What will it take for the White Sox to consider the opener?

The White Sox brought the proverbial knife to a gunfight by opening the Houston series with a bullpen day and backing it up with Dylan Covey in the second game, and it went about as well as anybody could expect. The White Sox lost both games and haven’t so much as led a game at any point, yet the pitching staff has a surprising amount of dignity intact.

They’ve held the league’s hottest team to an ordinary eight runs over two games, and Rick Renteria didn’t need to exhaust his entire bullpen to keep the games within reach, as Evan Marshall and Kelvin Herrera weren’t required. Maybe that isn’t entirely good news — Herrera’s performance after his back spasms has been abysmal — but when the smoke cleared, only Jose Ruiz needed to be swapped out for a fresh arm.

But maybe the past tense is premature, because here comes Iván Nova, who has been more susceptible to the short start than anybody. He’s allowed 10 homers over 47⅓ innings, which is another way of saying he’s allowed 10 homers over his last 25 innings, because he kept the ball in the yard in each of his first four starts.

That’s three of five spots that are exceptionally vulnerable right now, leaving the White Sox rotation in its shakiest state since 2002, and quite possibly 1998. Dylan Cease might be able to plug a gap sooner rather than later, but that still leaves two other ones with no readily apparent solutions, and some assumption that Nova and Reynaldo López are better than they’ve shown.

That’s why I don’t get why Renteria is so averse to an opener, especially when Dylan Covey — somebody who seems to pitch respectably for four innings more often than not — might be ideal to try after somebody else handles the top of the order in the first.

Back on Saturday, Renteria said:

“For me, if you use an opener, it’s just potentially a bullpen day,” Renteria said. “I think that openers, and this is just one man’s opinion, speaks to the state of your pitching staff in general. I think most people that are solidified in their starting rotation don’t even think about it, to be honest.”

If “Ryan Burr-led bullpen day followed by Dylan Covey and Iván Nova” doesn’t yet register as a situation that requires hazmat suits to contain, then perhaps Renteria will never consider an opener. That’s a problem, not because the opener is an easy quick-fix, but because it indicates Renteria will never avail himself to all potential solutions, and the White Sox will likely never be so talented as to run themselves. Starting pitcher stability and team health were the pillars of their last identity, and neither are guaranteed to come back. There’s “Ricky’s Boys Don’t Quit,” but that might just mean they trail in more games than most.

My guess is that Renteria is trying to cling to all semblance of normalcy until June 3, when the first of six off days arrives on the June calendar. The White Sox never play more than six games in a row between then and the All-Star break, which will hide a lot of pitching staff desperation no matter what kind of ERA it sports.

Alas, there are still 12 more games before any break arrives. If this turn through the weak three-fifths doesn’t cause a collapse of the roster’s infrastructure, the next one might. I’m guessing Renteria treats the opener as an admission of failure, but he’d only be doing so on behalf of the front office. It only turns into Renteria’s failure if he doesn’t make all reasonable efforts to circumvent it.

* * * * * * * * *

Postscript: In Tuesday morning’s recap of the reheated beef between Adam Eaton and Todd Frazier, I omitted the line where Eaton said, “I’m a 30-year-old man with two kids, got a mortgage and everything.” Eaton talked at length, and I didn’t want to quote the entire article, so I picked what I thought were the most pertinent passages before the fair use doctrine came into play.

But that line certainly registered with Frazier, who opened up on on the matter Tuesday afternoon.

