Carlos Rodon's velocity is absent, but his results were good

Carlos Rodon

What do we make of Carlos Rodon's start Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds? If you look at his pitching line, you can't help but be pleased.

The White Sox left-hander worked five shutout innings in a 6-1 victory. He allowed only one hit, while striking out four and walking two. And he was efficient, needing only 69 pitches to record 15 outs; 43 of those pitches were strikes.

However, this was a depleted Cincinnati lineup. The Reds were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday, and their two best players -- Joey Votto and Nick Castellanos -- received a day off Wednesday.

The big concern from a Sox perspective ... Rodon's velocity just wasn't there. For the season, his fastball has averaged 96 mph, and topped out at 99. In this game, his average fastball velocity was 90.9 mph. He topped out at 92.7 mph.

Velocity comes from the shoulder, and we know Rodon has been dealing with nagging shoulder soreness.

Rodon also threw more changeups that he normally would, and strangely, the velocity on his change (82 mph) was a tick higher than the average velocity on his slider (81 mph). But he did get three swinging strikeouts with his slider. 

You can't argue with Rodon's results. He shut the Reds down with good command, good sequences and changes of speed. The question is whether that's going to be enough in the postseason against a strong Houston Astros lineup.

But assuming Rodon is healthy coming out of this start, he has earned the right to pitch a playoff game. He's 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA this season -- without a doubt his finest campaign as a member of the Sox.

He's made 24 starts, and the Sox are 16-8 in those games. I think we're going to see Rodon on the mound in either Game 3 or Game 4 of the ALDS against the Astros, and we'll see if he can find a way, just as he did Wednesday against the Reds.

Here's how I would align the White Sox rotation for the playoffs

Lucas Giolito

Carlos Rodon will start for the White Sox on Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Of the four games remaining in the regular season, this is probably the most important one for the Sox -- because it should give us some clue about whether Rodon will be healthy enough to contribute in the playoffs.

His velocity on both his fastball and his slider have been noticeably down, even with nine or 10 days in between starts, as he deals with shoulder fatigue. He hasn't pitched since Sept. 20, so once again, nine days of rest. We'll see what he has.

The Sox (90-68) beat the Reds, 7-1, Tuesday night behind two home runs from Luis Robert and six innings of one-run ball from Reynaldo Lopez (4-3). This marks the first time the Sox have reached 90 wins since 2006, and it's certainly nice to win. But right now, most of the discussion is looking ahead toward the first round of the playoffs.

How will manager Tony La Russa set up his starting rotation, knowing that Rodon likely isn't going to be fully operational?

Well, here's one man's suggestion, that man being me:

Game 1: Lucas Giolito

Game 2: Lance Lynn

Game 3: Dylan Cease

Game 4: Rodon, if healthy, otherwise start Michael Kopech. Regardless of who starts, send Giolito to the bullpen, and have him ready to work in relief on three days' rest.

Game 5: Lynn

The off days in this series are as such that the Game 2 starter could work on regular rest in Game 5, should the series take that long. 

Why am I choosing Giolito for Game 1 starter? It's actually nothing against Lynn. I trust Giolito and Lynn equally. It's just that we know Lynn is dealing with a balky right knee, and he's admitted that he won't be 100% for the rest of this season.

Giolito is the younger and healthier of the two pitchers, so I'm more inclined to give him the short-rest, Game 4 relief assignment.

Give Lynn his usual increment of rest, and you'll likely get more out of him.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping Rodon can go. He's pitched very well against the Houston Astros this season. The Astros will be the Sox's AL Division Series opponent. 

In fact, Rodon's start on July 18 vs. Houston was one of the best pitching performances we've seen from a Sox pitcher in 2021. In two games against the Astros, Rodon has worked 14 innings, and allowed only one run on four hits -- with 18 strikeouts. Of course, he was healthy then.

Dallas Keuchel and Lopez are the other guys in consideration to make a start if Rodon can't go. But Keuchel, for me, just hasn't pitched well enough, despite his veteran experience. His season ERA is 5.13. I can't trust him. 

I'd actually trust Lopez over Keuchel, but Kopech is the better option to get you through a lineup one time, or maybe twice. 

