Why the White Sox shouldn't trade Alex Colome or James McCann

Alex Colome

We're about a month away from trade talks heating up, and no doubt, some people are going to be calling for the White Sox to trade useful veterans such as closer Alex Colome or catcher James McCann.

I would be opposed to such trades. Colome and McCann are what I like to call "young veterans." Colome is 30 years old. McCann is 29. Neither is a kid, but neither is closed to washed up. They are in that window that you might call a player's prime -- ages 27 to 32.

They have value, but they aren't stars. You can get young players in a deal for them, but probably not premium prospects, and that's why the Sox should hold. Trading players similar to Colome and McCann has not been a strength for the Sox during this rebuild.

Let's forget about the deals of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Adam Eaton. Those guys are high-end players. The "next tier" type of trades are what we're talking about, and here are some past midseason Sox deals with guys who would fall in the category of young veterans:

• Traded David Robertson, Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle for Blake Rutherford, Tito Polo and Ian Clarkin.
• Traded Dan Jennings for Casey Gillaspie
• Traded Anthony Swarzak for Ryan Cordell
• Traded Melky Cabrera for A.J. Puckett and Andre Davis
• Traded Miguel Gonzalez for TiQuan Forbes
• Traded Joakim Soria for Kodi Medeiros and Wilber Perez
• Traded Luis Avilan for Felix Paulino
• Traded Xavier Cedeno for Bryan Connell and Johan Dominguez

There's eight trades on this list. The Sox acquired 13 players and only Cordell has made the majors. And I don't think any of us see Cordell as a long-term piece of the puzzle.

So, why would the Sox want to trade Colome and McCann for more "lottery tickets" such as the assorted busts on this list?

You look at where the Sox are right now: They have Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez in the lineup -- hopefully for good. Michael Kopech is coming back next season. Lucas Giolito is emerging. Reynaldo Lopez is going to be around. Dylan Cease and Luis Robert are on the way.

There's your young core, but you have to fill in around them. Not every roster spot can be filled by a prospect.

If you want to win in 2020 or 2021, you need a closer. Neither Ian Hamilton nor Zack Burdi have fulfilled that promise. Would you trust either of them to emerge? I would not. So keep Colome, who can do the job.

If you want to win in 2020 or 2021, you need a catcher. Do you trust either Zack Collins or Seby Zavala to handle a pitching staff on a contending club? Well, maybe you can have one of them on the roster, but it would be beneficial to have a veteran. I choose McCann over Welington Castillo.

At some point, you have to emerge from the "accumulating talent" stage and move to the "let's improve at the major league level" stage. I think the Sox are at that point. You can't just keep trading useful players for crap in perpetuity.

White Sox complete sweep of Royals in another wild game

Tim Anderson

There was a lot happening in the White Sox's 8-7 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

The Royals again hit Tim Anderson with a pitch -- in the head -- with an 86 mph changeup, so presumably that wasn't intentional. Kansas City pitcher Glenn Sparkman was ejected for throwing that pitch in the second inning, and the Sox made the Royals pay with a five-run rally -- capped off by Jose Abreu's 3-run homer -- to take an early 7-1 lead.

The Sox blew that whole thing thanks to some poor pitching and some questionable decision-making from the dugout. The Royals scored four runs in the sixth inning and two in the eighth to tie it.

Then Anderson put the Sox ahead to stay with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hopefully, he didn't look at anybody funny while he was rounding first base, or else the Royals will be throwing at him again next time the two teams play.

After the game, Anderson said he doesn't like the Royals and was happy the Sox swept the three-game series. Can't blame him. Changeup or no, nobody likes to see a pitch coming at their head.

A few other takes from this eventful game:

1. The ejection of Sparkman wasn't fair to him, but it was probably the right thing for the umpire to do to maintain control of the game -- and future games between these two teams. That ejection establishes that even the appearance of a beanball is going to be dealt with harshly. If Sparkman isn't ejected there, who is to say the Sox don't retaliate? After all, Anderson has been hit twice -- at least once intentionally -- and no Royals have been hit intentionally at all. It's best to get ahead of the whole thing and put a stop to anymore vigilante justice.
2. Why was Reynaldo Lopez allowed to throw 118 pitches in this game? He gave up a two-run homer to Jorge Soler in the sixth, walked a guy and was fortunate to get a double play. Then he gives up a single, a triple and another single while running on fumes. All of a sudden, it was 7-5, and Lopez didn't make it through the sixth after all. You would think with all pitchers injured in the Sox organization, they would be a little more cautious with starters who are supposedly part of the present and future. What are the manager and the pitching coach doing?
3. Man, Kelvin Herrera is having a bad May. He had a 2.51 ERA on May 1. His ERA is now 7.48. That will happen when your ERA is 17.18 over your past nine outings. And Herrera gave up two runs in the eighth in the stupidest way possible Wednesday. He walked a light-hitting catcher, mishandled a bunt, didn't bother to check two speedy runners and gave up a double steal, and then gave up a two-run single with the infield drawn in. It might be time to stop using Herrera in high-leverage spots. He's been ineffective for a full month.
4. As bad as Herrera has been, that's how good Alex Colome has been. He had one win and two saves in this series, pitching three scoreless innings in a span of about 29 hours. Colome is 11 for 11 in save opportunities. He is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA for the season, and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced in this series.

