One more pile of crud: 'Fan Appreciation Night' at Guaranteed Rate Field

The view from my seat about 45 minutes before Wednesday's home finale.

The White Sox concluded the home portion of their schedule Wednesday with a 10-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

The Sox (62-96) were 30-51 at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2018, and in some respects, it's a miracle they won 30. I personally attended 13 of the 81 home games -- including Wednesday's -- and saw the Sox lose 10 times and win three times.

Most of the 10 losses were just like the one Wednesday.

The Sox were never in this game. For some strange reason, it was a "bullpen day," even though Reynaldo Lopez could have started on regular rest. He instead will get the start Friday afternoon in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Minnesota.

Jace Fry started Wednesday, and gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor on the third pitch of the game.

So, Fry (2-3) gets the loss, even though that was the only run he allowed. The Indians got a run off Aaron Bummer in the third inning, then three in the fourth and two in the fifth off Ryan Burr, and three in the sixth off Jeanmar Gomez.

By the bottom of the sixth inning, Cleveland led, 10-0.

Some Fan Appreciation Night, huh?

In the case of Burr, he's 24 years old, so perhaps the poor outing can be chalked up as a learning experience. The veteran Gomez, however, can take a hike, as we've previously discussed on this blog.

Here's the real unfortunate thing about this game: You had 25,598 people in the stands on a Wednesday night in late September, for a 95-loss team that's been out of the pennant race since the first week of May.

That's a nice crowd under those circumstances, but the Sox basically punted the game before it started with this "bullpen day" baloney. They didn't even try to win this game.

As a fan, that's frustrating. You're driving to the ballpark knowing the Sox are going to get their asses kicked. As most readers of this blog know, I'm a longtime partial season-ticket holder. My message to Sox brass in a lot of the surveys they have sent me has been a simple one: OK, you think you're going to be good in three years. I get it. But I'm spending money on tickets *now*, and the product that's being put on the field does not qualify as Major League Baseball.

The Sox should have thrown Lopez on Wednesday and tried to win their last home game before a decent crowd of fans. They should have saved the tanking bullpen day for one of the road games in Minnesota.

Wednesday's loss represented one more middle finger at the paying customers, who have endured miles upon miles of hell in 2018.

White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka making his ninth inning hits count

White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka has started to establish a reputation as the team's best clutch hitter.

Palka has had a good (and surprising) season overall. He didn't make the Sox's roster coming out of spring training and mostly was an afterthought. But injuries to incumbent outfielders gave him an opportunity in April, and he has taken advantage, leading the team with 27 home runs and ranking second with 66 RBIs in 119 games.

Although Palka's overall slash line of .239/.291/.491 isn't overly impressive, a .782 OPS isn't bad for a rookie, and fans are starting to feel as though they want Palka at the plate with the game on the line.

His latest signature moment came Wednesday. With runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Sox trailing, 4-3, Palka shot a base hit through the infield to score both runs and lift the South Siders to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.

It was a little surprising that Indians manager Terry Francona let Carlos Carrasco face Palka with first base open. He could have brought in left-handed closer Brad Hand to possibly neutralize Palka, or he could have issued an intentional walk to set up a possible double play and a right-on-right matchup between Carrasco and Avisail Garcia.

But, the Tribe chose to let Carrasco pitch to Palka, and they lost.

But amid all this, would you believe that Palka is only 10 for 48 with 16 strikeouts in his ninth inning at-bats this season? That will pencil out to a .208/.255/.625 slash line.

Oh, yeah, that .625 slugging percentage. Palka has made those 10 hits count. Six of them are home runs -- he leads the league in ninth inning homers. And those 10 hits have produced 12 RBIs, including the two to win the game Wednesday.

So, Palka does not have a high number of hits in the ninth inning, but most Sox fans view him as a clutch performer because the hits he has had sure have counted.

White Sox check most of my boxes in late-season series vs. Cubs

Predictably, the White Sox lost two out of three to the crosstown Cubs over the weekend at Guaranteed Rate Field, but that does not mean this series was a total loss. In fact, I got most of what I realistically hoped for out of this series:

• Prevent the Cubs from clinching their division on South Side soil -- Check!
• Sell tickets for well above face value -- Check!
• Don't get swept -- Check! The Sox won, 10-4, Friday.
• Give a good performance for announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson's last game Sunday --- umm, no, this did not happen.

But, three out of four isn't bad in this crappy season.

