Monday, May 27, 2019
Friday, May 24, 2019
Lucas Giolito throws shutout in White Sox win over Astros
Did you ever think you would see a day when White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito would throw 82 of his 107 pitches for strikes in a game?
Consider this about Giolito's outing Thursday against the Houston Astros: In the second inning, he threw 11 pitches -- all of them strikes. In the fifth inning, he threw nine pitches -- all of them strikes. In the seventh inning, he threw six pitches -- all of them strikes.
Three separate times, Giolito retired the side without throwing a single pitch out of the zone, against the No. 2 offense in the American League.
Is this the same guy who led the AL with 90 walks and 118 earned runs allowed in 187 innings in 2018?
Sure doesn't seem like it, and thank goodness.
Giolito fired a complete-game, four-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over Houston. He struck out nine, walked only one, and none of the four hits went for extra bases. With the win, the Sox rally to split the four-game series with the Astros, after they dropped the first two games.
Sure, Houston was without George Springer and Jose Altuve. But that lineup still features Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa -- three damn good hitters -- and Giolito dominated.
This time, his slider was his best offspeed pitch. He threw it 20 times and got seven swinging strikes. He threw his change 24 times, as well, but the slider seemed to be the out pitch. He still had it working in the ninth inning, too, when he struck out Correa with a nasty one for the second out.
One big key for this turnaround for Giolito: His fastball velocity has returned. Remember, last year he was throwing 91 to 93 mph. Now with his shorter arm action and more compact delivery, his fastball averaged 94.8 mph Thursday and topped out at 97.3 mph.
He still had the heat in the ninth inning, too. I saw a fastball register at 97 in the aforementioned at-bat with Correa.
Giolito's record is now 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The traditional pitching numbers are good, as are some of the other numbers people like to look at. His WHIP is 1.058. He's allowed only three home runs in 52 innings pitched. His strikeouts per nine innings sit at 10.2, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.11. His FIP is 2.78.
Obviously, we need to see it for a whole season to say that Giolito has truly turned a corner and established himself as a legitimate piece of the starting rotation. However, this early-season performance sure is encouraging, and it's sorely needed.
And with this win over the Astros, he's got a victory over one of the league's elite to his name.
(And, oh yeah, Eloy Jimenez homered for the third time in the series against Houston in Thursday's game. We like to sneak Eloy's name in here whenever we get the chance -- his presence drives up the web numbers. Hey, at least we're not being phony about that mattering.)
Consider this about Giolito's outing Thursday against the Houston Astros: In the second inning, he threw 11 pitches -- all of them strikes. In the fifth inning, he threw nine pitches -- all of them strikes. In the seventh inning, he threw six pitches -- all of them strikes.
Three separate times, Giolito retired the side without throwing a single pitch out of the zone, against the No. 2 offense in the American League.
Is this the same guy who led the AL with 90 walks and 118 earned runs allowed in 187 innings in 2018?
Sure doesn't seem like it, and thank goodness.
Giolito fired a complete-game, four-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over Houston. He struck out nine, walked only one, and none of the four hits went for extra bases. With the win, the Sox rally to split the four-game series with the Astros, after they dropped the first two games.
Sure, Houston was without George Springer and Jose Altuve. But that lineup still features Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa -- three damn good hitters -- and Giolito dominated.
This time, his slider was his best offspeed pitch. He threw it 20 times and got seven swinging strikes. He threw his change 24 times, as well, but the slider seemed to be the out pitch. He still had it working in the ninth inning, too, when he struck out Correa with a nasty one for the second out.
One big key for this turnaround for Giolito: His fastball velocity has returned. Remember, last year he was throwing 91 to 93 mph. Now with his shorter arm action and more compact delivery, his fastball averaged 94.8 mph Thursday and topped out at 97.3 mph.
He still had the heat in the ninth inning, too. I saw a fastball register at 97 in the aforementioned at-bat with Correa.
Giolito's record is now 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The traditional pitching numbers are good, as are some of the other numbers people like to look at. His WHIP is 1.058. He's allowed only three home runs in 52 innings pitched. His strikeouts per nine innings sit at 10.2, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.11. His FIP is 2.78.
Obviously, we need to see it for a whole season to say that Giolito has truly turned a corner and established himself as a legitimate piece of the starting rotation. However, this early-season performance sure is encouraging, and it's sorely needed.
And with this win over the Astros, he's got a victory over one of the league's elite to his name.
(And, oh yeah, Eloy Jimenez homered for the third time in the series against Houston in Thursday's game. We like to sneak Eloy's name in here whenever we get the chance -- his presence drives up the web numbers. Hey, at least we're not being phony about that mattering.)
Thursday, May 23, 2019
White Sox beat Astros for first time since September 2017
A triple play turned, four double plays turned, four home runs hit, including a grand slam ... yes, the White Sox looked like a good team Wednesday night against the Houston Astros.
