Dylan Cease throws no-hitter for San Diego Padres

Perhaps my most enjoyable moment of the 2024 baseball season occurred Thursday afternoon. No, it wasn't anything pertaining to the White Sox losing their 11th consecutive game.  

Actually, I turned the Sox game off to watch former Chicago ace Dylan Cease pursue history. Much to my delight, Cease finished off his first career no-hitter, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals, 3-0.

The 28-year-old right-hander threw a career-high 114 pitches, striking out nine and walking three. Sox fans probably recall that Cease previously came within one out of a no-hitter on Sept. 3, 2022, against the Minnesota Twins.

I was in attendance at that game. Unfortunately, Minnesota's Luis Arraez broke up that bid with a single to right-center. Cease then struck out Kyle Garlick to finish off a one-hit shutout. Even though the Sox won that game resoundingly, I remember being so disappointed leaving the stadium and walking back to my car.

Even though Cease no longer pitches for my favorite team, I was nervous for him when he got to two outs in the ninth. When Washington's CJ Abrams hit a soft liner to right field, I think I yelled at the TV, "Catch it! Catch it!"

Sure enough, San Diego right fielder Bryce Johnson made the play for the final out.

Cease is now 10-8 with a 3.50 ERA for the Padres this season. As usual, he's been durable, making 22 starts to this point. His numbers may not be spectacular, but they are solid. I imagine San Diego is happy it acquired him in a five-player deal with the Sox shortly before this season began.

In recent starts, it seems as though Cease has regained the dominance he had in 2022, when he finished second in the American League in Cy Young voting. 

Over his past three outings, Cease is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Hard to beat that, right? He's thrown 22 innings in that span, and he's given up a grand total of two hits. 

No, that's not a misprint. He's given up only two hits in his past three starts, striking out 30 and walking only four. Just outstanding.

Sarah Langs tweeted Thursday that Cease has six outings this season of six-plus innings with zero or one hit allowed. That's two more than anyone else in a season since 1901, Langs wrote.

When Cease is on, good luck to opposing batters.

It's really sad for Sox fans that they don't get to enjoy his top-level pitching anymore. But hey, how about Drew Thorpe? At least the main guy the Sox got in the Cease deal has pitched well as a rookie, having totaled five consecutive quality starts.

But that's still not as fun as a no-hitter, you know?

Luis Robert Jr. or Garrett Crochet? You can only keep one

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is July 30. For the second straight season, the White Sox will be active sellers. As many as seven or eight players could be somewhere other than Chicago by this time next week.

Of course, the two biggest potential trade chips are left-handed All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

We don't have a crystal ball here at The Baseball Kid, so we won't pretend to know what comes next. Both Robert and Crochet could be dealt, or both of them could still be here for the final two months of the season.

But, as a hypothetical exercise, if you could only keep one of Robert and Crochet, and you had to trade the other, who would you keep? 

Conventional wisdom would probably say keep the position player, not the starting pitcher. After all, your center fielder plays every day, and theoretically, he can lift you to victory at any given time. Your ace starter plays only once every five days. Therefore, there's only so much impact he can make.

So, keep Robert, right? After all, he's the only player on the Sox who is competent both offensively and defensively.

I understand that point, but I'm going to go against the grain here. I'd keep Crochet.

Power lefties such as Crochet are hard to come by. He just turned 25 years old. He's already gotten his inevitable Tommy John surgery out of the way, and he looks like a guy who is going to be in Cy Young contention over the next few years.

He's really surprised me in his first full year as a starting pitcher. Despite all the talk of innings limits, he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, 21 outings into his season. He leads the American League in strikeouts with 157, and he's second in baseball behind some guy named Dylan Cease (159 Ks). Remember him?

But I digress. The other thing I like about Crochet is he has a WHIP of 0.970 in 111.1 innings. For a starting pitcher to have a WHIP under 1.00, that's really impressive. And he has only 25 walks against those 157 strikeouts. That's a 6.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio. I like pitchers who throw strikes, strike people out and don't put many people on base.

Pitchers like that are cornerstones, not trade chips.

I can hear you know, "Oh, but Jerry Reinsdorf will never sign him."

Let me say this as gently as possible: Screw Jerry. Too many fans are OK with the Sox making bad baseball decisions because Jerry is a cheap old miser who is too evil to die.

Crochet still has two more years of team control. You don't have to sign him or trade him now. So don't force the issue.

What about Robert, you say? Well, he's still a prodigious talent, but the combination of injuries and poor decision-making on the field -- especially his swing decisions at the plate -- has given me pause about whether he's really a player you build around.

