Zack Collins delivers for White Sox ... and is it time to send Garrett Crochet to the minors?

The White Sox salvaged only one win from a three-game weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. 

Saturday's game was suspended with no score in the bottom of the third inning, and when the two teams picked it back up Sunday, the Mariners won, 3-2. 

The regularly scheduled game Sunday was reduced to seven innings, and the Sox won 7-5.

It's been a rocky road for the Sox of late, as they have lost seven of their past nine games. But, they are still 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Their record is 45-32.

Five points from Sunday's action:

1. Zack Collins delivers offensively. Collins was touted as a good-hitting catcher when the Sox drafted him No. 10 overall in 2016, but sadly, we've seen little of that during his time in the organization. He entered Sunday's action with a .212/.316/.343 slash line -- and only nine extra-base hits in 115 plate appearances. But Collins delivered in Sunday's second game, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs. His bases-loaded double with two outs in the fourth inning took a 4-1 Sox lead up to 7-1. Good thing, because they needed that cushion.

2. Garrett Crochet is in crisis. The rookie left-hander is struggling for the first time in his professional career. In his past three outings, Crochet has faced 11 batters. He's retired only two of them, and he's given up six runs. His ERA has jumped from 0.81 to 3.13. Worse, in Game 2, he walked the bases loaded. Two of those free passes came to left-handed batters, whom Crochet should be dominating. I don't know if Crochet is injured, or simply suffering a crisis of confidence, but I wouldn't be opposed if the Sox decided to send him to Charlotte to work out his command issues. Jace Fry can fill in as the second lefty in the bullpen for the time being.

3. Enough with the injuries already. Jose Abreu exited the first game after getting drilled in the kneecap by a 96 mph fastball from Seattle reliever JT Chargois. Abreu was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the field. Thankfully, initial X-rays were negative for any fractures, but it's once again hold-your-breath time for Sox fans. The injured list is already full for the Sox -- Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, Adam Eaton, Adam Engel, Billy Hamilton. At some point, all these games lost to injury are going to affect a team's record, and I think that's a big reason the Sox have been reeling as of late.

4. Can someone take the pressure off Liam Hendriks? The closer was used in both ends of the doubleheader. He took the loss in Game 1, surrendering a home run to Taylor Trammell in the top of the ninth. It would have been nice if he could have taken Game 2 off, and the Sox were in position to give him a break. They led 7-1 after five innings of the seven-inning game. But Jimmy Lambert, on recall as the 27th man, surrendered four runs over 1.1 innings. Hendriks was summoned to get the final two outs which he did, to record his league-best 20th save in 23 opportunities. Hendriks has now appeared in 35 of the first 77 games. Aaron Bummer is second on the club in appearances with 32. 

5. Hey! Yermin Mercedes! The erstwhile designated hitter had a two-run double and an RBI infield single in the second game. Just getting something, anything out of Mercedes these days is helpful, especially if Abreu is destined for the injured list.

Most of White Sox lineup slumping at the same time

So, the White Sox have lost four straight games entering Tuesday's action. They were outscored, 27-8, in losing all four games to the Houston Astros over the weekend.

Eight runs in four games obviously does not cut it. We've talked plenty about injuries, but several guys are just having a poor month here in June:

Yoan Moncada: .216/.328/.314, 87 wRC+

Andrew Vaughn: .226/.263/.396, 80 wRC+

Jose Abreu: .186/.219/.300, 43 wRC+

Yermin Mercedes: .115/.164/.135, -14 wRC+

I didn't think it was mathematically possible to have a -14 wRC+, but that's the world we're living in with Mercedes right now. I guess the one silver lining is the Sox won't need a designated hitter the next two games in Pittsburgh, so we won't see a lot of Mercedes, whose offensive production lately isn't much better than most pitchers provide anyway.

A couple weeks ago, we were looking at a challenging stretch of schedule for the Sox -- three vs. Toronto, three at Detroit, three vs. Tampa Bay and four at Houston. 

They ended up 7-6, which isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. It just feels bad, because they were 7-2 at one stage.

White Sox beat Rays despite using makeshift lineup

Yasmani Grandal

The White Sox starting lineup in Wednesday's series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays looked like something you would see in a split squad game during spring training -- a mix of regulars and reserves. It wasn't the sort of lineup one typically sees in a June game:

1. Tim Anderson, SS
2. Brian Goodwin, CF
3. Andrew Vaughn, LF
4. Jose Abreu, 1B
5. Yasmani Grandal, DH
6. Jake Lamb, RF
7. Leury Garcia, 3B
8. Zack Collins, C
9. Danny Mendick 2B

It was especially weird to see Goodwin, Lamb and Collins all in there, because they are all left-handed batters, and the Sox were facing a left-handed pitcher in Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough.