It seemed as though the Sox would have to do everything right to win a game against the AL West-leading Astros, and they pretty much did just that in a 9-4 win.
Sox starter Ivan Nova (3-4) was in trouble in the bottom of the third inning, clinging to a 1-0 lead with Houston runners at first and second and nobody out. Then Jake Marisnick hit a grounder that took Yoan Moncada right to the third-base bag, and Moncada started a 5-4-3, around-the-horn triple play to get Nova out of trouble.
It was the first triple play the Sox have turned since 2016, when they had three of them the first half of the season.
But that triple play might not have been the most shocking play of the game. The other stunner came in the top of the sixth inning with the Sox leading, 4-3. The bases were loaded with two outs when Charlie Tilson, of all people, connected for a grand slam off a 98-mph fastball from Josh James to make it 8-3.
It was Tilson's first home run in 164 career plate appearances. In case you were wondering how many times a Sox player has hit a grand slam for his first career homer, here's a list:
Tilson, May 22, 2019
Danny Richar, Aug. 17, 2007
Norberto Martin, June 4, 1994
Kevin Bell, June 22, 1976
Vince Castino, July 23, 1943
Tom Turner, June 24, 1942
Spence Harris, July 28, 1925
Happy Felsch, June 18, 1915
It's only happened three times in my lifetime.
And only four times in the past 40 years has a team turned a triple play and hit a grand slam in the same game. The Sox had never done it before.
Did I mention Eloy Jimenez hit two homers Wednesday night?
Yes, it was a good night for the Sox. They snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Astros, and hey, they won't get swept in this four-game series. It was the South Siders' first win against Houston since Sept. 21, 2017.
It seemed as though the Sox would have to do everything right to win a game against the AL West-leading Astros, and they pretty much did just that in a 9-4 win.
Sox starter Ivan Nova (3-4) was in trouble in the bottom of the third inning, clinging to a 1-0 lead with Houston runners at first and second and nobody out. Then Jake Marisnick hit a grounder that took Yoan Moncada right to the third-base bag, and Moncada started a 5-4-3, around-the-horn triple play to get Nova out of trouble.
It was the first triple play the Sox have turned since 2016, when they had three of them the first half of the season.
But that triple play might not have been the most shocking play of the game. The other stunner came in the top of the sixth inning with the Sox leading, 4-3. The bases were loaded with two outs when Charlie Tilson, of all people, connected for a grand slam off a 98-mph fastball from Josh James to make it 8-3.
It was Tilson's first home run in 164 career plate appearances. In case you were wondering how many times a Sox player has hit a grand slam for his first career homer, here's a list:
Tilson, May 22, 2019
Danny Richar, Aug. 17, 2007
Norberto Martin, June 4, 1994
Kevin Bell, June 22, 1976
Vince Castino, July 23, 1943
Tom Turner, June 24, 1942
Spence Harris, July 28, 1925
Happy Felsch, June 18, 1915
It's only happened three times in my lifetime.
And only four times in the past 40 years has a team turned a triple play and hit a grand slam in the same game. The Sox had never done it before.
Did I mention Eloy Jimenez hit two homers Wednesday night?
Yes, it was a good night for the Sox. They snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Astros, and hey, they won't get swept in this four-game series. It was the South Siders' first win against Houston since Sept. 21, 2017.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Now isn't a good time to face Houston ace Justin Verlander
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| Justin Verlander |
But I'm not sure he's ever had a better start against the Sox in all those years than the one he had Tuesday night.
Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He ended up working eight innings, allowing one run on one hit in the Houston Astros' 5-1 win over the Sox.
The right-hander struck out 12, walked only one and induced 28 swinging strikes from Sox batters -- 14 on sliders, 10 on fastballs and four on curveballs. For context, 28 swinging strikes is the most against a pitcher in any Major League game this season. He was dominant.
Verlander is now 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA this season. Over his past three starts, he's allowed only four hits in 22 innings -- all wins. He's struck out 29, walked five and allowed two runs (both on solo home runs) during that same span.
The Sox got their lone run and lone hit on a solo home run Tuesday on a blast by Jose Abreu, who strangely has Verlander's number.
In 41 career at-bats coming into Tuesday, Abreu had a .366/.435/.780 slash line with five home runs against Verlander. Make it six home runs. Abreu has homered against Verlander more than any other pitcher in his career. (Corey Kluber is second; Abreu has taken him deep five times).
But in the context of his career numbers, maybe Abreu's 1-for-4 night against the Houston ace wasn't that great of a game.
