White Sox get much-needed three-game sweep in Kansas City

Nick Madrigal

Games against the Kansas City Royals have been a painful experience for White Sox fans over the past decade. Sure, the Royals were good in 2014 and 2015, but in a lot of other seasons, you felt as though the Sox were the better team, but it did not play out that way in head-to-head matchups.

Take 2019, for example. The Royals were 59-103, but they still managed to go 10-9 against the Sox. That probably should not have happened, but it did.

Given that history, it was really nice to see the Sox win all three games in Kansas City this weekend, by a combined score of 23-9.

In roster moves of note, Nick Madrigal received his overdue call-up and started all three games at second base. He went hitless the first two games, before breaking out with a 4-for-5 performance that included two runs scored and an RBI in the series finale.

Relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera was thankfully designated for assignment. Since joining the Sox before the start of the 2019 season, he appeared in 59 games and posted a 6.54 ERA. In two appearances this season, he allowed four earned runs -- including two homers -- over 2.1 innings. His fastball velocity was sitting in the low 90s -- it was in the upper 90s in Herrera's prime -- and the right-hander would have automatically had his contract option picked up for 2021 if he made 21 appearances during this shortened season.

The Sox simply could not allow that to happen. It was time for Herrera to go, and he is gone.

In less happy news, shortstop Tim Anderson strained his groin in Friday's game against the Royals, and he's on the 10-day injured list. The Sox will need to survive with Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick playing that position for the time being.

Catcher Yermin Mercedes was recalled to take Anderson's spot on the 30-man roster.

Here are some other thoughts on each of the weekend games:

Friday, July 31
White Sox 3, Royals 2: The key sequence of this game came in the top of the second inning. Eloy Jimenez reached on an error, right before Luis Robert beat out what should have been a sure double-play ball. It should have been two outs with nobody on base. Instead, Robert was on first with one out. James McCann was hit by a pitch, and Adam Engel hit a three-run homer off Kansas City lefty Kris Bubic to put the Sox ahead, 3-0.

Dallas Keuchel (2-0) allowed two runs over 5.2 innings to pick up his second win with the Sox, and three relievers combined to make a one-run lead stick the rest of the way. Alex Colome pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

Saturday Aug. 1
White Sox 11, Royals 5: After Anderson got injured Friday night, Robert moved into the leadoff spot and turned in a dominant performance. The rookie center fielder went 4 for 6 with a homer, two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Jimenez also finished a triple short of the cycle. He went 4 for 6 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer that capped off a four-run top of the first.

The Sox finished with 21 hits as a team. Garcia also had a four-hit night in place of Anderson at shortstop. Yasmani Grandal's two-out, two-run double in the top of the ninth took the score from 7-4 to 9-4, and the Sox piled on from there.

Rookie reliever Matt Foster got the win in his first major league appearance, and rookie Codi Heuer got his first career save, because he entered in the eighth when the score was 7-4. The Sox needed seven pitchers to get through the game, but the offense was good enough to carry the day.

Sunday, Aug. 2
White Sox 9, Royals 2: This game was tied at 2 through six innings, but the Sox erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away. The rally was started and finished by Madrigal, who led off the inning with a single and capped it with an RBI single.

The inning also featured a two-out, two-run single by the erstwhile Nicky Delmonico, who has been struggling mightily to get anything done at the plate. Credit Delmonico for capitalizing on a hanging slider from Greg Holland, but you know, he's still only batting .150 for the season.

The rally made a winner of Dylan Cease (1-1), who bounced back from a crummy outing against the Indians with six innings of two-run ball. Cease struck out four and walked only one.

