What are reasonable expectations for Dallas Keuchel this season?

Dallas Keuchel

As White Sox pitchers and catchers report to camp Wednesday, the pitcher who I'm most curious about on the Sox staff is ... strangely, Dallas Keuchel.

I'm not sure what the Sox are going to get from 32-year-old veteran left-hander, who signed a three-year deal worth $55.5 million with the South Siders this offseason.

First, let's take a look at what Keuchel has provided the past five seasons, the first four with the Houston Astros, then last season with the Atlanta Braves:

2015: 20-8, 2.48 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 1.017 WHIP, 216 Ks, 51 BBs, 232 IP
2016: 9-12, 4.55 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 1.286 WHIP, 144 Ks, 48 BBs, 168 IP
2017: 14-5, 2.90 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.119 WHIP, 125 Ks, 47 BBs, 145.2 IP
2018: 12-11, 3.74 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.314 WHIP, 153 Ks, 58 BBs, 204.2 IP
2019: 8-8, 3.75, 4.72 FIP, 1.367 WHIP, 91 Ks, 39 BBs, 112.2 IP

Keuchel was at the height of his powers in 2015, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. He had a down year in 2016, before bouncing back in 2017. The past couple of seasons have been characterized by a decline that is to be expected with his age, but it's not a precipitous decline.

So what do we expect from Keuchel as Sox fans in 2020? I know we're not getting an ace -- he's just not that guy anymore. But, that stat line from 2018, I think I could live with that. If Keuchel provides 200-plus innings and an ERA below 4.00 in a hitters' park such as Guaranteed Rate Field, that's a solid year at this stage of his career.

What does Keuchel need to do to get to that level? Well, I think he's going to have to do a better job the third time through the batting order than he did last season with the Braves. Check out the splits opposing batters had against Keuchel by pitch count, and note how rough it gets once he gets past 75 pitches:

Pitches 1-25: .278/.345/.398
Pitches 26-50: .206/.292/.299
Pitches 51-75: .265/.320/.434
Pitches 76-100: .320/.294/.608

Yikes on that fourth line there, huh? I certainly can't complain about anything I'm seeing for Pitches 1-50. Heck, 51-75 isn't too bad, but that slugging percentage takes a big leap once Keuchel gets past the 75-pitch mark.

We know Sox pitching coach Don Cooper is old-school, believing that going seven innings is "part of the job description" for starting pitchers.

There's no doubt Keuchel will be allowed to pitch deep into games, and there's every reason to believe his floor is higher than the ceilings for past Sox rotation members such as Ivan Nova, Dylan Covey and Ross Detwiler. That alone makes Keuchel a worthwhile signing.

But the key question here is whether he can be more than a five- or six-inning pitcher at this stage of his career. The Sox definitely need him to be.

White Sox (finally) designate Dylan Covey for assignment

We mentioned in an earlier blog that the White Sox would have to make a roster move when the signing of relief pitcher Steve Cishek became official.

That happened Tuesday as the club announced the signing and designated right-hander Dylan Covey for assignment.

I don't think too many Sox fans will be shedding tears over Covey's removal from the roster. Here are his numbers over the past three seasons:

2017: 0-7, 7.71 ERA in 18 games (12 starts)
2018: 5-14, 5.18 ERA in 27 games (21 starts)
2019: 1-8, 7.98 ERA in 18 games (12 starts)
Total: 6-29, 6.54 ERA in 63 games (45 starts)

In fairness to Covey, he was a Rule 5 draft pick, and expectations were low for him. Not to mention, he was miscast as a starting pitcher, when a long relief role may have best fit his skill set.

During a rebuilding period, you do expect to see pitchers such as this cycle through your roster. You just don't expect them to continue to get opportunities FOR THREE YEARS.

The main problem I have with Covey is he received more opportunities than he earned, and frankly, that's not his fault, because he's not the one who makes the roster decisions. It appears as though, finally, his time is up.

White Sox sign left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel to three-year contract

Dallas Keuchel

The White Sox on Saturday moved to boost their starting rotation, agreeing to terms with left-hander Dallas Keuchel on a three-year, $55 million contract, according to reports.

The deal includes a vesting option for a fourth season that could take the value of the contract up to $74 million.

