Pregame notes: Let’s never discuss last night again

If you can make yourself believe that the first six innings of a game still matter, Jonathan Cannon's presence on the bump should provide some assurance.

He's averaged exactly six innings per outing over his last four games, running a 3.38 ERA with peripherals that roughly match by avoiding extra-base damage. The collection of light blue on his Baseball Savant page wouldn't look out of place in the seats in Kaufmann Stadium, with the exception of the standout performance of his seam effects changeup. Opponents are hitting just .138 against it with a .172 slugging percentage, even as he's ramped up his usage.

Indeed, throwing it relentlessly has boosted Cannon's command of the once decidedly tricky to master offering.

"It's just getting the consistency of making sure you're getting the seam effects more often than not," Cannon said. "Last year if I threw 20 changeups in an outing, I would have maybe 10 that caught the seams and 10 that didn't or were just straight and didn't really move that much. Now that I'm consistently getting those effects, it's a little bit easier to command."

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Chase Meidroth and Edgar Quero are both getting a day off after a couple of games that looked worthy of a reset.

Andrew Benintendi has indeed succumbed to the 10-day injured list for a left calf strain. The White Sox selected Nick Maton’s contract for Round 2 on the active roster, but also backdated Benintendi’s placement on the IL to Monday. He will be eligible to return to the active roster by next Thursday.

But for all the scouts reading, Luis Robert Jr. is playing. Please don’t leave! Don’t you see how much help is needed here?! Please! Listen to your heart! You have a heart, don’t you!?

First pitch: White Sox at Royals

TV: CHSN

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Radio: ESPN 1000 AM

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