The Sox are now 5-4 heading into a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. The first two will be played in Wisconsin. The second two will be played on the South Side. Here are your pitching probables:

Monday, 7:10 p.m.: Carlos Rodon (0-1, 12.27 ERA) vs. Brett Anderson
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.: Lucas Giolito (0-1, 6.52 ERA) vs. Brandon Woodruff (1-1, 1.59 ERA)
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m.: Keuchel (2-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
Thursday, 7:10 p.m.: Gio Gonzalez (0-0, 7.36 ERA vs. TBA

White Sox sign relief pitcher Steve Cishek to one-year deal

Steve Cishek

The White Sox on Tuesday moved to increase their bullpen depth by signing veteran relief pitcher Steve Cishek to a one-year, $6 million contract.

Cishek, 33, will earn $5.25 million in 2020. The deal includes an option for 2021 worth $6.75 million, with a $750,000 buyout -- thus the $6 million guaranteed.

The right-hander spent the past two seasons with the Cubs. He appeared in 70 games in 2019, going 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA and seven saves. He struck out 57 and walked 29 with a 1.203 WHIP over 64 innings pitched.

Let's discuss the pluses and minuses of this signing in 3-up, 3-down format.

3 up

1. An ERA below 3.00 for four consecutive seasons. That 2.95 ERA in 2019 represents the *worst* season Cishek has had in recent memory. Over the past four years, his ERAs have been 2.81, 2.01, 2.18 and 2.95, respectively. Even if he regresses, he has a higher floor that some of the other candidates for the Sox bullpen, such as Carson Fulmer and Jose Ruiz.

2. Experience. Cishek is a veteran of 10 MLB seasons, and he's appeared in 572 games. His career ERA is 2.69, and while he likely won't be asked to close for the Sox, he has 132 saves lifetime. This is somebody who has been in his share of high-leverage situations. There's no reason he can't be placed in a seventh- or eighth-inning role.

3. Rubber arm. Cishek appeared in 150 games over the past two seasons, including a ridiculous 80 appearances in 2018. He's pitched in 60 or more games six times during his career. That reliability has to be respected.

3 down

1. A declining strikeout rate. Cishek struck out 10.0 batters per nine innings with the Cubs in 2018, but that declined to 8.0 batters per nine innings last season. His career mark is 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, so he performed below his norms in 2019. There may be a little less swing-and-miss in his game going forward.

2. Overuse. I don't care who you are, 150 appearances is a ton over two years. In a way, it's a testament to Cishek that his former manager, Joe Maddon, trusted him that often. But sooner or later, that kind of usage has to take its toll. Perhaps that concern is among the reasons Cishek is only getting one year guaranteed on the open market.

3. An increasing home run rate. Cishek gave up 1.0 home runs per nine innings in 2019, which was the second-highest rate of his career. His career mark is 0.6 home runs per nine innings, which is the exact figure he was at during the 2018 season. Of course, to be fair, the ball was juiced last summer, so a lot of pitchers around the league saw an increase in their home run rate.

With the addition of Cishek, I think we can take a good guess at seven of the eight spots in the Sox bullpen. Here's how it most likely looks today:

Left-handers: Aaron Bummer, Jace Fry
Right-handers: Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, Cishek, Evan Marshall, Jimmy Cordero, ??????

Here are some candidates to fill in those question marks: Fulmer, Ruiz, Dylan Covey, Zack Burdi, Matt Foster and Ian Hamilton.

When you have five relievers, you have no relievers

In a different sport, commentators sometimes say, "When you have two quarterbacks, you really have no quarterbacks." The thinking is, if either of your quarterbacks were actually good, he would be playing, and the lesser guy would be sitting on the bench. There wouldn't be a need to toggle back and forth between players.

Likewise, if the White Sox had a reliever available they could trust Sunday, maybe they wouldn't have needed to use five of them in the eighth inning of a ghastly 11-10 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

You see, the Sox's reliable relievers -- Alex Colome, Aaron Bummer and, to a lesser extent, Evan Marshall -- were not available Sunday.

That left the rest of the bullpen to protect a 10-5 lead in the eighth inning. It should have been doable. Hector Santiago had done much of the heavy lifting. He replaced a struggling Ivan Nova in the fourth inning, and he tossed up zeroes in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

But Santiago tired in the eighth, allowing a two singles and a walk to start the inning. But the veteran lefty left the mound with the Sox still in decent shape, leading 10-6.