Keuchel, 31, won the Cy Young Award in 2015 as a member of the Houston Astros, and he helped that franchise win its only World Series title in 2017. He had a strange season in 2019 -- he was a free agent last offseason, but signed late with the Atlanta Braves, and he didn't pitch until June.

He compiled an 8-8 record with a 3.75 ERA in 19 starts and 112.1 innings pitched. He struck out 91, walked 39 and posted a 1.367 WHIP.

This signing is interesting. Keuchel was once an ace, but he's not anymore, but then again he's not being paid like an ace. For actual ace contracts, see Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. He's being paid like a stabilizing, mid-rotation veteran, and the hope is he can pitch like a stabilizing, mid-rotation veteran. Keuchel has three 200-plus inning seasons in his past, and he will be the only member of the Sox pitching staff to have ever reached the 200-inning threshold.

Here's how the rotation may look when the season starts:
1. Lucas Giolito
2. Keuchel
3. Reynaldo Lopez
4. Dylan Cease
5. Gio Gonzalez

And let's not forget, Michael Kopech is healthy and will join the rotation at some point.

The concern about Keuchel would be his age. At 31, his best season (2015) is five years in the past. He isn't going to go 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA again. He doesn't have the velocity that the stats guys love -- you're going to be seeing a lot of 87 mph sinkers. And it is true that Keuchel was not the Sox's top choice. That was Zack Wheeler, who signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia.

However, consider these things about Keuchel: He has compiled a 121 ERA+ over the past three seasons. That means he's been 21 percent better than league average over that time, and it's notable that these numbers DO NOT include his Cy Young season of 2015. He's also been healthy, knock on wood. There's only been one stint on the injured list in the past seven years, and that was for a pinched nerve in his neck. Keuchel has never missed time because of a shoulder or elbow problem. And Keuchel had a 60.1 groundball rate last season -- that's the best in baseball for any pitcher who threw more than 110 innings.

Now, whether the Sox infield can catch all those groundballs, that's a matter of debate. But I think that number demonstrates that Keuchel can still be an effective starter for the Sox, and I don't think three years and about $18 million per is an overpay at all -- especially when you consider what aces are receiving in the current marketplace.

Perhaps most importantly, this addition -- and the addition of Gonzalez -- sends pitchers such as Dylan Covey, Carson Fulmer and Ross Detwiler to the back of the line in terms of rotation options. Even if you don't care for these two additions, Keuchel and Gonzalez have a floor that is higher than the ceilings of pitchers such as Covey and Detwiler. At minimum, the Sox have made incremental progress here.

White Sox are bringing back Ross Detwiler (on a minor-league deal)

What? You hoped the White Sox would sign an actual starting pitcher today? Not a chance!

Instead, you will have to settle for the team signing journeyman left-hander Ross Detwiler to a minor-league deal.

Detwiler appeared in 18 games (12 starts) with the Sox in 2019, and he did little to distinguish himself. He went 3-5 with a 6.59 ERA and a 1.614 WHIP in 44 innings.

Like most fans, I had hoped the Sox were moving past guys like this, and I'm hoping this is nothing more than, "Hey, somebody's gotta pitch in Triple-A."

But then you look at the projected Sox rotation, and you can't help but wonder:

1. Lucas Giolito
2. Reynaldo Lopez
3. Dylan Cease
4. ??????
5. ??????

Yes, Michael Kopech should be ready to go when the season starts, but there are rumblings that the team will work him back into the mix slowly, maybe even starting him at Triple-A Charlotte.

In the meantime, somebody else has to fill those two spots. In the absence of another acquisition or two, we're looking at Detwiler, Dylan Covey and Carson Fulmer competing for jobs again.

That sends chills down my spine.

C'mon, Sox, sign a free agent pitcher already, will you?

Audit on bad White Sox starting pitching in 2019

Without looking it up, I was guessing the White Sox started a pitcher who didn't belong out there in about a quarter of their games. Turns out, my instinct was close to right.

