Week 7 Record: 2-4 | Overall Record: 26-19, 1st in AL Central
The bad news: this is the first losing week in a while for the White Sox – and the week didn’t end too well. Even after taking care of the Twins again, the White Sox couldn’t topple the Yankees in a series sweep in the Bronx. However, the good news: when it was all said and done, the Minnesota Twins helped the Sox out a bit and kept the Indians 1.5 games out of first place in the AL Central.
We’ve got a lot to talk about once again – the White Sox found themselves in the news on quite a few occasions.
Let’s begin!
Tale of the Tape
Game 40: White Sox 16, Twins 3 | Box Score | Recap
Game 41: White Sox 4, Twins 5 | Box Score | Recap
Game 42: White Sox 2, Twins 1 | Box Score | Recap
Game 43: White Sox 1, Yankees 2 | Box Score | Recap
Game 44: White Sox 0, Yankees 7 | Box Score | Recap
Game 45: White Sox 4, Yankees 5 | Box Score | Recap
Jordan’s Weekly Wrap-Up Thoughts
Taking two of three in Minnesota to start the week was nice. Getting swept by the Yankees wasn’t so nice. However, as I mentioned on the latest Sox On 35th podcast, I was less worried about the results in this series than I was about how the White Sox would look – could they compete with a top-tier team? In my mind, in two of the three games, the answer was yes. The Sox got to Chapman twice in the series and held their own pitching-wise outside of Game 2 (which was Gerrit Cole‘s start, so that’s a tough one to be too critical of). Overall, the Sox played pretty competitive baseball in New York, and even though the result wasn’t what we all wanted, they had themselves in a position to win a couple of times. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way (as we learned Friday night….).
I do want to spend my time here talking about the Yankees series though, and why things didn’t go the Sox’ way. Multiple times this series, the White Sox lost in the exact same way: with Liam Hendriks in the bullpen while a RP tries to pitch a second inning to get the White Sox to extra innings. These innings, according to La Russa, are when Hendriks would be used. Here’s the inherent risk: if the extra innings never come, the White Sox saved their best RP for nothing.
As we all know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result – these two games are not the only isolated incidents of Hendriks being saved for extra innings that never came. I’m not making this up either – here’s the proof from La Russa (via James Fegan) himself:
April 4th: Sox lose in bottom of the 9th with Matt Foster on the mound
May 21st: Sox lose in bottom of the 9th with Evan Marshall on the mound
May 23rd: Sox lose in bottom of the 9th with Aaron Bummer loading the bases before Hendriks came in
Sensing a trend? You should be.
The most dangerous thing a team can do is play for a situation that *may* develop instead of playing for the one that’s right in front of them. Three times this season, La Russa saved Hendriks for an inning that never came. It’s these sorts of decisions that I talk about when I say “Process > Results.” If the Sox lose with Hendriks in the game all three times, I’m not writing this section at all, because having your best RP in with the game on the line is the best way to bring your team success – if they don’t succeed after that, it’s on the players. But, if you put players in a situation that does not give them the best chance to succeed, you as a manager have to share a portion of that blame when the player fails.
And, don’t get me wrong, multiple times this weekend, La Russa made a good call that didn’t work out: pinch-hitting Grandal for Collins against a LHP even though he struck out and using Kopech in the 7th inning even though he gave up a home run were two of those good calls. You’ll notice that many La Russa critics even said these were good decisions, even though they didn’t work, because the process behind the decision was solid. He also made a good call that did work out – pinch-hitting Andrew Vaughn for Adam Eaton against Aroldis Chapman on Sunday. However, in that same token, to make the same mistake twice in a series after already making the mistake earlier in the season is indefensible. That’s three times now that it didn’t work out – that’s a bad process.
We could talk about unwritten rules and La Russa’s lack of defense for his players publicly until the cows come home – and we already did on the Sox On 35th Podcast, so I won’t harp on it here. Besides, over the course of the weekend, some of La Russa’s managerial decisions with the bullpen have already put the Sox in a position that led to losses twice in the exact same way. Notice I didn’t say “La Russa cost them two games,” because that’s not necessarily true. However, in the grand scheme of things, if you’re not putting your team in the best position to succeed, you are partially responsible for the team’s failures as well.
I know a lot of people like Tony La Russa – even though I disliked the hire, I’m on record as saying he would likely be fine in the dugout. However, it doesn’t take much to realize that, currently, this is not true – the White Sox do not have any sort of tactical advantage in the dugout right now. Like him or not, you should be able to admit that. No one needs a shield from criticism – at least that’s what I was told about Rick Hahn.
And for those who claim La Russa has this team in first place, so who cares about all of this: Ricky Renteria coached the Sox to a .583 winning percentage last year, while La Russa is at .578 – and Renteria did it with less talent on the team too. Luis Robert was struggling, Lance Lynn wasn’t on the team, Nomar Mazara was in RF, Dylan Cease couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his fastball, and Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet weren’t factors. Yes, La Russa is managing without Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert – but his mistakes haven’t come as often on offense as they have in the bullpen. That’s where the issue lies – and Renteria was not immune to criticism despite being in first place.
