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Miguel Vargas has emerged as a team leader and is now, deservedly, an All-Star. | (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
In baseball, if you take your eye off the ball for just a split second, you risk swinging right past a pitch down the middle. When spectating, it is just as easy to miss a series or two and have no idea what caused your team to remain atop the division after playing the last seven of 13 games against the team trying to oust you from the top spot. Luckily, there are roughly 600 plate appearances in a season to make up for the missed pitches, and there are 162 games to catch as a fan.
Also, lucky for you, this should get you all caught up before Boston comes to town on Tuesday to start the final home stand before the All-Star break. The most basic information you need to know about the last 13 games is that there were no series losses. This might come as a surprise to you if you look at the schedule and realize that over half of these games were played on the road. This sweet reality is due to a dominant series win in Baltimore and a heated back-and-forth series split in Cleveland.
If you want to hear more details about the four series the White Sox played over the last two weeks, I will get to that soon. First, I would love to tell you who is hot and who is not.
Who’s hot?
- Miguel Vargas
- The first South Side third baseman to be named an All-Star since 2008 showed exactly why he earned a trip to Philly next week. In 60 plate appearances, he slashed .306/.417/.653 with a 1.070 OPS and ripped five doubles and drove in 12 teammates. As if it couldn’t get better, he also led the team over this span in both home runs (4) and walks (10).
- Jacob Gonzalez
- The first baseman has finally seemed to find his groove. The front office is going to have some tough decisions to make when Munetaka Murakami returns after his rehab stint in Charlotte. He played 11 games over this span, hitting .371, with a home run and four two-baggers, and knocking in 12.
- Tristan Peters
- My first half of the season MVP goes to the Banana Ball man himself. Not only is his play in center field stunning, but he can also hit the ball. In his last 12 games, he has hit two home runs, slugged two doubles, has seven RBIs, and snagged a base. His .318 batting average over this span is second only to his teammate above.
- Sean Burke
- The righty started three games over the last two weeks and came out with a 1-0 record. Over 17 2/3 innings of work, he allowed four runs, walked just four batters, and struck out 25. Two of those three starts were of the quality start variety, and his SO/9 was an astonishing 12.74.
- David Sandlin
- After being optioned back to Charlotte on June 9, Sandlin was needed for a spot start against the Kansas City Royals in the series opener. The White Sox did score 22 runs in his start (we’ll get to that later), but Sandlin also gave the team six strong innings, allowing one run, walking three, and striking out six before being sent back to the Knights the next day.
- Jordan Hicks
- The righty reliever returned from the 15-day injured list on June 21 and made his presence known quickly. He appeared in four games over this stretch, pitching 4 1/3 innings. The dominant righthander allowed no runs, walked one, and struck out eight.
- Brandon Eisert
- Finally, the lefty is getting a nod for his performance. The southpaw pitched 7 2/3 innings over six games, allowing two runs on two solo homers. Eisert managed to walk no one in any of his outings and struck out 11.
Who’s gone cold?
- Kyle Teel
- Perhaps describing him as going cold is unfair, given that these 13 games were his first 13 of the season. His return was welcome, and he is warming up slowly but surely. The fact of the matter is that the catcher has 46 plate appearances across 11 games and is hitting just .220 with 18 strikeouts. The saving grace is his two home runs and 10 RBIs. I am sure he will not be on this list for very long.
- Junior Perez
- The rookie played in only nine games and had 15 plate appearances over this span. Still, the opportunity has to be taken when it is given, and Perez is not taking it. A team with a young core that continues to mash might not have room for someone who is batting .133 with seven strikeouts.
- Seranthony Domínguez
- This man will never not be on my top 10 most disliked players. The so-called closer pitched 1 2/3 innings in three games and gave up four earned, walked four, and had two wild pitches against just 11 batters faced. His ERA is the only one over four digits at 21.60.
- Grant Taylor
- I will be the first to defend this man and his talent. When Taylor is on, he is right as rain. When the wheels fall off, best of luck. The hard-throwing righty appeared in six games over the last two weeks and posted a 2-2 record. Having a game decision tied to you as a reliever is not odd, but four games is seemingly high for a high-leverage guy like Taylor. With three opportunities to convert a save, he was only able to do so in one game. Eight innings of work resulted in six runs, four walks, and seven strikeouts.
This stretch of games started at 35th and Shields against the Guardians. The hope for both teams in this series was to assert dominance and build some breathing room in the division race. Cleveland entered the series with the best road record. Coincidentally, Chicago started the series with one of the best home records. The series was exactly what you hoped it would be.
