It was a bad day for the 'Lucas Giolito can't beat good teams' crowd

The Minnesota Twins had scored 84 runs in their first 12 games against the Sox this season -- that's an average of almost 7.5 per game -- so shutting them out is quite a feat.

Lucas Giolito was the man to do it Wednesday, as he turned in one of his best performances of the season. He improved to 14-6 with a complete-game, three-hit shutout as the Sox beat the Twins, 4-0, to secure a series win.

Giolito struck out 12 and walked nobody, and his performance came the afternoon after the Sox got crunched, 14-4, by Minnesota on Tuesday night.

It was Giolito's third complete game and second shutout of the season, and both shutouts have come against division-leading teams (Houston and Minnesota). It's odd that I still see comments on social media claiming that Giolito "can't beat good teams."

I'm pretty sure that stems from two of Giolito's six losses being against the Cubs, but if you look at his numbers carefully, you'll see that both of his starts against the North Siders just happened to occur during his roughest stretch of the season -- a period during which he was bad against almost everybody.

Let's take a look at Giolito's numbers:

Before June 15: 10-1, 2.22 ERA in 13 starts
From June 15 to July 25: 1-4, 6.38 ERA in 7 starts (including two vs. the Cubs)
Since July 25: 3-1, 2.12 ERA in 5 starts

Yes, Giolito had a cold streak, but now he's hot again. He's struck out 11 or more men in each of his past three starts, totaling 36 strikeouts against only four walks over 21 innings.

Who have those starts come against? Oakland, the L.A. Angels and Minnesota. The A's and Twins would be playoff teams if the season ended today. The Angels were three games below .500 entering Wednesday's play, so they are neither great nor terrible, but they do have the best player on the planet in Mike Trout.

So, I would say Giolito is good against everybody right now. He's not just bum-slaying. He's got two wins over the Yankees, two wins over the Twins and a win over the Astros this season.

He's good, and I'm optimistic that this breakout is for real. The Sox are 16-9 when Giolito pitches, and this is a team that is 57-69 overall. What does that tell you?

Trivia time at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

So, I might have mentioned in a previous post that I played a trivia game at the Hall of Fame.

Here's how it worked: There was an auditorium of people at the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y. -- the room was maybe 40 percent full -- and the first person to answer a trivia question was invited down "into the hot seat" to play the game.

The first question thrown out to the audience was, "Who was the Orioles starting pitcher the day Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak?" I correctly answered "Mike Mussina," and into the hot seat I went.

I was asked to pick a partner, and my girlfriend, Jen, did not want to play. So I asked for a volunteer, and fortunately, a Dodgers fan who really knew his stuff said he would join me.

The game consisted of nine "innings," each featuring one multiple choice question. As the innings progress, the question get increasingly difficult.

The question you see in the picture is the "first inning," and as you can see, that one was a layup. We answered easily. It obviously got more difficult. The toughest question I answered was, "Name the only player in baseball history to go 7 for 7 in a nine-inning game."

The answer is Rennie Stennett, but it was tricky, because the other choices were great players, such as Wade Boggs. You may think a player such as Boggs would have had seven hits in a game at one point, but he did not. Stennett did Sept. 16, 1975, against the Cubs, despite his modest .274 career batting average and .665 career OPS.

At any rate, this Dodgers fan and I advanced to the eighth inning before we got tripped up. We did not know who holds the record for most doubles in a single season. We thought it was Joe Medwick. It was Earl Webb, who had 67 doubles in 1931.

It's too bad, because we would have won had we gotten that question right. The "ninth inning" question was about the 1959 World Series, which was White Sox vs. Dodgers. Both the White Sox fan (me) and the Dodgers fan (my playing partner) knew that Larry Sherry had won two games and saved two games for Los Angeles in that six-game series.

I collected my parting gift, a program from the 2019 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

There were two other people who got to play after me. A father-and-son combination, both of whom were Mets fans, made it through all nine innings and won the big prize -- a bat autographed by the 2019 Hall class. Had I had the same group of questions, I would have won -- I knew all nine that they correctly answered.

The third pairing was a couple of Yankees fans, and they lost in the fifth inning because they did not know that John Wathan owns the single-season record for stolen bases by a catcher.

At least they did a lot worse than me.

Ivan Nova is pitching well, but let's not get hasty here

Ivan Nova

Let's start by giving credit where credit is due. While I'm not an Ivan Nova fan, the man is pitching extremely well for the White Sox.

Over Nova's past six starts, he's 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA. He allowed only four earned runs over 42.1 innings, and he's doing more than just bum-slaying, too.

Sure, he has beaten the lowly Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers during this stretch. But he's also beaten the AL West-leading Houston Astros and the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins -- twice.

Nova bent but did not crumble Monday night. He allowed two runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings vs. Minnesota, but he did enough to earn the win as the Sox defeated the Twins, 6-4.

The South Siders broke a seven-game losing streak at Target Field, winning there for the first time since Aug. 20, 2018.

