Eloy Jimenez's agents could file grievance against White Sox

Eloy Jimenez

White Sox outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez should be in the major leagues right now.

Jimenez has nothing left to do at the Triple-A level, and he has the .365/.406/.604 slash line in 51 games with the Charlotte Knights to prove it.

Jimenez's agents openly wondered in an interview with Fancred Sports' Jon Heyman why their client has yet to be called to Chicago. They are accusing the Sox of prioritizing service time considerations over MLB readiness. A grievance could be filed.

Frankly, I agree with Jimenez's agents, and I'm annoyed by Sox fans who are lining up behind management. This is ridiculous. I don't care about the 2025 payroll. I care about my team getting better and winning some games.

I'm a fan, not a front office dweeb, and I want the Sox to put the best team on the field on a daily basis. For me, that means Jimenez should be playing left field and batting either third or fourth on the South Side of Chicago this weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

I have no interest, NONE, in trying to save owner Jerry Reinsdorf money a few years down the road.

If young players such as Jimenez and Michael Kopech do what the Sox and their fans hope they will do, they will deserve to make more money somewhere down the road. I don't begrudge them that.

Not to mention, the Sox would be slowing Jimenez's development by not letting him face major league pitching in September. Let him see how he matches up now, and then he can assess the things he needs to work on going into the 2019 season.

I see no reason for the Sox to "punt" the 2019 season. The AL Central is weak, and if everything goes right, hey, maybe they can be a surprised contender. But that will not happen if they are going to hold back prospects who are ready in order to manipulate service time.

Enough of this stuff. Call up Jimenez.

Sox win first series in New York since 2005

It's too bad we have to complain about the Sox's front office today, when we could be celebrating a series win over the New York Yankees.

Ryan LaMarre, of all people, went 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead the Sox to a 4-1 win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

The Sox took two out of three, and that's the first series win for the team in New York since the world championship season of 2005.

No world championship is forthcoming this season, of course, but it's always nice to beat the Yankees.

Lack of right-handed relief options at issue for White Sox

Rick Renteria

Sometimes I feel as though White Sox manager Rick Renteria trusts mediocre, right-handed relief pitcher Juan Minaya way more than he should.

But, every time I feel that way, I stop myself and say, "Well, if not Minaya, then who?"

In fairness to Minaya, let's first point out that he got his job done in Monday's 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Minaya relieved Carlos Rodon, who pitched another strong game and earned the win, in the eighth inning and retired five of the six hitters he faced.

Minaya threw 16 of his 23 pitches for strikes Monday. He allowed only a harmless single and never made you feel as though the Sox's lead was in jeopardy. Xavier Cedeno ended up getting the last out of the game, in what was a good night for the bullpen and the Sox as a whole.

Fast-forward to Tuesday night in New York. The Sox had the lead, 4-2, going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Minaya, once again, was summoned from the bullpen.

I cringed, knowing that Minaya had a multi-inning outing the night before, and I figured his stuff would not be the same.

It was not.

Minaya faced two batters. He gave up a rope of a single to Giancarlo Stanton and a long home run to Aaron Hicks. Bye-bye lead, 4-4 tie.

The Yankees won, 5-4, on a home run by Neil Walker off Dylan Covey (4-12) in the bottom of the ninth.

I'd like to blame Minaya for this loss, but he is who he is. He's an inconsistent reliever with a 4.18 season ERA. He's dominant at times, but horrible at others, and he shouldn't be considered the best right-handed relief option on a team. Really, he should be pitching in the sixth or seventh inning, not the eighth or ninth.

I'd like to blame Renteria, too, but what other right-handed relief options does he have?

Jeanmar Gomez is a veteran, but his 4.50 ERA and 1.429 WHIP do not inspire confidence. Thyago Vieira and Ryan Burr have a combined 11 big league appearances between them. Are they ready to pitch in a high-leverage situation at Yankee Stadium? Not really. Then there's Covey, who was used Tuesday in a big spot, and he lost the game, so there's that.

It was a tough loss to take Tuesday, because the Sox led, 4-0, as late as the sixth inning. However, their weaknesses in the bullpen showed up while playing a superior team. What can you do? You just have to grin and bear it for 30 more games, hope the good Minaya shows up more than the bad Minaya and hope the front office gives Renteria a deeper stable of relief arms for the 2019 season.

White Sox take three out of four from Detroit Tigers

Kevan Smith (left) catching during a game in 2017.

The White Sox have won three in a row and nine out of 12 after they took three games out of four in a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

This sets the Sox (51-79) up to possibly have their first winning month of the season. They are 14-10 in August with five days before the calendar turns, so they only need to win one game between now and Friday to clinch a winning August.