My plan for Game 4 would be to use Giolito as the first man out of the bullpen, behind either Rodon or Kopech, and you hope that gets you through the sixth inning. Then you go to your usual complement of high-leverage relievers from the seventh inning on.

The White Sox are AL Central champs for the first time since 2008

Tim Anderson

The White Sox are American League Central Division champions for the first time since 2008. Even though they have been in first place since May 7, and even though this outcome has been looked upon as an inevitability for weeks, it's not something we should take for granted.

I turned 45 years old this summer. I attended my first Sox game at old Comiskey Park in August 1981, just over 40 years ago. I've been a Sox fan for a long time, and this is only the sixth season in my lifetime in which the Sox have won their division.

It's never happened two years in a row. It hasn't happened in 13 years, and you should never assume it will happen again next year, or the year after that -- despite the general optimism around the team and the talk of "competing for multiple championships."

Tomorrow is not promised, so enjoy the accomplishments of today.

The Sox clinched the division with a 7-2 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader Thursday against the second-place Cleveland Indians.

Give Tim Anderson a lot of credit. He hit a solo home run three pitches into the game to give the Sox a lead, and he added a 3-run homer in the second inning that turned a 3-0 Sox lead into a 6-0 advantage.

Anderson, along with Jose Abreu, is the leader of this team, and he pretty much decided that the division race would end today. Anderson's second home run of the afternoon was part of a six-run outburst in the second inning that also included homers from Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez.

Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez had a 7-0 lead to work with by the time he took the mound in the second inning. He gave up a solo home run in the third, and another in the fourth, so manager Tony La Russa gave him a quick hook after 3.1 innings of work.

This was a seven-inning game, of course, and La Russa obviously sensed an opportunity to knock the Indians out. Even with a five-run lead, he used his high-leverage relievers -- Garrett Crochet, Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks -- and Cleveland managed only two hits over the final 3.2 innings and didn't score another run. 

I like the way La Russa managed the game. He wasn't going to let this one get away. He wasn't going to let clinching wait for another day.

The Sox lost the second game of the doubleheader, 5-3, as the lineup was full of bench players. Michael Kopech got the start and looked sharp through two scoreless innings. The Indians scored their five runs off the lesser relievers in the Sox bullpen -- Mike Wright, Matt Foster and Jose Ruiz.

No doubt, if the game had meant something, it probably would have been managed differently. But for once, the Sox and their fans can afford to not care about a loss.

The Sox are 86-67. The marathon is over. The playoff sprint will begin soon enough.

Carlos Rodon not looking good for the White Sox

Carlos Rodon

White Sox starter Carlos Rodon pitched only three innings Monday night against the Detroit Tigers. He didn't look good, allowing three runs in a 4-3 Sox loss.

He did strike out six, but he threw only 69 pitches, and his last pitch of the game was an 89 mph fastball. We know that's not Rodon. When he's right, he's throwing 95 or 96 mph, and he can ramp it up to 98 or 99 mph when he needs it.

We haven't seen that type of velocity from him at all in the past month, and it's concerning, because Rodon had nine days off in between starts. Even with extra rest, he can't seem to get right, and the playoffs are only two weeks away.

This is a problem, because starting pitching is the one advantage the Sox have over their American League rivals. Sure, the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays are better teams overall than the Sox, but with Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Rodon, they have a puncher's chance in a short series against any opponent.

Take away Rodon, and that starting pitching doesn't look so formidable.

After Monday's game, manager Tony La Russa said he thinks it's doubtful that Rodon will pitch next week against the Cincinnati Reds, as originally thought. La Russa said that Rodon "wasn't right" after the third inning and added that he was "concerned."

In his postgame remarks, Rodon described his issues as "normal soreness" and "nothing crazy." I wish I could believe that, but the quality of his stuff tells me otherwise. He just doesn't pass the eye test right now.

Another topic of concern is reliever Craig Kimbrel, who entered in a 3-3 tie the bottom of the eighth inning and coughed up a run on a HBP, a wild pitch and a single. That cost the Sox this game, and Kimbrel's poor performance is an ongoing problem.