There's no question Nova deserves praise for a strong second half, but I'm starting to hear rumblings from some fans and media that the Sox should consider bringing him back for 2020.

Let's not get hasty here.

Nova is 9-9 with a 4.47 ERA over his 26 starts this season. Those numbers are an accurate reflection of who he is: He's a league-average starter at best; he's a back-end guy at best on a contending team. His career ERA is 4.28.

We all need to understand Nova is better than the guy who had a 6.01 ERA on June 18, yes, but he's also not as good as the guy who we've seen over the past six starts. There's a long-term track record established that tells the tale.

Is he really the "veteran presence" to fill out the 2020 rotation? Keep in mind that Nova will be entering his age-33 season. Shouldn't the Sox be aiming higher?

While Gerrit Cole is likely a pipe dream, the Sox should make a run at him. If Cole is out of reach, the market still has several pitchers better than Nova. Why not sign Zack Wheeler?

General manager Rick Hahn told Sox fans that we can "have nice things." Let's try for something "nice" before we settle for another year of mediocre Nova in the starting rotation.

Why is Yoan Moncada still in Charlotte? Zack Collins? Luis Robert?

White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte at the end of last week. Through three games with the Knights, he was 4 for 12 with a home run.

Then, he didn't play Sunday night, so I figured he was flying to Minnesota to join the team for its three-game series with the Twins starting Monday night.

After all, the Sox lost three out of four over the weekend to the Los Angeles Angels. They could use the help.

But no, Moncada is playing for Charlotte (again) on Monday night. Why? Who knows?

In other news from the farm, Zack Collins was named International League Batter of the Week. The left-handed slugger hit .538 (14 for 26) with eight runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs over seven games this week.

This is terrific news, as Collins has been swinging a hot bat since his demotion to Charlotte. Whatever adjustments he is making are working, and I'm in favor of his return to Chicago. Alas, it hasn't happened yet.

Given the Sox's struggles against even mediocre right-handed pitching of late, perhaps the lineup would look better with Moncada and Collins in it. Manager Rick Renteria continues to resort to Jon Jay batting cleanup against right-handed pitchers. This cannot continue.

And then there's Luis Robert, who homered twice Sunday night and homered again in Monday's game for Charlotte. Robert was batting .306 and slugging .639 in 33 games coming into Monday night, and this latest home run is his 12th since his promotion from Double-A Birmingham.

I just don't see what Robert has left to prove in Triple-A. I hope we see him -- and Collins -- in Chicago sooner rather than later. It's time to get ready for 2020, and those two men need to be part of it. 

Sox brass, unfortunately, seems more content to kill time with Jay, Ryan Cordell and Adam Engel all on the big league roster, not to mention Matt Skole, Welington Castillo and Ryan Goins. Well, I guess Goins is making a case to be around in 2020, but the rest of these guys are just filler.

At what point does this rebuild move on from roster filler?

Harold Baines Day at Guaranteed Rate Field

In the American League, a team needs good production from its designated hitter. The 2019 White Sox don't get anything from their DHs, who have combined to post a .178/.264/.301 slash line this season.

That makes you appreciate the career of Harold Baines a little more, doesn't it? Baines was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year, and the Sox honored him for his achievement this past Sunday before a game against the Oakland A's.

Baines prepares to speak at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Humble as always, Baines spoke softly, for four minutes and 43 seconds, thanking his family, former teammates, the Sox organization and its fans.

The ceremony also featured speeches by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa and two of Baines' closest friends and former teammates, Ron Kittle and Ozzie Guillen.

Other Sox Hall of Famers were on hand, including Frank Thomas, Tim Raines, Jim Thome and Carlton Fisk.

Among the other former Sox players present were Robin Ventura, Dan Pasqua, Ron Karkovice and John Cangelosi.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to attend this game, because the highlights of Baines' career shown on the scoreboard took me back to my childhood in the 1980s. Baines' best years with the Sox were from 1982-89, when he made four All-Star teams. Sure, the Sox weren't very good in those years -- except for 1983 -- but Baines was the best player on the team during the days when I was becoming a Sox fan and learning about baseball.

Baines' election to the Hall has been shrouded in controversy. Some people don't think he belongs, and to be honest, if I had a vote, I'm not sure I would have voted for him. That said, as a Sox fan, I refuse to apologize for being happy for Baines and his family. He was an outstanding player, and he's well-respected by any person he has ever been around.

And when I went to the Hall of Fame this summer, I enjoyed some of the Baines memorabilia on display. Take this locker of stuff:

Here's the bat Baines used to hit that famous home run in the 25th inning on May 9, 1984, against the Milwaukee Brewers:

Check out this old-school edition of Baseball Digest. I subscribe to this magazine, and did so when I was a kid, as well. I'm pretty sure I received this edition in the mail as a youngster:

Here's the poster next to the Baines' locker, detailing his career highlights:

And, of course, here's the plaque that will hang in Cooperstown, N.Y., forever. Not a replica, folks:

Congrats, Harold, and thanks for the memories!