Granted, that will not be easy. The next three games are in New York against the Yankees (83-47). Then the Sox come home Thursday to face the American League-best Boston Red Sox (90-42). With this schedule, a six- or seven-game losing streak could be lurking just around the corner, but for now, we can say the Sox are playing their best baseball of the season.

Aside from August, their best month this season has been June, when they went 12-17. That's not very good, so recent games have been more watchable and a welcome change.

Here's a look back at the Detroit series:

Thursday, Aug. 23
Tigers 7, White Sox 2: It's been baffling to hear James Shields mentioned as a possible waiver trade candidate. Is there a contending team out there that would see Shields as an upgrade for the back end of their starting rotation?

Not in my estimation.

Shields (5-15) still has a chance to reach 20 losses after he got hit hard in the opener in Detroit. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits -- including three home runs in the sixth inning -- to a light-hitting Tigers team in this loss.

At least Shields pitched 6.2 innings. That meant only Ryan Burr had to pitch in relief. The rookie right-hander retired all four men he faced to mercifully bring the game to a quick end.

Jose Rondon's fourth home run of the season accounted for the two Sox runs.

Friday, Aug. 24
White Sox 6, Tigers 3: This was a dead performance for the Sox through seven innings. They trailed, 3-0, going into the eighth, and then they scored six runs off Detroit's two best relievers, Joe Jimenez and Shane Greene.

Greene has 27 saves this season, but this was his fourth blown save as he did not retire a Sox batter when he was summoned with one out in the eighth inning.

Yoan Moncada's two-run double with the bases loaded put the Sox on the board and knocked Jimenez out of the game. Avisail Garcia's game-tying single greeted Greene. Daniel Palka doubled to put the Sox ahead, 4-3, and Tim Anderson capped the rally with a two-run double.

Thyago Vieira pitched to one batter in the bottom of the seventh inning. He retired him and picked up his first major-league win in easy fashion.

Saturday, Aug. 25
White Sox 6, Tigers 1: This might have been Lucas Giolito's best game of the season. The right-hander had both his good velocity (94-95 mph) and command of his fastball, and his curve and changeup both were effective, as well.

That resulted in a third straight win for Giolito (10-9), who tossed seven innings, allowing only one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked one. He allowed a solo home run to Mikie Mahtook in the second inning, but he was never in trouble at any other point.

The Sox scored five runs in the first three innings off Detroit starter Ryan Carpenter. The highlight was Kevan Smith's two-run homer in the second inning, his first of the season.

It was an emotional moment for Smith, who was wearing former teammate Daniel Webb's nickname on his back for MLB's Players' Weekend. Webb, you may recall, is the Sox relief pitcher who tragically died in an ATV accident Oct. 14.

You can watch a video about Smith and Webb's friendship here. And here is a video featuring Smith's postgame comments after Saturday's win. Cool stuff.

Sunday, Aug. 26
White Sox 7, Tigers 2: Oh yeah, Michael Kopech pitched and earned his first major league victory.

The rookie right-hander didn't have his best stuff in his second start, but he got through six innings, allowing only one run on seven hits. He struck out four and, most importantly, walked nobody.

Kopech has not issued a walk in his first eight major league innings. That is a recipe for success. He worked out of two bases-loaded jams, one in the fourth and one in the sixth.

The Tigers did score their lone run in the sixth, but they threatened for more with the bags full, one out and a 3-0 count on shortstop Ronny Rodriguez. Kopech grabbed strike one, and then induced an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play on the 3-1 pitch to escape the inning.

A combination of four relievers closed out the win, with Jace Fry retiring two batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to earn his third save.

A four-run third inning keyed the Sox offense. Palka's 19th home run of the season highlighted an 11-hit attack. Anderson, Garcia, Omar Narvaez and Adam Engel all had two-hit games in what was a solid overall game for the Sox.

Now it's on to New York, where the Sox will face a superior team. We'll see if they can hold their own.

A very White Sox-like Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field (Michael Kopech's debut)

It figures, doesn't it?

With Michael Kopech making his major league debut, the White Sox had an extra 9,000 fans walk up to the ticket booth, and the crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field was fully engaged in the game for perhaps the first time since Opening Day.

The buzz died quickly, but not because Kopech did anything disappointing. He kept the Minnesota Twins off the board for two innings, striking out four men and pitching out of a first-inning jam.

But then the rains came, and after a 52-minute delay, Sox brass decided it was best not to send Kopech back to the mound.