Unfortunately, Kelvin Herrera gave up a three-run homer to Kyle Lewis. 10-9. Then Jace Fry came in and walked the only batter he faced. (Surprise, surprise.) Then Jimmy Cordero faced one batter and struck him out.

Maybe Cordero should have been left in ... nah, why do that when we can go with some more stupid lefty-righty matchups?

Josh Osich entered and finished the eighth inning, but not before walking another batter and surrendering a game-tying single to Mallex Smith. The lefty-on-lefty stuff didn't work there, did it? 10-10 after eight.

The Sox had a pathetic offensive inning in the top of the ninth. Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu all swung for the fences. All of them struck out on pitches out of the zone against Austin Adams (2-2). Great discipline, guys.

Jose Ruiz (1-3) became the sixth reliever used in less than two innings in the ninth. Long story short, Anderson and Ryan Cordell made defensive mistakes behind him, an intentional walk was issued to load the bases, and then Ruiz walked in the winning run.

Good job, good effort.

The Sox dropped two out of three in the weekend series to the mighty Mariners (62-88). That means the South Siders have now lost three consecutive series, all to losing teams -- the Angels, Royals and Mariners.

And we're told we should be excited about 2020. Well, you know, you have to have more than four people who can get opposing batters out on your pitching staff in order to contend.

The Sox are now 65-84 on the season. There's a ton of work to be done over the winter to get anywhere near contention, and team brass has no track record as far as signing the right free agents.

They will have to sign the right free agents, because there are no internal solutions here. Colome and Bummer have had good seasons, but two pitchers does not make a bullpen.

Kelvin Herrera: Quietly a bad offseason acquisition

Kelvin Herrera

Throughout the years, it feels as though the White Sox have had trouble getting much out of veterans they acquire in trades or sign as free agents during the offseason.

This year's crop of veterans is a mixed bag. Catcher James McCann looked like a poor signing at the time it was made, but McCann has surprised with an All-Star-caliber season. Alex Colome, acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a trade for catcher Omar Narvaez, has been a success. He's converted all 16 of his save opportunities entering Tuesday's play.

All that said, Yonder Alonso and Ivan Nova have been unqualified disasters. Fans are calling for Alonso to be designated for assignment, and based upon his .579 OPS as a first baseman and a designated hitter, rightfully so. People are unhappy with Nova, but they generally realize the team is stuck with him because injuries and poor performance have eroded what little starting pitching depth existed in the organization coming into the season.

The horrible play by Alonso and Nova has obscured what has been a disappointing season for right-handed reliever Kelvin Herrera, who signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Sox as a free agent this past offseason.

Herrera was coming off a foot injury, so there was some risk in the signing. But hey, it wasn't an arm injury, and Herrera is only 29. He's got a World Series ring from the Kansas City Royals on his finger, and he was an integral part of the bullpen on some successful Royals teams.

There was no reason to believe that signing would be a disaster, but it hasn't been good. Herrera coughed up the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning Monday in a game the Sox eventually lost to Boston, 6-5. Herrera was summoned to protect a 5-4 lead and couldn't hold it.

This is the continuation of a trend we've seen since May 1. Perhaps Herrera has escaped some criticism because he had a good month of April. Sometimes, first impressions are lasting impressions. However, things have gone to hell since that point. Check out his monthly splits:

April: 0-0, 2.51 ERA in 14 games, 0.977 WHIP
May: 2-3, 17.18 ERA in 9 games, 3.136 WHIP
June: 1-0, 4.91 ERA in 9 games, 1.500 WHIP

Add it all up, and Herrera is 3-3 with a 6.83 ERA. He's allowing 11.5 hits per nine innings and has a 1.655 WHIP, which is terrible for a short reliever. Those June numbers are mediocre, I suppose, and they represent a bit of a bounce back from an atrocious May. But I don't think Herrera has earned the right to be trusted in the eighth inning, on the road, in a one-run game, against a quality lineup such as the Red Sox.

