Matt Foster unlikely hero for White Sox

The White Sox completed a sweep of the crosstown Cubs on Wednesday with a 4-3 victory at Wrigley Field. And just like we all expected, the hero of the game was ... Matt Foster? 

Yep, that's right, Matt Foster, the 27-year-old reliever who spent most of the 2021 season bouncing back and forth between Chicago and Triple-A Charlotte. And when Foster was in Chicago last season, he posted a 6.00 ERA and a 1.436 WHIP in 37 appearances.

Coming into spring training, he wasn't really in the plans. However, extended rosters and injuries created opportunity, and Foster made the team out of camp. 

And he's pitched really well in his opportunities in 2022. Coming into Wednesday night, he had allowed only one earned run in 11 innings across 10 appearances.

The assignment Foster received Wednesday night was his toughest yet. He was asked to clean up Aaron Bummer's mess in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Cubs had runners at first and third with one out, and the Sox were clinging to a 4-3 lead. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, the No. 2 and No. 3 batters in the Cubs' lineup, were due up.

Foster got Suzuki to foul out to first baseman Gavin Sheets on a fastball up and out of the zone. The Cubs' runner on first, Nick Madrigal, was going with the pitch, so perhaps that enticed Suzuki to swing at a pitch that was not a strike. No matter. Either way, it was the second out.

Happ followed, and on a 2-2 pitch, Foster aced him with fastball at the bottom of the zone and struck him out looking. Jam escaped. Lead perserved. Foster's ERA is down to 0.77.

Liam Hendriks worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his seventh save in eight opportunities. That allowed Lucas Giolito (1-1) to pick up his first victory of the season. The right-hander allowed three runs across 5.2 innings, but he struck out 10 Cubs batters.

Jose Abreu (3rd of the season) and Leury Garcia (2nd of the season) homered for the Sox, who overcame an early 3-1 deficit. Sheets had a two-out RBI single in the fourth to tie the game. AJ Pollock had a two-out RBI single in the sixth that put the South Siders ahead for good.

The Sox are now 11-13. The Cubs drop to 9-15.

Stop the presses: White Sox finally win 2 in a row

Tim Anderson

The White Sox have won two games in a row for the first time since April 15-16, as they defeated the crosstown Cubs, 3-1, on a rainy Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

This was not a good night to be a hitter. The game-time temperature was 45 degrees. The wind was blowing in from left field at 23 mph, and most of the game was played in a persistent rain.

You know that whole urban myth about how the Cubs sell out every game? Yeah, no, not tonight. The announced attendance was 34,206, but I'd be willing to bet they didn't have even half that many people there. And who can blame fans from staying away from this one?

Both the Sox and the Cubs are off to poor starts this season, and you might say these March-like conditions during the first week of May are less than ideal for baseball.

Anyway, the Sox got all the runs they needed in the first three innings. They scored two in the second. Jake Burger's infield single scored Jose Abreu, who had reached on an error earlier in the inning. Reese McGuire's safety squeeze bunt scored Adam Engel, who had doubled.

In the third inning, Tim Anderson connected for his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox ahead 3-0. Anderson drive off Keegan Thompson landed in the right-field seats, which is the direction you needed to hit it to get one out of Wrigley on this night. Anything to left field wasn't going anywhere.

Sox pitching did the rest, with six players combining on a six-hitter. Michael Kopech worked four scoreless, but inefficient, innings. He was removed with a man at first base and no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. He had thrown 83 pitches at that point.

Reynaldo Lopez (3-0) relieved and got a double play and a strikeout out of the two batters he faced. For that, he earned his third victory of the season.

Jose Ruiz allowed the lone Cubs run in the sixth. But Aaron Bummer, Matt Foster and Liam Hendriks each worked 1-2-3 innings with one strikeout each, as the Cubs surrendered relatively quietly in the late innings.

For Hendriks, it was his sixth save in seven opportunities. The Sox are 10-13. The Cubs are 9-14. The two teams play one more time in this brief two-game set Wednesday night.

Dylan Cease pitches better than he ever has

Dylan Cease

Here's my hot take for the day: Dylan Cease, not Eloy Jimenez, is the most productive player the White Sox acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs.

While Jimenez (torn hamstring) is injured for the third season in a row, Cease is the best starting pitcher the Sox have right now. The right-hander has made five starts this season, and the Sox are 4-1 in those games -- given that the team is 9-13, almost half their wins have come in Cease starts.

On Monday, Cease (3-1) had the best start of his career. He worked seven dominant innings against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing only one hit and two base runners in a 3-0 victory. He struck out 11 and walked nobody, including three strikeouts of the best player on the planet, Mike Trout.

