First Pitch: White Sox vs. Astros
TV: NBC Sports Chicago and MLB.tv (free)
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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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Moscoso blew the first pitch of the game. Not a great sign.
Detroit up 4-1, let’s keep that going
Love the Cease strikeouts but give me a 0 on the board and less than 10 pitches any time.
Yep.
Verlander doesn’t walk anyone and doesn’t give up home runs. The Sox don’t walk or hit home runs, but they don’t strike out either. I like this match up.
Abreu has 6 homers against him… so far.
Nothing to show for it but I liked our hacks in that first inning.
I swear Dubon is their Nicky Lopez. Steps to the plate at .200. Base hit city vs us.
Was just thinking moncada is seeing the ball better, but I will hold my judgement
Nellie, did you style with lemon spikes back in the day?
Not sure what you are referring to
Your moniker Nellie Fox played ’back in the day’, as in 1947-1965. My remark was a jab at Moncada’s colorful fashionable foot attire of late. I doubt an old timer like Fox wore colorful spikes. But he sure hit better than Moncada. Perhaps a poor attempt at snark given the lengthy explanation required.
Cease losing command like in early days?
Ballsy pitch by Cease on 3-2 after walking first two guys. Love it
That pickoff was perfect. Huge play.
White Sox 1B playing the outfield is an experiment that must end
I’m betting Vaughn atones with a homerun next time up.
In the micro that would be nice, but in the macro that’s exactly the problem. As well as he’s hit this year, he’s a below replacement level player on the whole.
The overall point is fair about his bad defense dragging down his value. However, he’s not below replacement level.
I stand corrected, but he’s not much above replacement level. And to be clear, it’s not his fault.
Right. When you look at his offensive numbers and see that he’s 1 WAR or less, depending on the system used, that’s very surprising. No matter what the Sox plan with Abreu, Grandal, etc., they absolutely need to plan to have Vaughn only play 1B or DH next year.
No matter how much better Grandal is hitting, putting him at DH is not worth the cost of playing Vaughn in RF. Ever.
Is it official the Vaughn/Sheets experiments in the OF are an unmitigated disaster?
Not sure why the Sox feel the need to “experiment” in a season where they claimed to have championship aspirations.
I know Vaughn should have caught it but cease walked two, and gave up 2 opposite field ropes. He’s just as much to blame for that inning.
I wonder the reason why they went fastball instead of slider on bregman. It speeds up his bat, yes. But the cease slider would be the one pitch to do it with
Disagree. Cease’s contribution that inning should have resulted in zero runs.
Exactly
Two BBs and two 100 MPH EV balls usually isn’t a recipe for success.
It was the right recipe this time. Vaughn just left it in the oven too long.
Clearly it wasn’t the right recipe. Other RF make that catch. But not all of them.
Oh for crying out loud. I’m giving you a ride to work. I pick you up a few minutes late, almost get into an accident and pull into the parking space crooked. I drop you off at the door 2 minutes early, but you decide to take a crap in the bushes instead of walking in, and you’re late. Whose fault is it?
Like your reasoning but too much information.😁😁
The great thing about ad hoc analogies is that their super easy to tweak. Same scenario but, instead of taking a crap in the bushes, I’m rushing in because I’m behind, trip on something, and scrap my knee. Then I’m late. Whose fault is it?
The real answer, of course, is that pinning fault on one person for that inning is misguided. “Cease’s contribution” to that inning was 2 BBs and 2 100 MPH EV hits. That’s… not good, even if it sometimes works out.
You weren’t late. I got you there on time.
It wasn’t Cease’s fault that Vaughn didn’t catch the ball.
Wait but Cease is the one who took the crap in the bushes. Vaughn is the one who had to get out and push the car the rest of the way to work because you were too cheap to fill up with gas.
Cease pitched an inning that would have resulted in zero runs for any other pitcher in baseball. However, Dylan plays on a team that chooses not to have a right fielder. I fail to see how that is his fault.
And it wasn’t Vaughn’s fault that Cease allowed a xBA .540 rope nor that there were runners on base to score.