Right now, Sox manager Rick Renteria is going to have to ride right-hander Evan Marshall and left-hander Aaron Bummer in the setup roles for Colome. If one or both of those guys aren't available, the Sox need to turn to ... gulp ... Juan Minaya for the time being. He's the next best reliever on the Sox, with his 2.42 ERA and 1.299 WHIP.

Colome and Herrera both have a year of team control after this season. If you're thinking trade, somebody's going to want Colome. The Sox are likely stuck with Herrera for next season. It's unlikely has value will be recouped before the July 31 trade deadline.

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.

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'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. 

Bullpen emerges as early weakness for White Sox

The White Sox's 1-3 record is either angering or discouraging, depending on your perspective. Or maybe some fans are indifferent to this bad baseball -- I wouldn't blame them if they are.

But we can't say this start is surprising. I figured the Sox would be 1-4, maybe 2-3 at best, when they came back to Chicago for their home opener. They are right on track, going into Wednesday's day game against the Cleveland Indians.

The Sox dropped two out of three in Kansas City to open the season, and then the bullpen blew a two-run eighth-inning lead in a 5-3 loss to the Indians on Monday.

Ah, the bullpen. It's not the only weakness of this Sox team, which has holes in its roster like Swiss cheese. But through four games, it strikes me as the most glaring problem. (There are others.)

I can't blame the starting pitching. Only Reynaldo Lopez had a bad outing among the four starters to take the mound. Lucas Giolito took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Sunday and won his game. Ivan Nova tossed seven innings of one-run ball Monday and got the shaft from the bullpen. Carlos Rodon was at least respectable, albeit not great, in the season opener.

Here's the line for Sox starting pitchers:
23 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 20 Ks, 7 BBs, 1.087 WHIP, 3.52 ERA

In contrast, here's the line for Sox relief pitchers:
10 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 6 Ks, 7 BBs, 1.800 WHIP, 9.00 ERA

More walks than strikeouts is not a good look. It's even worse when you consider closer Alex Colome has tossed two scoreless, hitless innings. The rest of the bullpen has been a wreck.

Kelvin Herrera, the primary right-handed setup man, was shaky in earning a hold Sunday. He allowed a run on three hits, and through two outings, not a single one of his pitches has induced a swing and a miss.

Jace Fry and Dylan Covey combined for three walks and four runs allowed in the Monday loss to Cleveland. Fry, a left-hander, is around to get left-handed hitters out. He sure hasn't been doing it. He walked Leonys Martin and gave up a double to Jake Bauers on Monday, and that's how the Sox got in trouble.

Fry's ERA is 20.25. Nate Jones has nothing on his fastball, and his ERA is 13.50. If Covey is getting high-leverage looks ahead of Jones, what does that say?

Right now, Colome is the only relief pitcher who can be trusted. Maybe the Sox should have just left Nova in Monday. He was at only 93 pitches. Perhaps he could have navigated that eighth inning better than this crummy relief crew.

White Sox set eight-man bullpen for Opening Day

Nate Jones

The White Sox's 25-man roster isn't in full focus yet, but we have a pretty good feel for who will be on the pitching staff when the season opens Thursday.

The Sox announced the eight members of their bullpen Sunday, before they concluded the Cactus League schedule with a 7-3 win over the Cleveland Indians.