James McCann and Lucas Giolito: Winning combination for White Sox

James McCann

When the White Sox signed catcher James McCann this offseason, I did not like the move. And why would anyone?

McCann was a below-average catcher in 2018. He batted .220/.267/.314 with only eight home runs, 16 doubles and 39 RBIs in 118 games for the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers were one of the worst teams in the league -- only two wins better than the Sox at 64-98 -- and they chose not to offer McCann a contract.

Signing this player looked like the usual dumpster diving by the Sox front office. But for once, it appears Sox brass was right and I was wrong.

At the one-third mark of the season, McCann is hitting .350/.385/.528 with four home runs, 10 doubles and 12 RBIs. He's even got three stolen bases. Maybe his power numbers are so-so, but there's no arguing with that batting average and on-base percentage. He's been swinging the bat well since the season began.

And the Sox have been winning consistently when he starts behind the plate. Keep in mind this team is 25-29 overall. Here is the Sox's record with each starting catcher:

McCann: 18-12 (.600)
Welington Castillo: 7-16 (.304)
Seby Zavala: 0-1 (.000)
Total: 25-29 (.463)

Let's add one caveat here: McCann has caught all of Lucas Giolito's starts. The right-hander is 7-1 after his 4-3 win over the Royals on Tuesday night. In fact, Giolito has won each of his past five starts.

But isn't it interesting that Giolito's ERA has gone from 6.13 to 2.85 this season, and he's been quick to credit McCann for helping him make in-game adjustments during this career-best streak. Giolito has to make the pitches, yes, but his catcher is clearly helping him along.

McCann went 3 for 4 and scored the go-ahead run in Tuesday's win, so his bat is helping Giolito and other Sox pitchers as much as his game-calling.

No way is McCann going to hit .350 all year. His career slash line is .248/.295/.378. But even when the inevitable regression happens, McCann's numbers might be good enough to get an all-star nod in the American League this year.

The way he and Giolito are working together, they both might end up making the AL roster in mid-July.

Finally, Ivan Nova pitches well at Guaranteed Rate Field

Ivan Nova

White Sox starting pitcher Ivan Nova has three wins this season. He's managed to beat Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman and Gerrit Cole -- three pitchers you wouldn't expect him to outpitch. But outpitch them he did.

The other thing that stands out about Nova: All three of those wins have come on the road. Check out his home-and-road splits coming into Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals:

Home: 0-2, 16.36 ERA in three starts, 11 IP, 24 H, 20 ER, 8 Ks, 7 BBs, 5 HRs allowed
Road: 3-2, 4.57 ERA in seven starts, 43.1 IP, 55 H, 22 ERs, 27 Ks, 10 BBs, 6 HRs allowed

Honestly, that line in road games is probably what the Sox had hoped Nova's overall numbers would look like. It's his home numbers that have ruined everything, so his performance against the Royals on Monday was at least a step forward -- even though it came against a last-place team.

Nova pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on six hits. He struck out two, walked nobody and kept the ball in the yard for a change. The rains came in the bottom of the fifth inning, suspending the game until Tuesday and ending Nova's start early.

The Sox won, 2-1, Tuesday afternoon on a single by Yolmer Sanchez in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Nova's next start also will be at home, and again, he'll be pitching against a weaker lineup -- the Cleveland Indians. We'll see if he can get some traction and give the Sox at least one other reasonable starting pitcher besides Lucas Giolito.

May 27: Memorial Day 2019

Lucas Giolito throws shutout in White Sox win over Astros

Did you ever think you would see a day when White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito would throw 82 of his 107 pitches for strikes in a game?

Consider this about Giolito's outing Thursday against the Houston Astros: In the second inning, he threw 11 pitches -- all of them strikes. In the fifth inning, he threw nine pitches -- all of them strikes. In the seventh inning, he threw six pitches -- all of them strikes.