“That’s Adam. That’s him. At the end of the day, you think about what a man really is. You settle stuff out in the field, you don’t really talk about it. That’s basically what I do. I mean, back in the day, that’s how I usually settled it. I didn’t really want to talk about it, but I heard what he said. Didn’t really bother me that much, but at the end of the day, you ask guys when I played with the White Sox in 2016, ask all 23 of those guys, they know what happened. For him to even talk after that, I don’t know how you talk after that. That’s basically all I’ll say after that. Men usually settle it out on the field, they don’t need to talk about it. He started it coming at me with that kind of, ‘I’m a man, I got a mortgage I’m paying, two kids.’ Pay off your mortgage, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Eaton thought Frazier’s response gave him the opportunity to stress a supposed obsession, likening Frazier to an “old girlfriend” who is living in the past. And maybe there’s something to it, except…

https://twitter.com/Britt_Ghiroli/status/1130928183640043522

Dan Bernstein, who often alluded to Eaton’s unpopularity on the South Side without coming out and saying anything, came out and said something on Tuesday. The 670 The Score host called Eaton a “fake nice guy” and offered some details on the clubhouse dustup:

It all stems from ill will between the two as White Sox, with Eaton the sore loser of an alpha male locker room stand-off. With veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins let go after 41 games — still a long enough stint for Rollins to have been the driving force behind Drake LaRoche’s ouster and publicly clash with tightly wound infielder Brett Lawrie — and no other English-speaking position player seeking to step into a leadership role, Eaton decided he’d try to fill the vacuum.

It should be noted that this was after Eaton had appeared on 670 The Score to lament bizarrely that the team had “lost a leader in Drake” when the boy was removed, and plenty of members of the White Sox organization were listening.

Frazier, who just happened to have the locker next door, called out Eaton for being a phony and made it clear that he lacked the standing in that room to be taken seriously as a leader.

Given that Eaton was one of the few White Sox players performing on the field, it didn’t seem like others had the standing to knock Eaton’s standing, which is the kind of circular-firing-squad logic that helped drag down the 2016 White Sox. That said, if Eaton is the kind of guy who will pretend to have a mortgage in order to mount a high horse, I have a much better idea of where the “phony” label comes from.

Author

  • Jim Margalus

    Writing about the White Sox for a 16th season, first here, then at South Side Sox, and now here again. Let’s talk curling.

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PauliePaulie

Even if all the prospects go outside the org to find their true talent level, Renteria’s baseball philosophies will hold them back.
Disheartening.

MrTopaz

It always sucked to hear guys bad mouth Eaton, since he was one of the few bright spots on the field, and was really good with fans off it, but he’s coming across like real a jag off.

WhereisRobin

I hate when people say Eaton wasn’t the right man to take up the leadership role, when he was EXACTLY the player needed to fill the void that Drake LaRoche left.

As Cirensica

And here I thought Hahn hired Ventura because of his some stars general leadership role.

Neat_on_the_rocks

Thanks for the Article Jim.

When I read that Renteria quote over the weekend about the Opener, that to me should be a catalyst quote that leads to his firing. Its a disgustingly old school quote. The Rays, one of the best teams in baseball, utilize an opener. To just dismiss it out of hand and liken it to a bullpen day is outrageous, and a little bit pathetic.

Especially when compared to the Whitesox situation. It sure is looking like Dylan Covey is going to be a “long term solution” for 2019. Dylan Covey is basically the thesis statement for when to effectively use an opener. It makes too much sense to use one with him. And its just really sad to see your manager, and therefore your organization, completely dismiss it.

karkovice squad

Coop is also anti-opener. And really, it’s probably an organization-wide antipathy rather than mutiny by just the manager and a coach.

Somebody hired those guys. And extended them.

roke1960

We have the worst run organization in baseball, and it probably isn’t close. Everyone from the owner down to the pitching coach and 3rd base coach, and all those who have done just a poor job of scouting need to go. Now.

karkovice squad

Their baserunning’s been a net-positive. Teams should be taking on more risk than they do. Fans should be more comfortable with runners getting thrown out. Conservative baserunning leaves runs on the table.

And the break-even point gets lower the worse a lineup is.

zerobs

Roke, you need to accept the fact that as long as Jerry controls the ballclub the front office will be run by Ribbie and Roobarb.

karkovice squad

See also Eaton offering his “why can’t everyone just get along” Oscars hot take.

