First Pitch: White Sox at Royals

Kauffman Stadium (Photo by Corey Seeman)

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Lineups:

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As Cirensica

Oh… this is an afternoon game? I guess I will watch something else tonight then. I am very fine with that.

asinwreck

The Greinke-Cease matchup is a fun profile in contrasts. Maybe PitchingNinja will get some good clips of Greinke baffling Sox hitters with 60mph slop.

Right Size Wrong Shape

My lone disappointment with Cueto this season is that we have yet to see an eephus.

asinwreck

70mph is close enough.

upnorthsox

And Yoan broke out his special hazard yellow shoes for that pitch.

Btw, the loop video on that swing is something, you can watch it all day and he still isn’t going to hit it.

Pasquantino’s an animal.

Augusto Barojas

Maybe he is the offspring of Dan Pasqua and Quentin Tarantino’s sister.

Last edited 1 year ago by Augusto Barojas
As Cirensica

Badadbum pshhht

Seby continues to be a horrible baserunner. He fits right in.

soxfan

Bases loaded, nobody out.

Greinke has us right where he wants us.

As Cirensica

We didn’t score!!!

We show them FIRE!

BenwithVen

They’re literally swinging at anything once they get two strikes.

As Cirensica

That’s how you show the fire

jorgefabregas

To the fellow who was complaining about the Cuban players, please note Robert read the flyball correctly and Seby did not. Robert has generated the most value on the basepaths on the team despite diminished speed.

ForsterFTOG

Tremendous hustle on this last ground ball.

As Cirensica

August Abreu is a ghost from the past

Yas was looking for a make up call for the make up call.

a-t

The good news is that they get one more hit off Greinke every inning. The bad news is that they still f’in suck.

BenwithVen

and there’s the NOBLETIGER

Right Size Wrong Shape

Tom Brookens?

roke1960

They are so bad that I’m not even watching. After that bases loaded, nobody out, 3-4-5 hitters going down meekly, I can’t even follow them on Gameday anymore.

funkerdan

How much more abuse can I take from this team?

abehickock

Bases loaded, nobody out…. Our 3-4-5 hitters coming up. Two of them strikeout by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and the third one hits a weak grounder to shortstop.

roke1960

How can Abreu be hitting cleanup all year with Timmy, Vaughn and Robert, now Eloy hitting ahead of him- all hitting around .300, and he only has 55 RBI. Time to move on from him. He is just a really bad hitter with men on base.

jorgefabregas

Abreu has a .301 average this year with men on base, a 162 wRC+. .301/.394/.523

roke1960

Then how does he have only 55 RBI? Jose Ramirez has almost 90!!

As Cirensica

Because he does not find the bases loaded often

funkerdan

0-6 based loaded if math. also I think most are just on first and can’t score because base running is hard. Hitting singles doesn’t afford enough time to score.

Last edited 1 year ago by funkerdan
a-t

Abreu w runners on : 226 PA, .301/.394/.523, 12.4% BB, 12.4% K, 9 of 14 HR, 166 wRC+.

JRam w runners on: 213 PA, .341/.408/.686, 10.8% BB, 7.0% K, 14 of 21 HR, 198 wRC+.

Jose hasn’t been bad w guys on, but his homers are down, so he’s more dependent than usual on, say, competent baserunning to get his RBIs. We know how the baserunning has been in general this year, and AV and Eloy are not exactly burners.

Ramirez has been hitting like Barry Bonds with guys on, and the dudes in front of him (ie basically the whole cleveland roster) are pretty fast and generally excellent baserunners— Kwan, Rosario, Gimenez, Straw from the 9 spot. Their lineups are designed to maximize damage that way. The Sox are built to score via the long ball and nobody on the damn team is hitting it out of the park consistently.

Last edited 1 year ago by a-t
As Cirensica

Can’t say it better. Would you say there’s some lack of fire?

Holy crap dude, you’re like a dog with a bone.

Is that a dog with a bone fire?

upnorthsox

I don’t know about fire but there ain’t much smoke in them White Sox bats.

jorgefabregas

Well, he is getting walked a lot with runners on (12% walk rate compared to 8% with bases empty, plus 6 HBPs with runners on). Moncada hit in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd spot 40-some games.

Jose Ramirez has been much better. 198 wRC+ with runners on, 199 wRC+ with runners in scoring position (Abreu was 140 wRC+ with runners in scoring position). But you’re comparing him to one of the very best hitters in the game.

Last edited 1 year ago by jorgefabregas
hankthetank35

Watching this team has become a depressing and cringey experience. I’m out.

As Cirensica

SO MUCH FIRE!!!!

ForsterFTOG

13 pitches total the last two innings to get the mighty Sox offense out.

abehickock

Why did Sheets play yesterday against a left-handed pitcher and not in today’s lineup against a right-handed pitcher? Why didn’t Zavala start yesterday against a left-handed pitcher? Why is a catcher playing first base when you have 3 first basemen on your roster?