James McCann's grand slam gives White Sox series win over Houston Astros

James McCann

James McCann hit a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, lifting the White Sox to a 13-9 win in a wild slugfest against the Houston Astros.

With the victory, the Sox took two out of three in the series and won the season series from the American League West-leading Astros, 4 games to 3.

So much for my concern about the Sox pitching staff needing to cover 27 innings in about 24 hours against a powerful Houston offense.

The Sox caught a break in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, when Houston pitcher and Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole could not make his start after straining his hamstring warming up in the bullpen.

To the Sox's credit, they took advantage and won that game, with their own starting pitcher (Ivan Nova) tossing a complete game. It is always a boost for a team when a pitcher steps up and throws all nine innings of a game on a day where you're playing a doubleheader. Bullpen saved.

Here's a look back at the Sox's surprising and satisfying series win:

Tuesday, Aug. 13
Astros 6, White Sox 2 (Game 1): It was a mixed bag for Sox starter Dylan Cease, who threw a quality start. He worked six innings, allowing four runs (only two earned) against a good team, and when he left the mound after facing one hitter in the seventh inning, the Sox were only down 3-2. He absolutely gave his team a chance to win.

And the third and fourth (unearned) runs on his tab were both the fault of catcher Welington Castillo, who had three passed balls, two of which allowed runs to score.

On the down side, Cease (2-5) walked five and struck out two, and you can only pitch around walks for so long until the opposition scores runs. I don't think Cease had the fairest strike zone from the home plate umpire, and he got no help from his catcher, but he can pitch better.

The Sox managed only two runs off Houston's Zack Greinke (12-4), who pitched six innings to earn the win.

Tuesday, Aug. 13
White Sox 4, Astros 1 (Game 2): Nova was the story. He needed only 104 pitches to complete the game. He allowed four hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter. He retired 17 of the last 18 men he faced in a game that took two hours, 21 minutes to play.

Over his past four starts, Nova (8-9) is 4-0 with a 0.49 ERA. Obviously, regression is coming, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy this Nova hot streak while it lasts and pray management doesn't reward him with a multiyear contract extension. This was his best start in a Sox uniform, bar none.

As mentioned, Cole was unable to make his start, and the Sox victimized emergency Houston starter Chris Devenski (1-2) for three runs in the bottom of the second inning. All the runs came with two outs, one on a single by Adam Engel and two more on a single by Ryan Goins.

The Sox added a fourth run in the fourth on a two-out RBI double by Ryan Cordell. Nova took it from there, and it was nice to see the Sox come through with some two-out hitting.

Wednesday, Aug. 14
White Sox 13, Astros 9: Speaking of two-out hitting, McCann was down 0-2 in the count when he drove a slider from Ryan Pressly into the right-field bullpen for a grand slam that broke a 9-9 tie in the eighth inning.

Pressly (2-3) is one of the Astros' better relievers. He entered the day with a 1.94 ERA, but he gave up singles to Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson, and walked Jose Abreu, ahead of the big hit by McCann.

It is good to see the Sox catcher using right field again, something he wasn't doing throughout a monthlong slump in July.

This was a wild, back-and-forth game. Houston was up 2-0. The Sox went ahead 4-2. Houston tied it at 4. The Sox went ahead 7-4, and then 8-5. The Astros made it 8-7. Then Eloy Jimenez homered for the Sox to make it 9-7. Jose Altuve answered with a two-run blast to tie it for the Astros.

But the last big hit of the day went to McCann. For a change, the Sox hitters picked up the relief pitchers, who struggled in this game. Jimmy Cordero, Aaron Bummer and Evan Marshall combined to give up five runs over 2.2 innings.

But Alex Colome (4-2) got five outs for the win. He extricated the Sox from a bases-loaded situation in the eighth, and then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to close it out.

Expect the White Sox to get off to a cold start in 2020 (literally)

So, here's the White Sox's 2020 schedule.

You know what stands out the most? The first nine games are all in cold-weather cities -- between March 26 and April 5.

The Sox have their earliest home opener ever, March 26 against the Kansas City Royals. After that three-game home series, they go on a six-game road trip. They will face the Cleveland Indians from March 30 to April 1, and the Boston Red Sox from April 2 to 5.

Brrrrrr.

How many of those nine games do you suppose will get rained out, snowed out or colded out? Hopefully, the Sox get those three home games in against Kansas City. They may win two out of three in that series, but it shapes up as a tough start to the year with Cleveland and Boston on the first trip -- both in terms of weather and strength of opponent.

But here's some good news about the schedule: The crosstown home games are on weeknights (July 7 and 8), so hopefully they won't be part of my 20-game ticket plan next season! Unfortunately, the Sox are playing the Cubs on my birthday for the second straight year (July 7), so that means I won't be watching the game. Now that I don't work for a newspaper any longer, and don't have to care about the Cubs, I generally ignore them -- even when they play the Sox.

Other interleague games are against the National League West. And, of course, the Field of Dreams game against the New York Yankees on Aug. 13 is intriguing. 

It begs the question, will Sox fans drive all the way to Iowa to watch their team get overmatched by New York?