Week 12 Record: 3-3 (29-54 Overall), 4th in AL Central
Congratulations to Nick Madrigal and the Oregon State Beavers for clinching the College World Series Championship this week! While Madrigal was hitless in the CWS, he did hit over .300 in the tournament. Hopefully this was the first of many rings for him…..
But now, back to our Major League Team!
Weekly Score Update
Game 78: White Sox 8, Twins 4
Game 79: White Sox 6, Twins 1
Game 80: White Sox 1, Twins 2
Game 81: White Sox 3, Rangers 11
Game 82: White Sox 4, Rangers 13
Game 83: White Sox 10, Rangers 5
This Week by the Numbers
1: Number of Strikeout Matt Davidson recorded in his inning of work against the Rangers
4: Number of RBI’s Yolmer Sanchez had in the Sox’ 8-4 victory over the Twins
11: Number of Consecutive Games in which Avisail Garcia has a hit (.354 average)
318,387: Difference in the number of votes between Jose Abreu (1st in AL 1B Ballot) and Yuli Gurriel (2nd in AL 1B Ballot)… #PickPito
105: Number of Strikeouts Michael Kopech has on the season (now leads the IL in K’s)
0: Amount of times I’ve worried about Yoan Moncada’s slump this week
Quote of the Week: Matt Davidson on his inning on the mound
It sounds cheesy but it was a dream come true. I grew up as a pitcher. That’s all I did. I didn’t really start playing position full time until maybe my junior or senior year [of high school]. My favorite player was Randy Johnson growing up. It was really cool. It was a lot of fun being out there.”
–From MLB.com’s Anthony Andro
I always think it’s fun to see position guys pitch once and awhile. It reminds you how difficult it is to be a successful MLB pitcher, while giving you a reason to watch a blowout until the 9th inning.
Question of the Week
This week, the question centered around Michael Kopech’s call to the majors. While Kopech has faced his fair share of adversity this season, his trip to the South Side isn’t far away. So, this week I asked: “What would convince you it’s time for Kopech to come up?”
31%: One or Two more Quality Starts
17%: When he “Forces the Issue”
32%: Wait until Eloy is ready and bring them up together
20%: I’m already convinced
Another common answer among White Sox fans is to wait until they trade James Shields to bring up Kopech. This would seem logical assuming Shields is traded, considering there wouldn’t be a rotation spot for Kopech until someone is removed from the rotation. Honestly, I could see any of these things happening; from a marketing standpoint, however, I think the Sox would prefer to have two sellouts for debuts rather than just the one that would occur if you brought them up together. I think 1-2 more quality starts before the MLB All-Star Game would be enough for me. Bring him up to start the second half, let him get some MLB experience, and work with a 6-man rotation for awhile if necessary – less innings to start isn’t exactly a bad thing. The most important thing that Kopech can learn this year is the routine of a Major League pitcher while still getting to face some of the best in the game.
Player of the Week
Thanks to everyone who voted! Congratulations this week to Avisail Garcia, who wins POTW honors. Avi slashed .379/.379/.897 this week, hitting 3 Home Runs along the way. Avi has hit safely in all 9 games since returning from the DL, and as mentioned before, has an 11 game hitting streak dating back to the time before he landed on the DL.
James Shields earned 16% of the vote, while Leury Garcia (who hit .600 in the series against Minnesota) received 4% of the vote.
Moment of the Week
Thanks again for voting! Congratulations to Nick Madrigal and the OSU Beavers for being the leading vote-getters this week as CWS Champions! However, I made a mistake when putting together the candidates for MOTW, because I forgot the most important one – and the ACTUAL winner of Moment of the Week:
The Matt Davidson Inning pic.twitter.com/KaAFDk9yU5
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) June 30, 2018
I think we can all agree on this one, right?!
The Week Ahead: 7 Games Against (At Some Point) NL Central Teams
Monday: James Shields (3-9, 4.29 ERA) vs. Luis Castillo (5-8, 5.85 ERA), 6:10 PM CT
Tuesday: Lucas Giolito (5-7, 6.59 ERA) vs. Anthony DeSclafani (3-1, 4.45 ERA), 6:10 PM CT
Wednesday: Dylan Covey (3-3, 4.82 ERA) vs. Sal Romano (4-8, 5.30 ERA)
Thursday-Sunday: Series versus the Astros… Starters TBD
Have a great week, White Sox Fans!
