The offseason has been quiet thus far, both in terms of the overall scope of the league (with a few exceptions) and, more specifically, in the AL Central. But while the transactions those teams have made haven’t necessarily moved the needle yet, it’s worth taking stock of the state of those respective teams, moves they’ve […]
Tag: Detroit Tigers
South Side Morning 5: James Shields Wins a Baseball Game
1. The White Sox 11-2 win over the Tigers on Thursday was just one start, but a positive sign for James Shields in his first outing after a disastrous 2016. Shields’ final line — 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K — is a pretty reasonable microcosm of what can be expected out […]
Sizing Up The Competition: Detroit Tigers
Typically this time of year, we eagerly check the PECOTA projections to see what it thinks of the White Sox’ chances to compete in the AL Central. For the first time in years, however, competing in the immediate term is irrelevant. While you could certainly debate how to sequence the non-Cleveland teams in the division, […]
White Sox win total projection reveals a few things
The dead period between Hot Stove season and Spring Training leaves us in a state of destitution. We eagerly devour anything that even remotely resembles baseball news, scurrying under the table to feast on the crumbs of a Wily Mo Pena minor-league deal or bizarre rule change possibility. Preseason projections are the perfect meal to […]
White Sox 7, Tigers 4: Eighth-inning comeback gives Sox rare AL Central series win
After the White Sox improbably rallied for a four-run eighth to take the rubber match of what was a crucial three-game set for Detroit, Good Twitter User Neal Hamer posed the following interrogatory @JRFegan is this the first series the Sox have won against KC, Detroit or Cleveland this year? — Neal Hamer (@nealhamer) September […]
White Sox 2, Tigers 0: Miguel Gonzalez is what the game’s been missing
To be honest, the Sox turning two out of every five games into a run-soaked, four-hour bullpen game was getting pretty tiresome, and also making it hard to remember how this was ever a team with even a puncher’s chance in the AL playoff race. Into a void the Sox had been filling with Anthony […]
Tigers 5, White Sox 3: Extra Innings, Extra Disappointment
Coming into today’s game, the White Sox were 5-11 on the season when playing the Tigers. It’s been bad. Almost comically bad, but not quite at that level. Just more tragic, which is the 2016 White Sox season in a nutshell. 1. The game started with bang. On the third pitch of the first at […]
Chris Sale’s plan–whatever it is–is working
Chris Sale took a funny approach to the beginning of his 26th start of the season: he spent the early part of his day looking like a bad pitcher. His slider floated through the zone, his fastball velocity hovered around 92 mph, which is fine if he’s locating and playing it off his other devastating […]
Tigers 4, White Sox 3: Well, At Least They’re Consistent
If I told you that James Shields would only give up two runs over six innings and Tyler Saladino would drive in three, you might be foolish enough to think that would be enough for the White Sox to hold on and manage to win a game against the Tigers. But then you’d remember that it’s […]
White Sox 6, Tigers 3: Sox rough up Zimmerman to dodge Detroit sweep
Like much of Detroit’s roster, Jordan Zimmerman looks like a troubling asset going forward. He’s owed $92 million through 2020 after this season, and his strikeout rate had collapsed to a career-low 15.2 percent coming into Thursday afternoon’s finale. Despite all this, like much of Detroit’s roster he had been effective in 2016, and healthy […]