Wise decision, in my opinion, but it sure stinks for the fans who bought tickets for that game. The Sox ended up losing, 5-2, after the Twins scored three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

The other big Sox news from Tuesday? Jose Abreu had unexpected, outpatient surgery on his lower abdominal/groin area, and he will not be able to resume baseball activities for at least 10 days.

So, the best player on the club is headed to the disabled list, and the top pitching prospect had his highly anticipated debut cut short by circumstances beyond anyone's control.

Does this kind of stuff happen to other teams besides the Sox? Sometimes it sure feels as though we're the only fan base that has to tolerate this sort of thing, and it sure does stink.

But we'll keep watching, hoping for a speedy recovery for Abreu and an opportunity to see more of Kopech in his next start, likely Sunday afternoon at Detroit.

Roster moves

As mentioned, Abreu is on the disabled list, and infielder Jose Rondon has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take his place.

Rondon appeared in 22 games earlier this season with the Sox, hitting .245/.288./.490 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBIs in 52 plate appearances. He's been having a decent season at shortstop in Charlotte, where he was hitting .250/.290/.497 with 18 home runs, 15 doubles and 38 RBIs in 80 games.

The Sox on Tuesday also traded left-handed reliever Luis Avilan to the Philadelphia Phillies for right-handed pitcher Felix Paulino. Paulino will be assigned to Double-A Birmingham.

Right-handed reliever Ryan Burr has been called up from Charlotte to take Avilan's place on the 25-man roster.

Burr, 24, has a 4-3 record with a 2.45 ERA, two saves, a .190 opponent batting average and 51 strikeouts in 51.1 innings over 37 combined appearances this season between Birmingham and Charlotte.

In his past 21 appearances -- 14 in Birmingham, seven in Charlotte -- Burr allowed only one run in 28.2 innings.

Awaiting word on White Sox roster moves; Lucas Giolito back to .500

Matt Davidson

In case you haven't heard, Michael Kopech is pitching for the White Sox on Tuesday. That means he needs to be added to the 40-man roster -- a nonissue, the Sox's roster currently sits at 38 -- and somebody needs to be subtracted from the 25-man roster.

Not sure who that someone is just yet.

I'm also wondering if Leury Garcia is headed back to the disabled list after he reinjured his left hamstring Monday in an 8-5 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Speaking of that victory in Minnesota, Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito earned the win to improve to 9-9.

The right-hander threw a season-high 111 pitches in what was pretty much a league-average sort of outing. He went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked two, but he never relinquished the lead after the Sox scored four runs for him in the top of the second inning.

A lot of observers, including me, predicted at the start of the season that Giolito would lead the Sox in wins. He is, in fact, doing that. With nine wins, he has four more than any other pitcher on the team. (James Shields has five wins.) We just didn't expect Giolito's wins to be coupled with a 6.08 ERA, but hopefully he's better for this experience when the 2019 season begins.

Matt Davidson on Monday went 2 for 5 with his 18th home run of the season and three RBIs, and Jose Abreu added two hits and two RBIs -- including a two-run double that highlighted the four-run second inning.

Juan Minaya had a good outing out of the bullpen. He struck out five of the six Minnesota batters he faced in two perfect innings of relief.

Thyago Vieira, however, continued to struggle. His season ERA is now 7.56 after he allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but hey, that's why you bring him in when the score is 8-3. If he does have a rough time, you still win 8-5.

The Sox now have won five of their past six games. A market correction is due soon, of course, but at 47-77, they at least have a chance of reaching the 60-win plateau. At one point in time, I was worried they might lose 110 or 115 games. It's unlikely it's going to get that bad.

White Sox win series vs. Royals; Michael Kopech to pitch Tuesday

James Shields

We won't bury the lead this time: The announcement that Michael Kopech is pitching Tuesday was the biggest White Sox news of the weekend.

More on that later, but first, let's recap the weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, in which the Sox (46-77) won two games out of three.

Friday, Aug. 17
White Sox 9, Royals 3: It looked as though James Shields (5-14) was on his way to his 15th loss. When he walked off the mound after getting the third out in the top of the seventh inning, the Sox were trailing, 3-2.

Instead, Shields earned his fifth victory after the Sox scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The rally was highlighted by a pair of three-run homers, one by Jose Abreu that gave the Sox a 5-3, the other by Nicky Delmonico that made it 9-3 and put the game out of reach.

Abreu increased his RBI total to 76 with one swing of the bat. His quest for 100 RBIs will be one of the stories to watch over the remaining 39 games.

Saturday, Aug. 18
Royals 3, White Sox 1: This was a brutal offensive game for the Sox, as they went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and struck out 13 times.