But this is triage kind of situation. Nick Madrigal is out for the season with a torn hamstring. Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert are weeks, if not months, away from being healthy, functional big leaguers. Yoan Moncada is out with a sinus infection. Adam Engel, working his way back from a hamstring injury, still isn't ready to play a day game after a night game. Adam Eaton has some sort of leg soreness that is keeping him out of the lineup, and Yermin Mercedes is in a terrible slump.

So, you end up with a piecemeal lineup like this. And, of course, the Sox won because of their offense. They scored four runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. After the bullpen let the lead slip, the Sox scored one in the 10th on a walkoff single by Grandal and won, 8-7.

And, oh yeah, Ryan Burr pitched the top of the 10th inning to earn the win, because closer Liam Hendriks was only available in the event of a save situation, which never materialized.

Just the way they drew it up, right?

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Detroit Tigers

Carlos Rodon

There are still questions about the White Sox's ability to beat good teams, but the Sox have proven they can reliably slay the bums in the American League.

The South Siders are now 8-2 against the Detroit Tigers this season, after completing a three-game sweep in Detroit over the weekend.

The Sox (41-24) have won four in a row overall and now possess a 5.5-game lead in the American League Central over the second-place Cleveland Indians.

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

Friday, June 11

White Sox 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings): Liam Hendriks had converted 12 straight saves and not allowed an earned run since April 24, so he was due for a bad game. After sitting through a rain delay at the onset of the bottom of the ninth, Hendriks let a 4-2 lead slip when he gave up a two-run homer to Detroit's Daz Cameron.

Fortunately for Hendriks (3-1), he got the win anyway. The Sox scored a run in the top of the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly by Yoan Moncada. Aaron Bummer recorded his second save of the season by pitching out of a first-and-second, no-outs jam in the bottom of the inning. Bummer struck out two, then benefited from a nice defensive play by second baseman Danny Mendick to end the game.

At the plate, Mendick was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Adam Engel hit his second home run of the season to highlight the Sox offense.

Saturday, June 12

White Sox 15, Tigers 2: Brian Goodwin had a successful debut with the Sox. The veteran outfielder was added to the roster last week when Nick Madrigal went on the injured list with a torn hamstring. Goodwin delivered an RBI double as part of a three-run first inning, then added a three-run homer as part of a five-run second inning.

Goodwin finished the game with five RBIs. The Sox pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of 11 walks by the Detroit pitching staff. The Tigers used seven people to pitch, including two position players, after starter Jose Urena gave up eight runs and got knocked out in the second inning.

Dylan Cease (5-2) is now 8-0 lifetime against the Tigers. He pitched five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. He exited the game after five because the Sox were ahead 13-2. Lightly used relievers Ryan Burr and Matt Foster finished the game.

Yermin Mercedes and Leury Garcia had two hits and three RBIs each in the rout.

Sunday, June 13

White Sox 4, Tigers 1: Carlos Rodon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Unfortunately for him, he lost the bid after a missed strike call by the home plate umpire. With one out in the seventh, Rodon aced Detroit's Eric Haase with a 2-2 slider that had the whole plate. Alas, the pitch was called a ball. Haase doubled to break up the no-hitter, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to spoil the shutout.

Rodon (6-2) was at 103 pitches after seven innings, so he was removed from the game at that point. He allowed only the one hit and two walks. He struck out nine. 

It wasn't an explosive day for the Sox offense, but it was good enough. Jose Abreu had three hits, including an RBI single in the fourth. Garcia had two RBIs, one on a double in the fifth and the other on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Mendick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth, as the Tigers continued to show why they are tied for last place.

Evan Marshall worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and Hendriks bounced back from Friday with a clean ninth for his 17th save in 20 attempts.

White Sox waste a brilliant Carlos Rodon start for the second time in a week

Carlos Rodon

In his past two starts, White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon has pitched 12 innings. He's allowed only one run on three hits in those 12 innings, while striking out 23 and walking nobody.

And he didn't win either of those two games because his teammates stink.

On Wednesday, Rodon worked six innings of one-run ball against the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out 10 and allowed only one hit.

Unfortunately, that hit was a solo home run by Tommy Edman, who hit a poorly located Rodon changeup into the left-field seats. That gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. St. Louis tacked on three runs late against the Sox bullpen and went on to salvage the finale of the three-game series, 4-0.

The Sox left 13 runners on base and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. In particular, it was a bad day for Yermin Mercedes, who went 0 for 4. His first two times, he came to the plate with the bases loaded. His second two times, he came to the plate with runners at first and second.