Sophist

I heard that Drake was responsible for getting Eaton into a nice 10/30 ARM at 3.5% but then he got traded to DC

CarolinaSoxFan

🙂 🙂

SonOfCron

Potentially unpopular and probably objectively bad opinion: I hate the opener. I don’t even consider myself an “old school” guy, and I’m generally in favor of adopting strategies that are analytically indicated to be beneficial… but I HATE the opener.

roke1960

I’m as old school as they come, but I am for anything that helps the White Sox win. Continuing to start Dylan Covey is not a good decision. Using him after Osich or Fry or Bummer pitch 1 or 2 innings would help the White Sox win; therefore, I am for that.

VaChisox

I’m pretty old school as well and hate the opener, but I agree that if there ever was a case to make for its use, it’s now with this team. Who is anybody kidding that Covey and Banuelos (even Nova) are effective starting pitchers?

I agree with Rentieria only in that the discussion about using the opener reveals the absymal state of the Sox’ starting rotation. But if the White Sox are old school and hate the opener, then why have they assembled a pitching staff that cries for the use of the opener? It makes no sense for a team with a great starting rotation to experiment with an opener; nor does it make sense for a team that has no starting rotation to continue to act as if it has one.

What I hate the most is hanging on to a philosophy that doesn’t synch with the personnel.

CarolinaSoxFan

It makes no sense for a team with a great starting rotation to experiment with an opener; nor does it make sense for a team that has no starting rotation to continue to act as if it has one.

Yes, exactly. When I saw Renteria’s quote I was thinking, “This guy is talking like he has an accomplished starting rotation”. When exactly the opposite is the case.

Likewise, it should be noted that two teams made the playoffs last year with the “opener” concept. Where did the White Sox finish? Oh, yeah.

Just win, baby!

soxfan

Covey is good for four up to four innings. I’m not sure it really matters which four. I understand trying to make his job easier by missing the top of the order, but the bigger problem is that he pitched well last night and was overextended because…5 innings are needed to qualify for a win I guess. More important than opening or not opening is putting guys in a position to succeed and earning team wins rather than chasing individual stats. 

Joist

I didn’t see anybody bring this up, but before Abreu’s homer I was dreaming about the possibility of TA bunting to break up Verlander’s no-hitter. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at Randal Grichuk’s house when that happens…

jorgefabregas

The more I read about the Eaton-Frazier beef the less I understand it. It seems like some foreign (to me) culture’s honor code that is inscrutable to outsiders.

Lurker Laura

Yeah, they’re like two high school guys circling each other in the parking lot after school for no good reason.

GrinnellSteve

This is the perfect take.

fundman

Very West Side Story

Lurker Laura

Without the great dancing and singing.

Trooper Galactus

When you’re a Met you’re a Met all the way.

gibby32

Yeah, I found Frazier’s lengthy quote to be utterly incoherent. What the hell is he settling on the field? And what is Eaton’s nuts reference to a mortgage? As I said yesterday, I enjoyed watching Eaton, but not Frazier. I would not want to be in the presence of either.

MrTopaz

Whatever Frazier’s taking about, it’s going to happen at the end of the day.

soxfan

This might be a bad interpretation, but I often said when I was younger that you knew you were grown up when you had a mortgage, got married, and/or had kids – all of which are surrogates for what it really takes to be grown up which is the ability to make and meet long term commitments. I can’t swear to Eaton’s intent but I read it as a more mellow Mike Van Gundy rant of “I’m 40! I’m a man!”

jorgefabregas

Yes, this was my interpretation, but I don’t see what explanation that provides for the situation or defense that makes for Eaton.

Trooper Galactus

And Van Gundy sounded like an ass when he said it.

patrickcroberts

I could see either Frazier or Eaton on late night TV in a decade or so selling reverse mortgages. They both seem untrustworthy to me. Watching them beef is a pleasant distraction from the intestinal parasite that the current White Sox team is impersonating.

roke1960

Very good article on the loopsports.com about trimming the fat off the roster. I agree completely. Replace Castillo and Alonso with Collins and Palka. They also suggested replacing Nova and Yolmer with Cease/Flores/Lambert and Mendick. Though I would suggest replacing Rondon with Mendick.
That would leave Abreu, Yolmer, Timmy, Moncada, Mendick in the IF.
Eloy, Cordell, Leury, Tilson, Palka for OF/DH
McCann, Collins at C, with Collins backing up Abreu at 1st.