Now, let's forget about this foolishness and move on to the next series against Cleveland.

Seven games to go ... we've made it this far, might as well finish up.

It's time for another insufferable crosstown series

When the 2018 baseball schedule came out, I cringed.

I saw that the White Sox's last home weekend series of the season was against the Cubs, and I immediately thought "conspiracy."

Jerry Reinsdorf must have known the Sox were going to field a terrible team this season, and perhaps he wanted some September gate. Is it unreasonable to think he asked the league office to schedule the crosstown series on the South Side in September, just to bump up the attendance figures at the end of a miserable Sox season?

Given that a crosstown series this late in the season is unprecedented, it wouldn't surprise me.

Obviously, these games mean a lot to the Cubs (89-63), who enter Friday's game with a 2.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Their magic number is 8 with 10 games to play. At least it is mathematically impossible for them to clinch their division at Guaranteed Rate Field, even if they sweep the Sox (and I wouldn't be surprised if they do). We would never hear the end of it if the Cubs clinched on South Side soil. Thank goodness that will not happen.

The Sox (60-92), of course, have been out of the pennant race since about Mother's Day. I sold my tickets to this weekend's series on StubHub for about double the face value. I figure the tickets were purchased by an enterprising Cubs fan, and I'd like to congratulate him or her for contributing to my fund for a deposit on next year's Sox season tickets.

Sure, I'll miss out on the "fun" this weekend, but with that money I can go to five or six games next season, when hopefully the Sox are fielding a little bit more watchable team.

If the Sox somehow manage to hold their own in this series, I'm sure someone will start a narrative about how this is "like the World Series" for the Sox and their fans. Hell, actually, someone will probably say that even if the Sox get swept.

That's simply not the case. If this were "like the World Series," trust me, I would not be selling my tickets for profit. This series is just three more games at the end of a lost, disappointing season. Even if the Sox win, that would not redeem the season. If the Sox lose, well, just throw these games in the pile with the other 90-some losses.

White Sox reliever Caleb Frare: Right idea, bad execution

Jason Kipnis

The White Sox lost, 4-1, to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, after Jason Kipnis hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning.

That's not news -- the Sox are 0-8 at Progressive Field this season. However, they could have had a 1-0 victory if relief pitcher Caleb Frare had followed through with good execution after he had the right idea of what play to make in a bunt situation.

Cleveland had runners on first and second with nobody out in the ninth after Josh Donaldson's infield single and Yandy Diaz's ground ball with eyes.

The next hitter was Melky Cabrera, and he popped up a bunt right back to Frare at the pitcher's mound. The runners had to freeze -- there is no infield fly rule protection on a bunt -- so Frare dropped the ball and threw to third base for what he hoped would start a double play, and potentially a triple play.

Frare didn't make the best throw to third, but that's neither here nor there, because umpires signaled the play dead, called Cabrera out and sent the runners back to their bases.

Why? Because Frare touched the ball and intentionally dropped it. Had he just let the popped-up bunt fall without touching it, he would have been well within his rights to throw to third for a force, and give his team an opportunity to record multiple outs on the play.

Instead, Frare's actions allowed the umpires to invoke little-used Rule 5.09(a)(12), which says an infielder cannot drop a popup intentionally to start a double or triple play:

"An infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first, second and third base occupied before two are out. The ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their original base or bases;

"In this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly rule applies."

So Frare had the right idea. At some point, it must have flashed through his mind, "Don't catch this popup. Get multiple outs." That's the correct thought process, but it wasn't the right execution. He's got to let the ball fall untouched there, and then pick it up and make a throw. The umpires aren't going to let an infielder cheat the system with an intentional drop.

And, of course, after that play went astray, we all know what happened next. Ian Hamilton enters the game, beans Yan Gomes with a pitch to load the bases, and then throws a meatball for Kipnis to hit into the seats.

Another rough loss for the Sox in a season full of them.

Hey, the White Sox scored against Corey Kluber! (But they still lost)

Corey Kluber

Coming into Tuesday night's game, Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber had faced the White Sox twice before this season.

On May 30, he tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits, while striking out 10 and walking none in a 9-1 Indians victory.

On June 20, he pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only one hit. He struck out seven and walked one in a 12-0 Cleveland win.

So, I guess we can take it as progress that the Sox only lost 5-3 to Kluber and the Indians on Tuesday.