You already know the Sox didn't score in this game, so it's plainly obvious how poorly Mercedes did in those RBI situations. The designated hitter is mired in a 2-for-25 slump.

Shortstop Tim Anderson didn't play Wednesday. He's in a 3-for-30 slump. Adam Eaton left Wednesday's game with a sore hamstring. He is batting .125 since April 27.

Also injured Wednesday ... Michael Kopech. He took a weird fall on the mound as he delivered his final pitch of a scoreless seventh inning. He is day-to-day with hamstring soreness, although honestly, it looked like Kopech wrenched his knee. Regardless, he's the best reliever the Sox have this year, so it would be a huge loss if he were to miss much time.

So, yeah, no good news at the old ballpark today. The only blessing is the Cleveland Indians also lost Wednesday, so the Sox maintain their 1.5-game lead in the AL Central for at least another day.

The Baltimore Orioles come to town next for a four-game series starting Thursday night. Good news: The Orioles are a lowly 17-32 this season. Bad news: They've lost nine in a row, which means they are due to win a couple. The odds of baseball say you can't win 'em all, but you also can't lose 'em all.

Tuesday was a demoralizing and angering day to be a White Sox fan

Yermin Mercedes

People often wonder why I'm not enthusiastic about the 2021 White Sox. Yes, they are in first place. And they probably should win their division, even with all the injuries they have.

But I have no confidence in the organization whatsoever. Days like Tuesday are why.

The day started with manager Tony La Russa calling Yermin Mercedes "clueless" and generally ripping the rookie designated hitter to shreds in public.

Why? Because Mercedes committed the "big mistake" of hitting a home run on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning of a 15-4 game Monday night -- off a 47-mph eephus pitch from Minnesota utilityman Willians Astudillo.

The only one clueless here is La Russa, who belongs in a retirement home. If you look around the baseball world, most people are supporting Mercedes, who provided a fun moment in a game that was out of hand and generally uninteresting otherwise.

In what alternate baseball universe are we living in where hitting a home run is a "big mistake"?

The only people offended seemed to be the biased observers in the Minnesota TV booth and, well, La Russa, who for some reason is worried about "respecting" the Twins.

I don't care about the Twins and their feelings. The Sox won Monday's game 16-4. My only regret is they didn't win 26-4.

Nobody associated with the Sox should care about the Twins or their feelings. Sadly, La Russa is putting his regard for the Twins ahead of his own team. He needs to knock that off immediately. You support your players in the media, even if you disagree with something they've done. 

If he wants to have a private conversation about this with Mercedes, fine, but you don't call someone who has been a key contributor to your team for the first quarter of the season "clueless" in a public setting.

To make matters worse, the Sox had a 4-0 lead after three innings Tuesday night with Lance Lynn on the mound. They blew the whole thing and lost, 5-4.

They gave up three home runs to Miguel Sano, who came into this game with a .141 batting average. Sano's third home run of the night, a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth that tied the game at 4 off Aaron Bummer, didn't need to happen. First base was open. The situation called for an intentional walk, or at least a pitch-around. 

"Clueless" La Russa apparently didn't think of that.

Bummer gave up a leadoff hit to Andrelton Simmons in the bottom of the ninth. As the inning progressed, Liam Hendriks lost the game by grooving a fastball right down the middle to Jorge Polanco, who doubled off the wall to score Simmons with the winning run.

And let's not forget the wonderful Sox lineup, which failed to score a single run the last five innings of the game against the reeling Minnesota bullpen.

Yes, the Sox are 25-16. Yes, the Twins are 14-26. But this was the archetypal White Sox choke job in Minnesota, and coming on the heels of the manager's asinine comments earlier in the day, it was just a demoralizing, infuriating day for me as a Sox fan.

The organization just cannot get out of its own way. Even when they have a good thing going, they invent ways to screw it up.

Jose Abreu's dash to the plate helps White Sox salvage split with Royals

Well, the White Sox didn't play the most inspiring series against the Kansas City Royals this weekend at Guaranteed Rate Field. They won only two out of the four games, which is good only in the sense that they lost two out of the first three, and come Sunday, a split was the best they could do.

And on Sunday, they were trailing 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. They scored two runs and won, 4-3, capped off by Jose Abreu scoring from third on a wild pitch that wasn't all that wild.

If you haven't seen the video of that play yet, be sure to check it out.

First off, I think Kansas City manager Mike Matheny made some bizarre decisions managing his bullpen this weekend. He used his usual closer, Josh Staumont, to finish off a 6-2 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader Friday. (The Sox won the second game, 3-1). Then he used Staumont in a non-save situation again Saturday, when Kansas City won 5-1.

So, presumably Staumont was unavailable Sunday after needlessly pitching back-to-back days in non-save situations. That left erstwhile veteran Wade Davis to try to close Sunday's game for the Royals, and he failed.

