Zack Collins delivers for White Sox ... and is it time to send Garrett Crochet to the minors?

The White Sox salvaged only one win from a three-game weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. 

Saturday's game was suspended with no score in the bottom of the third inning, and when the two teams picked it back up Sunday, the Mariners won, 3-2. 

The regularly scheduled game Sunday was reduced to seven innings, and the Sox won 7-5.

It's been a rocky road for the Sox of late, as they have lost seven of their past nine games. But, they are still 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Their record is 45-32.

Five points from Sunday's action:

1. Zack Collins delivers offensively. Collins was touted as a good-hitting catcher when the Sox drafted him No. 10 overall in 2016, but sadly, we've seen little of that during his time in the organization. He entered Sunday's action with a .212/.316/.343 slash line -- and only nine extra-base hits in 115 plate appearances. But Collins delivered in Sunday's second game, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs. His bases-loaded double with two outs in the fourth inning took a 4-1 Sox lead up to 7-1. Good thing, because they needed that cushion.

2. Garrett Crochet is in crisis. The rookie left-hander is struggling for the first time in his professional career. In his past three outings, Crochet has faced 11 batters. He's retired only two of them, and he's given up six runs. His ERA has jumped from 0.81 to 3.13. Worse, in Game 2, he walked the bases loaded. Two of those free passes came to left-handed batters, whom Crochet should be dominating. I don't know if Crochet is injured, or simply suffering a crisis of confidence, but I wouldn't be opposed if the Sox decided to send him to Charlotte to work out his command issues. Jace Fry can fill in as the second lefty in the bullpen for the time being.

3. Enough with the injuries already. Jose Abreu exited the first game after getting drilled in the kneecap by a 96 mph fastball from Seattle reliever JT Chargois. Abreu was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the field. Thankfully, initial X-rays were negative for any fractures, but it's once again hold-your-breath time for Sox fans. The injured list is already full for the Sox -- Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, Adam Eaton, Adam Engel, Billy Hamilton. At some point, all these games lost to injury are going to affect a team's record, and I think that's a big reason the Sox have been reeling as of late.

4. Can someone take the pressure off Liam Hendriks? The closer was used in both ends of the doubleheader. He took the loss in Game 1, surrendering a home run to Taylor Trammell in the top of the ninth. It would have been nice if he could have taken Game 2 off, and the Sox were in position to give him a break. They led 7-1 after five innings of the seven-inning game. But Jimmy Lambert, on recall as the 27th man, surrendered four runs over 1.1 innings. Hendriks was summoned to get the final two outs which he did, to record his league-best 20th save in 23 opportunities. Hendriks has now appeared in 35 of the first 77 games. Aaron Bummer is second on the club in appearances with 32. 

5. Hey! Yermin Mercedes! The erstwhile designated hitter had a two-run double and an RBI infield single in the second game. Just getting something, anything out of Mercedes these days is helpful, especially if Abreu is destined for the injured list.

Most of White Sox lineup slumping at the same time

So, the White Sox have lost four straight games entering Tuesday's action. They were outscored, 27-8, in losing all four games to the Houston Astros over the weekend.

Eight runs in four games obviously does not cut it. We've talked plenty about injuries, but several guys are just having a poor month here in June:

Yoan Moncada: .216/.328/.314, 87 wRC+

Andrew Vaughn: .226/.263/.396, 80 wRC+

Jose Abreu: .186/.219/.300, 43 wRC+

Yermin Mercedes: .115/.164/.135, -14 wRC+

I didn't think it was mathematically possible to have a -14 wRC+, but that's the world we're living in with Mercedes right now. I guess the one silver lining is the Sox won't need a designated hitter the next two games in Pittsburgh, so we won't see a lot of Mercedes, whose offensive production lately isn't much better than most pitchers provide anyway.

A couple weeks ago, we were looking at a challenging stretch of schedule for the Sox -- three vs. Toronto, three at Detroit, three vs. Tampa Bay and four at Houston. 

They ended up 7-6, which isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. It just feels bad, because they were 7-2 at one stage.

White Sox beat Rays despite using makeshift lineup

Yasmani Grandal

The White Sox starting lineup in Wednesday's series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays looked like something you would see in a split squad game during spring training -- a mix of regulars and reserves. It wasn't the sort of lineup one typically sees in a June game:

1. Tim Anderson, SS
2. Brian Goodwin, CF
3. Andrew Vaughn, LF
4. Jose Abreu, 1B
5. Yasmani Grandal, DH
6. Jake Lamb, RF
7. Leury Garcia, 3B
8. Zack Collins, C
9. Danny Mendick 2B

It was especially weird to see Goodwin, Lamb and Collins all in there, because they are all left-handed batters, and the Sox were facing a left-handed pitcher in Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough.

