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.

Carlos Rodon's ace-like stuff on display in win over Cardinals

Carlos Rodon

Carlos Rodon has been one of the most frustrating White Sox players over the past couple of seasons because he could be a star -- if he would just stop getting hurt.

Shoulder problems limited Rodon to 12 starts in 2017, and after undergoing surgery, he didn't return to the Sox rotation until June of this season -- he's made seven starts so far in 2018.

That said, Rodon (2-3) provided perhaps the best performance we've seen from any Sox pitcher this season Wednesday night. He pitched 7.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out seven in a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The victory ended a six-game losing streak for the Sox (31-61).

Rodon worked at a brisk pace and threw 66 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He kept Cardinals hitters off-balance by using all of his pitches -- 56 fastballs, 23 changeups, 25 sliders.

In short, it was an ace-like performance. Rodon acted as the stopper and showed a glimpse of what he could become -- if he could just stay on the mound for a full season.

Because Rodon has been a member of the Sox for four years, sometimes we forget he's still only 25 years old. He should just be reaching his peak years, and if he consistently could put it all together, it could be a huge shot in the arm for the Sox's struggling rebuild.

Gonzalez out for the season

No surprise here: Veteran right-hander Miguel Gonzalez is done for 2018 after doctors performed a labral repair and debridement on his pitching shoulder Wednesday.

Gonzalez made only three starts for the Sox this year and lost them all, with a 12.41 ERA to boot. Thank goodness that was only a one-year contract.

The 34-year-old's recovery time is expected to be 9 to 12 months. He's certainly thrown his last pitch for the Sox, and he might not pitch again in the major leagues.

White Sox designate Bruce Rondon for assignment, call up Jeanmar Gomez

Bruce Rondon

The White Sox were losing, 4-2, to the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth inning Tuesday when starting pitcher Dylan Covey left the mound.

The Sox ended up losing, 14-2. It wasn't all Bruce Rondon's fault, but a lot of it was.

Rondon threw 14 pitches, only two of them for strikes. He walked three batters, and three runs scored on his watch -- one on a bases-loaded walk and two on pitches that went all the way to the screen. It was all part of a seven-run inning for the Cardinals that put the game out of reach.

The final line for Rondon: 0.1 innings, 0 hits, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 Ks, 3 BBs.

It's hard to give up three runs without giving up a single hit, but Rondon managed to do it, after teammate Hector Santiago gave up a grand slam to Dexter Fowler and allowed all of the runners who were Rondon's responsibility to score.

As a result of this mess, Rondon was designated for assignment Wednesday, and right-hander Jeanmar Gomez's contract was purchased from Triple-A Charlotte, according to the Sox's Twitter account.

This move was overdue.

In his past 12 games, Rondon has allowed 19 runs, 18 hits and 15 walks in 7.2 innings. His season ERA is up to 8.49. This sort of incompetence cannot be tolerated even in a rebuilding year.

When Rondon steps on the mound, the game slows to a crawl and strikes thrown become a rarity. He can't even get enough people out to move games along in a losing cause. Remember this game on June 30? The Sox were trailing 6-4 in the eighth inning, but they ended up losing 13-4 after Rondon was charged with five earned runs in a third of an inning.

Frankly, Rondon should have been designated for assignment after that game, but we're talking about the Sox, who are historically slow to address problems. They gave Rondon five more appearances to try to right the ship, but now he's left them no choice but to try someone else.

White Sox clain Ryan LaMarre off waivers; Avisail Garcia back to the disabled list

Ryan LaMarre

The White Sox on Monday claimed outfielder Ryan LaMarre off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.

I took this move as an ominous sign, after Avisail Garcia left Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros with right hamstring tightness.

Sure enough, Garcia was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday. It is the second time this season the hamstring problem has sent him to the sidelines.

It's too bad, too, because Garcia was in the midst of one of the most torrid stretches of his career. He was hitting .333 with a 1.130 OPS in 72 plate appearances since returning to the lineup June 22.

The move is retroactive to Sunday, and with off-days Monday and Thursday and the four-day All-Star break coming up next week, it's possible Garcia only will miss five games. But, since this is the second time this injury has popped up this season, I wouldn't be optimistic about Garcia returning after the minimum 10 days.

Enter LaMarre, 29, who was hitting .263 with five doubles and eight RBIs in 43 games with the Twins this season. He was added to the 25-man roster and immediately activated. He isn't much of a hitter -- a .206 career average in 72 big-league games -- but he can competently handle any of the three outfield positions.

I'm sure the hope is LaMarre can be a better stopgap outfielder than Trayce Thompson was during Garcia's previous DL stint. It's not a high bar to clear, given that Thompson batted .116 in 48 games with the Sox.

The Sox (30-60) are on a five-game losing streak after losing eight out of 10 on a road trip to Texas, Cincinnati and Houston. They open a five-game homestand leading into the All-Star break Tuesday night. The St. Louis Cardinals are in town for a two-game set Tuesday and Wednesday. The Kansas City Royals are here Friday to Sunday for a three-game series.