It looked as though it was going to be another debacle through five innings. Kluber kept the Sox off the board and had seven strikeouts, and the Indians cuffed around Carlos Rodon to take a 5-0 lead into the sixth.

Surprise, surprise, but the Sox got back into the game. Daniel Palka and Omar Narvaez became the first pair of hitters to homer off Kluber in the same inning all season. Both hit solo shots in the sixth inning to make it 5-2. Doubles by Ryan LaMarre and Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh cut the Cleveland lead to 5-3.

However, the Sox could get no closer. Kluber stranded two runners in the eighth, and Indians reliever Andrew Miller stranded two Sox runners in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

Kluber (19-7) finished with 11 strikeouts over eight innings. But perhaps there's a moral victory in there that the Sox got three runs on eight hits off him, although I hate moral victories.

For once, I'd like to see the Sox get an actual victory in Cleveland. The South Siders are 3-11 against the Tribe this season, including 0-7 at Progressive Field.

I'll give credit to the Indians for this: They have pounded the weak American League Central all summer long. Cleveland is a combined 44-23 against the Sox, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals -- including 26-9 at home.

The Indians are 14.5 games up in the division; they've already clinched it. That is not a surprise or an accident.

Tim Anderson showing he will stick as White Sox shortstop

Tim Anderson

What positives can we take out of this lackluster White Sox season that likely will end with about 100 losses?

Here's one: Tim Anderson is proving that he deserves to stay at shortstop over the long haul, quieting critics who have suggested that a move to the outfield is in his future.

Anderson put a stop to the Sox's seven-game losing streak Wednesday night. He hit a two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning to provide the winning margin in Chicago's 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Then, he made a sick play in the bottom of the 12th, ranging deep into the hole to throw out the speedy Whit Merrifield to end the game.

Most fans would like to see Anderson hit a bit better, but right now, he's a streaky hitter who plays plus defense at a premium position. His 2018 WAR is a very respectable 2.8, according to baseballreference.com. We can live with that, right?

I think so, given some of the other failings the Sox have had in trying to develop position players.

Here's the side-by-side comparison of Anderson's numbers from 2017 to this season:

2017: .257/..276/.402, 17 HRs, 26 2Bs, 4 3Bs, 56 RBIs, 15 SBs, 162 Ks, 13 BBs
2018: .248/.290/.420, 19 HRs, 27 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 62 RBIs, 26 SBs, 137 Ks, 28 BBs

It would be nice to Anderson hit about .270 or .280 one of these days, but let's take what we can get. The on-base percentage is up. The slugging percentage is up. The stolen bases are up. The extra-base hits are up. The walks are up. The strikeouts are down.

The Sox could do a whole helluva lot worse than a 20-20 player with a good glove at shortstop.

Indeed, Anderson is starting to earn praise from the Sox pitching staff for his stellar work in the field. He's committed only five errors since July 1. He ranks sixth in the league in defensive runs saved, and according to fangraphs.com, he's tied for the league lead with 16 plays made on balls that have an out probability of 0 percent. His fielding percentage is .970, up from .952 in 2017, and he ranks second in the league with 366 assists -- a sign that he's getting to more balls than a lot of shortstops.

As we come to the end of a difficult and disappointing season, the Sox still have many of the same question marks that they had at this time in 2017:

• Is Yoan Moncada really a future star, or just another guy?
• What should the team do with Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia? Trade them? Sign them to extensions? Do nothing and see how things develop?
• Are Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito long-term pieces for the starting rotation?
• Will Adam Engel's bat ever catch up to his elite defense in center field?

So on and so forth.

But, at this time last year, we were asking whether Anderson is the shortstop of the present and the future.

I think we have our answer. He is that, so let's move on to other debates and concerns.

Why are the White Sox using Jeanmar Gomez in high-leverage situations?

Jeanmar Gomez

It doesn't matter much that the White Sox lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. And, it doesn't matter much that they lost in a stupid way, with reliever Jeanmar Gomez making a throwing error on a bunt play in the bottom of the 10th inning that allowed Kansas City to score the winning run.

What bothers me is the fact that Gomez was on the mound in the first place. Why is a 30-year-old veteran who is not part of the Sox's future and barely part of their present being allowed to pitch in a high-leverage situation when there are a host of younger, more interesting options available?

The Sox got seven innings out of Lucas Giolito on Monday, and left-hander Jace Fry was the first man out of the bullpen. That's fine, because Fry is a 25-year-old who is under evaluation for a possible long-term relief role.