Looking over the numbers, I identified 43 of 161 Sox games that were started by pitchers who probably will not be in the major leagues next season:

1. Ross Detwiler. 3-5 with a 5.84 ERA in 12 starts. The Sox went 6-6 in those games.
2. Dylan Covey. 1-7 with an 8.45 ERA in 12 starts. The Sox went 3-9 in those games.
3. Manny Banuelos. 2-4 with an 8.05 ERA in 8 starts. The Sox went 4-4 in those games.
4. Carson Fulmer. 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA in 2 starts. The Sox went 0-2 in those games.
5. Hector Santiago. 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 2 starts. The Sox went 0-2 in those games.
6. Ervin Santana. 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in 3 starts. The Sox went 1-2 in those games.
7. Odrisamer Despaigne. 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in 3 starts. The Sox went 0-3 in those games.

Add it all up, and the Sox went 15-28 in games started by these seven men. Considering the team was 17 games below .500 overall (72-89), we can see how the back end of the starting rotation was a major problem. This list above represents 13 games below .500 right there.

This needs to be fixed this offseason.

Reynaldo Lopez's struggles prevent White Sox from sweeping Detroit Tigers

Reynaldo Lopez

When people speak about the projected 2020 White Sox pitching staff, it is assumed that the starting rotation will include Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Reynaldo Lopez and a veteran free agent to be signed later.

Perhaps those people are correct, but that's not the way it should work.

Giolito is the only Sox pitcher who has performed well enough in 2019 to where it can be assumed that he's a member of the rotation to open next season. In fact, barring an unforeseen big-name free agent acquisition, I would expect to see Giolito on the mound when next season opens March 26 against the Kansas City Royals.

All others should have to compete for a spot, and that includes Lopez, who pitched poorly Sunday in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The loss prevented the Sox (68-87) from sweeping the hapless Tigers (46-109).

The Sox offense totaled 36 hits through the first two games of the series. They won 10-1 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday, and neither Cease (4-7) nor Ivan Nova (11-12) found it all that difficult on their way to wins against the weak Detroit offense.

But on Sunday, Lopez got torched for three home runs and five earned runs over four innings, and he also received two lectures from manager Rick Renteria -- one a stern discussion on the mound during the second inning, and then another lengthy dialogue during the top of the fourth inning in the dugout.

The loss drops Lopez to 9-15 on the season, with an ugly 5.57 ERA. The right-hander had one of the best starts of his career Sept. 5, a complete-game one-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. However, in three starts since then -- against the Royals, Minnesota Twins and Tigers -- Lopez has given up five or more earned runs in every outing.

He's 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA in that span, having allowed 16 earned runs on 27 hits -- including six home runs -- over 14 innings.

Does that sound like somebody we should be "penciling in" to the 2020 rotation? Not in my world.

I realize two full seasons have been invested in Lopez's development now, so it's hard to give up on him. And the Sox shouldn't give up on him. He has some of the best fastball velocity in the league -- he's consistently throwing 95-plus. However, that's not good enough. The fastball has to be located, and the secondary pitches have to be better. Lopez surrendered three homers on sliders Sunday.

So where do the Sox go from here? To me, this is simple. The Sox need to sign two veteran free agent pitchers this offseason, not just one. And, if they must bring back Nova, tell him he's going to be serving as a long reliever and spot starter -- and he should only be retained *in addition* to two other acquisitions from outside the organization.

Create a situation where you have Lopez, Cease, Kopech and three veterans vying for the four spots in the rotation behind Giolito. The four best of the six are starters, and the other two can go sit in the bullpen.

If Lopez cannot command his fastball, if he cannot maintain his focus from start to start, if he cannot execute his breaking pitches -- even against a Triple-A lineup such as Detroit's -- then he needs to be removed from the rotation.

You see, this season the Sox are so short on pitching that Lopez, Cease and Nova are guaranteed to retain their spots in the rotation, no matter how bad they pitch. Hell, even Dylan Covey has been allowed to make starts when he's healthy, because there is no depth to speak of whatsoever.

This should not be. Everybody should have a little bit of fear that they could lose their job if they don't perform. As it stands right now, no matter how many lectures Renteria delivers, Lopez is in the rotation regardless of results.

This is a situation that must change this offseason. Invest in the pitching staff, White Sox. Create internal competition. Don't accept mediocrity or worse. No more scholarships for anybody.

White Sox salvage 1 out of 3 against Los Angeles Angels

Tim Anderson is leading the AL in hitting.

The White Sox kicked away a winnable series at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend, losing two out of three games to the Los Angeles Angels.