Jose Abreu elected to start All-Star Game despite horrible slump

Jose Abreu

First baseman Jose Abreu will become the first White Sox position player to start for the American League All-Star team since Frank Thomas in 1996.

(The Sox have had three pitchers -- Esteban Loaiza, Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale -- start the midsummer classic in years since.)

I would be more excited for Abreu if he weren't in the midst of the worst slump of his normally consistent and admirable career. In fact, if we were having this conversation about Abreu on June 1, I would have wholeheartedly endorsed his candidacy to be the starting American League first baseman.

Through May, Abreu had posted a slash line of .298/.360/.522 with nine home runs and 19 doubles. Those figures basically are right on par with his career totals of .296/.353/.515.

However, you can't ignore his subpar June and horrible start to July.

Abreu is hitting only .175/.232/.289 over his past 30 games with just two home runs. At one point in time, he was on pace to set a new club record for doubles in a season, but as I type here July 9, Abreu has been stuck on 27 doubles since June 20. Over that same span, he only has two extra-base hits -- a home run on June 27 and a triple on July 1.

This prolonged slump has dragged his season slash line down to a very un-Abreu-like .259/.315/.448.

There have been a couple years in the past where perhaps Abreu should have gotten an All-Star start but did not, so maybe this is a bit of a makeup call, or a reward for career achievement.

And there's no question Abreu is benefiting from a weak crop of AL first basemen this year. Future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is out for the year. Eric Hosmer signed with the San Diego Padres last offseason and doesn't play in the American League anymore.

Who among AL first basemen really deserves the honor? Oakland's Matt Olson? Toronto's Justin Smoak? Both those men have good power numbers, but they are both .240 hitters. Boston's Mitch Moreland? I guess he's having a decent year, but does anyone really think he's a better player than Abreu?

I wouldn't say that any of these people are slam-dunk All-Stars, but somebody had to be chosen. Turns out Abreu got elected the starter, and Moreland was chosen as a reserve.

Hopefully, Abreu will find his swing sometime in the next week's worth of games. It would be nice to see him have a good showing July 17 in Washington.

White Sox pitchers keep on walking people

Joakim Soria

The White Sox walked the leadoff hitter with a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday night and got away with it.

Undeterred, they walked the leadoff hitter with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, too, and that time the Houston Astros made them pay, rallying for a 4-3 victory.

It capped a night full of walks by Sox pitchers. Carlos Rodon walked six over six innings, and somehow he managed to allow only two runs. Reliever Juan Minaya issued the aforementioned leadoff walk in the eighth, and closer Joakim Soria (0-3) walked two in the ninth and ended up taking the loss.

Walking opposing hitters has become a big part of the Sox's identity, and it's gotten beyond the point of frustration.

Sox pitchers lead the American League with 371 walks as a staff this season, and it's not close. Baltimore ranks a distant second with 308 walks.

This isn't a new problem either: The Sox led the American League with 632 walks issued during the 2017 season -- once again easily outdistancing the Orioles, who issued 579 walks.

Even in 2016, with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana anchoring the top of the rotation, the Sox's walk rate was too high. They were third in the league with 521 walks.

Handing out free baserunners to the opposition is not a recipe for success, especially because the Sox will never be confused with having a good defensive team. Between the walks and errors, self-inflicted wounds have contributed to most of the Sox's 57 losses this season (entering Friday's play).

I'm told that Don Cooper is one of the best pitching coaches in the game. I'm not sure I believe that bit of propaganda at this point, but if Cooper is so great, I call upon him to get the Sox pitching staff back in the strike zone with more frequency.

At the very least, the Sox need to make the opposition earn it more often.

White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey has turned back into a pumpkin

Remember that brief stretch of glory when people thought White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey was turning the corner as a major league pitcher?

In a period of five starts from May 23 to June 13, Covey went 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA. He beat Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox, 1-0, on June 8 at Fenway Park. He backed that up with a 3-2 victory over Trevor Bauer and the Cleveland Indians on June 13 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

There was a glimmer of hope, but it looks as though those days are gone.

Covey has gotten shelled over his past four starts. He's 0-3 with a 13.20 ERA. He's allowed 23 runs (22 earned) on 21 hits over 15 innings. He's walked 13 men and struck out only four over that ugly stretch.

The latest Covey implosion occurred Wednesday night. He retired the first nine men he faced against the Cincinnati Reds and took a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning. But, it all went astray the second time through the batting order, as seven of the first eight Reds hitters reached base in the fourth inning.

By the time all was said and done, Covey was removed from the game without finishing the inning, and the Sox trailed, 6-3. They went out to lose, 7-4, and dropped two out of three against the NL Central-worst Reds.

Under normal circumstances, Covey's spot in the starting rotation would be in jeopardy after a horrible stretch such as this. However, with no obvious choice to replace him, chances are he remains in the mix for now.