Tim Anderson doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adam Eaton and scored the tying run on a single by Yoan Moncada.

Abreu was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Yermin Mercedes followed with a single to right field, but Moncada blew through a stop sign by third-base coach Joe McEwing and got thrown out at the plate for the second out.

Fortunately, Abreu took third on the throw, and that ended up mattering. Yasmani Grandal was the next Sox hitter, and of course, opposing teams put on a shift for him when he's batting left-handed.

That means the third baseman is nowhere near the third-base line, and any runner on third can get a pretty good lead in the event that there's a ball in the dirt. From my vantage point -- I was sitting down the third-base line, as you can see in the photo I took before the game started -- Abreu was getting a substantial lead.

And when Davis bounced a breaking ball, Abreu wasted no time breaking for home, even though Kansas City catcher Cam Gallagher did a nice job of blocking the pitch and keeping the ball in the area of the plate. 

Was Abreu safe or out on the bang-bang play at the plate, as Gallagher lunged to try to tag Abreu before he touched the plate? Not sure, but I don't think there was a camera angle that showed anything conclusively. In those cases, the call on the field stands, and the call on the field was safe.

Quite a finish. I've seen plenty of games end on wild pitches, but never one quite like that.

White Sox complete sweep of Twins, will host Royals this weekend

Tim Anderson

The White Sox didn't exactly crush Minnesota right-hander Michael Pineda, but they did finally beat him. The South Siders completed a three-game sweep of the Twins with a 4-2 victory Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Pineda had made five starts against the Sox since joining the Twins in 2019. He was 4-0 in those starts, and the Twins were 5-0 in those games. Alas, that spell has been broken.

Tim Anderson hit Pineda's first pitch of the game for a home run to left field, his fifth of the season. Jake Lamb homered for the first time this season in the third. Andrew Vaughn added an RBI single in the sixth, as the Sox scored three runs off Pineda (2-2) in 5.1 innings.

Yermin Mercedes added a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, which took a 3-2 Sox lead to 4-2. Remember what I said yesterday: Teams that get two-out RBIs win championships.

Those four runs turned out to be enough as Sox pitching wobbled but didn't break. Lance Lynn (4-1) needed 111 pitches to get through five innings. The Sox committed three errors behind him, which didn't help matters. 

But the veteran right-hander made one of the biggest pitches of the game in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs and a 3-2 count on Mitch Garver, Lynn preserved a precarious 2-1 lead with a blazing fastball that caught Garver looking. That was Lynn's 111th and final pitch, and he made it count.

Matt Foster worked a 1-2-3 sixth. Garrett Crochet walked two in the seventh, but he also struck out two to escape trouble. For some reason, Jose Ruiz was allowed to pitch in high leverage in the eighth. He gave up a home run to Max Kepler that cut the Sox's lead to 3-2, plus two singles.

Minnesota had runners at first and second with one out and a chance to tie the game. Enter Liam Hendriks, who cleaned up that mess, then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.

Hendriks threw 28 pitches in Wednesday's win, so there was some question about his availability Thursday. But not only was he available, he also retired all five men he faced in high leverage.

Give Sox manager Tony La Russa full credit for going all in to win Thursday's game. Hendriks may not be available Friday against the Kansas City Royals. But if the Sox lose to the Royals on Friday because Hendriks couldn't pitch, oh well, I think it was more important to beat the Twins on Thursday.

Now, the Sox (22-13) are a full 10 games ahead of the Twins (12-23) in the AL Central standings. We expect Minnesota to play better and make a push at some point. But in the meantime, it was important to kick sand in the Twins' faces while you can.

Next up, a four-game weekend series against the Royals, which includes a doubleheader Friday. I'm going to Sunday's game, and we'll review the series when blogging resumes Monday.

Here are your pitching matchups:

• Friday, Game 1: Lucas Giolito (2-3, 4.54 ERA) vs. Brad Keller (2-4, 7.31 ERA)
• Friday, Game 2: Michael Kopech (2-0, 1.61 ERA) vs. Jakob Junis (1-2, 5.14 ERA)
• Saturday: Carlos Rodon (5-0, 0.58 ERA) vs. Mike Minor (2-2, 5.75 ERA)
• Sunday: Dylan Cease (2-0, 2.80 ERA) vs. Brady Singer (1-3, 4.19 ERA)
  

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Royals

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox kicked off a stretch of 13 straight games against AL Central opponents in strong fashion this weekend, sweeping three games against the Royals in Kansas City.

Coming into the series, it appeared the Sox had the edge in the pitching matchup in all three games, and they took advantage, just as you would hope they would do. They outscored the Royals 21-4 in the series, and at 19-13, the Sox now lead the Cleveland Indians by one game in the AL Central race.