As Cirensica

TLR is a clown

upnorthsox

Because TLR had a premonition that Sheets would get an rbi hit/should’ve been an error, Seby is Cease’s personal C, I have nothing for Grandal he should never be playing 1B.

abehickock

I don’t believe in that personal catcher crap. Who was Cease’s personal catcher earlier in the year when Zavala was in triple A? Every catcher on the team should be able to catch every pitcher.

ForsterFTOG

Because the genius La Russo is playing three dimensional chutes and ladders.

upnorthsox

I know I’ve whinged a few times about the Sox scoring early but they have now not scored in the 1st inning in 8 straight games and in only 3 of the last 22 games. Maybe they are worried about the people stuck in traffic?

a-t

They are simply not scoring much at all lately.

As Cirensica

Greinke is toying with the Sox.

a-t

I can’t think of a worse fit than the hitting coach who said “F the long ball, let’s hit .300” and a lineup full of slow, powerful hitters in a small home field.

Last edited 1 year ago by a-t
soxygen

Is this a challenge? Like, should we all identify horrible matches that have contributed to how the 2022 Sox got to this point? I have several ideas!!!

As Cirensica

I actually miss Greg Walker

ChiSoxND12

*Once-powerful hitters

soxygen

Luis Robert has lots of fire. Nobody should question his desire to win. Fire has nothing to do with running out grounders to the infield.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
Alfornia Jones

Through the 7th, the Sox hitters are 9 for 29 with no BB’s, all singles. Good for a sterling .310 BA, but on the flip side a horrible OBP. Also, only 5 KO.

This is the perfect box score to show Menechino in his exit interview tonight on the plane.

Cueto needs to call this team out harder after his next QS and loss. You can’t hit HR’s if you don’t swing for the fences.

calcetinesblancos

*Brando voice* Never go against the family…

BenwithVen

Joe Kelly is hurt. What a shocker.

ForsterFTOG

La Russo went with the worst possible choice to replace him.
What a shocker.

As Cirensica

TLR being an absolute clueless manager plus Hahn fabulous off season acquisitions being broken or ineffective is the perfect mix for disappointments. We really must be the laughingstock of the Guardians and the Twins fans.

funkerdan

Ha laughing sox

funkerdan

:'(

abehickock

Horrible signing. Get used to it, we’re on the hook for 9 million next year.

calcetinesblancos

How could any sane person observe the demeanor of this team, look at their record, hear things like Cueto saying they have no fire, and not think the manager needed to be replaced?

As Cirensica

How can Hahn remain inactive? Does he talk with La Russa? Serious question. I have a feeling they don’t speak with each other. I remember when Ozzie was here, you could see pictures of Guillen and KW together in the press.I am trying to remember the last time I saw a picture of Hahn and La Clown together… but nothing comes to mind

a-t

Hahn doesn’t have the power to fire La Russa, it’s Jerry’s call

As Cirensica

I know that he can’t fire him, but do they talk to each other? Do they live in harmony?

Augusto Barojas

I’ve lost all respect for Hahn. Sure, if he spoke out publicly and called for the manager change that is obviously necessary to anybody who has half a brain, Hahn might get fired. So be it. Be a man, grow a pair, and stand up for yourself, the rest of this team, and the fans. This is a bad joke as it is.

HallofFrank’s comment was a good one. I think replacing this manager and coaching staff with much younger and more energized people might do wonders. It won’t fix their team defense or hitting against righties, but they would win a few more games and maybe be watchable at least.

ForsterFTOG

So naturally, the Sox will DFA Cueto.
Problem solved.

Patrick

Honestly, my heart goes out to Jim and the guys having to cover this pathetic team.

Jim – If you quit for the remainder of the year, I would not withdraw my patreon support. In fact, I would probably up it.
Its your wonderful website that I check 10x a day which keeps me invested in this disgusting team, and if I had no reason to visit it for the next 2 months, I would be healthier for it…

Just a thought…

ChiSoxND12

I’m glad I’m not the only one checking in that frequently 🥲

Root Cause

maybe we should all virtually move to San Diego? Wherever you go Jim, we will follow.

soxygen

Steve Stone re Nick Eaton:” this is kind of refreshing to see; a guy going 100% all the time…”

abehickock

The Royals play hard. The Sox loaf.

BenwithVen

A lot of little barbs from Jason/Stoney about this team today.

soxygen

I was glad they called out Luis Robert for not running out a grounder. I loved the contrast to Nick Eaton’s effort. But the Matt Foster time of possession jokes are definitely the best.

soxygen

Show of hands: how many people even care if the Sox win the AL Central?

As Cirensica

We all care. Let’s not fool ourselves. Even winning ugly is better than not winning.

soxygen

I’m rooting for them to play well and win games. I really don’t care if they end up being the last team standing in the weakest division in baseball. But I guess I have a strong regular season bias and just don’t care much about the playoffs as an indicator of success especially when the division is so weak and the team is so lifeless.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
Augusto Barojas

I concur. The first round format is 2 of 3. If they got in, it would not take an act of God for them to win a series against a team like the Rays. But realistically, they would get creamed by the Astros or Yankees after that.