It's disappointing because the Angels (67-77) had lost 11 out of 13 games coming into the series, and Mike Trout left in the middle of Friday's game and didn't play the rest of the weekend. This was a favorable situation for the Sox (63-80), and they failed to take advantage.

But, the win Sunday was the Sox's 63rd of the season, which means they will not duplicate last year's 100-loss campaign. So, at least there's that.

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

Friday, Sept. 6
Angels 5, White Sox 4: The Sox had been 49-1 this season when leading after seven innings. Make it 50-2, as relievers Aaron Bummer and Alex Colome combined to let this one get away.

Lucas Giolito was seeking his 15th victory of the season, and he did not disappoint, turning in another strong outing. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on only three hits. He struck out six and walked one. Tim Anderson backed Giolito with a two-run homer, and the Sox led, 4-2, going into the eighth inning.

But that's when Bummer walked pinch-hitter Taylor Ward, and two batters later, gave up a two-run homer to Brian Goodwin, who had taken over in center field after Trout left the game with a foot injury. The blast tied the game at 4.

Colome entered to try to preserve the tie in the ninth, but Justin Upton homered on the first pitch of the inning to put the Angels ahead to stay. The Sox could get nothing done against Los Angeles closer Hansel Robles (5-0), who retired all six batters he faced over the final two innings.

Daniel Palka struck out looking to end the game. He is now 1 for 54 this season.

Saturday, Sept. 7
Angels 8, White Sox 7: What will it take for the Sox to stop using Dylan Covey as a starting pitcher? Covey (1-8) was shelled for seven earned runs on seven hits over just 2.2 innings. His ERA is 7.69. It's baffling that this "experiment" has not ended yet. For goodness sake, put Hector Santiago out there. He usually can at least get to the fifth inning before having a meltdown on the mound.

The Sox trailed 7-2 when Covey left in the third inning, and they tried to come back. But, the hole was too deep. Jose Abreu's 30th home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the seventh inning, brought the Sox to within a run. However, they were unable to mount a threat in either of the last two innings, with Robles nailing down his 20th save.

Anderson went 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. The Sox shortstop got the day off Sunday, so he exits this series with a .334 batting average. He leads the American League in hitting. New York's DJ LeMahieu was second at .328 entering Sunday's play.

Sunday, Sept. 8
White Sox 5, Angels 1: It wasn't a great day for Sox rookie Dylan Cease, but it could have been worse. Cease needed 36 pitches to get through the first inning, and 30 more to get through the second. However, the Angels managed only one run in those two innings and left the bases loaded both times.

The pitch count caught up with Cease, as he lasted only 3.1 innings. He allowed the one run on four hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Fortunately, the Sox bullpen bounced back from Friday's debacle. Josh Osich (2-0), Bummer and Colome combined for 5.2 innings of one-hit relief.

Osich allowed one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings. Bummer allowed only a walk in two innings, and Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

Abreu hit his 31st home run of the season in the third inning to give the Sox the lead for good. The slugger now has a career-high 112 RBIs.

Danny Mendick also connected for his first career home run. The 25-year-old September call-up started at shortstop with Anderson getting the day off, and he has not looked out of place thus far. Mendick is 5 for 14 in five games, three of them starts.

The Sox will get an off day Monday before hosting the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series Tuesday through Thursday.

Charlotte Knights blow opportunity to go to Triple-A playoffs

If you've been watching White Sox games lately -- and you deserve a medal if you have -- you have probably noticed that the TV broadcast team of Jason Benetti and Steve Stone has been touting the potential benefits of a deep playoff run for the Sox's Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.

It was hard not to feel as though Benetti and Stone were preparing fans for the inevitable -- the fact that top prospects were not going to be called up for September, and that "going to win a championship together" would be ideal for the better players on that Charlotte roster.

Well, guess what?

Charlotte lost eight of its last nine games and blew a four-game lead in the wild-card race over the last 10 days. So, I guess you might say the Knights had the experience of "choking together," and we can only hope the players involved will deal with the situation better should they receive such an opportunity again.

The losing streak was characterized by a three-game sweep at the hands of the Durham Bulls, the team that ultimately took the playoff spot away from Charlotte. Here's a true story: Manny Banuelos and Carson Fulmer basically blew it for the Knights.