Delmonico homered for the second straight day -- his fifth of the season -- but the highlights pretty much began and ended there.

Dylan Covey (4-10) pitched better than he usually does. He held Kansas City off the scoreboard through the first five innings and took a 1-0 lead into the sixth.

However, he allowed two runs in the sixth and was removed from the game with two outs. That was enough for him to take another loss.

Sunday, Aug. 19
White Sox 7, Royals 6: Reynaldo Lopez gave up six runs in the second inning and was gone by the third with the Sox trailing, 6-0. It wasn't looking too good.

However, the Royals blew that lead with ruthless efficiency. Kansas City starter Heath Fillmyer gave up six consecutive hits to open the bottom of the fourth inning.

Abreu singled. Daniel Palka singled. Avisail Garcia hit a three-run homer. Delmonico singled. Tim Anderson hit a two-run homer. Omar Narvaez hit a solo homer. In a span of about 10 to 12 pitches, the score went from 6-0 Royals to a 6-6 tie.

See ya later, Fillmyer.

The Sox took the lead for good in the fifth when Narvaez singled home Garcia, who had walked, with two outs.

Surprisingly, the Sox got seven shutout innings from their bullpen, led by Hector Santiago (5-3), who worked four innings in long relief. He struck out six and allowed only two hits, and that gave the Sox a chance to get back in the game.

Six relievers were needed in this game, but they all did the job, culminating in Jace Fry striking out the last two batters of the game to earn his second save.

Kopech to pitch Tuesday

The Sox in the third inning Sunday announced on the scoreboard that Kopech would be coming up to make his highly anticipated major league debut Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.

The only complaint I have about this decision is that it didn't happen two weeks ago. Kopech basically has mastered the Triple-A level, overpowering hitters over his past seven starts, as we've discussed previously on this blog.

Even if he gets shelled Tuesday night, it's a good thing that he's coming to Chicago. It's time for him to learn at the big league level. Rewarding high-performing prospects with a more difficult challenge simply is the right thing to do, service time considerations be damned. And, the Sox need better players. They aren't 31 games under .500 by accident, so let's put better players on the team and try to win more games.

This is just so obviously the right move, and I'm looking forward to the game Tuesday.

White Sox reinstate Leury Garcia from disabled list; Michael Kopech still in Charlotte

Leury Garcia

After Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers, the White Sox optioned outfielder Ryan LaMarre to Triple-A Charlotte.

For some, that might have sparked hope that the Sox finally were going to call up an interesting prospect.

Ha! That isn't happening.

Instead, the Sox activated utility player Leury Garcia from the 10-day disabled list. Garcia has been out since Aug. 5, when he strained his left hamstring in Tampa Bay.

Garcia is hitting .280/.310/.394 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 73 games with the Sox this season.

Kopech still in Charlotte

James Shields, Dylan Covey and Reynaldo Lopez are the Sox's three scheduled starting pitchers for this weekend's home series against the Kansas City Royals.

We keep thinking Covey and his 6.06 ERA are going to be removed from the rotation, but it hasn't happened yet.

The logical choice to replace him, of course, is top pitching prospect Michael Kopech.

That will not happen this weekend, however, as Kopech made his scheduled start Thursday at Triple-A Charlotte. He went six innings, allowing one run on seven hits, while striking out nine and walking none in a 9-4 victory over Louisville.

He also intentionally drilled an opposing batter in the fourth inning to spark a benches-clearing incident.

In any case, Kopech has a 1.84 ERA over his past seven starts. He has struck out 59 and walked only four in 44 innings over that same span.

Despite last night's moment of immaturity, he's ready for the major leagues. How much longer will Sox management claim he is not?

What's working for the White Sox? Jose Abreu and Carlos Rodon

Jose Abreu

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu always has been a second-half hitter, and August historically has been the best month of his career.

Abreu has a lifetime .330/.389/.571 slash line with 28 home runs, 31 doubles and 79 RBIs in 125 August games.

The calendar says August, and the Sox's most accomplished hitter is once again tearing it up. In his past 14 games, Abreu is hitting .327/.361/.673 with five home runs, four doubles and 14 RBIs.

On Wednesday, Abreu went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs in a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers. He now has 21 home runs and 73 RBIs this season, and with 42 games to go, he needs 27 more RBIs for his fifth consecutive 100-RBI season.

He'll have to stay hot, but I'm not going to count him out.

The other bright spot for the Sox: starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (4-3), who earned the win Wednesday.