Three separate times, Giolito retired the side without throwing a single pitch out of the zone, against the No. 2 offense in the American League.

Is this the same guy who led the AL with 90 walks and 118 earned runs allowed in 187 innings in 2018?

Sure doesn't seem like it, and thank goodness.

Giolito fired a complete-game, four-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over Houston. He struck out nine, walked only one, and none of the four hits went for extra bases. With the win, the Sox rally to split the four-game series with the Astros, after they dropped the first two games.

Sure, Houston was without George Springer and Jose Altuve. But that lineup still features Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa -- three damn good hitters -- and Giolito dominated.

This time, his slider was his best offspeed pitch. He threw it 20 times and got seven swinging strikes. He threw his change 24 times, as well, but the slider seemed to be the out pitch. He still had it working in the ninth inning, too, when he struck out Correa with a nasty one for the second out.

One big key for this turnaround for Giolito: His fastball velocity has returned. Remember, last year he was throwing 91 to 93 mph. Now with his shorter arm action and more compact delivery, his fastball averaged 94.8 mph Thursday and topped out at 97.3 mph.

He still had the heat in the ninth inning, too. I saw a fastball register at 97 in the aforementioned at-bat with Correa.

Giolito's record is now 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The traditional pitching numbers are good, as are some of the other numbers people like to look at. His WHIP is 1.058. He's allowed only three home runs in 52 innings pitched. His strikeouts per nine innings sit at 10.2, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.11. His FIP is 2.78.

Obviously, we need to see it for a whole season to say that Giolito has truly turned a corner and established himself as a legitimate piece of the starting rotation. However, this early-season performance sure is encouraging, and it's sorely needed.

And with this win over the Astros, he's got a victory over one of the league's elite to his name.

(And, oh yeah, Eloy Jimenez homered for the third time in the series against Houston in Thursday's game. We like to sneak Eloy's name in here whenever we get the chance -- his presence drives up the web numbers. Hey, at least we're not being phony about that mattering.)

White Sox beat Astros for first time since September 2017

A triple play turned, four double plays turned, four home runs hit, including a grand slam ... yes, the White Sox looked like a good team Wednesday night against the Houston Astros.

It seemed as though the Sox would have to do everything right to win a game against the AL West-leading Astros, and they pretty much did just that in a 9-4 win.

Sox starter Ivan Nova (3-4) was in trouble in the bottom of the third inning, clinging to a 1-0 lead with Houston runners at first and second and nobody out. Then Jake Marisnick hit a grounder that took Yoan Moncada right to the third-base bag, and Moncada started a 5-4-3, around-the-horn triple play to get Nova out of trouble.

It was the first triple play the Sox have turned since 2016, when they had three of them the first half of the season.

But that triple play might not have been the most shocking play of the game. The other stunner came in the top of the sixth inning with the Sox leading, 4-3. The bases were loaded with two outs when Charlie Tilson, of all people, connected for a grand slam off a 98-mph fastball from Josh James to make it 8-3.

It was Tilson's first home run in 164 career plate appearances. In case you were wondering how many times a Sox player has hit a grand slam for his first career homer, here's a list:

Tilson, May 22, 2019
Danny Richar, Aug. 17, 2007
Norberto Martin, June 4, 1994
Kevin Bell, June 22, 1976
Vince Castino, July 23, 1943
Tom Turner, June 24, 1942
Spence Harris, July 28, 1925
Happy Felsch, June 18, 1915

It's only happened three times in my lifetime.

And only four times in the past 40 years has a team turned a triple play and hit a grand slam in the same game. The Sox had never done it before.

Did I mention Eloy Jimenez hit two homers Wednesday night?

Yes, it was a good night for the Sox. They snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Astros, and hey, they won't get swept in this four-game series. It was the South Siders' first win against Houston since Sept. 21, 2017.

Now isn't a good time to face Houston ace Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander has started 45 games in his career against the White Sox. He's won 22, lost 13 and been more good than bad against the South Siders during his 15-year career.

But I'm not sure he's ever had a better start against the Sox in all those years than the one he had Tuesday night.

Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He ended up working eight innings, allowing one run on one hit in the Houston Astros' 5-1 win over the Sox.

The right-hander struck out 12, walked only one and induced 28 swinging strikes from Sox batters -- 14 on sliders, 10 on fastballs and four on curveballs. For context, 28 swinging strikes is the most against a pitcher in any Major League game this season. He was dominant.

Verlander is now 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA this season. Over his past three starts, he's allowed only four hits in 22 innings -- all wins. He's struck out 29, walked five and allowed two runs (both on solo home runs) during that same span.