Don’t get me wrong. Vaughn is trash out there and I think you’re right that the Sox need to make a trade now. But Adam is right that Cease deserves some blame for the runs, too. “Cease’s contribution” to that inning wasn’t a positive one.
Oops, *change not trade, and it wouldn’t let me edit.
I am completely baffled by this take.
Pitchers pitch , fielders catch. Vaughn missed it and cost the Sox two runs.
Yeah, agreed. That ball had an xBA of .540. I thought it was gone when it left the bat. It’d be nice to have real OF who can catch balls like that. But Vaughn is far from the only RF to come up empty on that ball.
Actually, on the Sox it had an xRFFU of .895.
Call up Colas already. Send Sheets packing and play a real outfielder in RF
Cease looks like he is aiming rather than throwing. Not a good recipe .
In high school I balked the exact same way Cease did in a game. What a helpless feeling.
It looked intentional. Sounds crazy but it’s like he threw it down and then looked around like hey guys I balked. My only guess, and it’s flimsy, is they didn’t want bregman relaying location to tucker?
Interesting. I’ll have to watch it again. When I did it I was just looking in for a sign and adjusting my grip and I dropped it. Pretty embarrassing.
It is embarrassing but I’ve seen that before. It’s understandable. Little moisture or lapse in concentration or anger, lol. When you go back you’ll see Dylan flex his fingers like a jump shot.
Just saw it again. You’re totally right.
Ruiz wears the city connect uni better than most. Looks good with the stirrups visible.
Dubon now 5-12 w a homer and double vs Chicago. What the heck?
Love the hustle
Can we just throw strikes and somehow stop being cute
I think Harrison needs to visit Reynaldo’s eye doctor.
Wait VV is back? Who went down?
Foster.
I officially don’t like it.
And I don’t like having to take Foster’s side even more.
I think it’s fine. With Kopech racking up the innings I’d rather not DFA Velasquez.
Foster-child
Sox pitchers can not throw strikes, that fact is getting old.verlander throws 6 innings on 70 pitches.
So you’re saying that Jose Ruiz and Vince Velasquez are not as good as Justin Verlander?
Vince Velazquez shouldn’t be pitching here
Honest question, and sorry if I’m being an idiot here. What are the weird looking gloves that Dusty is always wearing?
They appear to be latex gloves. I think he is concerned about Covid, but Covid is largely transmitted through the air.
Maybe they’re used for implanting sign stealing devices where the sun don’t shine. A place where no umpire would deign to investigate.
I was expecting to see Byron Buxton on that list of most home runs at GRF this season.
Seby and Gavin on their horses!
Come on AJ, no strike out here.
Feel the fire!!!
What happened to Eloy’s hat?
My grandpa would have said that this Neris fella has high hips.
Time for Charlie to start yelling at Tony?
Yep, there it is.
It would be nice if Vaughn was the one who necessitated the pinch runner in late innings so that the Sox could have their best defense out there.
Grandal is a good bunter. If the 3rd baseman is off the line it wouldn’t be a bad play here.
Welp. That’s what I was afraid of.
Moncada again!
I hate the bunt and it is clearly hindsight but I wish Grandal bunted there. Nice to see Yoan bail him out
Damnit Grandal!!! Guy threw 5 balls. Cmon Yoan!!
Viva Moncada!!!
YOYOx2!!! Omfg
Yoan brought the fire. Also Sheets.
MONCADA! SUCK IT HATERS!!!
I’d hit this dude in the ass like Cueto did.
That’s even better!
Thanks for the quick work, Liam! We didn’t have to be on edge for long in the ninth.
And a stress free 9th!!! What a game
I love winning, man. You hear what I’m saying? It’s like better than losing.
That is a B.F.W.
FIVE IN A ROW BABY!!!
Now 1 game behind Cleveland
DSNB
TBDQ!
Qué?
Tony’s Boys Don’t Quit!
Ugh!
Hah!
Is that a real initialism? (ITARI?)
Thanks, Boys. Dairy Queen!
I’m refraining from my usual sophomoric self that has a disgusting answer that everyone would laugh at before they admonished me publicly.
Just give us the Q. I’m pretty sure I know where you’re going with the rest of it.
It’s not what you think ….queef