Since July 1, Rodon has made seven starts, going 3-0 with a 1.60 ERA. He's thrown 50.2 innings, an average of more than seven a start, and he's allowed only 27 hits and two home runs over that span. He has struck out 42 and walked 20, so that means he's allowing less than a base runner an inning.

Against the Tigers, Rodon pitched eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked only one. This particular start is the only one in the past seven in which Rodon allowed more than two earned runs.

The Tigers on Wednesday got all three of their runs in the third inning, and frankly, I'd chalk it up to a fluky inning. Detroit had runners on second and third with no outs before Rodon struck out Victor Reyes for the first out. The next hitter was Jeimer Candelario, and on a 1-2 pitch, Rodon poured a fastball right over the outside corner. Candelario could not pull the trigger, but the umpire missed the call. That should have been strike three and two outs, but instead, Rodon hit Candelario on the next pitch with a back-foot slider to load the bases.

Jose Iglesias followed with a bloop single, and Nick Castellanos hit a grounder with eyes for a single, and all of a sudden the Tigers had three runs on not much solid contact.

But Rodon settled down after those tough breaks and allowed nothing over the next five innings. In fact, four of the six base runners Rodon allowed were in that third inning. He dominated the rest of the game, and the offense supported him.

Matt Davidson's two-run homer in the fourth inning gave the Sox the lead for good at 4-3. Abreu added a two-run shot in the fifth for a 6-3 lead.

The Sox bullpen coughed up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it stressful. The Tigers had both the tying and winning runs on base with two outs before Luis Avilan retired Reyes on a fly ball to center field to end the game.

Somehow, White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito has eight wins

Right-hander Lucas Giolito has the highest ERA (6.15) of any of the five pitchers in the White Sox starting rotation. Yet, somehow, he leads the team in wins -- by a wide margin.

Giolito improved to 8-9 with a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. No other Sox pitcher has more than four wins this season.

It wasn't the cleanest start for Giolito. He was handed a 3-0 lead before he took the mound, and he handed it right back by giving up three two-out runs in the bottom of the first inning.

However, the Sox rebuilt the lead. Ryan LaMarre hit his first career home run in the second inning, and Jose Abreu's two-run double in the fifth gave the South Siders a 6-3 lead.

Giolito made that stick through six innings, and he did so in dramatic fashion by pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the bottom of the sixth. Sure, Giolito benefited from facing 7-8-9 in a offensively challenged Detroit batting order, but it still was impressive to see him battle out of trouble.

He got James McCann to fly out to shallow right field, struck out Mike Gerber and induced a weak pop out to third base from Victor Reyes.

Jace Fry pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts, and Xavier Cedeno got three outs in the ninth inning for his first save with the Sox to secure the win for Giolito, who got a season-high 16 swinging strikes during his six-inning outing. Giolito struck out seven and walked only one.

Wouldn't it be something if Giolito still manages double-digit wins despite his erratic season? In 2017, no Sox pitcher won more than seven games -- Derek Holland and Miguel Gonzalez tied for the team lead. Giolito now has passed that modest benchmark.

And, oh yeah, Sox pitchers held Nick Castellanos to an 0-for-5 night and struck out him out three times. What a refreshing change! Cedeno struck Castellanos out looking with two on and two out to end the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Hallelujah!

The White Sox need to stop pitching to Nick Castellanos

Nick Castellanos

2018 Detroit Tigers vs. White Sox: 9-1 (.900 winning percentage)
2018 Detroit Tigers vs. everybody else: 41-68 (.376 winning percentage)

By any measure, the Tigers are not a good baseball team, so their continuing mastery of the Sox is both perplexing and annoying. Yes, the Sox also stink, but they should be able to win more than one of 10 games against a fellow bottom-feeder.

Detroit beat the Sox again Monday, this time 9-5 at Comerica Park. Nick Castellanos led the way for the Tigers, going 5 for 5 with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs.

And, quite frankly, Castellanos' mastery of Sox pitching is the biggest reason the season series is so lopsided.

The Tigers' right fielder has decent overall numbers: .291/.340/.492 with 17 HRs and 64 RBIs. However, a lot of that damage has come against the Sox. He is hitting .419/.457/.814 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 10 games vs. Chicago.

In other words, 24 percent of Castellanos' home runs and 22 percent of his RBIs have come against the Sox. That's almost a quarter of his season production.

It doesn't have to be this way, either. With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the fifth inning Monday, Castellanos came to the plate with the go-ahead run on third base and two outs. It was a perfect time to just put him on first base with an intentional walk. Instead, the Sox chose to pitch to him, and he hit a hanging changeup from Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez for a go-ahead double.

