August 1, 2019
What looked like a promising season has turned into an
unmitigated disaster for the White Sox. Since the all-star break they are 4-16.
The biggest problem is they aren’t hitting. Then again, they faced some quality
pitching. Injuries to Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez didn’t help and the offense
is not clicking.
Things are looking bleaker with an injury to their best
hitter, Yoan Moncada. The only positive is the resurgence of starting pitcher
Reynaldo Lopez who has a 2.05 ERA in four starts. Lopez, Lucas Giolito, Dylan
Cease and Michael Kopech make up a good staff for 2020.
What infuriates me the most is General Manager Rick Hahn’s
refusal to promote deserving prospects. Last year it was Jimenez; this year it’s
Luis Robert. He is better than any outfielder on the current major league
roster. I have seen Moncada struggle until he got some experience. Despite 17
home runs, Jimenez is struggling but this experience will help him become the
hitter they expect. Therefore, why not get Robert some taste of the major
leagues? I also don’t understand the fascination with second baseman, Yomar
Sanchez. Hopefully, first round draft pick Nick Madrigal, recently promoted to
AAA gets a chance to be the starter next year.
I could point out mistake
after mistake by Manager Ricky Renteria. Since getting burned a couple years ago
by a suicide squeeze bunt, Renteria has fallen in love with what is known as a safety
squeeze. In the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Mets, down by a
run, there were men on second and third and there no outs. So, instead of
letting the first batter Leurie Garcia hit, he calls for a safety squeeze. Garcia misses on the first attempt, falls
behind in the count and strikes out. Next up, Jon Jay, also bunts and pops the ball
up. The ball lands but because it was a safety squeeze, the runners stay put
and the bases are loaded. Predictably, Jose Abreu grounds into a double play to
end the inning.
Abreu has been awful. After being one of the top RBI leaders,
he has only 7 since the all-star break. His average continues to plummet and
his strikeouts are increasing. He has
consistently failed with runners on base. The problem is his replacement was
just drafted and knowing Hahn, he won’t be promoted for at least three years.
I thought it would be
hard to find someone worse than Yonder Alonso, the DH at the beginning of the
year. His replacements are worse. A.J. Reed is hitting .150. In 44 official at-bats,
he has struck out 21 times. It doesn’t get much better from the right-side.
Welington Castillo is hitting .180. This spot has been a hole in the line-up
since Jim Thome.
The Cubs recently completed a dismal 3-6 road trip. They
limp home competing with the Miami Marlins for the worst road record in the
National League. They trail a hot St. Louis Cardinals team by one game.
Milwaukee can’t seem to string any wins together and are two games back. Ninety
wins may be all it takes to win this tightly contested division. With 54 games left, the Cubs would have to go
33-21 to reach 90. Of the remaining games, half are road games. If their away
game struggles persist, they will not win the division. The wild card may be a
possibility but there several teams competing for those spots
.
This last trip had some excruciating losses. Bullpen
implosions allowed teams to win in their last at bat. The starting pitching has
been very good. What I thought was a good bullpen has blown 20 saves. Early
season closer, Pedro Strop has been bad. Strop has lost his set-up man role.
Carl Edwards Jr. has been traded. They signed premier closer Craig Kimbrel who
has been good, not great. There’s always some drama when he comes in to close.
One of the most heartbreaking losses was Kimbrel protecting a 10th
inning one run lead against the Milwaukee Brewers. It only took him three batters to lose the
game. It is not a crime to be taken deep
by Chris Yelich tying the game. It is a crime to walk Tyler Saladino. Next
batter, Keston Hiura hit a two run, walk-off homer. This was emblematic of the
road trip.
The Cubs are also having troubles scoring runs. This belies
the numbers they are putting up. Jason Heyward is having his best season as a
Cub. Wilson Contreras is having a career year. Anthony Rizzo is on pace to
surpass last year’s home runs and RBI totals. Although not the terror he was
last year, Javier Baez leads the team with 25 home runs. Kris Bryant was having
a good year. However, since his knee injury has just 3 hits in 23 at bats.
This is the time of the year the games become more crucial. The Cubs should
be bolstered by the return of Cole Hamels. Bryant getting healthy and returning
to form would be a big plus. Acquiring
Nick Castellanos is a good move; Derek
Holland is not.
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