But this is triage kind of situation. Nick Madrigal is out for the season with a torn hamstring. Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert are weeks, if not months, away from being healthy, functional big leaguers. Yoan Moncada is out with a sinus infection. Adam Engel, working his way back from a hamstring injury, still isn't ready to play a day game after a night game. Adam Eaton has some sort of leg soreness that is keeping him out of the lineup, and Yermin Mercedes is in a terrible slump.

So, you end up with a piecemeal lineup like this. And, of course, the Sox won because of their offense. They scored four runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. After the bullpen let the lead slip, the Sox scored one in the 10th on a walkoff single by Grandal and won, 8-7.

And, oh yeah, Ryan Burr pitched the top of the 10th inning to earn the win, because closer Liam Hendriks was only available in the event of a save situation, which never materialized.

Just the way they drew it up, right?

White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez cleared for baseball activities

Eloy Jimenez

White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez has been cleared to return to baseball-related activities at the team's spring training complex in Arizona.

There is still no timetable on when Jimenez could return to the Sox, but it does seem as though he might be ahead of schedule. Jimenez ruptured his pectoral tendon the third week of March, requiring surgery, and it was estimated the left fielder would be out five to six months.

This next phase of Jimenez's recovery is estimated to last "at least four weeks." When this stage is done, Jimenez will be sent to an affiliate for a rehabilitation assignment. When that assignment comes, it's reasonable to believe Jimenez will be two weeks away from a return to the Sox.

So, optimistically, we could see him on the South Side of Chicago around the first of August -- about six weeks from now. If that best-case scenario occurs, Jimenez will have beaten the odds and returned in four and a half months.

That said, I'm going to urge caution here, because there is always a chance the exuberant Jimenez will overdo it, pushing himself too fast too quick. Hopefully, there will be no setbacks, but let's say I wouldn't be stunned if there were one.

Thing is, the Sox are 4.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians without Jimenez. It's possible they can win the AL Central without him. Not certain, but possible. However, I would say a healthy, effective Jimenez in the No. 5 spot in the batting order is very important -- if not essential -- for the Sox's hopes of winning a World Series championship in 2021.

From that perspective, it's very important that Jimenez stay patient with his rehab, play the long game and come back only when he's ready.

And here's to hoping when he does come back, Jimenez will recognize that he has one job: Hit the damn ball. He doesn't need to take heroic actions in left field, trying to rob home runs and whatnot. He's not capable of that anyway. He needs to stick to his strengths, which are all on the offensive side. We've seen Jimenez land on the injured list too many times because of his misadventures in left field.

In fact, I'm a proponent of a permanent shift to designated hitter when he comes back. I'm unsure whether the Sox agree, but that's my view of the situation.

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Detroit Tigers

Carlos Rodon

There are still questions about the White Sox's ability to beat good teams, but the Sox have proven they can reliably slay the bums in the American League.

The South Siders are now 8-2 against the Detroit Tigers this season, after completing a three-game sweep in Detroit over the weekend.

The Sox (41-24) have won four in a row overall and now possess a 5.5-game lead in the American League Central over the second-place Cleveland Indians.

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

Friday, June 11

White Sox 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings): Liam Hendriks had converted 12 straight saves and not allowed an earned run since April 24, so he was due for a bad game. After sitting through a rain delay at the onset of the bottom of the ninth, Hendriks let a 4-2 lead slip when he gave up a two-run homer to Detroit's Daz Cameron.

Fortunately for Hendriks (3-1), he got the win anyway. The Sox scored a run in the top of the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly by Yoan Moncada. Aaron Bummer recorded his second save of the season by pitching out of a first-and-second, no-outs jam in the bottom of the inning. Bummer struck out two, then benefited from a nice defensive play by second baseman Danny Mendick to end the game.

At the plate, Mendick was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Adam Engel hit his second home run of the season to highlight the Sox offense.

Saturday, June 12

White Sox 15, Tigers 2: Brian Goodwin had a successful debut with the Sox. The veteran outfielder was added to the roster last week when Nick Madrigal went on the injured list with a torn hamstring. Goodwin delivered an RBI double as part of a three-run first inning, then added a three-run homer as part of a five-run second inning.

Goodwin finished the game with five RBIs. The Sox pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of 11 walks by the Detroit pitching staff. The Tigers used seven people to pitch, including two position players, after starter Jose Urena gave up eight runs and got knocked out in the second inning.

Dylan Cease (5-2) is now 8-0 lifetime against the Tigers. He pitched five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. He exited the game after five because the Sox were ahead 13-2. Lightly used relievers Ryan Burr and Matt Foster finished the game.