Banuelos made a rehab start Aug. 27 and got shelled for seven earned runs over four innings. He gave up seven hits, including three home runs, as Durham beat Charlotte, 10-6.

The very next day, the Knights took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, only to see Fulmer come on and allow three of the four batters he faced to reach base -- two on walks and one on a hit. Two of those runners ended up scoring as Durham topped Charlotte, 3-2.

If the Knights win either of those two games, they are in the playoffs, Durham is not, and the season continues for two of the Sox's top prospects -- Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal.

Instead, Robert and Madrigal are going home without a September call-up -- money and service time are most important, you know? -- while Fulmer and Banuelos hysterically were the only two men the Sox called to the big leagues on Sept. 1.

Both these two failed pitchers were seen on the mound Monday, giving up runs as the Sox lost, 11-3, to the Cleveland Indians. With the defeat, the South Siders (60-77) tied their season-worst losing streak at seven games. Will these guys ever win a game again? It doesn't seem like it.

For the record, the Sox did make some call-ups on Tuesday now that Charlotte's season is over. Zack Collins is back, as he should be, and Danny Mendick is rightfully getting a shot. With Jon Jay going on the 60-day injured list with a hip problem, Mendick was added to the 40-man roster.

Let's hope both Collins and Mendick get some playing time from manager Rick Renteria. It would be nice to have more information on these two players going into the offseason. Can Collins be on this roster as a catcher in 2020? Is Mendick a viable option as a utility infielder? I don't know, but now is a good time to see what we can learn about these two guys.

Outfielder Daniel Palka and pitcher Dylan Covey also were recalled, in two moves that we need not get excited over. Let's just hope we don't see Covey back in the starting rotation, and let's hope we don't see Palka getting at-bats ahead of Collins.

White Sox reinstate Yoan Moncada from injured list

White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada was reinstated from the injured list Thursday before the South Siders opened a four-game weekend series with the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Moncada, who has been on the injured list since Aug. 1 with a strained right hamstring, played five rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte. He went 9 for 22 with two home runs, a double, six runs scored and six RBIs.

Based on those numbers, there's no reason to think he isn't ready. Hopefully, the Sox lineup won't look so anemic now, because Moncada has been the best position player on the team this season.

He's hitting .301/.358/.535 with 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, 21 doubles, three triples, 58 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 97 games. What are the odds he finishes the season with a .300-plus batting average? Not sure, but the fact that he has a chance to do that is amazing given the struggles we saw from him in 2018.

To make room on the roster for Moncada, the Sox optioned outfielder Ryan Cordell to Triple-A Charlotte.

Cordell is hitting .227/.284/.356 this season with six home runs, seven doubles and 20 RBIs in 81 games. I feel as though I've seen enough of Cordell to confidently say he is not a major-league player moving forward, but somehow, I sense that we'll see him back on the South Side when rosters expand in September.

It would be nice if Moncada had brought Luis Robert along with him from Charlotte, but that's not how the Sox roll. We're likely to see more of guys such as Cordell, Daniel Palka and Dylan Covey down the stretch.

White Sox activate Tim Anderson, recall Carson Fulmer

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson was back in the lineup Tuesday, batting seventh and playing shortstop as the White Sox opened a three-game series against the New York Mets.

Anderson suffered a high ankle sprain June 25 in Boston and missed 26 games, during which the Sox went 10-16.

He is hitting .317/.342/.491 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 70 games this season.

Over the past week, Anderson went 8 for 23 with a home run and four RBIs in five rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte.

In addition to activating Anderson from the injured list, the Sox also optioned outfielder Ryan Cordell to Charlotte and recalled pitcher Carson Fulmer.

Fulmer, who is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA in 13 games with the Sox this season, takes the roster spot of Dylan Covey, who was optioned after a disastrous start against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Anderson takes Cordell's roster spot.

I was thinking Anderson would simply take Covey's spot, and that Cordell would hang on until Saturday when the Sox next need a fifth starting pitcher. Instead, the Sox want an extra arm for this series against the Mets.

Not to mention, the July 31 trading deadline is Wednesday, and it just so happens the Sox player most likely to be sold off (Alex Colome) is a reliever, so perhaps the team wants Fulmer already in town in case that move happens.