Cease threw 93 pitches, 64 of them for strikes. And given that he had 11 strikeouts, you would think he would have gotten a ton of swings and misses, right? Not really. The Angels swung and missed 11 times. However, they took 20 called strikes and seemed totally off balance, as Cease had all four of his pitches working.

On fastballs, Cease got seven called strikes and seven whiffs. His slider produced eight called strikes and one whiff. His knuckle curve produced three called strikes and three whiffs. He also got two called strikes on his changeup.

All total, 31 of his 93 pitches produced either a called strike or a swing and miss. That's 33%, and at the major league level, anything over 30% qualifies as dominant. No Angels player reached third base against him. Cease's season ERA is down to 2.48.

There was more good news for the Sox on the pitching front Monday, as Liam Hendriks looked like his former dominant self for the first time all season.

Hendriks earned his fifth save in six opportunities, striking out Taylor Ward, Brandon Marsh and Trout in succession to close the game. He needed only 12 pitches to retire the side.

He threw fastball-fastball-slider to Ward, who is batting .390 and has been one of the league's best hitters so far. But in this at-bat, Ward was out on three pitches and basically had no chance.

Marsh struck out on four pitches -- fastball, fastball, slider, slider -- and he was lucky to check his swing on a 0-2 slider. On the 1-2 slider, he swing and missed.

Trout stayed in there for five pitches, but he also fanned on a Hendriks slider. In previous outings, Hendriks was a one-pitch pitcher; it was fastball or bust. When opposing batters have to worry about his slider, that's when he finds his dominant form. We saw it Monday; the Sox need more of that.

 

Is it time for the White Sox to cut Dallas Keuchel?

White Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel has faced 82 batters through his first four starts of the 2022 season. Thirty-five of them have reached base either by a hit or a walk.

That means opposing batters have a .427 on-base percentage against Keuchel. It's stating the obvious, but this is not good.

Keuchel (1-3) took the loss in the latest South Side debacle, a 6-5 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. He allowed four earned runs on six hits over five innings, while striking out only one and walking five (!). His ERA is 8.40.

We know the Sox are reluctant to release high-salaried players in the middle of the season, but such a move is not unprecedented. John Danks, another left-handed starter, was designated for assignment after making four starts in the 2016 season. Danks, like Keuchel, was in the last season of a lucrative contract at the time.

Earlier Sunday, Jordan Lazowski from Sox on 35th tweeted a helpful comparison:

2016 John Danks after four starts: 22.1 IP, 7.25 ERA, 6.10 FIP, 16 SO, 11 BB  

2022 Dallas Keuchel after four starts: 15.0 IP, 8.40 ERA, 6.78 FIP, 8 SO, 11 BB 

Danks was owed $14.25 million in 2016. Keuchel is owed $18 million this season. But as you can see from the numbers, Keuchel is actually pitching worse now that Danks was when he was designated in 2016.

Why would now be a good time to cut losses with Keuchel? Well, the Sox don't need a fifth starter until May 10.

Dylan Cease is pitching in Monday's series finale against the Angels. Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito are lined up to pitch Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cubs.

Then comes an off day Thursday before a three-game series in Boston. Vince Velasquez could pitch Friday, having gotten an extra day of rest. Then Cease and Kopech could pitch on regular rest to finish that series.

The Sox come home May 9 to open a series with the Cleveland Guardians, and Giolito would be available on regular rest.

By May 10, perhaps veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto will be ready to pitch in the majors. Cueto is ramping up at Triple-A Charlotte, and he pitched four innings of one-hit, shutout ball with six strikeouts and no walks (!) in his last appearance.

If Cueto is not ready, the Sox still have other options for that fifth spot. How about using Reynaldo Lopez as an opener, and backing him up with Tanner Banks? 

There is a great chance that Keuchel is going to be out of the rotation anyway when Lance Lynn (knee surgery) rejoins the team, likely in late May. But why wait that long?

The Sox are 8-13 and already 4.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. It's time to think about moving some underperforming players out of the way, and Keuchel tops that list.

White Sox add Joe Kelly, Josh Harrison, Vince Velasquez

Joe Kelly

None of these additions are likely to tip the balance of power in the American League, but the White Sox made three moves over the weekend to fortify their depth.

Right-handed reliever Joe Kelly is coming to Chicago on a two-year deal, and veteran infielder Josh Harrison has agreed to a one-year deal. Right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez also has reportedly agreed to terms. 