But that might a topic to revisit another time. The story tonight is Rodon's health, and it's an ominous sign that this very important starting pitcher looks incapable of helping the Sox with the playoffs looming on the horizon.

The Sox are 85-65. Their magic number is 2. No worries about the AL Central race. The ability of this team to do anything in the playoffs, however, is a big question.

White Sox make six roster moves ahead of series with Angels

Lucas Giolito

The White Sox open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Here are six roster moves that were made in advance of this series:

1. Pitcher Lucas Giolito has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
2. Shortstop Tim Anderson has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
3. Catcher Zack Collins has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
4. Outfielder Andrew Vaughn has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 10, with lower back inflammation.
5. Infielder Danny Mendick has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
6. Catcher Seby Zavala has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

Giolito is expected to be the starting pitcher Tuesday night. It's reasonable to assume Anderson will be in his customary leadoff spot for the series opener.

Vaughn was unavailable for the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, and he's mired in a 4-for-50 freefall over his past 13 games. The rookie clearly needs a rest.

The Sox obviously want to take a longer look at Romy Gonzalez as a backup infielder. He's sticking on the roster over Mendick.

Why the catcher shuffle, you ask? Well, Collins was sent to the minors Sept. 1. As long as he was brought back within 21 days, the Sox would avoid burning his third and final option. So, he's back, and he'll still have an option remaining for the 2022 season.

Collins certainly did not distinguish himself during his two weeks in Charlotte. He batted .143/.211/.400.

Zavala, meanwhile, has only one hit in his last 22 at-bats with the Sox, so neither man is an inspiring option as a backup catcher.

Pray Yasmani Grandal stays healthy for the playoffs.

A walk-off home run by ... Leury Garcia

Leury Garcia

Give Leury Garcia credit for this: He has stepped up in Tim Anderson's absence. Not only has Garcia played a credible defensive shortstop, he's contributed to the White Sox with his bat, too.

Since Anderson went on the injured list on Aug. 29, Garcia has gone 14 for 40 with two home runs and seven RBIs. He homered in Saturday's 9-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox, and over the previous 14 days leading into Sunday, he was slashing .365/.407/.519.

But we hadn't seen anything yet.

With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth Sunday, Garcia stepped to the plate with two outs and nobody on against Boston reliever Garrett Whitlock. Garcia fell behind 0-2 in the count, and it looked like the game was going to extra innings.

Instead, Garcia jumped on the 0-2 pitch and launched it 430 feet over the wall in center field for a walk-off homer and a 2-1 White Sox victory.

It was only his fifth home run of the season. Go figure. Unlikely hero.

Certainly, all Sox fans are looking forward to Anderson's return to the lineup, which reportedly will happen Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. 

But Garcia has done his job in a backup role. During parts of nine seasons with the Sox, Garcia has played seven different positions on the field, including pitcher. When he first joined the professional ranks, he was a shortstop by trade, and honestly, it feels as though his most productive times at the plate have occurred when he's playing shortstop and filling in for Anderson.

He just must be most comfortable at that position, although he there's no chance he'll take Anderson's job. In the meantime, he deserves his props for a big hit Sunday.

The Sox are 82-61 after taking two of three from Boston. Their AL Central lead is 12. Their magic number is 9.

Will Yasmani Grandal end up with one of the most bizarre offensive seasons ever?

Yasmani Grandal

White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal's numbers are weird. His batting average coming into Wednesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics stinks -- .228 -- but it's hard to complain about his overall slash line of .228/.418/.529. 

Grandal's on-base percentage is the best among Sox players who are in the regular lineup, and his slugging percentage is second-best, only to Luis Robert (.539). 

His OPS is a team-best .947, and his OPS+ is 161, meaning he is 61% better than the league average among those who play his position.

But here's what is really weird about Grandal: He has only 47 hits all season, but he has 51 runs scored and 54 RBIs.

Never before in the history of baseball -- and that's a long damn time -- has a player with more than 40 hits had more runs scored and RBIs than hits in a single season.

It's something to keep an eye on down the stretch, although Grandal has 13 hits in eight games since returning from the 10-day injured list. During that time, he's raised his batting from .188 to .228, bashed five home runs and collected 17 RBIs.

He might actually be swinging the bat too well to continue this anomaly of a season.