The rotation should be Giolito, Lopez, Nova, 2 of Cease/Flores/Lambert.
Covey becomes the long man in the pen.

That at least looks more watchable than the slop that they are throwing out there now.

Marty34

Mendick for Rondon
Collins for Castillo
Palka for Alonzo
Cease for Minaya.

Mendick starts at second with Sanchez moving to the bench.
Cease pitches in long relief, replaces Nova Aug 1st. Flores/Lambert replaces Cease in long relief and moves to the rotation in Sept.

rhubarb

A few years back there was a spring training video showing Eaton fishing in Arizona in a retention pond or something. I knew right then and there that he was a doofus. I’ve always likened him to Ben Stiller’s character in dodgeball but fake nice. He is the kind of person I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid. He is the frat boy that makes the freshman pleb choke on his own vomit.

lil jimmy

Eaton has “two digit IQ” stamped on his forehead. For him reading the “funnies” is looking at the pictures, but not the captions.

MrTopaz

One of these days he’s going to figure out that dotted line map from Family Circus.

One of these days…

Sophist

Or be subjected to THIS version of family circus. WARNING: NSFW or human consumption

https://www.cracked.com/blog/pg13-family-circus/

Torpedo Jones

Eaton gave me that Nick Swisher vibe – fake smile guy who can’t shut up and has no idea how obnoxious he is.

MrTopaz

Man, I hated Nick Swisher so much. Dirty thirty, hit .130.

karkovice squad

Compare and contrast: https://theathletic.com/989143/2019/05/22/rosenthal-how-the-astros-experiment-and-collaborate-to-get-the-most-out-of-their-pitchers/

https://theathletic.com/989084/2019/05/22/the-life-of-leroy-the-hidden-value-of-an-unheralded-white-sox-utilityman/

I know the Sox don’t like to talk about their analytics but seriously, why is Leury going to YouTube first for opposing pitcher video instead of a team-managed database?

Josh Nelson

Follow up question: Do the White Sox have a team-managed video database for opposing pitchers? (I assume they have for themselves)

I do wonder if hitters check out the Pitching Ninja’s DropBox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qw77db1loclcm0v/AADbEm4Po_fSzJ_XCK8mnNxQa?dl=0

ndsoxfan

What’s the primary benefit of an opener as opposed to having the same pitcher come in after Covey throws 3 or 4?

PauliePaulie

It minimizes the times through the order penalty against the top of the opponents order, thus allowing the “starter” (the second pitcher to throw, in this case) to go deeper into the game.

35Shields

To restate this very simply, suppose your goal is not to allow this “starter” to face the top of the order a second time. If he pitches the first inning, then he can go at most three innings. If he has an opener and starts in the second inning, then he can go at most five innings.

By using an opener, you’ve effectively squeezed an extra two innings out of a fringe starter while keeping him away from the best hitters on the other team.

karkovice squad

It spares him a turn against the best hitters in the lineup which in theory buys him an extra pass against the worst hitters. And, on the road, traditionally the visiting starter is at a disadvantage, possibly because of the delay between warmups and pitching. The risk of an extended first inning is less of a problem for a guy who’s not expected to go 4+. And Covey would then be entering the game fresh from the bullpen.

ETA: it might also be possible to pick up or at least neutralize the platoon advantage by pairing him with an opposite-handed opener. That potentially prompts the other team to empty their bench earlier and sets up more favorable late-game matchups.

asinwreck

The Angels placed old friend Kevan Smith on the IL due to a concussion. He was replaced on the active roster by….old friend Dustin Garneau.