Monday, June 22, Sam Antonacci walked it off with a two-RBI single to center field for a final score of 6-5. Chris Murphy earned himself a win after he inherited runners from Seranthony Domínguez. Murphy allowed both inherited runners to score, but his ERA would remain unscathed as his record improved to 2-0.
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OnTuesday, June 23, I biked 11 miles to watch the Good Guys play. Parker Messick and Burke faced off in a classic pitching duel. Both starters gave up two or fewer runs, and the bullpens posted a goose egg apiece. The 2-1 final went to the White Sox thanks to a go-ahead home run by Vargas.
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Wednesday, June 24, was the lone loss in the series for the White Sox, but it was exciting nonetheless. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth and two outs already recorded, Braden Montgomery and Randal Grichuk hit back-to-back solo shots to take the game to extras. Ultimately, the Chicago bullpen was outplayed, and they lost 4-3.
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After a day off to recover from the loss, the Pale Hose came back red hot and scored the most runs they had since 1970. They routed the Royals 22-1. The scoring started with a 10-run third inning. Vargas had the honor of hitting a three-run homer to get things going.
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Apparently, the runs ran out on Saturday, June 27. Each team scored one run in the seventh inning, and that was all the offense there was to offer. That is, until Gonzalez came up with the bases loaded and deposited a single into right field to lift the White Sox to a 2-1 win. The walk-off was the seventh of the season and was hit by the seventh different player on the squad.
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Sunday games featured all of their scoring in the first four innings. The White Sox could not play catch-up to complete the sweep and lost 5-4. Please enjoy Vargas’s 19th home run of the year as consolation.
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I was dreading going back on the road after a 4-2 home stand and a growing battle in the AL Central. Instead of disappointing, the socks of black pretended they were still at The Rate rather than Camden Yards (the same firm designed both stadiums, so it makes sense they could pretend).
Monday’s 8-2 win starred Gonzalez, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. The Orioles’ pitching managed to give up no long balls, but eight runs still hurt.
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A seven-run inning will usually earn you a win if nothing goes wrong for the rest of the ballgame. Thankfully, nothing went wrong for the White Sox on Tuesday. Colson Montgomery thought it was time for him to have the team home run lead and got the scoring going with a solo shot. The 9-3 victory earned them their first road series victory since they played the Padres in San Diego May 1-3.
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Because a sweep on the road would be too much to ask, the Orioles were able to scrape one win together on Wednesday, beating Chicago 6-1. Noah Schultz’s return from the injured list was going well until the orange and black figured things out in the fifth. Antonacci did try to get things going with a leadoff dinger, but no one else got the message.
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Hanging their heads low, the team headed to Cleveland to round out this two-week saga. This series would not be any easier than the first. Neither team won a game in this four-game set by more than two runs. Thursday, the White Sox had a lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Taylor returned for a second inning of work after throwing a scoreless eighth. Rather than shut it down, he walked Rhys Hoskins to lead the inning off. Bryan Rocchio came to the plate as the winning run with one out and gave us a taste of our own walk-off medicine.
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Losing three in a row hurts. You know what might hurt more? Getting walked off two nights in a row. This is exactly what happened on Friday night at Progressive Field. Vargas’s 20th home run of the year lifted the Good Guys to a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth. Bryan Hudson surrendered the tying runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The game went to extras, but Sean Newcomb could not get an out in the bottom of the 10th to extend it, and Khalil Watson played hero.
On a positive note, the White Sox are now the only team in the league to have three players with 20 or more home runs.
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So you let two games slip away from you two nights in a row and allow the opposing team to retake the division lead. So you’re celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The appropriate response was a 3-1 win to bring you back even at the top of the division. Colson had the honor of hitting the go-ahead home run to secure the victory. This was the game in which Taylor converted his save.
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All became right in the world on Sunday when the South Siders retook sole possession of first place thanks to a 7-6 win. Colson and Teel both launched two-run homers. Peters was only able to manage a solo shot. Every run counts in a one-run game so that we will take it.
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It must be hard to be happy in Cleveland. When you beat the Guardians, you can leave the city with a smile.
Great news! If you made it this far, you get to read about how Murakami has started his rehab assignment in Charlotte with the team’s Triple-A affiliate. The White Sox have managed to go 15-12 since his departure due to a right hamstring strain, but his presence back in the lineup will be welcome.
Before we head to the All-Star break, Chicago has one last home stand against Boston and Texas. The second half is shaping up to be a race to stay at the top.
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