Foolish, especially considering the on-deck hitter was Niko Goodrum, he of the .231/.301/.430 slash line. Goodrum was hitless behind Castellanos in Monday's game. He provided no lineup protection whatsoever, but for whatever reason, the Sox allowed Castellanos to beat them again, as opposed to making Goodrum do something at the plate.

The bottom line is the Tigers are not a good offensive team. They rank 14th in the American League with 453 runs scored. That's even worse than the Sox, who are 12th with 467 runs.

Detroit has so few offensive weapons, so as long as Castellanos can be held in check, the Sox should have an opportunity to win games against this Tigers team.

It all seems so simple: Just pitch around Castellanos and make someone else beat you, please.

White Sox lose two out of three to AL Central-leading Indians

Carlos Rodon

At least Carlos Rodon is living up to his potential, right?

Coming into the White Sox's three-game weekend series against the Cleveland Indians, I figured the South Siders would, at best, take one out of three. And, I figured the one they would win would be Friday's game with Rodon on the mound.

That's exactly how it unfolded. Here's a look back at the weekend that was.

Friday, Aug. 10
White Sox 1, Indians 0: Daniel Palka accomplished something that no Sox player had done in the previous 118 years of baseball: He hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Sox a 1-0 victory.

It's astounding that it had never happened before in all the games that have been played over the past century plus.

It's too bad the home run did not come early enough to give Rodon the win. The Sox left-hander was brilliant, pitching eight shutout innings. He allowed only four hits, struck out five and walked two. The two walks were both in the first inning. The Indians failed to make Rodon pay, and they really didn't get a sniff after that.

Rodon's season ERA now stands at 2.61. He is pitching like a No. 1 starter, although he needs to stay healthy over the long haul before he can earn the title of staff ace.

Saturday, Aug. 11
Indians 3, White Sox 1: Small steps forward for second baseman Yoan Moncada. After I criticized his poor performance on this blog last week, he went 3 for 9 with a home run and a walk in the series against Cleveland.

He still struck out four times in those 10 plate appearances, but he did connect for his 15th home run of the season for the Sox's lone run in this game. The blast to right field came off a Cy Young contender, Cleveland's Trevor Bauer.

Moncada's incremental improvement coincided with manager Rick Renteria's decision to move him out of the leadoff spot. Moncada batted eighth Friday and Saturday, and sixth on Sunday.

James Shields (4-14) continues a potential march toward a 20-loss season, although he pitched a credible game. He went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out four and walked none. Shields can't win any games, but the veteran's job in a lost season is to eat innings. He is doing that.

Sunday, Aug. 12
Indians 9, White Sox 7: It looked like this one was over in the eighth inning. The Indians led, 9-1, but the Sox made a game of it with two runs in the eighth on home runs by Adam Engel and Yolmer Sanchez, and four more runs in the ninth.

The Indians were forced to bring closer Cody Allen into the game, and the Sox had the tying run at home plate with one out in the ninth before Allen struck out Nicky Delmonico and Sanchez back to back to earn his 23rd save of the season.

It was a good game for Engel, who went 3 for 4 with the aforementioned homer, a triple, three RBIs and another spectacular catch to rob Yonder Alonso of a home run. It's too bad Engel is a .224 hitter, because his skills in center field are of elite big-league quality. I just don't think he sticks over the long haul because of his weak bat.

Speaking of not sticking over the long haul, Dylan Covey (4-9) didn't wait until the second time through the order to get shelled Sunday. He gave up four runs in the first and two more runs in the second. By the end of the third inning, Hector Santiago was on in relief for the Sox.

Covey's season ERA is up to 6.06. As we've stated in the past, it is time to remove this pitcher from the starting rotation. He is not giving his team a chance to win.

Is it time for the White Sox to send Yoan Moncada to the minor leagues?

There are three hitters on the White Sox's 25-man roster that give me a hopeless feeling, meaning when they step in the box I figure it would take a miracle from God for them to get a base hit.

Those three hitters are Adam Engel, Matt Davidson and ... Yoan Moncada.

That's right, I said it: I've lost confidence in the former No. 1 prospect in baseball, the golden boy who had everybody buying his jersey before he had accomplished anything at the major league level.

Moncada had another stinker of a game Tuesday night, 0 for 5 with four strikeouts in a 4-3, 13-inning loss to the New York Yankees. The second baseman is now in a 1-for-25 slump over his past six games that includes 16 strikeouts. In the past week, Moncada has had two games where he has struck out three times, and two other games where he has struck out four times.