The Sox got their lone run and lone hit on a solo home run Tuesday on a blast by Jose Abreu, who strangely has Verlander's number.

In 41 career at-bats coming into Tuesday, Abreu had a .366/.435/.780 slash line with five home runs against Verlander. Make it six home runs. Abreu has homered against Verlander more than any other pitcher in his career. (Corey Kluber is second; Abreu has taken him deep five times).

But in the context of his career numbers, maybe Abreu's 1-for-4 night against the Houston ace wasn't that great of a game.

Verlander has 212 wins in an accomplished career, but at age 36, I'm not sure he's ever been tougher to beat than he is right now.

2018 Lucas Giolito vs. 2019 Lucas Giolito

Proponents of the White Sox rebuild think I'm being too negative about the team's future prospects. Well, guess what? We don't believe team propaganda on this blog, and we're going to continue to criticize the Sox until they give us a legitimate reason to be optimistic with good performance at the Major League level.

That being said, I'm not opposed to praising good performance, so let's give props to Lucas Giolito for being the most improved Sox player through the first 45 games of the season.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of Giolito last year and Giolito this year through eight starts:

2018 Giolito: 2-4, 41.2 IP, 40 H, 33 R, 32 ER, 24 Ks, 32 BBs, 6.91 ERA
2019 Giolito: 5-1, 43 IP, 32 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 50 Ks, 18 BBs, 3.35 ERA

Wow. That's an ERA more than three runs lower. In case you were wondering, Giolito's eight starts have come against Kansas City (twice), Seattle, the New York Yankees, Boston, Cleveland and Toronto (twice).

That's a mixed bag of good-hitting teams and some weaker teams, and it's not unreasonable to believe Giolito will see some regression. But what can't be ignored is that change in the strikeout rate, and the change in the walk rate.

Last season at this time, Giolito had more walks than strikeouts. Now, strikeouts are outnumbering walks by almost 3 to 1. That is a reason for hope.

On Thursday, Giolito will face his sternest test of the season when he takes on the league-best Houston Astros.

Houston beat the Sox, 3-0, on Monday. I don't have much hope for Tuesday, with Dylan Covey pitching for the Sox against Houston's Justin Verlander. And I don't have much hope for Wednesday with Ivan Nova pitching for the Sox against Houston's Gerrit Cole.

However, I do have some hope for Giolito pitching Thursday against Houston rookie Corbin Martin. Now, Martin has a much better team behind him than Giolito, so the Astros might very well win regardless.

That being said, it's a huge step forward when you can legitimately say Giolito's presence on the mound gives you hope that the Sox *might* win. More than we can say for some other pitchers, for sure.

Eloy Jimenez comes off the injured list; Nicky Delmonico optioned to Triple-A Charlotte

Eloy Jimenez

.186, .189 and .220.

I arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday and looked at the White Sox starting lineup on the scoreboard, and it was hard not to notice the pathetic averages for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters in the batting order.

Yonder Alonso, Welington Castillo and Nicky Delmonico lived up to those ugly numbers, going 0 for 12 with five strikeouts in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

It's too bad, because a quality start by Reynaldo Lopez went to waste, and the Sox (21-24) missed an opportunity to take three out of four from the struggling Blue Jays (19-28). The South Siders had to settle for a split of the four-game series, and a split of the six-game homestand.

But there's help on the way. Eloy Jimenez has been activated off the injured list and is in the lineup for the series opener Monday against the Houston Astros. Jimenez has been out since spraining his ankle April 26 in a collision with the left-field wall. He went 7 for 22 with a homer in five games on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.

To make room on the roster, the Sox optioned Delmonico to Charlotte. His batting average is down to .206, and we know he isn't much with the glove, either. It's hard to see a role for Delmonico in Chicago over the long haul. He'll likely be joining Adam Engel on the organizational scrap heap.

As for Jimenez, it's a relief to have him back. The injury, when it happened, looked bad enough that I thought Jimenez would be sidelined until at least June 1. It's May 20, and he's returning. Hopefully, he doesn't have any run-ins with the Crawford boxes in left field in Houston, and hopefully, he can help provide some lineup protection for Jose Abreu.

This figures to be a challenging week for the Sox. They are on the road to play the two best teams in the American League -- the Astros (31-16) and the Minnesota Twins (30-16).

It's a seven-game trip, and I'd be thrilled with 3-4. Frankly, I'd take 2-5 right now if you offered it to me.

White Sox split two-game series with Cleveland Indians

It's a good thing the White Sox won Monday. There was no reason to be optimistic about Tuesday's matchup with Carlos Carrasco pitching for the Cleveland Indians and the hapless Manny Banuelos pitching for the Sox. That game went as expected.