Once Fry got four outs with the score tied 3-3, the next guy who came in was Gomez. That is inexplicable in September with expanded rosters.

Several relief pitching prospects have been called up from the minor leagues. Right-handers Ian Hamilton, Ryan Burr and Jose Ruiz all are on the roster. So are left-handers Aaron Bummer and Caleb Frare.

With the Sox on a six-game losing streak and hopelessly behind in the standings, these September games are essentially an early jump on spring training 2019.

The fight for bullpen jobs for next season should be underway, and it should not include Gomez. It should, however, include all of the young pitchers mentioned above.

So, put one of them on the mound in the 10th inning of a 3-3 game and see how that pitcher reacts. Even if the guy loses the game, at least we will have learned something.

All we learned last night is something we already knew: that Gomez is washed up and doesn't belong on the 2019 roster. Stop pitching him in high-leverage spots, please.

Palka ties White Sox record

Outfielder Daniel Palka hit his 22nd home run of the season in Monday's loss. He now shares the Sox's team record for most home runs by a left-handed hitting rookie with Pete Ward, who hit 22 home runs in 1963.

Palka might end up leading the 2018 Sox in homers. He and Jose Abreu are tied for the team lead going into Tuesday's play. There are 18 games left in the season.

Hard to envision Nicky Delmonico sticking with the 2019 White Sox

The White Sox activated Jose Abreu from the disabled list for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.

The Sox's first baseman and best hitter hasn't played since Aug. 20, and his three-week-long absence opened the door for Nicky Delmonico, Matt Davidson and Daniel Palka to get more consistent playing time.

With Abreu back, one of these guys is likely to sit more often. It's probably going to be Delmonico, who hasn't done enough this season to make his 2017 success seem like anything more than a fluke.

I was reminded of what a rough time Delmonico has been having as I watched Sunday's game, a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels that capped a gloomy 3-7 homestand for the Sox.

Delmonico was summoned to pinch hit for Ryan LaMarre with runners at the corners and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Angels manager Mike Scioscia made an unorthodox countermove, knowing the Sox had no right-handed hitters left on the bench. He pulled his closer -- right-hander Blake Parker -- and replaced him with left-hander Jose Alvarez, who did not have a single save all season.

Well, Alvarez has one save now after striking out Delmonico on five pitches -- all of them breaking balls. The first two pitches were both hangers, begging to be hit hard somewhere, if not into the seats. Despite the lefty-lefty matchup, Delmonico had a great chance to be a hero, but he fouled off both hangers and dug himself an 0-2 hole in the count that he never recovered from.

Missed opportunities have become a trend for Delmonico, as he's been a combination of injured and bad throughout the 2018 season. His season statistics are lingering behind those of Davidson and the surprising Palka, who was an afterthought coming out of spring training.

Delmonico: .215/.301/.389, 8 HRs, 24 RBIs, 11 2Bs, 4 3Bs in 279 ABs
Davidson: .235/.330/.451, 20 HRs, 58 RBIs, 22 2Bs, 0 3Bs in 436 ABs
Palka: .237/.285/.469, 21 HRs, 55 RBIs, 14 2Bs, 3 3Bs, in 382 ABs

None of these three players provide much in the way of defensive utility. Both Delmonico and Palka are substandard corner outfielders. At least Palka has enough arm to play both left and right field. Delmonico never moves off left field, other than the occasional appearance at first base. Davidson is a below-average defender at both corner infield positions.

In short, all three of these men need to hit to justify their roster spots. Davidson and Palka both are flawed players, but they have brought more to the table offensively than Delmonico this season. Palka has the highest batting average and slugging percentage. He has hit a team-best six home runs in the ninth inning. Davidson has the highest on-base percentage. Both Palka and Davidson are challenging Abreu (22 HRs) for the team's home run lead.

Granted, Delmonico has had fewer at-bats -- a broken bone in his hand earlier in the season limited his playing time. But his production just wouldn't compare even if you gave him another 100 to 150 at-bats or so to bring him equal with the opportunities Palka and Davidson have had.

I do not see a roster spot available in 2019 for Delmonico. He can't make the team ahead of other fringe guys such as Davidson and Palka, and with Eloy Jimenez on the horizon and Abreu and Avisail Garcia both likely to return next season, it's looking as though there aren't any more spots for corner outfielders and 1B/DH types, especially ones that can't punish a hanging slider with the game on the line.