A few thoughts on each signing:

Kelly: If it's postseason experience you seek, Kelly has it in abundance. He's pitched in the playoffs for seven straight seasons and eight times in the 11 years he's been in the league. He's appeared in the World Series three times and owns two championship rings. 

Kelly made 48 appearances with the Dodgers in 2021, going 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA. In 44 innings, he produced a ground-ball rate of 58.9% and a strikeout rate of 27.5%. He features a high-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss curve, and he only gave up three home runs last season. The Sox tend to like relievers who throw grounders and suppress home runs, especially playing in hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field. In that context, this addition is not a surprise.

The Sox bullpen is getting a little crowded, however. Kelly joins Liam Hendriks, Craig Kimbrel, Kendall Graveman, Aaron Bummer and Garrett Crochet as relievers likely to make the Opening Day roster -- barring a trade of Kimbrel. That leaves Ryan Burr, Jose Ruiz, Reynaldo Lopez and the aforementioned Velazquez competing for what is likely to be two spots. Burr is the unlucky one with options remaining.

Harrison: I guess the 34-year-old veteran in the starting second baseman? Harrison is probably best suited for a utility role at this stage of his career, but throw him in the mix with Leury Garcia, Danny Mendick and Romy Gonzalez as players competing for playing time at second.

Harrison played decently for the Washington Nationals in both 2020 and 2021, posting a .291/.363/.431 slash over 123 games. The .363 on-base percentage jumps out at me -- I would take that right now if Harrison could provide that. At the trade deadline last season, the Nationals sent Harrison to Oakland as part of a fire sale. He batted an uninspiring .254/.296/.341 as the Athletics missed the playoffs.

Harrison can also play third base and stand in an outfield corner, if necessary. The guess here is he plays a lot at second base. The hope is he'll play good defense and add some on-base ability to the bottom of the lineup. But I've already expressed my skepticism.

Velazquez: Here are Velazquez's ERA for the past five seasons ... 5.13, 4.85, 4.91, 5.56, 6.30 ... yikes. I don't know about this move. Velazquez has what they call "arm talent," meaning he throws hard. But he's never been able to establish a secondary pitch, causing plenty of frustrating for Philadelphia fans over his six years and 116 starts with the Phillies.

Did the Sox need to make a move to fortify their rotation depth? Absolutely. It would have been nice to see them trade for, say, Chris Bassitt, who was traded from Oakland to the New York Mets, or Sean Manaea, another member of the Oakland rotation who is reportedly on the trade block.

Alas, the Sox have the 30th-ranked farm system in baseball, so maybe they don't have the trade capital to make such a move. Hence, you end up signing a guy such as Velazquez as insurance against injury.

Carlos Rodon signs two-year deal with San Francisco Giants

Carlos Rodon

Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon officially parted ways with the White Sox on Friday, agreeing to a two-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Rodon, 29, is coming off the best season of his seven-year career, all of which has been spent with the Sox. In 2021, he went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 24 starts, earned the first All-Star appearance of his career and pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on April 14. He finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.

Still, injuries plagued Rodon, limiting him to just seven starts (including one in the postseason) after Aug. 1. Health has been a problem for the veteran left-hander throughout his career. He pitched 132.2 innings last season, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it's actually good by Rodon's standards. That was his highest total of innings pitched since 2016, when he threw a career-best 165 innings.

Perhaps it was those durability concerns that led the Sox to not offer Rodon the one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer before the start of the lockout.

Turns out, that decision by the Sox worked in Rodon's favor, as he received more on the open market. The Giants will pay him $21.5 million in 2022, and $22.5 million in 2023. The deal has an opt-out clause that can be activated after this season.

My reaction: I'm glad Rodon did not sign anywhere else in the AL Central, especially with the pitching-starved Minnesota Twins. I'm also glad he did not sign with the crosstown Cubs. History tells us he will deal with injuries again, but when he's healthy enough to pitch, he can be very effective.

Last season, he was the best pitcher in the AL the first half of the season. It won't be easy to replace those 132.2 quality innings. But, with Rodon in San Francisco, Sox fans can still cheer for him if he does well, because any success he has in the NL West is unlikely to bring harm to the Sox.

No doubt, the Sox front office will receive some criticism for not tendering Rodon a qualifying offer, as the team now will not receive any draft pick compensation.

Right now, the Sox rotation looks like this: Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, Dallas Keuchel and Michael Kopech. If anyone gets injured, Reynaldo Lopez is the next man up. We'll see if there are any further additions now that the lockout has been lifted.

For as long as the lockout lasts ...

 ... this blog will remain silent.

If Major League Baseball doesn't want to have a season, then I have nothing to say. I'm interested in games, not the competitive balance tax.