Dylan Covey's fan murdering overshadows Eloy Jimenez's return to White Sox lineup

Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday night

Fourteen pitches. That's all it took for White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Covey to give up five runs to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Covey got knocked out without recording a single out, and the Twins went on to beat the Sox, 11-1. With the loss, the South Siders dropped three out of four in the series. They fell to 2-5 on the current 10-game homestand and are now 4-13 since the All-Star break.

If you were a fan at this game, God bless you, because you deserve a refund. It was bad enough for me watching on TV.

Here's how those first five Minnesota batters fared:

Max Kepler doubled to right field.
Jorge Polanco homered to center field.
Nelson Cruz singled to left field.
Luis Arraez singled to left field.
Miguel Sano homered to right field.

All five players hit the ball hard.

Thankfully, Covey was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game. His season record is 1-7 with a 6.99 ERA, and his removal from the rotation is long overdue. It isn't just his poor performance this season. Covey has had three years to get it right, and he's arguably just as bad as ever:

2017: 0-7, 7.71 ERA, 18 games (12 starts)
2018: 5-14, 5.18 ERA, 27 games (21 starts)
2019: 1-7, 6.99 ERA, 14 games (10 starts)
Career: 6-28, 6.28 ERA, 59 games (43 starts)

That's enough opportunities to conclude Covey is not a starting pitcher, don't you think? This guy is the poster child for the Sox being slow to react to problems. It's time to move on, and hopefully, the embarrassment on Sunday is enough for the team to finally throw in the towel on this idea that Covey is a rotation piece.

Covey's terrible performance overshadowed Eloy Jimenez's return to the lineup. Jimenez, who bruised his elbow July 16 in Kansas City, came back sooner than the predicted two-week absence. He did not go on a minor league rehab assignment, so some rust is expected.

Despite going 0 for 3, I thought Jimenez looked good at the plate. He lined out to Kepler in deep right field in his first plate appearance. Jonathan Schoop made a good play on him on a hard grounder up the middle his second time up. In his third at-bat with the bases loaded and the Sox trailing, 9-1, he saw eight pitches and worked the count full.

Pitch nine was low and inside and should have been called ball four. Alas, Angel Hernandez is one of the worst umpires in the game, and he called Jimenez out. It should have been a bases-loaded walk, an RBI and a 9-2 game. Instead, Sox manager Rick Renteria got ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Hernandez is not the reason the Sox lost -- Covey is -- but that was still a frustrating turn of events.

With Jimenez's return, the Sox designated utility infielder Jose Rondon for assignment before Sunday's game. Rondon is another guy who hung around longer than he probably should have. This season, he hit .197/.265/.282 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 55 games.

Sooner or later, the Sox needed to pare down the number of utility players they have on the 25-man roster. Rondon has been outplayed by both Leury Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez throughout the season, and he didn't merit more opportunities.

Let us never speak of this Oakland series again, OK?

Ivan Nova

The White Sox opened the second half of the season by playing their worst series in quite some time. They were swept in three games in Oakland. They were outscored, 21-5, and were limited to only two extra-base hits the entire series -- both of which came Sunday.

Dating back to 2017, the Sox have lost their past eight games in Oakland. That stadium has been a house of horrors for the South Siders seemingly for the past 25 years.

I was noticing that Kansas City traded starting pitcher Homer Bailey to Oakland over the weekend. And I thought, hey, if the Royals can trade a mediocre, washed-up pitcher such as Bailey, does that mean the Sox can trade Ivan Nova?

Nova was up to his old tricks Friday night, giving up three home runs in a 5-1 loss. The right-hander is now 4-8 with a 5.60 ERA this season, and his failure to pitch like a reasonable stopgap veteran continues to be one of the disappointments on this team.

I'd say trade Nova for a bag of balls, but if he does depart, that may prolong Dylan Covey's stay in the starting rotation. Covey did not make it out of the first inning in Saturday's 13-2 loss. He is 1-5 with a 5.92 ERA this season, and he is 6-26 with 6.07 ERA for his career.

How much longer are the Sox going to insult us with the idea that Covey is a viable solution in the rotation? There's been a lot of talk about the rebuild "turning a corner" this season, as the Sox still qualify as overachieving with their 42-47 record.