So, the Sox (19-22) split this brief two-game home series against Cleveland and now are 4-4 against the Indians (22-19) this season.

Let's take a look back at the series.

Monday, May 13
White Sox 5, Indians 2: The game started ominously for Reynaldo Lopez, as Cleveland leadoff man Francisco Lindor hit a 435-foot home run off him on his third pitch of the night.

However, that was the only earned run Lopez (3-4) allowed over 7.2 innings, the longest outing by a Sox starter so far this season.The right-hander limited the Indians to only two hits while striking out six and walking two.

The Sox hit four solo home runs, two of them by third baseman Yoan Moncada, who now has nine homers for the season. It was good night all around for Moncada, who went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .289. That .877 OPS looks pretty good. I would like to see that stick for the whole season.

Jose Abreu also homered -- his team-high 10th -- and Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season. Castillo also doubled and scored on a double by Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh.

Aaron Bummer got the final out of the eighth in relief of Lopez, and Alex Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in as many chances. Good win.

Tuesday, May 14
Indians 9, White Sox 0: The Sox have been outscored 29-2 in the past three games that Banuelos (2-3) has started. The meager two runs scored are not Banuelos' fault. The 29 runs allowed very much are his fault.

The left-hander left in the fifth inning with some sort of shoulder ailment, but not before he gave up five earned runs, including three homers. This guy just isn't rotation material, and I'm still aggravated that the Sox came into the season believing he could help them. That 7.26 ERA says otherwise.

Now, Banuelos might need to go on the injured list, so the Sox will need a replacement for the replacement. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what direction they are going to go, assuming they are going to stick to their guns and not call up Dylan Cease. Jordan Stephens is on the 40-man roster, but he has a 9.48 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte this season. No, he's not a viable option.

Offensively, the Sox were quiet against Carrasco, who tossed seven shutout innings. Same as it ever was.

The Sox have a day off Wednesday in advance of this weekend's four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The rest is probably coming at a good time.

Carlos Rodon, Nate Jones, Micker Adolfo out for the season

Carlos Rodon

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn meets the media before the first game of every homestand at Guaranteed Rate Field, and typically, those news conferences are chock full of (mostly) bad injury news.

Here's the rundown from today's pregame before the Sox opened a two-game set with the Cleveland Indians.

• Pitcher Carlos Rodon will undergo Tommy John surgery later this week, as expected. Hahn hopes that Rodon will return sometime during the second half of the 2020 season.
• Pitcher Nate Jones had surgery Monday to fix a flexor mass tear in his right arm. He will miss the remainder of the 2019 season.
• Outfielder Micker Adolfo, a prospect who was playing for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, will have arthroscopic surgery on his elbow and miss the remainder of the 2019 season.
• Outfielder Eloy Jimenez is heading to Triple-A Charlotte to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday. Jimenez has been out since April 26 with a sprained ankle.

A few reactions:

• Rodon cannot be counted upon to be anything more than a No. 5 starter moving forward. He's 26 years old, so youth is on his side in recovery, but the guy just keeps getting hurt. Despite his high-end talent, you have to assume anything you get from him is a bonus.
• It's time to move on from Jones. He has a team option for $3.75 million for 2020. It was a $5.15 million option, but language in the contract reduces it to $3.75 million because elbow surgery was required before the end of the 2019 season. The buyout is $1.25 million. Buy him out.
• This is the second straight season Adolfo will miss significant development time because of an elbow injury. He's 22 years old, so again, youth is on his side in terms of recovery. However, these are at-bats than can never be recouped, and I am no longer hopeful about his future with the Sox.
• I'd like to renew my call for Jimenez to DH when he returns to the majors, at least in the short run. Let him get the offensive part of the game down, and then once he's comfortable at the plate, work him back into left field. Right now, his awkward movements in the outfield are a danger to himself and his teammates. Work with him in the outfield before the game, but when the game starts, DH him. And, no, I don't care about Yonder Alonso's feelings. He's batting .178, and so what if he loses playing time? 

White Sox take two out of three from Blue Jays

Lucas Giolito needed more than just a fastball-changeup combination to get through his start Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it worked out well for him. The White Sox right-hander improved to 4-1 with seven innings of one-run ball in the South Siders' 5-1 victory.

With the win, the Sox (18-21) took two out of three from the slumping Blue Jays (16-24) and completed their seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record.

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

Friday, May 10
Blue Jays 4, White Sox 3: One of the most frustrating things about the Sox rebuild is Dylan Covey finding his way back into the rotation. Covey has made 35 starts and appeared in 49 games for the Sox since the beginning of the 2017 season. In that time, he's gone 5-23 with a 6.09 ERA.

