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Leading up to the MLB trade deadline, the Chicago White Sox have another difficult stretch of the schedule.
A weekend series against the Houston Astros is followed by seven consecutive games against the only two American League teams with better records than Chicago. The White Sox will play four games against the New York Yankees at Rate Field from Monday through Thursday, followed by three games in Tampa Bay to begin the month of August.
Chicago’s next off day will be August 3, the day of the trade deadline, and it’s essential for the White Sox to give themselves some cushion in the standings before it arrives.
With that in mind, Sunday afternoon’s game against the Astros was especially important. The White Sox were trying to avoid a sweep after blowing an early 5-0 lead on Friday night and failing to get the offense rolling in Saturday’s 4-1 loss. Entering Sunday, the White Sox had hit just two home runs as a team in eight games since the MLB All-Star break. That was a concerning development for an offense that was carried by its power bats through the first four months of the season.
Combine that with the fact that Chicago dropped back-to-back games with Sean Burke and Davis Martin, its two most reliable starting pitchers, on the mound, and you had the makings of a really difficult stretch of baseball if the White Sox couldn’t get things back on track.
Fortunately, Sunday turned out to be everything they needed and more.
Munetaka Murakami hit his first home run since returning from the injured list in the bottom of the first inning, and the White Sox quickly jumped out to a 2-1 lead. While the Astros battled back with three solo home runs off Erick Fedde, the White Sox hit five home runs as a team. That included a go-ahead two-run shot from Miguel Vargas, a second home run from Murakami, who drove in six runs on the day, Chase Meidroth’s eighth home run of the season, and even a home run from Junior Perez for good measure.
Chicago’s bullpen covered 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Because the White Sox were able to create some separation late in the game, Will Venable turned to Chris Murphy and Seranthony Domínguez for the final two innings, allowing him to preserve some of his better relief arms.
Seeing Murakami heat up offensively was particularly encouraging. Prior to Sunday, he was batting just .184 with a .644 OPS since returning from the IL. With one big game, Murakami is now hitting .233 with an .842 OPS since his return.
As much as the White Sox have other needs on the field, including a catcher, starting pitching help, and perhaps even another bullpen arm, this team’s identity lies in its offense. It’s Chicago’s greatest strength, and the White Sox’s best hitters will need to be at their best over the final two months of the regular season if they want to remain atop the AL Central and reach the postseason.
Sunday was a big step in the right direction, and it provides some encouragement that the White Sox bats can carry momentum into a pivotal seven-game stretch against the Yankees and Rays.
For good measure, the White Sox actually increased their division lead over the weekend despite not playing their best baseball. The Guardians were swept by the Rays and have now lost five consecutive games. While the Minnesota Twins have pulled back within 3.5 games of first place, Chicago’s lead over Cleveland has grown to 2.5 games. Detroit lost the final two games of its series against the Kansas City Royals and remains 6.0 games out of first place.
With another strong week before the deadline, the White Sox could force a team like Detroit to become a seller and knock itself out of postseason contention. Of course, every little bit of cushion between the White Sox and the second-best team in the division will be valuable during the home stretch.
The White Sox came to play and earned a crucial win on Sunday. Now it’s time to turn that one victory into a productive homestand and reach the trade deadline playing good baseball.
Continue reading...
A weekend series against the Houston Astros is followed by seven consecutive games against the only two American League teams with better records than Chicago. The White Sox will play four games against the New York Yankees at Rate Field from Monday through Thursday, followed by three games in Tampa Bay to begin the month of August.
Chicago’s next off day will be August 3, the day of the trade deadline, and it’s essential for the White Sox to give themselves some cushion in the standings before it arrives.
With that in mind, Sunday afternoon’s game against the Astros was especially important. The White Sox were trying to avoid a sweep after blowing an early 5-0 lead on Friday night and failing to get the offense rolling in Saturday’s 4-1 loss. Entering Sunday, the White Sox had hit just two home runs as a team in eight games since the MLB All-Star break. That was a concerning development for an offense that was carried by its power bats through the first four months of the season.
Combine that with the fact that Chicago dropped back-to-back games with Sean Burke and Davis Martin, its two most reliable starting pitchers, on the mound, and you had the makings of a really difficult stretch of baseball if the White Sox couldn’t get things back on track.
Fortunately, Sunday turned out to be everything they needed and more.
Munetaka Murakami hit his first home run since returning from the injured list in the bottom of the first inning, and the White Sox quickly jumped out to a 2-1 lead. While the Astros battled back with three solo home runs off Erick Fedde, the White Sox hit five home runs as a team. That included a go-ahead two-run shot from Miguel Vargas, a second home run from Murakami, who drove in six runs on the day, Chase Meidroth’s eighth home run of the season, and even a home run from Junior Perez for good measure.
Chicago’s bullpen covered 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Because the White Sox were able to create some separation late in the game, Will Venable turned to Chris Murphy and Seranthony Domínguez for the final two innings, allowing him to preserve some of his better relief arms.
Seeing Murakami heat up offensively was particularly encouraging. Prior to Sunday, he was batting just .184 with a .644 OPS since returning from the IL. With one big game, Murakami is now hitting .233 with an .842 OPS since his return.
As much as the White Sox have other needs on the field, including a catcher, starting pitching help, and perhaps even another bullpen arm, this team’s identity lies in its offense. It’s Chicago’s greatest strength, and the White Sox’s best hitters will need to be at their best over the final two months of the regular season if they want to remain atop the AL Central and reach the postseason.
Sunday was a big step in the right direction, and it provides some encouragement that the White Sox bats can carry momentum into a pivotal seven-game stretch against the Yankees and Rays.
For good measure, the White Sox actually increased their division lead over the weekend despite not playing their best baseball. The Guardians were swept by the Rays and have now lost five consecutive games. While the Minnesota Twins have pulled back within 3.5 games of first place, Chicago’s lead over Cleveland has grown to 2.5 games. Detroit lost the final two games of its series against the Kansas City Royals and remains 6.0 games out of first place.
With another strong week before the deadline, the White Sox could force a team like Detroit to become a seller and knock itself out of postseason contention. Of course, every little bit of cushion between the White Sox and the second-best team in the division will be valuable during the home stretch.
The White Sox came to play and earned a crucial win on Sunday. Now it’s time to turn that one victory into a productive homestand and reach the trade deadline playing good baseball.
Continue reading...