The bullpen will be:

Right-handers: Alex Colome, Nate Jones, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Burr, Dylan Covey
Left-handers: Jace Fry, Caleb Frare, Manny Banuelos

Five summarizing thoughts:

• Colome will get first crack at closing. Duh. He led the American League with 47 saves for the Tampa Bay Rays two years ago, so he's a logical choice.
• Jones is fortunate he has a track record. His spring ERA is an unsightly 12.71, and he's had a ton of injuries the past few seasons. His velocity is down to 94-95 mph. He used to sit at 97-98 mph. He doesn't have much deception in his delivery, so I'm wondering if he can be an effective late-inning reliever if the velocity doesn't come back.
• Burr made the team on the basis of a strong spring -- 15 strikeouts and no walks over 10.1 innings pitched. He also allowed only nine hits. That's how you earn a roster spot.
• Covey also was good this spring, a 2.45 ERA and only 12 baserunners allowed in 11 innings. He only struck out four, but maybe he's the guy the Sox bring in when they need someone to induce a double-play grounder in the sixth or seventh inning. His sinker has been working. Covey and Banuelos both are stretched out enough to give the Sox two options who can pitch multiple innings.
• Frare recovered from a terrible start to the spring to beat out Aaron Bummer for the LOOGY role. Frare's 7.88 spring ERA doesn't impress, but that number was at 16.20 after his first three spring appearances. He's been spotted against left-handed hitters in recent spring outings -- that's his role when the season starts -- and he has gotten the job done.

It also appears the Sox will carry only four starting pitchers to start the season. There are off-days March 29, April 2 and April 5. The Sox do not need a fifth starter until April 10, which means Ervin Santana will stay in Arizona to continue to get his work done. Starting pitchers Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Ivan Nova will come north with the team.

This means the Sox will have 13 position players on the roster for the first few series of the season. If one of those players is going to be Eloy Jimenez (and I don't see why not), someone will have to go on the disabled list to create a spot for the top prospect, because he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte earlier this spring.

Nicky Delmonico already has been optioned, so the guess here is Daniel Palka or Jon Jay will come down with some sort of minor ailment that will cause a trip to the injured list.

White Sox sign outfielder Jon Jay, pitcher Kelvin Herrera

Jon Jay

This is starting to feel like a college recruitment, isn't it?

The White Sox are giving perks to the friends and family of Manny Machado, in hopes of luring the superstar free agent infielder to the South Side of Chicago.

They already traded for Machado's brother-in-law, Yonder Alonso. Now, reports indicate the Sox have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with Jon Jay, who just happens to be Machado's close friend and offseason workout partner.

The Sox will try to portray that as a "baseball move," and it is fair to say the team needs outfielders. With Avisail Garcia non-tendered and Eloy Jimenez likely to start the season at Triple-A Charlotte because of service time manipulation, the incumbent major league outfield includes Daniel Palka, Adam Engel, Nicky Delmonico and Leury Garcia.

So, in that context, perhaps Jay can help. The 34-year-old has a career .352 on-base percentage, swings left-handed and can competently handle both left field and center field. (I don't think his throwing arm is strong enough for right field.)

Jay split the 2018 season between the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks. He batted .307/.363/.374 in 59 games with the Royals, enticing the Diamondbacks to trade for him. It didn't work out for Arizona, as Jay slumped to a .235/.304/.325 slash line in 84 games.

Let's hope the Sox get the Kansas City version of Jay, or something similar.

In a separate move that likely has nothing to do with Machado, the Sox signed 29-year-old reliever Kelvin Herrera to a two-year contract worth $18 million. Minor league pitcher Ian Clarkin was designated for assignment to make room for Herrera on the 40-man roster.

Herrera, of course, had his best years with the Royals, and he possesses a World Series ring from the 2015 season. The rebuilding Kansas City club traded him to the Washington Nationals in the middle of the 2018 season, and he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness.

In 27 games with the Royals in 2018, Herrera went1-1 with a 1.05 ERA. In 21 games with the Nationals, he went 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA.

Once again, let's hope the Sox get the Kansas City version of Herrera, or something similar.

If the moon, the stars and the sun align, the Sox could have a pretty decent late-inning bullpen to start the season. Herrera joins Alex Colome and Nate Jones as veterans with plenty of high-leverage experience.

Alas, Jones and Herrera are injury risks, so who knows if manager Rick Renteria will have the luxury of stacking up these guys in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings?

