Taking a vacation ...

Perhaps it's a foul for a baseball blogger to take a vacation with the trade deadline approaching, but I'm taking one anyway.

Blogging will resume Friday, Aug. 3. See you on the other side.

White Sox trade Joakim Soria to Brewers for two pitching prospects

Joakim Soria

Since May 21, Joakim Soria has a 0.74 ERA and has converted 12 of his 13 save opportunities.

I've been surprised that there wasn't more trade chatter surrounding him, given that he's been better lately than some of the other relief pitchers who already have been dealt this month (Zach Britton, Jeurys Familia).

The only Soria talk I've heard, frankly, has come from the Chicago press, which has been pleading with the Sox to help the Cubs out. The North Side closer, Brandon Morrow, is on the disabled list for the second time this season, and naturally, that leads the local writers to believe there was a "natural trade fit" between the two Chicago teams.

Meh. Not so much. The Cubs don't have a deep farm system, but the Brewers do.

And for that reason, the Sox on Thursday traded Soria to Milwaukee for left-handed pitcher Kodi Medeiros and right-hander Wilber Pérez.

More prospect pitching depth, to me, is what the Sox need most of all, so I can't object to this deal.

Medeiros, 22, was the Brewers' first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2014 draft. He's appeared in 20 games this season (15 starts) and has gone 7-5 with a 3.14 ERA.

Perez, 20, is 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in eight starts with the Dominican Summer League Brewers. The native of the Dominican Republic was signed by the Brewers as an international free agent in 2017.

It will be a few years before we know whether Perez will amount to anything, but Medeiros being left-handed and 22, he could help the Sox as soon as late 2019. Not sure that he projects as a starter, although he's still pitching as a starter, but there's always a need for left-handed bullpen guys.

We'll see. I think Soria will help the Brewers. He's been throwing the ball well for two months, and that's not a small sample size. He's having a good season. The Sox were hoping he would be good enough to be a midseason trade piece, and indeed he was.

In that regard, this was a plan that came together.

Last time through the rotation good for White Sox

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox (36-64) have surprised us coming out of the All-Star break by winning three of the first five games on a two-city, seven game West Coast road trip.

How have they been more competitive? Much better starting pitching. Each of the five men in the rotation has pitched a game since the break, and four out of the five have had strong outings. Three -- Dylan Covey, Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon -- earned victories.

Rodon (3-3) was outstanding in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. The left-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed only one hit through seven. When he walked off the mound with two men on and two men out in the bottom of the eighth, the Sox were leading 4-0.

Unfortunately, the Sox bullpen allowed both of Rodon's inherited runners to score, which marred his line. But the win is the most important thing, and Rodon got one.

Here's a look at the pitching lines by Sox starters over the past five games:

James Shields: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 1 BB
Covey: 8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 Ks, 2 BBs
Reynaldo Lopez: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 K, 4BBs
Giolito: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 Ks, 4 BBs
Rodon: 7.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 Ks, 3 BBs
Totals: 34 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 24 Ks, 14 BBs.

Only 21 hits for the opposition over 34 innings is an encouraging number. You'd like to see fewer than 14 walks, but most of the bases on balls have not hurt.

Sox starters have posted a 2.91 ERA over these five games. The only hiccup was Lopez's start, as he had a bad first inning and allowed five runs Sunday against Seattle. Subtract his start, and the other four guys have posted a 1.86 ERA.

I believe the starting pitcher sets a tone in a game, and things have gone better for the Sox this week because those guys have done a better job in a small sample size than they have throughout the season as a whole.

White Sox win one more than expected vs. Mariners

Back in olden times when the White Sox were fielding competitive teams, we used to say it was a good result when they took two out of three games in a series.

However, in these dark rebuilding times, I often find myself expecting the Sox to get swept in a series -- especially on the road against a possible playoff team.

So, I can't complain about the Sox (34-64) managing a victory over the Seattle Mariners (60-40) this weekend.

For this group, hey, one out of three ain't bad.

Friday, July 20
Mariners 3, White Sox 1: This game started out OK. The Sox got on the board in the first inning on doubles by Leury Garcia and Daniel Palka, but the bats went cold after that against Seattle starter Wade LeBlanc (6-1).

The Mariners' soft-tossing left-hander struck out 10 over 7.1 innings and allowed only four hits. Sox hitters apparently did not know he was throwing a steady diet of changeups, or they simply could not recognize them out of his hand.

We can't blame James Shields (4-11), who went seven innings and allowed two runs. We'll take that from the erstwhile veteran anytime.

Worth noting: Both Palka and Nicky Delmonico were in the starting lineup, while Matt Davidson sat on the bench against a left-handed starter. Makes you wonder whether Davidson's days on the roster are numbered. You wouldn't think two left-handed hitters would get starting nods ahead of him against a left-handed pitcher.

Saturday, July 21
White Sox 5, Mariners 0: Didn't see this one coming. Sox right-hander Dylan Covey had an 11.40 ERA over his previous five starts leading into the All-Star break. Apparently the time away did him some good, as Covey (4-5) pitched the best game of his career. He tossed 8.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Covey's velocity was back up to 95 or 96, with good sinking action. He also featured an effective curveball, which we had not seen in his previous starts. He was in command from start to finish, and that's not something we say often about Sox starting pitchers.

The Sox scored four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good, highlighted by Avisail Garcia's 3-run homer. It was Garcia's first game back from the disabled list, and he connected for his 10th home run of the season, this one coming off Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez (8-8), who pitched five innings and took the loss.

Sunday, July 22
Mariners 8, White Sox 2: No heartbreak in this loss. It was over early as Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (4-8) got shelled for five runs in the first inning on three hits and two walks. Ryon Healy hit the first of his two three-run homers to cap the rally for the Mariners.