Verlander has 212 wins in an accomplished career, but at age 36, I'm not sure he's ever been tougher to beat than he is right now.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
2018 Lucas Giolito vs. 2019 Lucas Giolito
Proponents of the White Sox rebuild think I'm being too negative about the team's future prospects. Well, guess what? We don't believe team propaganda on this blog, and we're going to continue to criticize the Sox until they give us a legitimate reason to be optimistic with good performance at the Major League level.
That being said, I'm not opposed to praising good performance, so let's give props to Lucas Giolito for being the most improved Sox player through the first 45 games of the season.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of Giolito last year and Giolito this year through eight starts:
2018 Giolito: 2-4, 41.2 IP, 40 H, 33 R, 32 ER, 24 Ks, 32 BBs, 6.91 ERA
2019 Giolito: 5-1, 43 IP, 32 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 50 Ks, 18 BBs, 3.35 ERA
Wow. That's an ERA more than three runs lower. In case you were wondering, Giolito's eight starts have come against Kansas City (twice), Seattle, the New York Yankees, Boston, Cleveland and Toronto (twice).
That's a mixed bag of good-hitting teams and some weaker teams, and it's not unreasonable to believe Giolito will see some regression. But what can't be ignored is that change in the strikeout rate, and the change in the walk rate.
Last season at this time, Giolito had more walks than strikeouts. Now, strikeouts are outnumbering walks by almost 3 to 1. That is a reason for hope.
On Thursday, Giolito will face his sternest test of the season when he takes on the league-best Houston Astros.
Houston beat the Sox, 3-0, on Monday. I don't have much hope for Tuesday, with Dylan Covey pitching for the Sox against Houston's Justin Verlander. And I don't have much hope for Wednesday with Ivan Nova pitching for the Sox against Houston's Gerrit Cole.
However, I do have some hope for Giolito pitching Thursday against Houston rookie Corbin Martin. Now, Martin has a much better team behind him than Giolito, so the Astros might very well win regardless.
That being said, it's a huge step forward when you can legitimately say Giolito's presence on the mound gives you hope that the Sox *might* win. More than we can say for some other pitchers, for sure.
That being said, I'm not opposed to praising good performance, so let's give props to Lucas Giolito for being the most improved Sox player through the first 45 games of the season.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of Giolito last year and Giolito this year through eight starts:
2018 Giolito: 2-4, 41.2 IP, 40 H, 33 R, 32 ER, 24 Ks, 32 BBs, 6.91 ERA
2019 Giolito: 5-1, 43 IP, 32 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 50 Ks, 18 BBs, 3.35 ERA
Wow. That's an ERA more than three runs lower. In case you were wondering, Giolito's eight starts have come against Kansas City (twice), Seattle, the New York Yankees, Boston, Cleveland and Toronto (twice).
That's a mixed bag of good-hitting teams and some weaker teams, and it's not unreasonable to believe Giolito will see some regression. But what can't be ignored is that change in the strikeout rate, and the change in the walk rate.
Last season at this time, Giolito had more walks than strikeouts. Now, strikeouts are outnumbering walks by almost 3 to 1. That is a reason for hope.
On Thursday, Giolito will face his sternest test of the season when he takes on the league-best Houston Astros.
Houston beat the Sox, 3-0, on Monday. I don't have much hope for Tuesday, with Dylan Covey pitching for the Sox against Houston's Justin Verlander. And I don't have much hope for Wednesday with Ivan Nova pitching for the Sox against Houston's Gerrit Cole.
However, I do have some hope for Giolito pitching Thursday against Houston rookie Corbin Martin. Now, Martin has a much better team behind him than Giolito, so the Astros might very well win regardless.
That being said, it's a huge step forward when you can legitimately say Giolito's presence on the mound gives you hope that the Sox *might* win. More than we can say for some other pitchers, for sure.
Monday, May 20, 2019
Eloy Jimenez comes off the injured list; Nicky Delmonico optioned to Triple-A Charlotte
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| Eloy Jimenez |
I arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday and looked at the White Sox starting lineup on the scoreboard, and it was hard not to notice the pathetic averages for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters in the batting order.
Yonder Alonso, Welington Castillo and Nicky Delmonico lived up to those ugly numbers, going 0 for 12 with five strikeouts in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
It's too bad, because a quality start by Reynaldo Lopez went to waste, and the Sox (21-24) missed an opportunity to take three out of four from the struggling Blue Jays (19-28). The South Siders had to settle for a split of the four-game series, and a split of the six-game homestand.
But there's help on the way. Eloy Jimenez has been activated off the injured list and is in the lineup for the series opener Monday against the Houston Astros. Jimenez has been out since spraining his ankle April 26 in a collision with the left-field wall. He went 7 for 22 with a homer in five games on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.
To make room on the roster, the Sox optioned Delmonico to Charlotte. His batting average is down to .206, and we know he isn't much with the glove, either. It's hard to see a role for Delmonico in Chicago over the long haul. He'll likely be joining Adam Engel on the organizational scrap heap.