However, this team will not truly "turn a corner" until they are putting a credible starting pitcher on the mound more days than not. Right now, charitably speaking, there are 2.5 holes in the rotation. Some may say there are four holes.

Hey, at least Reynaldo Lopez pitched well Sunday. He allowed only one unearned run over six innings, but the Sox still lost, 3-2. Lopez's ERA is finally below six at 5.97.

It's going to be a long second half with the Sox pitching staff continuing to be in a state of disrepair. They've done a decent job of covering up the holes over half a season, but the warts always show over a 162-game schedule.

White Sox place Jace Fry on the injured list, release Nicky Delmonico

White Sox relief pitcher Jace Fry has been placed on the injured list with a swollen ERA, errr ... left shoulder soreness.

The move is retroactive to Saturday, and I can only hope that Fry has been struggling because he is hurt. He's been one of the most disappointing players on the Sox this season, compiling a 1-2 record and a 5.97 ERA in 28 appearances.

Fry has given up 21 hits and walked 17 batters in 23.1 innings pitched. That's a lot of base runners, and Aaron Bummer clearly has passed him as the most reliable left-handed relief option on the team.

The move makes room on the 25-man roster for Odrisamer Despaigne, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Charlotte. Despaigne is taking the starting rotation spot of Dylan Covey, who also is on the injured list with the dreaded shoulder soreness.

In the tradition of Mike Pelfrey and Chris Volstad, Despaigne stands to take a beating every fifth day, because the Sox are too timid to call up a legitimate prospect such as Dylan Cease. (Yes, I'm aware that Cease had a bad outing Sunday at Charlotte, but you will never convince me that Despaigne is a better option than Cease.)

Despaigne, 32, is a veteran of 106 major league games, including 47 starts. He has previously pitched for the Padres, Orioles, Marlins and Angels, going 13-24 with a 4.94 ERA. He's not good, and I will assume the Sox will lose every time he takes the mound.

Of course, Despaigne also had to be added to the 40-man roster. To make room, Nicky Delmonico was granted his release. The outfielder is out for the season after having surgery on his left shoulder for a torn labrum.

Delmonico, 26, is a career .227 hitter and may not see the major leagues again. 

Of course, the White Sox got swept by the Nationals

Reynaldo Lopez

We should have known the White Sox weren't actually going to get back to .500, right? After a 6-1 homestand, the South Siders briefly sustained the momentum by jumping out to a 5-0 lead against Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday night.

Alas, they had the wrong guy pitching. Reynaldo Lopez blew the whole thing, the Sox lost, and the Nationals went on to sweep the two-game series.

In Lopez's past three starts, he has been handed 4-1, 7-1 and 5-0 leads. He has won none of those games, and the Sox (29-32) as a team are only 1-2 in those three contests. That's not how it's supposed to work as a starting pitcher.

Lopez is 3-6 with a 6.62 ERA after he posted a respectable 3.91 ERA in 32 starts in 2018. He's the opposite of Lucas Giolito, who stunk last season and is pitching well in 2019. If the Sox had any rotation depth whatsoever, Lopez would be a candidate for demotion to Triple-A Charlotte.

Here's a look back at this brief, disastrous series in Washington:

Tuesday, June 4
Nationals 9, White Sox 5: Lopez walked two men to start the third inning and both of them scored. He gave up a solo home run to Howie Kendrick in the fourth and a three-run homer to Anthony Rendon in the fifth. The homer by Rendon was Lopez's last pitch of the night, a hanging, get-me-over slider, and he left the mound trailing, 6-5.

Josh Osich provided little relief, giving up three more runs before the fifth inning was over. Lopez's final line: 4+ innings, 6 runs, all earned, five hits, four strikeouts, four walks and two home runs allowed. Fifty-four of his 92 pitches were strikes, but it felt much worse than that. His fastball command was terrible, and he could not throw an offspeed pitch for a strike -- except for that hanger to Rendon.

It's too bad, too, because the Sox cuffed Strasburg around for four runs in the first inning, capped by a two-out, two-run single by Yolmer Sanchez. Yoan Moncada added a long solo home run in the second inning to make it 5-0, and the Sox were in position to get back to .500.

Alas, it was not to be.

Wednesday, June 5
Nationals 6, White Sox 4: This was a more conventional Sox loss, characterized by three errors, leadoff walks that came back to bite them in the ass, and of course, a failed bunt in the ninth inning that killed a potential winning rally.