Regardless, it's a good idea for the Sox to add veteran bullpen help to the roster. That pushes Juan Minaya, Ian Hamilton, Ryan Burr and Jose Ruiz down the leverage ladder. Those younger, inexperienced relievers should get late-inning opportunities only on merit now, as opposed to necessity, and that's the way you would prefer it.

David Robertson costs Chris Sale another win; White Sox recover to beat Royals

David Robertson

Kauffman Stadium has been a chamber of horrors for the White Sox, who have repeatedly endured unspeakable losses at the hands of the Kansas City Royals over the past four or five years.

With that mind, there's no way we can be dismayed over the outcome of Tuesday night's game.

Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer -- his 31st of the season -- in the 10th inning to snap a 4-4 tie and lift the Sox to a 7-5 victory over their nemesis from Kansas City.

We'll rejoice in the win, but at the same time, we'll point out that the Sox shouldn't have needed extra innings. Closer David Robertson is struggling. Three of his five blown saves this season have come since the All-Star break, and for the second time in about three weeks, he hurt Chris Sale's Cy Young candidacy by costing the Sox ace a win.

Sale labored early in this game, but he settled down to retire 14 of the final 15 hitters he faced. He went seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one.

The Sox were up, 4-3, heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, and Sale was positioned to pick up his 15th victory of the season.

Alas, Robertson couldn't get it done.

He was in position to work around a leadoff single. He had two outs, although the Royals had the tying run at second base (pinch runner Jarrod Dyson). But for some reason, despite playing Kansas City 19 times a year, the Sox still have not figured out that Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar is a first-ball, fastball hitter.

Robertson threw a fastball right down the pipe on the first pitch, and predictably, Escobar lined it into left field for an RBI single that plated Dyson and tied the game.

Baseball stupid. Typical White Sox nonsense. (I should make that a hashtag.)

Robertson (3-2) got out of the inning without losing the game, but that's about the only positive we can take from that. There's no way to sugarcoat it; that was horrible pitch selection with the game on the line from a veteran who should know better.

The silver lining? Frazier and the Sox were able to hang a loss on Kelvin Herrera, a hated and despised Kansas City reliever who has had the Sox's number in the past.

Herrera (1-4) entered Tuesday night's game with a 1.63 ERA. He had allowed only one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings previously against the Sox this season. In fact, he had allowed only three runs total at Kauffman Stadium all year. He allowed three more runs with one swing of Frazier's bat in Tuesday's 10th inning.

That gave the Sox a 7-4 lead. The Royals scored an unearned run off Jacob Turner in the bottom of the 10th, but Dan Jennings struck out Eric Hosmer to end the game and earn his first career save.

Given the Sox's record in Kansas City, it's a wonder they didn't mob each other on the field in celebration after this victory.

Kansas City Royals unsung hero in Game 4 win: Kris Medlen

Here's something I'll bet you didn't know about the Kansas City Royals: Through the first four games of the American League Championship Series, Kansas City starting pitchers have thrown a grand total of 18 innings.

That's right: Royals starters are averaging less than five innings per outing, yet Kansas City owns a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after its 14-2 thumping of the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. That should tell you how much the Royals rely on their bullpen and how good those guys really are.

You're probably wondering why I'm declaring Kansas City pitcher Kris Medlen the unsung hero of Game 4, when he didn't even pitch in the game. But reflect back to Monday's Game 3 -- Kansas City's lone loss of the series -- when Medlen came on to replace the ineffective Johnny Cueto in the third inning. The Royals lost, 11-8, but Medlen ate up five innings and saved the rest of the Kansas City bullpen for critical Game 4. Other than Medlen, Franklin Morales was the only Royals reliever to appear in Game 3.

That kept Luke Hochevar, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis rested and fresh for Tuesday. You figured those guys would be needed, with journeyman Chris Young getting the start for the Royals.

As it turns out, Hochevar recorded the most critical out of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Royals were up 5-2 at the time. Young had done a respectable job to that point, but it probably would not have been a good idea for him to face the middle of the Toronto batting order for a third time.