This team was built by Rick Hahn to be played one way. It’s being played a different way by Tony La Russa. Everyone is going to need to get on the same page because while this team is good enough to win the division, the playoffs are where the tactical advantages matter – and mistakes rear their ugly head the most.
Stats On 35th: This Week by the Numbers
This Week’s Numbers:
1.152, 0.518, 34.2, 18.2, 5.2
1.152
Before his hitless performance in the Sox’ 7-0 loss on Saturday, Yoan Moncada had a 10-game hitting streak going. During the hitting streak, Moncada was hitting out of his mind, slashing .419/.571/.581 (1.152 OPS) and walking (11) more times than he struck out (8). Moncada has quietly been having an MVP-caliber season, and once the home runs begin to come, he’s going to be a force in the middle of the White Sox lineup.
0.518
Yasmani Grandal is having an absolutely wild month of May. His slash line is .167/.518/.567, good for a 1.085 OPS despite a .167 batting average. He is also walking more than he is striking out this month. Grandal’s average hasn’t been great all season, but as he continues to work through a slump, his .518 OBP proves that he is finding ways to remain productive – and in my opinion, should hit in the #2 spot in the lineup.
34.2
The continual improvement of Dylan Cease has continued this season, despite what some of the box scores might say. Currently, among qualified pitchers, Cease ranks 18th in hard-hit % (Exit Velo > 95 mph) with just 34.2% of balls hard-hit against him. This is a far cry from last season, where 40% of the balls hit against him were hard-hit. If Cease can continue to find the zone with more consistency, he will be a huge part of any success the Sox experience late this year.
18.2
Liam Hendriks has been a topic of conversation all year it seems. Many fans are upset with some of his performances, claiming he is not the lockdown arm many had hoped for. While Hendriks has been far from perfect, he’s actually been pretty close to his season numbers from last year, except for one number: his 18.2% HR/FB. This means that 18.2% of the balls hit in the air have left the park. This is well above his career numbers, and will likely normalize soon. In other words, no need to be worried about Hendriks – he’s actually been pretty good.
5.2
Great find here from Thatcher Zalewski – worthy of our final number this week. Liam Hendriks needs to be pitching more in high leverage situations.
Fan Question of the Week
This week’s fan question is all about the Yankees, since I know what we all think about the Twins:
My thoughts on this are both above in my weekly wrap-up thoughts and below in one of my tweets. In other words, the Sox had a lot of self-inflicted wounds this week that I believe could’ve easily been avoided. Overall, though, I was okay with the weekend – the Sox were competitive and didn’t look overmatched, which were the two keys for me.
Let’s get to your thoughts though, which are far more interesting than mine. Thanks to everyone who sent some in!
1) @YasmaniGrandal: Remember, #HanigerToTheSouthSide. Also, curious as to what your bullpen shakeup would be – I don’t disagree, and I wouldn’t mind if they added an arm as well (given the usage – or lack there of – of Crochet, I think they need one).
2) (Facebook) Steve Irle: Big fan of this response. Cold stretches happen over the course of 162. Get to the playoffs and then see what happens – it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
3) @Larry_Boa: This definitely goes along with what I said above – it’s hard to say “La Russa lost the Sox the game,” but at the same time, he didn’t put them in the best position to win. He shares the blame as a result, in my mind.
4) (Facebook) Kevin Hagerty: Well said. Being in these games was incredibly important. I think lulls like this in offense are going to happen with Jimenez and Robert out – can’t wait to see this lineup at full strength.
5) @donheaberlin: This is almost the exact opposite takeaway I have – I feel your response is pretty results-oriented. The Sox were in two games late and were competitive against one of the best teams in baseball with two key guys out. I don’t think they’re overhyped – I think they’re undermanned, which was evident. Keep the faith.
Highlights of the Week
1) Yermin Mercedes does not care for your unwritten rules
2) Andrew Vaughn hits a game-tying homer vs. NY, score the first run off Chapman in 2021
3) Nick Madrigal shocks the world, hits his first career home run
4) Lucas Giolito twirls a gem, strikes out 11 in eight innings vs. MIN
5) Carlos Rodon carves up Yankees, strikes out 13 hitters in six innings
The Week Ahead: A First Place and Last Place Opponent
Monday vs. Cardinals: Lance Lynn vs. Kwang-Hyun Kim, 7:10 PM CT
Tuesday vs. Cardinals: Lucas Giolito vs. Jack Flaherty, 7:10 PM CT
Wednesday vs. Cardinals: Carlos Rodon vs. John Gant, 1:10 PM CT
Thursday vs. Orioles: Dylan Cease vs. TBD, 7:10 PM CT
Friday – Sunday: Games vs. Orioles… Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn, and Lucas Giolito are the projected starters
A new week is ahead of us, Sox fans. Positive vibes only. We will see you here again next Monday.
