First Pitch: White Sox vs. Astros

TV: NBC Sports Chicago and MLB.tv (free)

Lineups:

https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1559631896170184711
https://twitter.com/astros/status/1559639420755664904

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.

    View all posts
Take a second to support Sox Machine on Patreon
Become a patron at Patreon!
100 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Moscoso blew the first pitch of the game. Not a great sign.

Adam

Detroit up 4-1, let’s keep that going

Adam

Love the Cease strikeouts but give me a 0 on the board and less than 10 pitches any time.

Right Size Wrong Shape

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.

calcetinesblancos

Nothing to show for it but I liked our hacks in that first inning.

Adam

I swear Dubon is their Nicky Lopez. Steps to the plate at .200. Base hit city vs us.

Nellie Fox

Was just thinking moncada is seeing the ball better, but I will hold my judgement

bullrun1861

Nellie, did you style with lemon spikes back in the day?

Nellie Fox

Not sure what you are referring to

bullrun1861

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.

As Cirensica

Cease losing command like in early days?

HouseOfTheRisingSox

Ballsy pitch by Cease on 3-2 after walking first two guys. Love it

a-t

That pickoff was perfect. Huge play.

As Cirensica

White Sox 1B playing the outfield is an experiment that must end

Denman

I’m betting Vaughn atones with a homerun next time up.

Right Size Wrong Shape

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.

Foulkelore

The overall point is fair about his bad defense dragging down his value. However, he’s not below replacement level.

Last edited 2 years ago by Foulkelore
Right Size Wrong Shape

I stand corrected, but he’s not much above replacement level. And to be clear, it’s not his fault.

Foulkelore

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.

bullrun1861

Is it official the Vaughn/Sheets experiments in the OF are an unmitigated disaster?

Right Size Wrong Shape

Not sure why the Sox feel the need to “experiment” in a season where they claimed to have championship aspirations.

Adam

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

Right Size Wrong Shape

Disagree. Cease’s contribution that inning should have resulted in zero runs.

bullrun1861

Exactly

HallofFrank

Two BBs and two 100 MPH EV balls usually isn’t a recipe for success.

Right Size Wrong Shape

It was the right recipe this time. Vaughn just left it in the oven too long.

HallofFrank

Clearly it wasn’t the right recipe. Other RF make that catch. But not all of them.

Right Size Wrong Shape

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?

Nellie Fox

Like your reasoning but too much information.😁😁

HallofFrank

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.

Right Size Wrong Shape

You weren’t late. I got you there on time.

It wasn’t Cease’s fault that Vaughn didn’t catch the ball.

upnorthsox

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.

Right Size Wrong Shape

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.

HallofFrank

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.

HallofFrank

Oops, *change not trade, and it wouldn’t let me edit.

Right Size Wrong Shape

I am completely baffled by this take.

Nellie Fox

Pitchers pitch , fielders catch. Vaughn missed it and cost the Sox two runs.

HallofFrank

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.

bullrun1861

Actually, on the Sox it had an xRFFU of .895.

As Cirensica

Call up Colas already. Send Sheets packing and play a real outfielder in RF

Nellie Fox

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.

Adam

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?

Right Size Wrong Shape

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.

Adam

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.

Right Size Wrong Shape

Just saw it again. You’re totally right.

Ruiz wears the city connect uni better than most. Looks good with the stirrups visible.

Adam

Dubon now 5-12 w a homer and double vs Chicago. What the heck?

Nellie Fox

Love the hustle

Nellie Fox

Can we just throw strikes and somehow stop being cute

I think Harrison needs to visit Reynaldo’s eye doctor.

upnorthsox

Wait VV is back? Who went down?

Right Size Wrong Shape

Foster.

upnorthsox

I officially don’t like it.
And I don’t like having to take Foster’s side even more.

Right Size Wrong Shape

I think it’s fine. With Kopech racking up the innings I’d rather not DFA Velasquez.

bullrun1861

Foster-child

Nellie Fox

Sox pitchers can not throw strikes, that fact is getting old.verlander throws 6 innings on 70 pitches.

Right Size Wrong Shape

So you’re saying that Jose Ruiz and Vince Velasquez are not as good as Justin Verlander?

As Cirensica

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?

dwjm3

They appear to be latex gloves. I think he is concerned about Covid, but Covid is largely transmitted through the air.

Right Size Wrong Shape

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.

Denman

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.

Foulkelore

Moncada again!

HouseOfTheRisingSox

I hate the bunt and it is clearly hindsight but I wish Grandal bunted there. Nice to see Yoan bail him out

SoxBulldog13

Damnit Grandal!!! Guy threw 5 balls. Cmon Yoan!!

SoxBulldog13

Viva Moncada!!!

Adam

YOYOx2!!! Omfg

As Cirensica

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!

Foulkelore

Thanks for the quick work, Liam! We didn’t have to be on edge for long in the ninth.

Adam

And a stress free 9th!!! What a game

Foulkelore

I love winning, man. You hear what I’m saying? It’s like better than losing.

a-t

That is a B.F.W.

As Cirensica

FIVE IN A ROW BABY!!!
Now 1 game behind Cleveland
DSNB

Right Size Wrong Shape

TBDQ!

As Cirensica

Qué?

Right Size Wrong Shape

Tony’s Boys Don’t Quit!

As Cirensica

Ugh!

Right Size Wrong Shape

Hah!

Is that a real initialism? (ITARI?)

Last edited 2 years ago by Joliet Orange Sox
Foulkelore

Thanks, Boys. Dairy Queen!

FishSox

I’m refraining from my usual sophomoric self that has a disgusting answer that everyone would laugh at before they admonished me publicly.

Right Size Wrong Shape

Just give us the Q. I’m pretty sure I know where you’re going with the rest of it.

FishSox

It’s not what you think ….queef