Ben Revere was on first base with two out. The potential league MVP, Josh Donaldson, was at the plate for Toronto. Here was the Blue Jays' chance to get back in the game. A fresh Hochevar came in from the bullpen and induced a weak foul out off the bat of Donaldson. Inning over.

Hochevar, Herrera, Madson and Morales went on to toss 4.1 innings of scoreless relief. Toronto did not get a runner into scoring position against the Kansas City bullpen until there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. And by then, the Royals had scored four runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and two in the ninth against a far weaker Toronto bullpen to put the game out of reach.

The Royals bullpen is the best in the game. They are always tough, but they are even tougher when they are all fresh. They had Medlen to thank for having the rest of the relief corps primed and ready for Game 4. Cueto's short outing could have had an impact on the rest of the series had it not been for Medlen, but after Tuesday's result, that is long forgotten by most people.

Just in general, I think many of us forgot how good the Royals are coming into the playoffs. We all were impressed by the Blue Jays and their big bats and their plus-231 run differential. We installed them as a clear favorite. We pointed to the Royals' 11-17 September and figured Kansas City was a tired team, much like the St. Louis Cardinals were in the National League.

Not really. The Royals were probably just bored in September. They were basically unchallenged in the AL Central this summer. They won their division by 12 games. Now that the lights are on, the Royals are turning up their game again, just as they did last October when they won the AL pennant.

White Sox finally beat Royals -- twice in a day

It was anything but business as usual Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field. First off, the White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals not once, but twice -- a rare sight indeed. Secondly, relief pitcher David Robertson threw both the first pitch of the afternoon and the last.

The closer became the first White Sox pitcher to earn both a win and a save on the same day since Bob Howry accomplished the feat in a doubleheader on Aug. 21, 1999.

After Saturday's rainout, the two clubs had to complete Friday's suspended contest, which was tied at 2-2 after eight innings when the showers came.

John Danks got his first win of the season Sunday.

The game resumed in the top of the ninth inning Sunday, and that put Robertson in the unusual position of "starting" the game on the mound. He worked a scoreless inning, pitching over an error by first baseman Jose Abreu, and earned a 3-2 win when the Sox scored a run in the bottom of the inning on a single by Avisail Garcia.

The Sox took the regularly scheduled game, 5-3, as John Danks (1-2) improved his career record against Kansas City to 8-1. Danks walked off the mound in the sixth inning trailing 3-0, but his teammates rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to give him the lead.

The combination of relievers Jake Petricka, Zach Duke and Robertson made it stand up, as the trio combined for three scoreless innings. Melky Cabrera made one of the best catches of the season in the eighth inning for the Sox, robbing Eric Hosmer of a game-tying home run for the final out of the inning.

Robertson wasn't as dominant in his second outing of the day. He gave up two singles, but also fanned two batters to earn his third save of the season.

When these two teams meet, typically it's the Royals who capitalize on mistakes by the Sox to win close games. That script was flipped on Sunday, as it was Kansas City that made the costly miscues.

In the completion of the suspended game, Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera walked Cabrera with two outs and then uncorked a wild pitch to move the runner into scoring position. Herrera's wildness came back to bite him when Garcia's bloop to left-center field fell in and Cabrera came home to plate the winning run.

Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas booted a grounder off Abreu's bat in the sixth inning of the second game, allowing the Sox to score their first run. From there, the South Siders strung together four more singles to surge ahead -- the biggest hit was a two-out, two-run single by Conor Gillaspie that put the Sox ahead 4-3 and sent Kansas City starter Edinson Volquez (2-2) to the showers.

It's been a long time coming for the Sox to win a series against the Royals. Coming into Sunday, they had lost 15 of the last 18 head-to-head meetings. Will this be the day that marks the end of Kansas City's domination of the Sox? We'll find out later in the season. The two teams have 13 more games to play, but they don't meet again until a doubleheader on July 17 in Chicago.