The slump isn't new, either. Moncada has been brutal in the 18 games since the All-Star break. During that span, he has posted a .114/.250/.214 batting line with 31 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances.

His season slash line stands at .217/.300/.391. His batting average is now lower than both Engel and Davidson, both of whom are hitting .220 entering Wednesday's play.

Hey, at least Engel makes great catches in center field, and Davidson entertains us by moonlighting as a pitcher. What's Moncada doing other than stinking up Guaranteed Rate Field?

If his name were something other than "Yoan Moncada," fans would be calling for him to be sent to the minor leagues. I'll admit it: I'm getting really close to that point. I'm trying to be patient, but when someone is completely overmatched by major league pitching for an extended period of time, you'd be a fool not to reconsider your opinion on what's best for a young player.

There's only about a month left in the minor league season, so if the Sox were going to send Moncada down, they would have to do it soon. I'm going to stop short of calling for the team to demote Moncada immediately, but if the high strikeout totals and the poor quality of at-bats continues for the rest of this homestand, it will be time for action to be taken.

I'm sure my opinion is the minority one. I'm basically alienated from the rest of the Sox fan base at this point, because I don't think the organization is on the right path. I don't think Rick Hahn and Rick Renteria are doing a good job, and I don't think Moncada, Tim Anderson and Lucas Giolito are getting better.

We've reached a point now where Sox fans are willing to forgive all sins and all mismanagement and all poor play because it's "rebuilding." Enough of this baloney. Let's start speaking honestly. It's past time for Moncada to start showing progress. It's past time for the organization as a whole to start showing some progress at the major-league level.

Sox brass right now is enjoying responsibility with no accountability, and it's beyond ridiculous. They want fans to pay money to watch this product? Why should they? It's no wonder Yankees fans far outnumber Sox fans at Guaranteed Rate Field during this week's series.

It's time for White Sox to put Dylan Covey in the bullpen

There is nothing White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey could have done to win his start Monday against the New York Yankees.

New York starter Lance Lynn dominated Sox hitters in a 7-0 Yankees victory. Lynn allowed only two singles over 7.1 innings and retired 19 straight Sox hitters at one point, so Covey was going to be in trouble unless he figured out a way to give up negative runs.

That said, Covey continued his well-established pattern of being shelled in the middle innings. Entering Monday night's start, Covey was limiting opposing batters to a .207/.296/.333 slash line the first time through the order. But the second time through the batting order, opponents were hitting .321/.395/.468 off Covey.

We saw it again Monday, as Covey breezed through the first three innings. He retired the first 10 men he faced, but it fell apart on him in the fourth and fifth innings. The Yankees got two in the fourth and two in the fifth, and with Lynn dominating, the game was over at that point.

New York batters went 4 for 8 with a walk the second time through the order, and it would have been 5 for 8 if Adam Engel had not made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall to rob New York first baseman Greg Bird of a 3-run homer. That two-run Yankees fourth inning would have been a five-run rally if not for the tremendous defensive play of Engel.

Here's the problem for Covey -- he's basically a two-pitch pitcher. He's got a good fastball, 95 mph with good sink. His changeup is decent, good enough to get outs if he can locate it and he's ahead in the count. However, his slider is not an out pitch, and it's basically a show-me offering and nothing more.

You can be effective as a relief pitcher with one good pitch and one decent one, but that's not enough of an arsenal to be a good starting pitcher. More often than not, a two-pitch pitcher is going to get hit around the second and third time through the batting order, unless he's pinpoint with his command, which Covey typically is not.

As we've all noticed, the Sox bullpen stinks, so I can't help but wonder if there might be a role for Covey as a one- or two-inning reliever over the long haul. Again, opponents are hitting only .207 the first time they face him in a game. That's good, and I'd be willing to give Covey a shot in that role. It's his best chance for long-term success in the major leagues.

Of course, somebody would have to take Covey's spot in the rotation, and that means the front office would have to bring Michael Kopech to Chicago.

Honestly, Kopech is ready. The Sox's top pitching prospect has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts at Triple-A Charlotte. The command issues that plagued him in June have been ironed out. Kopech has struck out 41 men and walked only four in his past five starts, spanning 31 innings.

At one point, Kopech's ERA had swollen to 5.08 -- that was on June 20. His ERA is now 4.05 as Triple-A hitters no longer seem to be a challenge for him.

That doesn't mean the Sox won't play the service time shenanigans game with Kopech, but right now, the correct baseball move is to put Kopech in the MLB rotation to gain experience, and move Covey to the bullpen to see if he can carve a niche for himself with his more limited arsenal of pitches.

