On Friday night, the White Sox faced a far-above average pitcher for the 3rd night of the last 4. And unfortunately, Wandy Rodriguez held our offense in check enough to get the win and give Gavin Floyd another loss, moving his record to 4-6.
Photo courtesy ESPN Chicago
A lot of people surrounding the team are saying that they are very encouraged by Gavin Floyd’s start because he really pitched “well.” And sure, he looked better, but come on people. Floyd was unable to hold the Astros scoreless in 3 of the 6 innings he pitched, let up a 2-run HR that scored a 2-out walkee, and pitched behind the entire time he was out there, which certainly takes pressure off of himself every time he runs out to the mound.
I think good 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings are fooling all of the fans, reporters, and others that are giving Gavin a lot of credit for his start. When looking back to the few main flaws of his start that I previously highlighted, they’re all things that a starter with high expectations can’t be doing. And like I said, he was better than his recent starts, but we need him to be a lot better.
Anyway, it’s alright that we dropped a game to a good pitcher, one that will give many more teams fits that not. Like I said a couple of days ago, it happens. But the Astros are a far below average team that, when coming into your own ballpark, you need to take the series from.
Even with a series loss, it’d be hard to get mad at the Sox, even though they just lost the series against Toronto, too. Winning 14 out of 16 and catapulting into 1st place is something that we still need to appreciate. But Saturday is a game that the Sox need.
Chris Sale, one of the AL All Star favorites is taking his 2.30 ERA to the bump, with the team needing him to be the stopper yet again. But the pitching can’t do it alone, the offense needs to show up and put some runs on the board.
Everybody watching will be expecting a quality start from Sale, and facing youngster Jordan Lyles of Houston, that should be enough for a first place offense. Lyles is 3-9 in his career with an ERA well north of 5.00, so there will be no excuses against this guy. Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Morrow, and Ricky Romero can beat you on any given night, but a kid like Lyles should be beat more times than not.
Other than that, there’s still just not too much to say. It’s not time to panic, even though the Indians are only 1/2 GB in the division standings.
The White Sox have one of the best records in the American League, and I like to consider these next few weeks as the time period that the Sox learn how to be a bonafide contender; how they adjust to the limelight, how they handle the pressure of raised expectations, and how they are able to balance consistent play with hot streaks are all story lines that will play out in the upcoming weeks.
Let’s appreciate where our Sox are right now and hope for another impressive performance from Chris Sale today. It’s certainly been fun to watch the young southpaw to this point. So go get ’em, boys.
Photo courtesy ChiCitySports.com
White Sox, White Sox, Go Go White Sox!