A big point of concern for Todd Frazier coming into this year was his tendency for second half slides. Sort of like his teammate Chris Sale, Frazier had a history of fading down the stretch, posting a worse triple slash line after the All-Star Break than he did before it for the last three seasons […]
Author: James Fegan
Chris Sale’s Cy Young case goes in the tank
Things were not looking perfect for Chris Sale‘s bid to win his first Cy Young Award going into Wednesday night. Despite the Bovada odds, and for all the denigration that Rick Porcello has gotten as a candidate driven forward by his fortuitous win-loss record, his ERA was all of 0.05 higher than Sale’s, and they […]
The Frustrations of Jose Abreu
Jose Abreu is by no means stingy with the press, but he doesn’t talk every day. He needs his interpreter, so his interviews take a bit longer, and he’s taken the natural step of determining a day or two ahead of time when he will speak. Just that little level of pomp and circumstance imbues […]
The White Sox already have the ingredients for a competent 2017 bullpen
Let’s take a cue from the off-the-cuff Hawk Harrelson comment as a prompt for a full article. On a Baseball Prospectus site. This always goes well. Hawk is outspoken on the value of the bullpen, which can make him seem somewhat sage now near the crest of the run on elite relievers. During Sunday’s rout […]
White Sox 7, Royals 4: Where was Carlos Sanchez all season?
Reeling from a downward spiral started by an errant Tyler Saladino throw on a hard grounder that should have ended the fifth, the White Sox did not seem primed for a breakthrough when Kelvin Herrera buzzed Todd Frazier‘s tower with one out in the top of the eighth. 1. Frazier made his unhappiness known, while Salvador […]
Ok, let’s give a look at what Shields has been doing to avoid disaster
Thursday, Major League Baseball ordered San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller to be suspended 30 days without pay for falsifying medical records submitted in the trade of Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox. It’s a tangibly light penalty–Preller will likely be able to pay his bills alright in the interim, the Padres are […]
White Sox 2, Indians 1: Sox eventually take advantage of a Shields gem
At the risk of being needlessly and counterproductively hyperbolic, it would be a crime for the White Sox to have wasted an honest-to-goodness gem from embattled, dismissed and derided starter James Shields. Eventually, they avoided treachery and delivered the Indians an embarrassing if not particularly meaningful defeat for the third time in their four-game set, even if […]
Let’s appreciate Nate Jones
Appreciating good players for doomed teams is the reason for the season, y’all, and no one represents the idea of a man overburdened with the task of lifting his peers up than The Only Non-Closer Robin Trusts to Get Important Outs, Nate Jones. It’s crazy that we’re even here discussing this man and his triumph […]
Hopes and prayers
Avisail Garcia looked really, really good Monday. He just wouldn’t be the frustrating figure that he is if he didn’t look like someone capable of taking over a game every now and then, and this was his night. He collected four hits, including his 11th home run of the season, which is a paltry total, […]
South Side Morning 5: A.J. On The Way Out
1. A.J. Pierzynski at least deked much of the baseball world into thinking he was retiring Saturday night; passing around cigars, having the ball from his final hit of the night authenticated, gave some cryptic quotes about being satisfied with his career. Then he promptly went back on the disabled list in early mid-September, only […]