In the meantime, let's get the notion out of our heads that Covey is going to be some sort of long-term fixture as a starting pitcher. I started to hear that from some Sox fans when Covey was pitching well, and I never bought it.

We need to call Covey what he is: roster filler. He's here until the Sox minor league system produces somebody better. Nothing more, nothing less.

Avisail Garcia swinging the bat well on current White Sox road trip

Avisail Garcia

We can't say Avisail Garcia wasn't one of the players to blame for the White Sox's miserable start to the 2018 season.

Garcia went on the disabled list April 24 with a hamstring strain, and the Sox were 5-14 at that point. During those first 19 games, Garcia hit .233/.250/.315 with only one home run and four RBIs. Not good.

The former All-Star right fielder returned to the lineup June 22 and didn't produce much his first few games back. However, since June 26, we're seeing a different hitter.

Over his past eight games, Garcia is 16 for 39 (.410 batting average) with six home runs, two triples, two doubles, 11 runs scored and eight RBIs. He even drew his first walk of the season in 129 plate appearances Tuesday in the 12th inning of a 12-8 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

It was a victory Garcia played a major role in -- he homered twice, the second of which tied the game in the top of the ninth inning against Cincinnati closer Raisel Iglesias. Throughout his career, Garcia has struggled to drive good major league fastballs to his pull side, but he had no such trouble against Iglesias, blistering a 96 mph fastball into the second deck in left field.

In Monday's game, a 5-3 loss to the Reds, Garcia homered to right field. It's a promising development to see him using the whole field, and if he can continue to swing the bat well, perhaps he will revive the debate over whether he is the right fielder of the future, in addition to the right fielder of the present.

Grinder Bash 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field -- let's visit the home clubhouse

Grinder Bash, the White Sox's annual party for season-ticket holders, was sparsely attended Saturday, perhaps because this rebuilding team doesn't have many season-ticket holders anymore.

That's fine. More room for us, and for the first time (at least in the years I've attended this event), fans had access to the home clubhouse.

You can see Yoan Moncada's locker right behind me, near the front of the clubhouse. Not surprisingly, Moncada's locker is between those of Hector Santiago and Jose Abreu, whose locker is just out of frame to the right. The Sox obviously want Moncada hanging around a couple of the veteran Latino players who have been there and done that. Let's hope for the sake of the Sox's rebuild that young Yoan gets it going soon. His batting average is down to .221 entering Monday's play; his on-base percentage is down to .289.

Danny Farquhar's locker remain full and intact, even though he hasn't been around the team as much since suffering a life-threatening brain aneurysm during a game April 20 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Notably, Farquhar has a signed Frank Thomas jersey hanging in his locker. That's a pretty cool piece of memorabilia to have. I think the entire baseball community, not just the White Sox organization and its fans, wishes Farquhar well as he continues to recover from one of the scariest situations I've seen happen at a major league ballpark.

I probably found this funnier than it really is, but I got a kick out of seeing a suitcase in Juan Minaya's locker. This guy has been up and down between the Sox and Triple-A Charlotte all season, and I can't help but wonder if that suitcase is there just in case he gets another tap on the shoulder and another plane ticket to North Carolina. Well, actually, with the way Bruce Rondon has been pitching lately, perhaps Minaya's roster spot is safer than it's been at other points during the season.

Off in the corner, here is James Shields' locker. He has nobody to his left, and nobody to his right. Has he really earned all that personal space? Yeah, he's a veteran and all, but his record is 3-9. In the past, perhaps this roomy part of the clubhouse might have belonged to an accomplished Sox player such as, say, Paul Konerko. It seems as though Shields is the guy who currently gets the royal treatment, deserving or not. Or, perhaps they just make him sit in the corner for not being very good at pitching at this stage of his career.

Here's the view from behind home plate. If you ever want to feel small, go down on the field at a major league stadium on a non-game day when the ballpark is empty. You never realize just how big a place it is until you're down at field level.

One other interesting little note: On the wall in the Sox bullpen, the relief corps keeps track of the number of calls received from the dugout. During the 2017 season, there were 888 calls made to the bullpen during the 81 home games. It looks as though the Sox are on pace to exceed that total this season. So far, 502 calls have been made to the bullpen through 43 home games. That's an average of about 11.6 a game. That puts the Sox on pace for 945.6 calls over an 81-game period. Yes, these are rough days. By way of comparison, the calls during the 2013 season only numbered in the 400s. The 2013 Sox were a bad club -- 99 losses -- but starting pitching was the strength: Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Jake Peavy, the pre-injury Santiago, etc. These days, starting pitching is a weakness, and the bullpen is busy.

The other great thing about Grinder Bash: Free food and drinks, including beer, for those who choose to partake. As I said, the season-ticket base for the Sox is fewer in number than it has ever been, and those of us who have chosen to stick it out through this rebuild have earned a perk such as this.

When all is said and done, it might be one of the more enjoyable days at the ballpark in 2018. After all, we weren't walking back to our cars after a White Sox loss, which has so often been the case during this most trying of seasons.