As for Jimenez, it's a relief to have him back. The injury, when it happened, looked bad enough that I thought Jimenez would be sidelined until at least June 1. It's May 20, and he's returning. Hopefully, he doesn't have any run-ins with the Crawford boxes in left field in Houston, and hopefully, he can help provide some lineup protection for Jose Abreu.
This figures to be a challenging week for the Sox. They are on the road to play the two best teams in the American League -- the Astros (31-16) and the Minnesota Twins (30-16).
It's a seven-game trip, and I'd be thrilled with 3-4. Frankly, I'd take 2-5 right now if you offered it to me.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
White Sox split two-game series with Cleveland Indians
It's a good thing the White Sox won Monday. There was no reason to be optimistic about Tuesday's matchup with Carlos Carrasco pitching for the Cleveland Indians and the hapless Manny Banuelos pitching for the Sox. That game went as expected.
So, the Sox (19-22) split this brief two-game home series against Cleveland and now are 4-4 against the Indians (22-19) this season.
Let's take a look back at the series.
Monday, May 13
White Sox 5, Indians 2: The game started ominously for Reynaldo Lopez, as Cleveland leadoff man Francisco Lindor hit a 435-foot home run off him on his third pitch of the night.
However, that was the only earned run Lopez (3-4) allowed over 7.2 innings, the longest outing by a Sox starter so far this season.The right-hander limited the Indians to only two hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Sox hit four solo home runs, two of them by third baseman Yoan Moncada, who now has nine homers for the season. It was good night all around for Moncada, who went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .289. That .877 OPS looks pretty good. I would like to see that stick for the whole season.
Jose Abreu also homered -- his team-high 10th -- and Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season. Castillo also doubled and scored on a double by Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh.
Aaron Bummer got the final out of the eighth in relief of Lopez, and Alex Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in as many chances. Good win.
Tuesday, May 14
Indians 9, White Sox 0: The Sox have been outscored 29-2 in the past three games that Banuelos (2-3) has started. The meager two runs scored are not Banuelos' fault. The 29 runs allowed very much are his fault.
The left-hander left in the fifth inning with some sort of shoulder ailment, but not before he gave up five earned runs, including three homers. This guy just isn't rotation material, and I'm still aggravated that the Sox came into the season believing he could help them. That 7.26 ERA says otherwise.
Now, Banuelos might need to go on the injured list, so the Sox will need a replacement for the replacement. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what direction they are going to go, assuming they are going to stick to their guns and not call up Dylan Cease. Jordan Stephens is on the 40-man roster, but he has a 9.48 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte this season. No, he's not a viable option.
Offensively, the Sox were quiet against Carrasco, who tossed seven shutout innings. Same as it ever was.
The Sox have a day off Wednesday in advance of this weekend's four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The rest is probably coming at a good time.
So, the Sox (19-22) split this brief two-game home series against Cleveland and now are 4-4 against the Indians (22-19) this season.
Let's take a look back at the series.
Monday, May 13
White Sox 5, Indians 2: The game started ominously for Reynaldo Lopez, as Cleveland leadoff man Francisco Lindor hit a 435-foot home run off him on his third pitch of the night.
However, that was the only earned run Lopez (3-4) allowed over 7.2 innings, the longest outing by a Sox starter so far this season.The right-hander limited the Indians to only two hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Sox hit four solo home runs, two of them by third baseman Yoan Moncada, who now has nine homers for the season. It was good night all around for Moncada, who went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .289. That .877 OPS looks pretty good. I would like to see that stick for the whole season.
Jose Abreu also homered -- his team-high 10th -- and Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season. Castillo also doubled and scored on a double by Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh.
Aaron Bummer got the final out of the eighth in relief of Lopez, and Alex Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in as many chances. Good win.
Tuesday, May 14
Indians 9, White Sox 0: The Sox have been outscored 29-2 in the past three games that Banuelos (2-3) has started. The meager two runs scored are not Banuelos' fault. The 29 runs allowed very much are his fault.
The left-hander left in the fifth inning with some sort of shoulder ailment, but not before he gave up five earned runs, including three homers. This guy just isn't rotation material, and I'm still aggravated that the Sox came into the season believing he could help them. That 7.26 ERA says otherwise.
Now, Banuelos might need to go on the injured list, so the Sox will need a replacement for the replacement. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what direction they are going to go, assuming they are going to stick to their guns and not call up Dylan Cease. Jordan Stephens is on the 40-man roster, but he has a 9.48 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte this season. No, he's not a viable option.
Offensively, the Sox were quiet against Carrasco, who tossed seven shutout innings. Same as it ever was.
The Sox have a day off Wednesday in advance of this weekend's four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The rest is probably coming at a good time.
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