Covey now is 4-8 with a 5.58 ERA in 15 starts this season. He's just not a starting pitcher.

White Sox beat Rays, earn first sweep of 2018 season

Hector Santiago

Guaranteed Rate has a promotion going on where it will pay one month's mortgage for a White Sox fan every time the team sweeps a series. 

I didn't enter, figuring the Sox (41-70) were so terrible that they'd never be able to sweep an opponent this season.

Well, I'll be damned if the Sox didn't sweep the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. The South Siders picked up three one-run victories in St. Petersburg, Florida, all of them coming in the last at-bat.

In fact, the Sox have won a season-high four games in a row, with each victory coming in their last at-bat. This marks the first time the Sox have swept a road series since they took three in a row from the Toronto Blue Jays in April 2016.

That's a good season and a half, so it's been a long time.

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

Friday, Aug 3
White Sox 3, Rays 2 (10 innings): Second baseman Yoan Moncada is hitting only .167 with a .515 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, but his RBI double while batting right-handed with two outs in the top of the 10th made the difference in this game.

It's too bad Lucas Giolito did not get the win because he pitched well. The right-hander took a one-hitter into the eighth inning, during which he was removed after giving up a leadoff double. Naturally, the struggling Sox bullpen failed to protect a 2-0 lead -- the Rays got two runs in the eighth to force extra innings.

Giolito's final line: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 3 BBs

His ERA is 5.97, the first time it's been below 6 since April.

After Moncada's double put the Sox ahead, Hector Santiago worked a scoreless bottom of the 10th for his first save since 2012. Tyler Danish (1-0) got the win after recording the final out of the bottom of the ninth.

Saturday, Aug. 4
White Sox 2, Rays 1: With the score tied at 1, Tim Anderson led off the top of the ninth inning with a double. He scored from second with Rays third baseman Matt Duffy made a two-base throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Leury Garcia.

The lead held up as rookie right-hander Thyago Vieira worked around a two-out walk and a wild pitch to earn his first career save in his third appearance with the Sox. Vieira struck out Willy Adames with a high fastball for the third out and excessively celebrated the achievement by pounding his own chest with his fist multiple times, but hey, we can't tell him to act as though he had done it before, because he hadn't.

The Sox got the win despite an erratic outing from Carlos Rodon, who walked five and struck out four over six innings. Rodon allowed only three hits, however, and that allowed him to put mostly zeroes on the board. The one run he allowed was unearned because of a passed ball by Omar Narvaez.

Jose Abreu homered for the second straight game, his 19th homer of the season, this one coming off Tampa Bay ace Blake Snell.

Sunday, Aug. 5
White Sox 8, Rays 7: The Sox were down 3-1. Then they tied it at 3. Then they went ahead 5-3. Tampa Bay made it 5-4. Then it was 6-4 Sox after Avisail Garcia's second home run of the game. The Rays tied it at 6 with two runs in the seventh.

This seesaw affair took three hours, 38 minutes to play, but it ended happily thanks to a two-out Sox rally in the ninth inning.

Abreu singled and scored when Daniel Palka smashed a first-pitch homer over the batter's eye in center field for an 8-6 Sox lead. Palka's 439-foot blast off Diego Castillo was his 17th of the season and fifth in his past 10 games.

Santiago (4-3), who had got the final out of the bottom of the eighth inning, wobbled in the bottom of the ninth, giving up two doubles and a walk to make it 8-7. But with runners on first and second and one out, he induced a game-ending double play off the bat of Tampa Bay's Jesus Sucre.

One bit of bad news from this game: Leury Garcia strained his left hamstring making a shoestring grab in center field. He has been placed on the 10-day disabled list. The Sox on Monday recalled outfielder Ryan LaMarre from Triple-A Charlotte to take Leury Garcia's place on the 25-man roster.

The Sox open a six-game homestand Monday night, featuring three games with the New York Yankees and three games with the Cleveland Indians.

Gulp.

Might be a tough week against two playoff contenders. 

An awesome read on Eloy Jimenez ...

Just a link today:

https://milbprospective.mlblogs.com/scouting-report-eloy-jim%C3%A9nez-61b6e9cbf8c6

Tyler Maun of MiLB.com interviewed coaches and players who have faced White Sox outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez.

Lots of good, insightful comments in that story. A great read for any Sox fan.

Entering Friday's play, Jimenez is hitting .376/.423/.693 with eight home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBIs and only 12 strikeouts in 111 plate appearances at Triple-A Charlotte.

You just have to think Jimenez will soon be on the South Side of Chicago. He keeps knocking at the door, louder and louder every day.