Yermin Mercedes and Leury Garcia had two hits and three RBIs each in the rout.

Sunday, June 13

White Sox 4, Tigers 1: Carlos Rodon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Unfortunately for him, he lost the bid after a missed strike call by the home plate umpire. With one out in the seventh, Rodon aced Detroit's Eric Haase with a 2-2 slider that had the whole plate. Alas, the pitch was called a ball. Haase doubled to break up the no-hitter, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to spoil the shutout.

Rodon (6-2) was at 103 pitches after seven innings, so he was removed from the game at that point. He allowed only the one hit and two walks. He struck out nine. 

It wasn't an explosive day for the Sox offense, but it was good enough. Jose Abreu had three hits, including an RBI single in the fourth. Garcia had two RBIs, one on a double in the fifth and the other on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Mendick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth, as the Tigers continued to show why they are tied for last place.

Evan Marshall worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and Hendriks bounced back from Friday with a clean ninth for his 17th save in 20 attempts.

Baseball America cover jinx?

Just days after I received this magazine in my mailbox, White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal tore his hamstring and will be lost to the Sox for at least 60 days -- if not the rest of the 2021 season.

Doesn't that just figure?

Key for Dylan Cease: Get him past the fourth inning unscathed

Dylan Cease

White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease improved to 7-0 lifetime against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, as he pitched seven innings of shutout ball with 10 strikeouts in a 3-0 victory.

Cease is now 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA over 12 starts this season, and that's certainly acceptable for a No. 4 starter. But here's what I find interesting about Cease: If he actually gets to the third time through the batting order in a start, chances are he's dominating the game.

Check out his ERA by inning:

• 1st: 3.00
• 2nd: 2.25
• 3rd: 2.25
• 4th: 8.44
• 5th: 3.24
• 6th: 0.00
• 7th: 0.00

So, Cease has allowed 23 earned runs over his 12 starts, and 10 of them have come in the fourth inning. They don't really get him early, and they don't really get him late.

Here is the opponent's slash line, based on times through the order:

• First time: .211/.311/.300
• Second time: .239/.333/.386
• Third time: .245/.275/.245 

Yeah, that second time through the order is definitely the hardest part for Cease. That aligns with the high ERA in the fourth inning. If he gets to the third time through the order, chances are he's cruising. That makes Cease an anomaly, as conventional wisdom states that pitchers lose effectiveness once batters get a third look at them in the same game.

Just something to keep an eye on in future Cease starts.

When the White Sox hit home runs, they win

Yoan Moncada

When the White Sox hit at least one home run in a game, they typically win. When they do not homer, they typically lose.

I guess that makes them typical of baseball in 2021, right?

The Sox are now 30-6 when they hit a home run after they hit four solo shots Thursday in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Yoan Moncada got the Sox on the board in the bottom of the first inning with his fifth home run of the season. It was a good piece of hitting from Moncada -- Detroit starter Casey Mize (3-4) threw a splitter at the knees on the outside corner, and the Sox third baseman went with the pitch and hit it into the left-field bullpen.

Jake Lamb made it 2-0 in the bottom of the second when he hit a Mize fastball to Goose Island in right field. For Lamb, it was his fourth home run of the season. Lamb is now batting .265 with a .931 OPS. He might be in line for some more playing time against right-handed pitchers.

The Sox took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, when Yasmani Grandal connected against Mize for a 457-foot homer to right-center field that left the ballpark traveling at 110 mph. It was Grandal's seventh home run of the season. The Sox catcher continues to have the most bizarre season of any player in baseball. His season slash line is .137/.384/.363. Obviously, Grandal has the lowest batting average of any Sox regular, but he also has the second-highest on-base percentage, behind only Moncada (.426).

Tim Anderson hadn't homered since May 13, but he broke that drought in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to dead center off Detroit reliever Daniel Norris. It was Anderson's sixth home run of the season, and that capped the scoring.

For the record, the Sox are 4-16 this season when they do not hit a home run.

The power barrage helped right-hander Lance Lynn improve to 7-1 on the season. Lynn worked six innings, allowing a run on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Relievers Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall and Liam Hendriks each worked a scoreless inning in relief. Hendriks earned his 14th save in 16 chances.

It was good to see Marshall collect two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 eighth inning. The Sox need either Marshall or Codi Heuer to step up in high-leverage relief in the seventh and eighth innings. In this game, Marshall got it done, as he made quick work of the top three hitters in the Detroit batting order.

Heading into Friday's action, the Sox are 34-22 and have a three-game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Thursday's game was the first of four against Detroit.