The month of July came to a close for the White Sox with the team going 15-11. This was the first time since May that they have finished a month over .500. The last two months of the season are upon us, and the most important stretch of the season begins now. We’ll jump into what went on in July, standout players in July, what the month of August holds, discuss the roster, and the monthly top 10 moments from July!
July In-Review
July was an up-and-down month for the Sox. The month started off on a high note after sweeping the Giants in San Francisco. At the time, many Sox fans thought that it might have been the turning point we’ve all been waiting for. After the San Francisco series, the Sox started an important nineteen-game stretch against the AL Central.
They started it with seven at home against the Twins and the Tigers. The Sox dropped the series to Minnesota and then split the four-game series with Detroit. After that, they went on an eight-game road trip: four with Cleveland, and four with Minnesota. The Sox split in Cleveland and then took the series against the Twins. To finish off the nineteen against the division, the Sox once again split with the Guardians. They went 10-9 through nineteen games while keeping pace with the Twins.
Those games could have made or broken their season, but rather, it did not do either of those things. The Sox hung around just enough, but they did not play their best baseball in those nineteen games. To conclude the month, the Sox went to Colorado to face the Rockies and split a brief two-game series. They then returned home to face the A’s, and they finished the month on a high note and won the series. The simple fact is that through four months of the season, the Sox are a .500 team.
July Standouts
In the month of July, Dylan Cease continued his stellar Cy Young season. He finished July with a record of 5-1, good for a 0.76 ERA. Cease recorded 35.2 innings pitched while only allowing three earned runs all month and tallied forty strikeouts. He has been stellar for the Sox this season, and Cease gives the ball club all you can ask for.
Another pitcher that continues to be really solid is Johnny Cueto. Cueto has given the Sox much-needed innings at some of the most important times. Cueto works deep into the game and puts the Sox in the best position to win. He tallied thirty-four innings pitched with fifteen strikeouts last month. Cueto ended July with a 2.12 ERA.
Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Josh Harrison, Andrew Vaughn, Yoan Moncada, Gavin Sheets, A.J. Pollock, Seby Zavala, and, despite an injury, Luis Robert all put together a solid month of July. Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert both clubbed four homers in the month. Robert, before his injury, slashed .328/.281/.407 with sixteen RBIs. In addition to the four homers by Jimenez, he tallied nine RBIs as he slashed .250/.381/.482. Jose Abreu was doing Jose Abreu things in July. He tallied thirty-six hits in July, drove in fourteen runs, and added three homers. In July, Abreu slashed .350/.409/.515.
Josh Harrison was really solid for this club in July. He has played solid defense, and his bat was also solid in July. Josh recorded seven RBIs and clubbed three homers. Gavin Sheets also has looked better. He homered three times in the month of July and drove in twelve runs. Pollock drove in eleven in the month, Moncada drove in thirteen, and Zavala drove in eight runs.
The offense was not there top to bottom, but it is a good sign to see guys drive in runs and start to hit the ball out of the ballpark. The Sox need to hit the ball out of the ballpark more frequently if they want to succeed down the stretch – ball go far, team go far. Heading into August, the Sox cannot afford to get outhomered by any team, especially not at home. This has been an issue for a club that has a losing record at home throughout the season – a fact that is difficult to explain for anyone.
Looking Ahead To August
Going into August, it’s do or die time for the Sox. They can either continue to be a .500 team and just keep hanging around, just turn it on and run through everyone in their path, or they can sink.
In August, the Sox have ten games against the Royals, three against the Tigers, and three against Cleveland. These division games are the difference between finishing the month in third place or finishing it in first place. Looking at games outside of the division, the Sox will face the Rangers, Astros, Diamondbacks, and Orioles. All of those teams are beatable. I’m not saying that the Sox should sweep every single series this month, but a statement needs to be made, and the Sox need to start winning series – if not, things will go bad quickly. With the trade deadline here, the team might look different heading into August. Luis Robert is still rehabbing from his injury. There is no timeline for when he will return, but whenever he is able to come back it will be a welcome boost to this ball club.
Top 10 Moments From July
10. Legend Walks Us Off To Beat The Twins
9. Eloy Jimenez Returned In A Big Way: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBIs
8. Josh Harrison Taking A Hit Away
7. Pollock For The Lead Late In The 8th
6. Adam Engel With A Knockout Blow
5. TA Goes Up The Ladder For The Out
4. Luis Robert Is Grand In Minnesota
3. Cease Throwing Frisbees For 6 Innings
2. Cueto Masterful Against Detroit: 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 K
1. Cease Doing CY Young Things In Minnesota: 7 IP, 1 H, 8 K’s
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Featured Image: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
