha! He's going to be the Opening Day starter!"

Perez, 33, is getting a guaranteed $5 million, according to reports. His salary for 2025 will be $3.5 million. The contract includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026, with a $1.5 million buyout.

What does the Sox rotation look like now that former ace Garrett Crochet has been traded to the Boston Red Sox for futures? Well, here are 10 pitchers we might see:

1. Perez. As ridiculous as it sounds, Perez is going to be the most accomplished starter on this team, which puts him in line for a potential Opening Day nod. His career record is 90-87 with a 4.44 ERA over 314 games, including 269 starts. He struggled the first half of 2024 with Pittsburgh, going 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA. But after a midseason trade to the San Diego Padres, Perez discovered new life over 10 starts. He went 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA. The lefty has a long track record of being a league-average starter, which makes him the top option on this Sox team.

2. Jonathan Cannon. The 24-year-old, former third-round draft pick was an afterthought coming into 2024, but he ended up making 23 appearances (21 starts) with the Sox and put up a 1.9 WAR season as a rookie. He went 5-10 with a 4.49 ERA. Among the younger pitchers who are candidates for the rotation, Cannon starts 2025 on the firmest ground.

3. Drew Thorpe. The 24-year-old righty was the centerpiece of the return in the Dylan Cease trade. After tearing up Double-A Birmingham, he was promoted to Chicago last season and made nine starts. Results were mixed, as he went 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA before elbow trouble sidelined him for the last two months of the season. If Thorpe is healthy, it's hard to envision him not being in the rotation.

4. Bryse Wilson. This 27-year-old veteran made 34 appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, mostly in relief. But he did make nine starts in 2024, and I think he signed with Chicago believing he would get an opportunity to crack the rotation. I like his odds, just because it's hard to see the Sox going with Perez and four kids. There probably has to be one other veteran in there, and Wilson is probably that guy.

5. Davis Martin. The former 14th-round pick surprised everyone by giving the Sox about 60 respectable innings across 14 games (9 starts) in 2022, but then Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire 2023 season. He returned to mixed results in the second half of 2024. He made 11 appearances (10 starts) and tossed 50 innings with 47 strikeouts, going 0-5 with a 4.32 ERA. He just turned 28 years old, so there's not much upside left, but he probably enters spring with an inside track for a rotation spot.

6. Sean Burke. Another former third-round pick, the 25-year-old was another guy who was off the grid coming into 2024. He's been injured for a good chunk of his professional career, but he pitched himself back into the picture by making the most of his September call-up last season. He appeared in four games, three of them starts, and went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. He struck out 22 guys in only 19 innings. This is a staff that needs strikeouts. We'll see how Burke looks in spring.

7. Ky Bush. The 25-year-old lefty, acquired in 2023 in the trade that sent Lucas Giolito to the Los Angeles Angels, had a strong showing in Double-A Birmingham and earned an August look with the Sox. Alas, he struggled with his control, walking 16 guys in just 17.2 innings in the majors. He finished 0-3 with a 5.60 ERA. I would expect Bush to start the season in Charlotte, but it's not unreasonable to think he'll get another chance sometime in 2025.

8. Nick Nastrini. Speaking of control problems, Nastrini made eight starts and one relief appearance for the 2024 Sox. He walked 36 guys in 35.2 innings. That was enough to give him an 0-7 record with a 7.07 ERA. Ouch. The 24-year-old will probably get one more kick at the can to make the rotation this spring. It isn't as if the Sox are bursting at the seams with proven options, so there's still a chance for Nastrini to move up this list. But right now, I'm thinking whatever future he has might be in the bullpen.

9. Jairo Iriarte. Another pitcher who came to the Sox in the Cease trade, Iriarte got a late-season look in 2024 with six relief appearances. There's nothing wrong with his 1.50 ERA, but he walked eight guys and struck out six in six innings. Iriarte has a power arm, and he's never going to have great control. But he can't be *that* wild and expect to hold down a rotation spot. He's probably destined for Triple-A Charlotte to start the season, but a pitcher on the 40-man who has had a look in the majors can't be completely discounted.

10. Shane Smith. How about a Rule 5 pick? Smith made 32 appearances and 16 starts across two levels in the Milwaukee Brewers organization last year. He was 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA in those outings. He has to make the club out of spring training, or be offered back to the Brewers. So, that helps his odds, but the most likely scenario is he grabs a spot in the bullpen.

We'll leave top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith off this list for now. They will start the season in the minor leagues, but I'll mention them here just to acknowledge that a 2025 debut isn't out of the question for either of them. I just don't expect it to occur in March or April.