Kansas City (16-17) has lost eight consecutive games and has fallen 3.5 games off the division lead.

Let's take a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 7

White Sox 3, Royals 0: If anyone tells you they expected greatness from Carlos Rodon this season, they are lying. Rodon was considered the No. 5 pitcher in the rotation when the year started, but right now, he's the best the Sox have. He's started five games, and he's 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA.

Rodon has not allowed more than one run in any start yet this season. And he's allowed no more than five hits in any of those games. The left-hander did allow five hits in this game over six scoreless innings, but he struck out eight and didn't walk anybody. 

The three runs the Sox scored for him, highlighted by Zack Collins' second home run of the season, ended up being enough.

But getting back to Rodon, he is the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2000 to allow five hits or less in each of his first five starts of the season. That was Martinez at his Hall of Fame peak, so that tells you what a good stretch Rodon has had.  

Saturday, May 8

White Sox 9, Royals 1: The Sox have made a habit of feasting on left-handed starters in recent times, and Royals rookie Daniel Lynch -- making his second MLB start -- got blown to bits in this game.

The Sox sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning and scored eight runs. Lynch recorded only two outs, while being charged with eight earned runs on seven hits. Highlighting in the rally: a two-run double by Yoan Moncada, a sacrifice fly by Yasmani Grandal, an RBI double by Andrew Vaughn, an RBI triple by Leury Garcia, a two-run homer by Danny Mendick and another RBI single by Moncada.

That was pretty much the game. Sox starter Lance Lynn walked four over five innings, so he wasn't overly sharp with his control. But he only allowed one hit, and he easily improved to 3-1 with the big lead.

Sunday, May 9

White Sox 9, Royals 3: Hey, a win with Lucas Giolito on the mound! Giolito (2-3) wasn't his sharpest -- he only went five innings and had just two strikeouts. But he only allowed a run in the first inning.

The Sox quickly bounced back with three in the second and two in the third to take an early 5-1 lead, and the Royals never came close to getting back in the game. 

The South Siders are 21-1 against lefty starters since the start of the 2020 season, and they avenged the only loss by tagging Kansas City starter Mike Minor for those five runs.

Jose Abreu and Yermin Mercedes each had two hits and three RBIs to lead a 10-hit attack for the Sox.

Also of note on the pitching side, lefty reliever Aaron Bummer retired all five batters he faced, three of them by strikeout.

White Sox 2B Nick Madrigal is outslugging some people he shouldn't be outslugging

Nick Madrigal

Let's play a game of name that White Sox player:

Player A: .313/.364/.413

Player B: .264/.370/.396

Player C: .202/.302/.374

Player D: .127/.333/.273

You may have noticed that Player A has the highest slugging percentage, while Player D has the lowest slugging percentage. I intentionally arranged the players in that order.

Would you believe noted singles hitter and king of the two-strike base hit Nick Madrigal is Player A? Good for Madrigal that he's off to a good start with the bat this season, and he is to be commended for that. 

But it's not good news for the Sox that Madrigal is outslugging Yoan Moncada (Player B), defending league MVP Jose Abreu (Player C), and the team's highest-paid player, Yasmani Grandal (Player D).

With Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert both out of the lineup with injuries until at least August,mMoncada, Abreu and Grandal better start producing more runs. It's time for them to hit some balls off the wall and over the wall, or this season in which the Sox have very high expectations is going to end in disappointment. 

It's great and all that Yermin Mercedes won AL Rookie of the Month, but it's preposterous to think a 28-year-old rookie is going to carry the middle of the lineup all season.

My first trip to Guaranteed Rate Field in 575 days

For the first time since Sept. 27, 2019, I was at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday night. It was nice to unite with friends. It was great to see live baseball, and much to my pleasant surprise, the White Sox aren't making a big stink out of the COVID-19 protocols.

I had visions of ushers crapping on fans all night about masking and social distancing and whatnot, but fortunately, ballpark security is leaving people alone to enjoy a ballgame. And enjoy it we did, as the Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1, as part of a three-game weekend sweep.

The Sox are finally over .500 now at 12-9, and they'll take a four-game winning streak into Monday's off day. The Detroit Tigers come to town Tuesday to start a three-game series.

A few thoughts on each game this weekend:

Friday, April 23

White Sox 9, Rangers 7: Yermin Mercedes went 4 for 4 with three RBIs to lead a 16-hit attack. The Sox led 5-0 after three innings, and 6-2 after four, only to see the Rangers rally to tie. Mercedes delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh that put the South Siders ahead to stay.