I think we know this isn't working. Covey shouldn't be in the rotation, but the Sox have yet to draft, develop or sign anybody good enough to relegate him to the bullpen, or to Triple-A Charlotte.

Covey's 23rd career loss came Friday when he gave up three-run homer to Randal Grichuk in the first inning and a solo home run to Teoscar Hernandez in the second inning. That put the Sox in a 4-1 hole, and they couldn't recover.

Covey went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks. Tim Anderson went 2 for 4 with his seventh home run of the season in the loss.

Saturday, May 11
White Sox 7, Blue Jays 2: I hated the signing of catcher James McCann when it happened, and I'm not sure his red-hot start to the season is real. But, kudos to him for shutting me up so far.

McCann went 4 for 5 with two doubles, two runs scored an RBI to power the Sox's 11-hit attack in this victory. Late-inning offense also was key. The Sox led 2-0 after six innings, but they blew the game open with two runs in the seventh inning, two in the eighth and one in the ninth.

Yolmer Sanchez homered, Charlie Tilson had two hits, and the Sox were productive despite an 0-for-5 day from Jose Abreu.

Ivan Nova (2-3) won his second start on the road trip, working six-plus innings. He allowed only one run on a solo home run by Grichuk, and limited Toronto to five hits.

Let's also give props to recently recalled right-handed reliever Evan Marshall, who needed only six pitches to get three outs in the seventh inning. The Sox could use some more competence from low- and medium-leverage guys in the bullpen.

Sunday, May 12
White Sox 5, Blue Jays 1: Giolito was shaky early. The Blue Jays got a run on three hits in the first inning, and they got a leadoff single in the second inning. But after that, Giolito allowed absolutely nothing.

He worked seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. In his previous outing, a win against Cleveland, Giolito used only four breaking balls the whole game. This time, he threw 22 sliders and nine curves, as the early struggles showed him that he needed to rely on more than just two fastball-changeup. However, he made the adjustment effectively and turned in another outstanding start. Good to see.

There have been other times when we thought or hoped Giolito was turning a corner, so we'll reserve judgment on what this means for the long haul, but give him credit for two A-plus starts on this trip.

The Sox got all the offense they needed in a five-run fourth inning. Yonder Alonso hit his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to put the South Siders ahead. Anderson added a three-run homer, his eighth of the season and second of the series, to make it 5-1.

Giolito took over from there. Ryan Burr and Aaron Bummer each worked a scoreless inning of relief, and the Sox had a solid series win against a team that, frankly, they should beat. I'm not impressed with the Blue Jays this season.

When 'settling for a split' feels like the best possible outcome ...

Jose Ramirez

If you read or listen to recaps of this week's four-game series between the White Sox and the Cleveland Indians, someone may note that the Sox "settled for a split."

The phrase is commonly used when a team wins the first two games of a series, only to lose the last two. And that's precisely what the Sox did in this case.

Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Kelvin Herrera in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday, lifting the Indians to a 5-3 win. Cleveland also won Thursday, 5-0, in a game that was shortened to five innings by rain.

Truthfully, the rain was a blessing for the Sox. Their bullpen didn't get have to pitch another three innings in a game that was a lost cause. Sox hitters, as is their custom, could do nothing with Carlos Carrasco. And Manny Banuelos is a long reliever (at best) being asked to be a starting pitcher on this team.

Predictable results ensue.

And that's pretty much the problem here. If you had asked me Sunday night if I would take a Sox split of this four-game series, I would have said, "You bet."

We've reached a point of hopelessness to where two wins out of four games is considered a rousing success. Let's not pretend the Indians are a juggernaut -- they are 20-16; they aren't going to win 102 games like they did two seasons ago.

It shouldn't be completely implausible for the Sox to take three out of four from this Cleveland team, and while they had two opportunities to do so, there was never any real feeling that they'd actually pull it off.

That's a reason why I refer to Sox fandom as being like a second job these days. The absolute best you can hope for is for the team to not embarrass itself. The Sox didn't embarrass themselves in Cleveland, so we gleefully "settle for the split" and get ready to watch a weekend series against Toronto.

White Sox rotation looking to avoid 'worst-ever' label

Just when I was ready to label the White Sox starting rotation as the worst I've seen on the South Side in my lifetime, Sox pitchers came up with two outstanding starts.

Ivan Nova (1-3) went seven innings of one-run ball Monday to pick up his first victory as a member of the Sox, as the South Siders roughed up Cleveland's Trevor Bauer in a 9-1 win.

