Last night was a little bit of a clunker. You wouldn’t know it from the one-run, 4-3 final score, but it did sting just a little more than usual, because it felt like those are the types of games this White Sox team has been improbably winning all season. But I suppose the operative word there is improbable. The 32-19 record they posted from April 17th to June 14th works out to a .627 winning percentage. I love this team as much as the rest of us, but they’re not a .600 club just yet. Games like yesterday
were bound to happen with a bit more frequency than they have been.
The Sox had their chances to win yesterday’s game. They put a baserunner on against Tarik Skubal in all five innings he pitched, a rare feat against a back-to-back Cy Young winner with a sub-1.000 WHIP over his last 600 innings. They loaded the bases with one out in a tie game against him, and came away with nothing. Skubal doesn’t even give teams the chance to get there, most of the time. If you fail to capitalize in the rare moments in which he does, you’re probably not going to win. They took a lead in the back half of a game and their piecemeal bullpen just couldn’t hold it. There are some pitchers you can only give so many high leverage innings to before it bites you.
Sean Newcomb is being given the ball to start this one, and as far as I can tell about an hour and a half before first pitch, we’re not entirely clear on who will be working behind him as a bulk man. This is the rotation spot previously occupied by Noah Schultz, and though last Monday’s off day allowed them to skip it their last time through the rotation, they’ll have to find an alternate option today.
Given the mystery, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the fact that Grant Taylor hasn’t emerged from the bullpen in nearly a week.
Taylor has pitched two innings in four of his last five appearances, and his innings total is still on pace to check in a little below their stated preseason goal of 100 for the year. I could be completely wrong, but if Will Venable thinks he can get two innings out of Sean Newcomb — a pretty reasonable proposition, given how he’s pitched lately and the quality of Detroit’s lineup—then I suspect this may be the day we get to see Taylor try at a third inning of work. Let’s just see what happens.
Needless to say, Tigers fans are becoming restless with A.J. Hinch’s decision-making. Here’s what he’s putting out as he looks to take the series:
We’ve got an early one today, as first pitch is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. CT at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit. You know, Comerica might be a big corporation like any other sponsor, but at least they have a long history in Detroit and the Ilitch family hasn’t sold those naming rights out from under them to UltraCryptoMaxx LLC like the rest of the world. Boy is the bar low, huh? Anyhow, if you want to join us, broadcasts are available on CHSN (TV) and WMVP AM 1000 (radio), like always!
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