That said, my biggest takeaway from this game is that the Sox need more from starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who lasted only 3.1 innings. He was fortunate to escape a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, and he needed 80 pitches to get the 10 outs he recorded.

The Sox ended up using five relief pitchers, and Liam Hendriks was needed to record a five-out save. This game was a little more dicey than you might like after having a big lead in the early innings.

Saturday, April 24

White Sox 2, Rangers 1: This was a tight pitching battle between Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel and Texas right-hander Kyle Gibson. The Sox got on the board first when Yoan Moncada scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning.

That 1-0 lead held up until the top of the ninth when Hendriks gave up a solo home run to Willie Calhoun. Again, Hendriks was leaned on heavily Friday night, but there is a legitimate concern that the highly paid closer has given up four homers in 8.2 innings this season. 

But let's give some credit to Calhoun on this one. He got on top of a fastball that was up and out of the zone and hit it deep to right-center field. You don't see left-handed batters hit pitches that high too often. Calhoun must have been looking there, and it was good hitting on his part.

As for Hendriks, he doesn't have the feel for his slider than I remember him having when he was dominating in Oakland. His fastball is still good, and he can get by with just that some of the time, but not all of the time. If major-league hitters can just sit on the fastball, eventually they'll catch up to it. I look for Hendriks to be more effective once he can start throwing his breaking ball for strikes.

Despite the blown save, the Sox won on a two-out, RBI double by Nick Madrigal in the bottom of the ninth. The hit scored Luis Robert, who had singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Yasmani Grandal. After an intentional walk to Mercedes and a strikeout of Billy Hamilton, Madrigal delivered.

Sunday, April 25

White Sox 8, Rangers 4: So, are we excited about Michael Kopech yet? Yeah, I think it's fair to be happy about what we're seeing from the rookie right-hander.

Lucas Giolito has a cut on the middle finger of his throwing hand, so Kopech made a spot start Sunday in his place. He was dazzling, striking out 10 with no walks over five innings of one-run ball. Those 10 strikeouts occurred over his first four innings, too. Kopech might have tired a bit in the fifth, but he got through the inning to earn a well-deserved win.

Crazy thing is, Kopech really didn't need his secondary pitches. His fastball command was impeccable, and even when he did miss with the fastball, it was a "good" miss, in a place where the Texas batters couldn't hurt him. The only run he allowed was on a hanging slider, which David Dahl hit out of the park in the second inning.

Kopech threw 87 pitches, 60 of them for strikes. Fifty-five of the 87 pitches were fastballs, 11 swings and misses, 14 called strikes and 13 foul balls. The Texas batters could not square him up at all.

The Sox scored eight runs in the first three innings, highlighted by Jose Abreu's fifth home run of the season, a two-run triple by Madrigal and an RBI triple by Adam Eaton.

Jonathan Stiever made his season debut for the Sox in the sixth, and it was a bad one. He gave up four straight hits and did not retire a batter. He ended up being charged with three runs. Garrett Crochet had two inherited runners score on his watch, but he settled down to provide three scoreless innings of relief. Jose Ruiz worked a scoreless ninth, giving the back of the Sox bullpen a needed rest.

 

Carlos Rodon (!) pitches a no-hitter for the White Sox

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox non-tendered Carlos Rodon last offseason -- and rightfully so. He hadn't been healthy since 2016. And he hadn't really pitched well in those five years.

Many Sox fans, including me, assumed he would not be brought back for the 2021 season. And many Sox fans, including me, were skeptical when he returned on a one-year, $3 million prove-it deal.

But Rodon won a job as the No. 5 starter in spring training, beating Reynaldo Lopez out fair and square in an open competition. And now Rodon has put his name in Sox history books, as he pitched the 20th no-hitter in team history Wednesday night, beating the Cleveland Indians, 8-0.

Rodon retired the first 25 men he faced. He had a perfect game through 8.1 innings, and he lost the perfecto in a frustrating way -- he hit Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez on the foot with an 0-2 slider.

However, Rodon rallied to strike out Yu Chang, and then Jordan Luplow grounded out on a hot shot to third baseman Yoan Moncada to end the game.

When all was said and done, Rodon threw 114 pitches -- 75 for strikes -- and he struck out seven. He's 2-0 on the season, and he hasn't given up a run in 14 innings pitched. His fastball velocity is back. Rodon was throwing 99 mph in the ninth inning. Sure, the adrenaline had to be flowing, but we've seen that type of velocity from him in each of his first two games this season.

Could he finally be healthy? Let's hope.

And, oh yeah, the Sox roughed up Cleveland starter Zach Plesac, who has been a nemesis for them in the past. Plesac made three starts against the Sox in 2020, and had a 1.74 ERA over 20.2 innings pitched.