The veteran right-hander allowed eight hits, but walked only one while striking out five. Even with the quality start, his season ERA is at 7.04.

On Tuesday, Lucas Giolito (3-1) backed that up with perhaps the best start he's had since he joined the Sox. He tossed 7.1 innings of shutout ball in a 2-0 victory, allowing three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts.

Remarkably Giolito threw only four breaking balls among his 105 pitches. He threw 67 fastballs and 34 changeups, and since the Indians never solved that two-pitch combination, he wisely stuck with it.

Nevertheless, this Sox rotation of Nova, Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Manny Banuelos and Dylan Covey is not going to intimidate anyone.

Entering Wednesday's action, the Sox's team ERA was 5.35, and the starting rotation had posted only 11 quality starts in 34 games. Against that backdrop, it's remarkable the Sox won 16 of those first 34 games.

Going back through my lifetime, I was trying to think of another Sox rotation that looked as leaky as this one does. The one that stood in my mind was the 1998 team, which finished the season with a 5.22 ERA.

That Sox club managed to go 80-82, but that was a team with a excellent offense. Albert Belle rewrote the franchise record book, and the lineup also featured Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Ray Durham and Magglio Ordonez.

But the starting pitching, oh boy, it was bad. Here's a look at the numbers for Sox pitchers who made 15 starts or more in 1998:

Mike Sirotka: 14-15, 5.06 ERA, 1.427 WHIP in 33 starts
Jaime Navarro: 8-16, 6.36 ERA, 1.737 WHIP in 37 games (27 starts)
James Baldwin: 13-6, 5.32 ERA, 1.484 WHIP in 37 games (24 starts)
Jim Parque: 7-5, 5.10 ERA, 1.628 WHIP in 21 starts
Scott Eyre: 3-8, 5.38 ERA, 1.664 WHIP in 33 games (17 starts)
Jason Bere: 3-7, 6.45 ERA, 1.865 WHIP in 18 games (15 starts)

Yeah, so that's the low bar this Sox rotation has to clear. You could say they should sign Dallas Keuchel (or maybe even James Shields). You could say they should bring up Dylan Cease, but there's no indication any of that is going to happen, so why bother discussing it?

By way of comparison, here are the numbers the Sox rotation is putting up (through Tuesday):

Nova: 1-3, 7.04 ERA, 1.696 WHIP in seven starts
Giolito: 3-1, 4.06 ERA, 1.290 WHIP in six starts
Lopez: 2-4, 6.69 ERA, 1.761 WHIP in seven starts
Banuelos: 2-1, 5.96 ERA, 1.676 WHIP in seven games (three starts)
Covey: 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 2.000 WHIP in three games (one start)

There are still 128 games to get through this season ...

Adam Engel may have run out of chances with the White Sox

Adam Engel

At the White Sox home opener April 5, there was an incoherent drunk with a ridiculous-looking beard sitting a row behind me.

He was really getting on my nerves for multiple reasons. Not the least of which, he kept talking about Adam Engel. No fewer that 67 times, he must have said of Engel, "If he could just hit .240 ... If he could just hit .240 ... "

I felt like turning around, punching him right in the face and telling him, "LOOK! ENGEL IS NEVER GOING TO HIT .240!!!!!!! GET OVER IT!!!!!!!"

After all, Engel hit .236/.367/.301 during his junior season at the University of Louisville. He couldn't hit .240 there. What sane person would think he could hit .240 in the big leagues?

In 26 games with the Sox this year, Engel was hitting .212/.281/.346. He's had 857 plate appearances in the big leagues, a pretty decent sample size, and his career slash line is .207/.262/.316.

Despite his elite defense in center field, Engel wasn't playing every day any longer. He was being used as a late-inning defensive replacement and an occasional starter against a left-handed pitcher.

Now, he'll be getting reps in Triple-A Charlotte, because the Sox optioned him after the game Sunday. On Monday, Charlie Tilson was recalled from Charlotte.

Tilson was hitting .333/.396/.475 for the Knights at the time his contract was purchased, and he was starting in right field for the Sox on Monday against the Cleveland Indians.

Pitcher Ryan Burr also was activated from the 10-day injured list, and pitcher Nate Jones was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

As for Engel, it's too bad for him. He's a player who always hustles, and as a finalist for the Gold Glove in the American League last season, he has a competency on the defensive side that no other Sox player possesses.

Unfortunately, he's an automatic out against most pitchers. Manager Rick Renteria said he wants Engel to bat .250 and put up a .330 on-base percentage.

Again, the "If he could just hit .240 ..." stuff is a pipe dream. We've seen enough now to know that. 