White Sox win opener in Oakland

Grandal worked a bases-loaded walk in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics, so he did get one RBI in a game in which he also collected one hit.

This victory was full of anomalies for the Sox. They had three run-producing hits, all against left-handed pitchers, and all by batters who have not done well against lefties.

Gavin Sheets is 1 for 14 against lefties this season, but the one hit was Tuesday night -- and RBI single in the fifth inning off A.J. Puk. Cesar Hernandez was 5 for 33 against lefties since joining the Sox -- until he delivered a two-run single in that same fifth inning that capped a three-run rally and gave the South Siders a 4-1 lead.

Brian Goodwin? He's 7 for 57 against lefties this season, but his broken-bat, two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning off Jake Diekman gave the Sox a 6-1 lead and effectively put the game away.

And, oh yeah, Jimmy Lambert pitched five innings of one-run ball for the Sox to earn his first career victory.

So, it was a night for surprises and anomalies, and one might argue that a Sox victory in Oakland is an anomaly in its own right. Before Tuesday, the last time the Sox won a regular-season game in Oakland was July 3, 2017, more than four years ago.

Whatever the Sox do for the remainder of this series, perhaps you can argue they've already exceeded expectations simply by winning a game in Oakland.

White Sox summon Jimmy Lambert as starting pitching crisis deepens

Dallas Keuchel

Lance Lynn is on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation. Lucas Giolito is on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Carlos Rodon is not on the injured list -- yet -- but he will be unavailable to the White Sox in their upcoming series against the Oakland Athletics because of "shoulder fatigue and soreness." Rodon was last seen Sept. 1, earning a victory against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates despite reduced velocity and less-than-his-best stuff.

Dallas Keuchel is reportedly 100% healthy, but his ERA is not. He's 1-5 with a 7.44 ERA since the All-Star break, and he got shellacked again Friday night in a 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

Reynaldo Lopez has done a nice job for the Sox since he was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, but he showed some cracks Saturday in Kansas City. Despite being handed an early 6-0 lead, he couldn't make it through more than four innings. His velocity was down, and he allowed three runs. The Sox eventually won, 10-7, but it wasn't the best day for Lopez.

Dylan Cease is healthy and functioning, although he took the loss Sunday in Kansas City, 6-0. It wasn't a great game for Cease, as he gave up a 3-run homer in the first inning to Salvador Perez. But, unless he had found a way to give up negative runs, he was destined to lose that game anyway because of a lousy performance by the Sox offense.

It's too bad Michael Kopech doesn't seem capable of filling in. He was great for the Sox as a spot starter early in the season, but he has an 8.68 ERA since the All-Star break. He's having trouble getting through one inning, let alone multiple innings, and he's not the option he was back in May.

Suddenly, the Sox starting rotation, which has been the strength of the team all season, is lacking in options. With the start of the playoffs a month away, it's cracking at just the wrong time.

The series against Oakland on Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon is going to be tough.

Jimmy Lambert has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take the start on Tuesday night. He takes the roster spot of Matt Foster, who was optioned to Charlotte after Sunday's game.

Keuchel will pitch on regular rest Wednesday, but he's pitched a grand total of nine innings in his past three starts -- and given up 16 earned runs in that stretch. Doesn't sound promising.

Lopez will pitch on regular rest Thursday. Here's to hoping his fastball sits at 95-97 mph, instead of the 92-94 we saw Saturday in Kansas City.

Looking a little farther ahead, Cease will be ready on regular rest to face the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But Saturday and Sunday against Boston ... welp, we better hope somebody gets healthy by then. The starting pitching crisis is deepening on the South Side of Chicago.

Happy Labor Day from The Baseball Kid

 

Jose Abreu stars as Mr. August

Jose Abreu

Sept. 1 must be the saddest day of the year for Jose Abreu. He probably never wants August to end.

The White Sox first baseman is always a productive hitter, but when the calendar says August, he becomes an unstoppable force in the batter's box.

This year was no exception. For the month of August, Abreu batted .330/.382/.661 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs, seven doubles, 22 runs scored and 74 total bases. His 1.043 OPS was the second-highest in the league for the month.