On this night, the Sox scored six runs against him, and knocked him out with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Moncada had an RBI single. Yermin Mercedes hit a three-run homer to start a three-hit night. Leury Garcia added an RBI double, and Nick Madrigal finished the six-run rally with an RBI single.

Rodon was given the luxury of a big lead from the very start, and he took advantage. Even though I've been a Rodon skeptic, it's impossible not to be happy for that guy. He's been through surgeries on his shoulder and elbow, and to get back to a point where he's able to pitch at a high level, that has to be very satisfying for him.

He proved a lot of people wrong, including me.

Evan Marshall stabilizes White Sox bullpen by escaping sixth-inning jam

Evan Marshall

The White Sox scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-3, on Monday night. The run was scored on a throwing error, and the Sox will take it, but the most importance sequence of the game came in the top of the sixth inning.

The Sox were leading, 3-2, when starter Dallas Keuchel fell apart. He walked the No. 9 hitter to start the inning, then gave up a single and a walk to load the bases with nobody out.

Worse, Cleveland's best player, Jose Ramirez, was the next batter up. If you're playing the Indians, you want to avoid putting yourself in a situation where Ramirez can hurt you. This was the opposite of that. Keuchel boxed the Sox into a corner where they had no choice but to pitch to Ramirez.

Manager Tony La Russa summoned Evan Marshall from the bullpen. Marshall had struggled in his previous outings this season, but he did a masterful job in this case against the 3-4-5 hitters in the Cleveland batting order.

After falling behind 2-0 on Ramirez, he rallied to strike him out on a fastball up and out of the zone. Franmil Reyes managed a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and then Eddie Rosario -- who had homered earlier off Keuchel -- flied out weakly to left field for the third out.

You could not have asked for better from Marshall in that sequence. Sure, the lead was lost, but given the hitters that were due up, only one inherited runner scoring out of bases-loaded, no-outs situation is excellent work.

Marshall, Aaron Bummer and Codi Heuer kept the Indians off the board the last three innings. Heuer worked 2.1 innings, retiring seven of the eight batters he faced with four strikeouts. He earned the win.

The Sox offense failed to score after loading the bases with no outs in the sixth, after Yermin Mercedes struck out and Yasmani Grandal hit into a 3-6-1 double play.

But, those two players redeemed themselves in the ninth. Mercedes reached on an infield single with one out. Grandal walked, advancing pinch runner Nick Madrigal to second base.

Nick Williams followed with a chopper to Cleveland first baseman Yu Chang, who tried to get Grandal at second for the force. But, his errant throw hit Grandal in the helmet and bounded away. Madrigal raced around third to score the winning run on the play.

The Sox broke a six-game losing streak against the Indians dating back to last season, and evened their season record at 5-5. The Indians are now 5-4.

Should be an interesting game Tuesday night, with Sox ace Lucas Giolito going up against the reigning Cy Young award winner in the American League, Cleveland's Shane Bieber.

White Sox roster news: Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes are in; Jonathan Lucroy is out

Jonathan Lucroy

Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy will not make the 2021 White Sox roster. The 34-year-old asked for and was granted his release from a minor league contract, according to reports.

It sure seems like catcher Zack Collins is on the roster. First off, Collins has had a good spring, slashing .295/.380/.523 with three home runs and six RBIs. Most importantly, he's cut his strikeout rate. He's only struck out six times while also walking six times in 50 plate appearances.

Secondly, fortune smiled on Collins with left fielder Eloy Jimenez suffering a torn pectoral tendon that will sideline him for five months. Now, Andrew Vaughn, the presumed DH to start the season, is being tried in left field. That opens the door for DH at-bats for Collins, when he's not catching. 

It also sounds like Yermin Mercedes is on the club as a third catcher and DH, according to reports. Mercedes has slashed .283/.340/.348 this spring, and could be the right-handed half of a platoon with the left-handed Collins.

The Sox also are reportedly picking up infielder Jake Lamb, if he clears waivers and pending a physical. Lamb was in spring camp with the Atlanta Braves, but did not make the club. He's a left-handed hitter who can play first or third base.

All right, that's a lot to digest. But first let's talk about Collins. It's now or never for him. He's 26 years old, and he's been in the Sox organization since he was picked 10th overall in the first round of the 2016 draft. He's getting close to that line where he's too old to be considered a prospect anymore.

The Sox have invested a lot in him, and at some point they have to find out whether he can help them. I'm not a big believer in Collins, but at this time, there's no clear data about him one way or the other. What can you tell from 120 sporadic plate appearances at the major league level? There are no clearly superior options in camp for a second catcher -- Lucroy didn't meet that standard -- so it's time to find out once and for all whether Collins can play.