That early lead was more than enough for Seattle lefty Marco Gonzales (11-5), who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Adam Engel singled and Tim Anderson homered to account for the only two Sox runs.

Healy added his other 3-run homer off Hector Santiago in the eighth inning to break a 5-2 game wide open.

The Sox fell to 7-17 this season against lefty starters, with both losses in this series coming against left-handers. Davidson was in the lineup Sunday, and he went 1 for 4 with a single. His average currently sits at .221.

White Sox option Charlie Tilson to Triple-A Charlotte

The White Sox on Wednesday optioned outfielder Charlie Tilson to Triple-A Charlotte.

Tilson was hitting .264/.331/.292 with 11 RBIs in 41 games with the Sox since being called up May 24. The batting average and on-base percentage are respectable, but Tilson only has two extra-base hits, resulting in that ghastly low slugging percentage.

The Sox will add an outfielder to the 25-man roster before Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners, and it's likely that one of Avisail Garcia or Nicky Delmonico will be returning from the disabled list.

Garcia has been out of action since July 8 with a strained right hamstring. The injury was not believed to be serious, and reports indicate he has been taking batting practice during the All-Star break. That said, Garcia will need to prove he can run the bases before being activated. Both of his hamstring injuries this season were suffered while running down the first-base line trying to beat out a ground ball.

Garcia was hitting .282/.297/.542 with nine home runs and 17 RBIs in 35 games at the time of his injury.

Delmonico has not played in the majors since May 18, when he broke a bone in his hand when he was struck by a pitch. He has been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, during which he has hit .400/.500/.600 with four doubles and two RBIs in five games.

As a corner outfielder, Delmonico needs to hit for more power if he's going to stick. At the time of his injury, his slash line was .224/.333/.302 with only one home run and seven RBIs in 37 games.

White Sox (somehow) six games ahead of Royals at All-Star break

Leury Garcia

The first half of the season has been a disaster for the White Sox. They are 33-62, on pace for 106 losses, which would tie the club record set in 1970.

That's no small statement, because the Sox have been around since 1901, and they've only had three 100-loss seasons over those 117 years. We're looking at historic ineptness this summer.

Despite all that, the Sox somehow are not in last place at the All-Star break. In fact, they are six games ahead of the Kansas City Royals (27-68) in the AL Central, after winning two out of three games against the Royals over the weekend at Guaranteed Rate Field.

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

Friday, July 13
White Sox 9, Royals 6: This game had all the elements of a matchup between two teams that are a combined 70 games below .500. There was no shortage of poor pitching and sloppy defense.

The good part for the Sox: home runs by Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia and Omar Narvaez as part of a 14-hit attack. And James Shields (4-10) pitched into the seventh inning without allowing an earned run, although another error by Yoan Moncada in the second cost Shields two runs.

The Sox took a 7-2 lead into the seventh before Shields ran out of gas, and five relief pitchers were needed to cover the final seven outs. The Royals crawled within 7-6 with two outs in the eighth, and they had two men on base when Jorge Bonifacio flied to the warning track in center field for the third out.

Fortunately, Narvaez delivered a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to provide some breathing room, which Joakim Soria ultimately did not need. The Sox reliever earned his 14th save by retiring the side in order, with two strikeouts, in the ninth.

Saturday, July 14
Royals 5, White Sox 0: The Sox went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base against Kansas City starter Danny Duffy (5-8) and two relievers. Duffy walked three and allowed four hits over seven shutout innings, and all of the Sox hits were singles.

Give Reynaldo Lopez (4-7) some credit. At least he went 7.2 innings, but he was victimized by two home runs -- one by Bonifacio in the first and the other by the final hitter he faced, Salvador Perez in the eighth.

It was a bad, boring game and one you can just flush away. Lopez forgot to throw a shutout, and the Sox bats were silent.

Sunday, June 15
White Sox 10, Royals 1: Sox bats were anything but silent in the final game of the series. Moncada had a big afternoon, 3 for 4 with three runs scored, and he finished a triple short of the cycle. Daniel Palka opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-run homer and also finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored. Garcia also had a three-hit game.

The support was plenty for Lucas Giolito (6-8), who allowed only two hits over 6.1 innings of shutout ball. He struck out eight and walked three.

For Giolito, the key inning was the first. He walked two and gave up a single to Perez, but Bonifacio was thrown out at the plate by 20 feet on that single, handing Giolito the second out of an inning in which he was struggling to find the plate. The Sox right-hander then struck out Lucas Duda to end the inning without giving up a run, despite throwing 30-plus pitches.

After that, Giolito settled in and dominated the middle innings, while the Sox bludgeoned a ragtag collection of Kansas City relievers.

It was a bad first half, but at least it ended with a lopsided win. That gives everyone something positive to take with them for the four days off over the All-Star break.

Signs of a bad offense: Low OPS

So, I was looking at the White Sox hitting statistics, and with recent slumps by Jose Abreu, Matt Davidson and Daniel Palka -- and Avisail Garcia's return to the disabled list -- the Sox don't have a single hitter with an OPS at or above .800.

Here's what we're looking at for OPS on the current Sox roster:

Davidson: .776
Abreu: .746
Omar Narvaez: .740
Tim Anderson: .723
Yolmer Sanchez: .723
Palka: .711
Yoan Moncada: .710
Kevan Smith: .692
Leury Garcia: .678
Charlie Tilson: .640
Ryan LaMarre: .634
Adam Engel: .591

Yuck.

Well, the Kansas City Royals (26-66) are coming into Chicago this weekend. Maybe that will be the cure for what ails Davidson and other Sox hitters. We shall see.