So yeah, this season has been a failure and a step backwards relative to their overall goal of winning a championship. Winning the central and even a best of 3 first round series would not change that in my estimation. And the last thing I’d want is them to win a playoff series, and have Hahn, Tony, and the douchebaggery of this organization promote the narrative “we’re one step closer to winning a championship”. No, they are not. And fuck them for running the team in such an utterly stupid way that has taken almost all the enjoyment out of the season entirely.

abehickock

With his crooked hat and bright green sunglasses, Jimenez is reminiscent of Max Patkin out in left field. In fact, the whole team plays like they’re being coached by Max Patkin.

ForsterFTOG

I’ll assume you mean The Clown Prince in his current state.

As Cirensica

A reminder that when the White Sox were ONE run down, La Clown brought in a very high leverage situation to Jose Ruiz which is one of our worst relievers, and one run deficit became 4. The White Sox scored two runs later, but now it might not be enough. TLR is saving our best relievers ONLY if we have a lead which is so primitive. I am s tired of this manager.

upnorthsox

Just when I thought Foster was going to be a member of the clean plate club he went and joined the messy mess.

abehickock

The sad thing is if the Royals righfielder was playing for the Sox he would have caught the ball that fell in front of our first baseman playing right field.

soxygen

Steve closing out the broadcast: “the tough part to watch on a daily basis, and I’m sure they are feeling the same way throughout part of the organization, is that it seems to be that hustling is optional and is long as that is the case it is going to be tough to win games going forward.”

I mean, he really isn’t being subtle. And why should he? We can all see it.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
ParisSox

I heard that too and came here to comment. Spot on

calcetinesblancos

He’s always told the truth, and it’s why he’s so respected. It’s also why the Cubs players were so angry at him, and why he subsequently left their broadcasting booth. But we should also note that he doesn’t try to get a reaction by “telling the truth” like Ozzie does; he just doesn’t believe in bullshitting people.

FishSox

I really disagree with that. Stoney has always been the consummate company man. When he finally does stray from the company line, you know the situation is extreme.

ForsterFTOG

Good for Steve Stone for not beating around the bush.

soxygen

I thought the “throughout part of the organization” line was interesting. I mean, maybe I mis-heard it, or maybe he misspoke. I listened 3 times and that is what I heard.

ParisSox

I give them the Detroit series. If they don’t sweep that, season over.

soxygen

So you are saying this is a pivotal stretch of games?You need to see how they do at home against the worst team in the worst division in baseball?

I feel like every stretch has been a pivotal stretch, and as with infrastructure week…if it’s always infrastructure week then it is never infrastructure week.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
upnorthsox

Yea if the Tigers could sweep I think the season is over.

peanutsNcrackerjack

Really wish this series had taken place before the trade deadline. Could have gotten a jump on the new rebuild. KC has a better chance of winning the division with this team next year than the White Sox do. And that’s after trading away two of their position starters.

Augusto Barojas

The Sox need to get rid of their assclown prince manager, or all is lost.

ForsterFTOG

Wonder what the haul for Cease could’ve been?

upnorthsox

On a bright note, we only lost a .5 a game to the Twins. Unfortunately they are no longer in 1st and the Guardians who are completed a sweep of the Tiggers and so we are now 3.5 games out.

roke1960

It’s not too late. Tony and Menechino should be gone tonight.

Augusto Barojas

That’s the highest hope I have for this team. Until Tony is gone, this team is in a dark place.

TommyAgeeFan

I think it was Bill Parcells who said “you are what your record is,” or something like that.

After 112 games, this team is 56-56. They are a .500 team. Mediocre. Average. Nothing special. We can continue to hope, but this team will finish around .500 come end of season. FanGraphs has CWS with a 33% chance to make playoffs, but I don’t see it.

The people getting royally screwed here are the season ticket holders and anyone else who spends money following this team. Unless there are changes in the dugout for 2023, I can’t imagine very many fans renewing their tickets. And as fans, in the end, we were all foolish to believe in this team and more importantly this broken organization.

So, where do the Chisox go from here? Mr. Reinsdorf has to be seeing what his fans are seeing. Will he move on from TLR?

And what about Rick Hahn? Does he return, and will he be allowed to move on from TLR?

Changes need to be made in the offseason. Problem is, the poorly performing players have no value on the market. Nobody really wants Moncada, Sheets, Grandal, Lynn, Zavala, Engel, Pollock, Harrison, Garcia, etc. There is value in Robert, Eloy, Gio, Cease, and Hendricks. Not too sure about TA. To get someone elses valuable players, we need to give up ours.

In December 2004, we traded El Cabayo to the Brewers for Scotty Pods and Luis Vizciano. 10 months later, we celebrated winning the World Series. So, there is hope for the future.