The homestand continues this afternoon as the not-so-mighty Chicago White Sox providing the opposition.
As you've probably heard, the White Sox have the worst record in the major leagues. That's what happens when you start your season by losing 22 of your first 25 games. Since that appalling getaway, they've been playing .500 ball (11-11), which is quite a bit better than how the Blue Jays have fared over the same period (7-15).
The White Sox haven't been doing anything very well, but their struggles scoring runs... well, they make this year's Blue Jays team look like a veritable juggernaut. The White Sox have scored just 133 runs in their 47 games, and when you're scoring just 2.83 per game - there will be problems.
Injuries have not helped. Centre fielder Luis Robert was by far their best player last season. He's played just 7 games in 2024, and is still a couple of weeks away from returning from a hip flexor strain. Third baseman Yoan Moncado has always been an up-and-down kind of player who always had trouble staying healthy enough to play - he was off to a fine start this year, but lasted just 11 games and isn't coming back before the All-Star Break. If then. Andrew Vaughn, who has yet to deliver to the degree expected from someone drafted third overall, is off to a horrible start (.202/.258/.310) and Andrew Benintendi has been even worse (.195/.223/.283) and doing little to disabuse the notion that he was always just another Creature of Fenway Park. Anyway, all this has left the White Sox with an offense powered by Tommy Pham, Gavin Sheets, and - wait for it - Paul DeJong.
We begin today with the two team's aces facing off, followed tomorrow by a couple of hard-throwing southpaws, and we'll conclude with a couple of veteran right-handers still looking to find their best form.
Erick Fedde spent six undistinguished years in Washington (21-33, 5.12), who non-tendered him after the 2022 season. Receiving nothing but minor league contract offers, he took his talents to Korea and unlocked something, going 20-6, 2.00 with 200 Ks in 180.1 IP. He won the Korean equivalents of both the Cy Young and MVP awards, and this time the MLB offers were a little better.
Garret Crochet is the latest LH White Sox reliever to transition into a role in the rotation, a path previously trodden by Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale. (So you can see why they'd try it again.) The White Sox drafted him 11th overall back in 2020, and he went straight to the majors without playing in the minor leagues. He got his first taste of the minors last year, as he recovered from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2022 season.
Mike Clevinger was a very good starter for Cleveland years ago, but he managed to essentially get himself kicked off the team. Since those days, he's had a Tommy John surgery (it's one of the job requirements to be a White Sox pitcher) and shown only occasional flashes of his old form.
Mon 20 May - Fedde (4-0, 2.60) vs Berrios (4-3, 2.82)
Tue 21 May - Crochet (4-4, 4.18) vs Kikuchi (2-3, 2.60)
Wed 22 May - Clevinger (0-2, 5.56) vs Bassitt (3-6, 5.03)
As you've probably heard, the White Sox have the worst record in the major leagues. That's what happens when you start your season by losing 22 of your first 25 games. Since that appalling getaway, they've been playing .500 ball (11-11), which is quite a bit better than how the Blue Jays have fared over the same period (7-15).
The White Sox haven't been doing anything very well, but their struggles scoring runs... well, they make this year's Blue Jays team look like a veritable juggernaut. The White Sox have scored just 133 runs in their 47 games, and when you're scoring just 2.83 per game - there will be problems.
Injuries have not helped. Centre fielder Luis Robert was by far their best player last season. He's played just 7 games in 2024, and is still a couple of weeks away from returning from a hip flexor strain. Third baseman Yoan Moncado has always been an up-and-down kind of player who always had trouble staying healthy enough to play - he was off to a fine start this year, but lasted just 11 games and isn't coming back before the All-Star Break. If then. Andrew Vaughn, who has yet to deliver to the degree expected from someone drafted third overall, is off to a horrible start (.202/.258/.310) and Andrew Benintendi has been even worse (.195/.223/.283) and doing little to disabuse the notion that he was always just another Creature of Fenway Park. Anyway, all this has left the White Sox with an offense powered by Tommy Pham, Gavin Sheets, and - wait for it - Paul DeJong.
We begin today with the two team's aces facing off, followed tomorrow by a couple of hard-throwing southpaws, and we'll conclude with a couple of veteran right-handers still looking to find their best form.
Erick Fedde spent six undistinguished years in Washington (21-33, 5.12), who non-tendered him after the 2022 season. Receiving nothing but minor league contract offers, he took his talents to Korea and unlocked something, going 20-6, 2.00 with 200 Ks in 180.1 IP. He won the Korean equivalents of both the Cy Young and MVP awards, and this time the MLB offers were a little better.
Garret Crochet is the latest LH White Sox reliever to transition into a role in the rotation, a path previously trodden by Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale. (So you can see why they'd try it again.) The White Sox drafted him 11th overall back in 2020, and he went straight to the majors without playing in the minor leagues. He got his first taste of the minors last year, as he recovered from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2022 season.
Mike Clevinger was a very good starter for Cleveland years ago, but he managed to essentially get himself kicked off the team. Since those days, he's had a Tommy John surgery (it's one of the job requirements to be a White Sox pitcher) and shown only occasional flashes of his old form.
Mon 20 May - Fedde (4-0, 2.60) vs Berrios (4-3, 2.82)
Tue 21 May - Crochet (4-4, 4.18) vs Kikuchi (2-3, 2.60)
Wed 22 May - Clevinger (0-2, 5.56) vs Bassitt (3-6, 5.03)