For his efforts, Abreu has been named American League Player of the Month for August. This is nothing new. Abreu won AL Player of the Month in August 2020, as well.

For his career, Abreu is batting .335/.390/.604 with 56 home runs and 166 RBIs in August. His next-best month in terms of run production is May, during which Abreu has 38 career home runs and 129 career RBIs. 

So, it's safe to say Abreu qualifies as Mr. August.

And, of course, he went 0 for 3 Wednesday night in his first game of September. Perhaps the spell has been broken.

The Sox (78-56) were off Thursday. They start a six-game road trip to Kansas City and Oakland on Friday night against the Royals.

Gavin Sheets hits 2 home runs in return to White Sox roster

It's not clear how many at-bats will be available for Gavin Sheets in September, but he made his case for more playing time Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Hours after being called up from Triple-A Charlotte, Sheets was batting eighth as the DH in the White Sox's lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

He went 2 for 3 with two homers and four RBIs, and the Sox beat the Pirates, 6-3.

Sheets started the scoring with a 3-run homer off Pittsburgh starter Max Kranick (1-3) in the bottom of the fourth inning. Then he finished the scoring with a solo homer off reliever Duane Underwood Jr. in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sheets now has eight home runs this season.

The Sox got five decent innings from starter Carlos Rodon (11-5), who struck out five and walked one, while allowing only one run on five hits.

Rodon threw 77 pitches in his second start back from the injured list. He didn't have his peak velocity -- he was throwing 95 mph, which is not too shabby, but we often see Rodon sit at 97 with his fastball. He didn't have his best slider, either, but hey, these are the last-place Pirates, and he had enough to get his job done.

Once again, the Sox bullpen was a little suspect. Aaron Bummer gave up a solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Pirates also scratched across a run in the eighth against the combination of Ryan Tepera and Liam Hendriks.

But, Hendriks stranded two runners to close out the eighth, then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st save of the season. Ultimately, Hendriks needed only 18 pitches to record five outs, but it's kind of annoying the Sox are having so much trouble getting the eighth inning covered.

That's still an issue that must be sorted out over the next month.

The Sox are a season-high 22 games over .500 at 78-56.

Tim Anderson headed to the IL, other White Sox roster moves

Tim Anderson

Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1, and the White Sox made six roster moves Wednesday ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates:

1. Shortstop Tim Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to Aug. 29.
2. Pitcher Matt Foster was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
3. Outfielder Billy Hamilton was activated from the 10-day injured list.
4. Infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb was designated for assignment.
5. Infielder Romy Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A Charlotte.
6. First baseman Gavin Sheets was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Now for a few thoughts on these moves.

First off, the Sox must have a healthy Anderson in October if they have any hope of advancing in the playoffs. This whole business of him being available for a couple of games, then needing a couple of days off has been both annoying and concerning. It's a good decision to sit him down for 10 days and let him get right. 

Adam Engel is still rehabbing a shoulder injury, so it's good to see Hamilton back on the roster. His defensive skills are needed as a backup center fielder. The Sox probably aren't going to play Luis Robert every single day in center field, so Hamilton can handle that position when Robert takes a day off. And Hamilton can do that job better than Brian Goodwin or Leury Garcia can.

Gonzalez has had a terrific season split between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. Between the two levels, he has batted .275/.357/.525 with 23 homers in 335 at-bats. He needed to be added to the 40-man roster by this offseason, or else he would be subject to the Rule 5 draft. Gonzalez has played every position except pitcher and catcher, and with Garcia hitting free agency at the end of the season, this is an opportunity to see if Gonzalez can play the same role as Garcia for less money.

Lamb has hit only .179 with one home run in 12 games in August. Sheets can probably do a better job as the left-handed bat off the bench. I'm just surprised the Sox are OK with Sheets sitting on the bench in Chicago, as opposed to playing every day in Charlotte. There aren't a lot of at-bats available at DH or at first base, although Sheets (much like Lamb) can masquerade as a right fielder for a game here or there.

The one thing Lamb can do that Sheets cannot is play third base. However, with Garcia, Gonzalez and Danny Mendick all on the 28-man roster, there are other options to back up Yoan Moncada. That makes Lamb expendable.