We know the Sox will carry 13 pitchers and 12 position players. The Opening Day roster hasn't been announced yet, but let's hazard a guess:

Starting lineup:

1. Tim Anderson, SS
2. Adam Eaton, RF
   
3. Jose Abreu, 1B
4. Yoan Moncada, 3B
5. Yasmani Grandal, C
   
6. Luis Robert, CF
   
7. Collins, DH
   
8. Vaughn, LF
   
9. Nick Madrigal, 2B

Bench players: Leury Garcia IF/OF, Mercedes, C/DH and ??????.

Will it be Lamb? Infielder Danny Mendick? Maybe outfielder Billy Hamilton? I'll guess Lamb. I don't think they picked him up to send him to the alternate site. And he's likely the left-handed fallback option if Collins fails.

White Sox add catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a minor-league deal

Jonathan Lucroy

Somebody is better than nobody, right?

The White Sox added a potential option as a backup catcher on Thursday when they agreed to terms with Jonathan Lucroy on a minor-league deal.

Lucroy, 34, was one of the best hitting catchers in baseball from 2011 to 2016. His career peaked in 2014, when he finished fourth in National League MVP voting as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. He slashed .301/.373/.465 with a league-best 53 doubles and 13 home runs that season.

Obviously, Father Time has been knocking louder the past few seasons. Lucroy only appeared in one game in 2020 with the Boston Red Sox. In 2019, he split time between the Los Angeles Angels and the Cubs, batting .232/.305/.355 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 101 games.

I don't know how much Lucroy has left, but the Sox very clearly need a veteran backup to Yasmani Grandal. We all knew James McCann was going to leave for greener pastures this offseason -- and a full-time starting job -- and he's with the New York Mets now.

That left the Sox with Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala as catchers on the 40-man roster. All are deeply flawed, and none of them can be trusted for a couple of weeks if, say, Grandal's back acts up -- as it did at one point during the 2020 season.

The hope has to be that Grandal is healthy to catch 125 games, and Lucroy can slot in there for 35 to 40 games, bat .230 and give the Sox credible receiving skills. The Sox don't need much offense from their backup catcher -- they have plenty of other people who are supposed to hit -- but they do need someone with a decent defensive reputation who can handle pitchers.

Lucroy has been that guy in the past. Fingers crossed he can do it for one more season. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but again, somebody is better than nobody.

James McCann headed to New York Mets on four-year deal

James McCann

A previous post this week talked a lot about White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's horrible free agent signings, so let's bring up one of his better ones: James McCann.

After two productive seasons in Chicago, McCann is heading to the New York Mets on a four-year, $40 million contract.

This is a really good turn of events for McCann, who was non-tendered by the 98-loss Detroit Tigers after the 2018 season. The Sox picked him up on a one-year, $2.5 million scrap-heap deal, and McCann responded by making the All-Star team in 2019.

In his first season with the Sox, McCann batted .273/.328/.460 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs in 118 games. McCann didn't have the greatest framing statistics in the world as the Sox's primary catcher, but the offensive production was good.

Still, the Sox were understandably unconvinced that McCann was the long-term answer behind the plate. What if 2019 was just a career year for McCann? So, Hahn jumped at the opportunity to sign Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million contract last November.

McCann was brought back on another one-year deal, and he and Grandal formed an effective one-two punch behind the plate for the Sox in 2020.

Even with limited playing time, McCann produced. He batted .289/.360/.536 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games. He did not complain about his diminished role and often was praised for his leadership. And he became the personal catcher for Sox ace Lucas Giolito, who provided a 2020 season highlight by throwing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 25.

But with Grandal in the fold for the long haul, the writing was on the wall for McCann. He sees himself as a starting catcher, and he's proven over the past two years with the Sox that he deserves a shot to be the No. 1 guy. He was not going to get that in Chicago.

He'll get that opportunity in New York. As Sox fans, we wish we could have the Grandal-McCann tandem behind the plate for another few years, but realistically, that was never going to be cost-effective.

You're not going to pay McCann $10 million a year to catch twice a week, and you can't blame the Sox for not being interested in matching an offer like that. You simply thank McCann for a job well done and wish him well with the Mets.

In the meantime, the Sox need a second catcher. The internal options are suspect: Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala. We talked about these guys before: Collins and Mercedes have hit at the Triple-A level, but both are subpar defensively. Zavala is a good receiver, and a good catch-and-throw guy, but it's unlikely he'll ever hit well enough to stick in the major leagues.

So, do the Sox go outside the organization? If the answer is yes, here are your options in free agency: Jason Castro, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Flowers, Sandy Leon, Yadier Molina, Kurt Suzuki and Mike Zunino.

Do we like anybody on that list?