The Sox never lead, and they played poorly, so we can't really say they should have won. However, they had their chances. Alex Colome (2-1) had his worst outing of the season, his first failure in a high-leverage spot. He entered with the score tied at 4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked Brian Dozier on four pitches and gave up a game-ending homer to Trea Turner on a 3-2 fastball.

The Sox had battled back from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the eighth. Jose Abreu's two-run homer made it 4-3, and Welington Castillo's solo shot tied it.

Alas, it was not to be.

Hey, at least Dylan Covey wasn't terrible. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs. And Moncada homered for the second straight game, which is nice.

The winning on the last homestand was exciting, but I'll go back to my usual combination of apathy and cynicism now.

White Sox finish 6-1 on homestand vs. Royals, Indians

Jose Abreu

The White Sox finished 6-1 on their just-completed seven-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. They haven't had a homestand this successful since 2010.

After sweeping Kansas City, the Sox (29-30) took three out of four games from the Indians (29-30) to move into a second-place tie. In doing so, they overcame a couple of pitching matchups that didn't look too promising coming into the series.

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

Thursday, May 30
White Sox 10, Indians 4: Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco had made two previous starts against the Sox this season, and he won them both. In fact, he was unscored upon in 12 innings. So, it didn't look too good for the Sox with Carrasco starting against left-hander Manny Banuelos.

Surprise! The Sox cuffed Carrasco around for six runs on 10 hits over 6.1 innings, then blew the game open with four more runs off reliever Dan Otero.

Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso both homered, and Leury Garcia and Eloy Jimenez each had three-hit games. Jimenez's two-run double in the second inning started the Sox's scoring. Alonso's two-run homer in the third put them ahead to stay.

Banuelos (3-4) was good enough. He allowed three runs on five hits over 5.1 innings. For a guy with a 7.36 ERA, you take that.

Friday, May 31
White Sox 6, Indians 1: Once again, the starting pitching matchup didn't look favorable. The Indians were throwing their best healthy pitcher in Trevor Bauer, while the Sox were countering with the winless Dylan Covey.

Surprise! Covey (1-4) isn't winless anymore. He gave up a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor in the first inning, but no other runs over six innings pitched. He allowed eight hits, but managed to pitch around them.

Meanwhile, Cleveland committed four errors, causing Bauer to give up four unearned runs (and two additional earned runs) over seven innings.

Charlie Tilson paced the Sox offense with two hits, including a two-run double in the bottom of the third that put the South Siders ahead to stay.

Saturday, June 1
Indians 5, White Sox 2: There has to be a rotten apple in every bunch, right? Sox starter Ivan Nova (3-5) wasn't terrible, but a couple home runs by left-handed hitters hurt him. Carlos Santana broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning with a solo home run, and Leonys Martin added a two-run shot in the seventh for a 4-1 Indians lead.

The Sox could not overcome that deficit as they managed only four hits against a hodgepodge of six Cleveland pitchers. Reliever Oliver Perez (1-0) retired all five batters he faced in the fifth inning and at the start of the sixth inning to get the win for the Tribe. Brad Hand worked an easy ninth for his 16th save.

Jimenez had two hits for the Sox, including a double, but not much else was going on.

Sunday, June 2
White Sox 2, Indians 0: Lucas Giolito (8-1) did it again, improving to 6-0 with a 1.03 ERA over his past six starts. He went 7.1 innings, allowing only five hits and no walks. He struck out nine. Aaron Bummer got a double play ball to end the eighth inning, and Alex Colome worked around a leadoff double by Lindor in the ninth to earn his 12th save of the season.

It wasn't easy for Giolito, as he pitched with no margin for error thanks to a strong start by Cleveland rookie Zach Plesac (0-1), who tossed seven innings of one-run ball.

That one run was a 429-foot homer by Tim Anderson, his ninth of the season, in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Sox added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Anderson's two-out RBI double, which scored Yolmer Sanchez.

The satisfying win should make for a pleasant off day Monday for the Sox, who just completed a busy stretch of 36 games in 37 days. They have a brief two-game series in Washington against the Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday, before another off day on Thursday.

Weird schedule this season, huh?

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.

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.