Robert finally played a full season -- 145 games -- in 2023, and he had a breakout year, delivering 38 home runs. But that's the only season of his career in which he's topped 100 games.

A strained hip flexor caused him to miss two months here in 2024. He was playing in just his 49th game of the season Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers. In his first 48 games, he put up a pedestrian slash line of .227/.300/.464. 

Sure, he's got 12 homers, and he'll wow you with that power. And when he's focused in the field, he's a Gold Glove center fielder. But with the team out of the pennant race, we've seen some terrible defensive lapses from him, and he's still swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone. When is he going to fix that weakness? Maybe never.

Robert has struck out a remarkable 67 times through his first 48 games. When he's right at the plate, he's something to watch, but when he's off, he's prone to long slumps, and he's basically an automatic out.

On a good team, Robert is somebody who bats sixth and maybe finishes off a rally with an extra-base hit. He can certainly help a team, but for me, he's not THE GUY.

Crochet is trending toward being THE GUY in a starting rotation, and that's why I'd keep him over Robert if I had to choose one.

Happy 4th of July from The Baseball Kid

 

Futility marks in sight as White Sox hit halfway mark

The White Sox hit the halfway point of this miserable season Tuesday with a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The loss leaves the Sox at 21-60. The great thing about the halfway point of the season is it becomes easy math to figure out what pace teams and players are on -- simply multiply by two.

That means the Sox are on pace to go 42-120 this season.

Old-timers will recall that the 1970 White Sox hold the franchise record for losses in a season. That team went 56-106.

That means the Sox would need to go 35-46 in the second half of the season just to equal the worst club in the 124-year history of the franchise.

Do you see that happening? Nope, me neither.

The worst team in modern baseball history was the 1962 New York Mets. They were an expansion team that went 40-120. 

The worst team in my lifetime, which dates back to 1976, was the 2003 Detroit Tigers. They went 43-119.

Basically, the Sox are a mortal lock to become the worst team in franchise history, and they are right on pace to finish in the same ballpark with the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Tigers -- the two worst clubs that anyone alive has seen.

I've heard some Sox fans say they want the team to set these futility records, so that this level of losing becomes part of owner Jerry Reinsdorf's legacy.

I understand that perspective, but here's the thing: Reinsdorf doesn't care, and he'll be dead pretty soon. This isn't going to stick to him.

But if you're a Sox fan, if indeed this team loses 120 games or more, you'll be hearing about this for the rest of your life. 

I think it's going to happen, but I'd rather not see it. There's no particular benefit to setting a record for most losses. Would it humiliate Reinsdorf into running the franchise better? I don't believe so.

Pedro Grifol's presence is proof that Jerry Reinsdorf has given up

Does anyone have a good baseball reason why Pedro Grifol is still employed as White Sox manager? 

The Sox lost again Thursday afternoon, 5-3 to the Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field. That drops their 2024 record to 20-56. 

This, on the heels of last year's 61-101 campaign. That leaves Grifol with a 81-157 record, which will pencil out to a less-than-robust .340 winning percentage. 

There's a temptation to say it can't get any worse, except it can, and it will -- because Grifol still has a job and will probably remain Sox manager for the remainder of this godawful season.

Bob Nightengale isn't necessarily my favorite national baseball writer, but we've seen through the years that his information on the Sox is pretty good. When it comes to the thinking in the front office on the South Side, you can trust Nightengale.

I've got the print edition of his recent column by my side, and here's what he wrote:

"The White Sox believe it would make no sense to bring in and pay another manager when the team’s fate isn’t going to change no matter who’s in the dugout. Grifol is in the second year of a three-year contract for about $3 million. The White Sox are expected to reassess this winter to determine whether a managerial change is needed."

"The team's fate isn't going to change no matter who's in the dugout."

OK, it is true that the roster is bad, trades are coming, and this team is going to lose more than it wins the rest of the season. That point is not in dispute.

But those of us who watch this team daily are tired of seeing the lethargic, sloppy play under Grifol. Defense was a huge point of emphasis this offseason. Guess what? The Sox rank last in baseball in defensive runs saved. The baserunning and situational hitting remain terrible. These are the things we were told would improve. If anything, they've gotten worse.

There are 86 games left in the season. That means there are 86 chances for the Sox to get better. No, the overall record isn't going to be good at the end of the year, but what sense does it make to squander this time playing under the direction of a "leader" who has proven that he cannot get the best out of his players? What exactly is Grifol going to improve?