White Sox's pitching house of cards crumbles vs. Red Sox

Chris Sale

Here's one way to look at this weekend: The White Sox won one more game against the Boston Red Sox than expected. It turned out to be the first game of the four-games series, but oh, those three losses ...

They were as ugly as ugly gets.

The starting pitching is crumbling on the South Side of Chicago, and we still have 130 games to go. Carlos Rodon is out for an extended period. Ivan Nova is failing miserably as the veteran innings-eater. Ervin Santana already has been released.

Manny Banuelos is NOT the answer the Sox hoped he would be when they touted his skills at SoxFest in January, and once again, we're stuck with Dylan Covey as the most viable option to fill space.

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

Thursday, May 2
White Sox 6, Red Sox 4: Nicky Delmonico hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to turn a possible 4-3 loss into a Sox victory. And my main reaction was, "Well, at least they won't get swept."

Boston opened the door when third baseman Rafael Devers kicked a routine grounder hit by Jose Rondon. Yonder Alonso singled to move Rondon to third, and that set the table for Delmonico.

But, the one positive takeaway from this whole weekend, for me, was something else: Lucas Giolito looked competent on the mound in his first game back from the injured list. He worked five respectable innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked two against a good lineup.

Obviously, we want more than five innings from Giolito his next time out, but this performance was encouraging.

Friday, May 3
Red Sox 6, White Sox 1: Chris Sale was 0-5 coming into this game. His velocity was down, he has a World Series hangover, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Whatever. That guy is still a great pitcher, and him being 0-5 just meant he was due for a win.

He's now 1-5 after blanked the Sox over six innings, striking out 10 and allowing only three hits. He kicked the Sox's asses fair and square, and that had to be satisfying for him.

Reynaldo Lopez (2-4) gave up a three-run homer to Devers in the top of the first inning, and that was all Sale would need.

Rondon pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the ninth for the Sox. I was scratching my head as to why a team with an eight-man bullpen was using an infielder to pitch in a five-run game. It was 6-1, not 15-2, you know?

Saturday, May 4
Red Sox 15, White Sox 2: About that 15-2 ... Banuelos retired the first eight men he faced. Then he gave up 10 straight hits as the Red Sox posted a nine-spot in the top of the third inning.

I actually felt bad for Banuelos, who should not have been left in the game that long. But the Sox have a taxed bullpen, so on and so forth, and they were trying to get a few more outs from him. Those outs simply weren't forthcoming.

Carson Fulmer appeared with his gas can and gave up five more runs in the fourth. He retired only one of the seven hitters he faced and walked three. After the game, Fulmer was mercifully sent back to Triple-A.

Here's the thing: If you can't throw strikes when there's no penalty for throwing strikes, such as when your team is down 9-1 in the fourth, you don't belong in the major leagues. Fulmer is a tremendous disappointment, being a former first-round draft pick.

Banuelos is a scrap-heap pickup who is being asked to handle more than he should. I have no bad feelings toward him. Rather, I have bad feelings toward those who erroneously believed he was a viable answer for this starting rotation.

Kelvin Herrera, a high-leverage reliever, finished this game instead of a position player, for some reason.

Sunday, May 5
Red Sox 9, White Sox 2: Covey did his job. I was hoping for four decent innings. He provided 4.2 decent innings, allowing two runs.

This game was tied at 2 through seven innings, and then Boston scored seven runs in the eighth against Herrera, Caleb Frare and Juan Minaya. (Yep, Minaya's back. Somebody had to take Fulmer's place. And maybe Herrera shouldn't have been wasting bullets Saturday.)

That Boston rally started with a clown shoes play that I'm not sure I can do justice. Devers hit one off the left-field fence, and Delmonico actually did a great job of playing the carom. He got the ball in quickly, holding Devers to a long single.

Problem is, Tim Anderson tried to catch Devers as he scrambled back to first, and he threw the ball away. As Devers broke for second, Jose Abreu retrieved the ball and decided he'd try to throw out the Boston runner. Instead, he chucked the ball into left field, allowing Devers to make third.

So, a one-out single turned into a Little League triple. Before you knew it, there were walks and hits and a grand slam by Xander Bogaerts, and the game was over.

There was a crowd of 36,553, more than on Opening Day. They were all still there when the eighth inning started. By the bottom of the eighth, there were about 6,000 there, and probably 5,000 of them were in Red Sox gear.

Oh well. Easier for me to get out of the parking lot, I guess. 

All this means the Sox got outscored 30-5 in the final three games of the series. Rick Hahn talks a lot about positioning the organization to "compete for multiple championships." He just got a lesson in how far away he truly is.