What we're witnessing right now is not Major League Baseball, yet the Sox continue to charge the fans Major League prices for tickets. No wonder nobody is going. I haven't been to a game this season, and I have no intention of going. It's a waste of time and money.

And for the record, I've attended 366 Sox games over the past 19 years. So I don't want hear any shit about how "fair-weather" Sox fans supposedly are. I've sat through plenty of losing games and losing seasons, but the breaking point comes when the team stops trying.

Grifol's presence here is proof that owner Jerry Reinsdorf has given up. I'm not even blaming general manager Chris Getz for the lack of change on the bench. I think Getz wants to fire Grifol, but Reinsdorf won't let him because that would require "paying two managers" or whatever.

What fans want is an acknowledgement that team brass sees what we see, and that's an effort that is completely and utterly unacceptable on most days. 

This is a disgrace of a team, yet the Sox are sitting there saying, "No point in changing anything. We suck regardless. Oh well."

If the Sox don't care, why should you or I?

3 straight good outings for Jonathan Cannon

Jonathan Cannon received his first opportunity to pitch in the big leagues in April. It did not go well.

The 23-year-old right-hander made three starts for the White Sox during his initial recall, going 0-1 with a 7.24 ERA. He allowed 11 runs on 20 hits over 13.2 innings pitched.

He was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte, where he made a couple of changes to his grip on his sinker and changeup. The result has been more velocity on his sinker, and more downward action on his change.

Since being recalled to Chicago earlier this month, Cannon has had three straight good outings.

He earned his first career save June 7 against Boston, when he tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts in a 7-2 win over the Red Sox.

Cannon returned to the starting rotation June 12 at Seattle. He threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing only four hits -- including a solo home run in the seventh -- with seven strikeouts and one walk. That resulted in a no-decision as the Sox lost, 2-1, in 10 innings.

Then came Tuesday, when the former third-round draft pick fired 8.2 shutout innings against the Houston Astros. He allowed seven hits, but only one walk, with four strikeouts. Seventy of his 106 pitches were for strikes, and he picked up his first career win as the Sox prevailed, 2-0.

This game very easily could have been a complete-game shutout. Cannon retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the ninth inning, and he was one out away from finishing it off. Alas, a check-swing single by Jon Singleton and a ground ball with eyes off the bat of Mauricio Dubon put the tying runs on base for Houston with two outs.

At that point, Sox manager Pedro Grifol made a pitching change, with a chorus of boos cascading down upon him. Grifol has been rightfully criticized for many things, but this was the correct move. You don't let Cannon lose the game after how well he pitched, and John Brebbia is paid $5 million per season to get outs in relief.

Indeed, Brebbia retired Victor Caratini on a routine grounder to first base to earn his second save of the season.

Now, it's worth noting that Cannon faced a compromised Houston lineup that was missing its two biggest left-handed bats: Yordan Alvarez (personal reasons) and Kyle Tucker (leg contusion). It's also worth noting that it's only three outings, and all the usual caveats about small sample sizes apply.

But, Cannon is the first Sox pitching prospect to do much of anything with an opportunity so far in this lackluster season. Since his recall, he has an 0.52 ERA, and his season ERA is down to a respectable 3.34.

Is it possible that the changes he's made to his sinker and changeup will make him a viable big-league starter? Or is this just a hot streak from a fringe player?

At least it's something to monitor and talk about with the Sox (20-54) hopelessly buried in the standings.

Off-days not advantageous for White Sox

The White Sox did not play Monday. It is their 11th off-day of the season.

Seven of those 10 off-days were scheduled -- March 29, April 11, April 18, May 2, May 16, May 30 and June 3.

Three of those off-days occurred because of postponements -- April 3, April 16 and May 13.

Here are the results for the next game after each of those 10 off-days:

• March 30, 7-6 loss to Detroit
• April 4, 10-1 loss at Kansas City 
• April 12, 11-1 loss to Cincinnati
• April 17, 4-2 loss to Kansas City
• April 19, 7-0 loss at Philadelphia 
• May 3, 3-0 loss at St. Louis 
• May 14, 6-3 loss to Washington 
• May 17, 4-2 loss at N.Y. Yankees 
• May 31, 12-5 loss at Milwaukee
• June 4, 7-6 loss at Cubs 

Notice the pattern? Yes, it's 10 consecutive losses. The Sox are 0-10 the day after they've been given a day of rest. They've been outscored 71-26 in those games. 

Keep that in mind next time Sox announcer John Schriffen tries to tell you the team will benefit from a day off to "recharge the batteries."

The Sox will try to break this strange skid Tuesday, when they open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field.