Pregame notes: Davis Martin’s biggest stage yet

Davis Martin would probably hate the idea of the entire narrative of this game being crafted around him, or even the concept of a 3,000-word profile on him, but we spent weeks working on one, so it needs to be reheated a few times.

Please read it. I am begging you.

Martin's brilliance is also the main defense the Sox have against a Cubs offense that is third in baseball in runs per game. The Washington Nationals are second. It's possible that none of us actually understand baseball. Like, not even a little bit.

Don't look at what Curtis Mead is hitting right now. DON'T do it. It won't make you happy.

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Like the weather changing, the leaves becoming more flush on the trees, so do MLB teams naturally with time, shuffle through who is the third lefty in their bullpen. The Sox optioned Tyler Schweitzer back to Triple-A Charlotte and recalled Brandon Eisert.

Both have four-digit ERAs in limited major league time this year, so Eisert will probably have to earn his way toward pitching in a game situation of great consequence. But he was a steady--if not Sox Machine commenter-beloved--presence in last year's bullpen for a whopping 72 appearances. He's been better than his 5.79 ERA in Triple-A this year would indicate (.391 BABIP) but his bat-missing has diminished.

This was already too much time to spend on this move.

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Austin Hays (left calf strain) and Everson Pereira (right pectoral strain) both ran the bases on Saturday. Will Venable said Hays will need to do it a couple more days and recover well from it before he's put on a rehab assignment.

If you're wondering "what does Pereira running the bases have to do with a pectoral strain?" that's a great question. The only rub is that I asked it first. The answer seems to be: not that much.

"Throwing is the thing for him," said Will Venable. "He’ll have some other hurdles to clear here, but certainly he’s got his feet underneath him, he’s doing a great job. Defensively he’s out there chasing balls down during BP, he’s swinging in the cage. He’s progressing. But he’s still got to throw."

But when he was running? Oh man, Pereira was flying. Professional athletes are nuts to witness up close.

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The White Sox traded a guy you didn't know they had for someone you've never heard of, flipping undrafted free agent turned Low-A leverage reliever Jackson Nove to the Athletics for Triple-A outfielder Junior Pérez.

Pérez, 24, got himself on some organizational top prospect lists last year with a monstrous late-season kick at Triple-A, where he slashed .298/.412/.642 with 12 home runs in 42 games. But he's off to an ugly start while repeating the level this season, hitting .210/.273/.384 before getting designated for assignment.

There are big-time swing-and-miss issues that could be disqualifying to a regular role, but the Sox think the floor is ideally someone who hits lefties and can defend all three outfield positions. Once more, their 40-man roster is full.

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It's a warm spring night at The Rate, and all my colleagues are convinced the ball is going to fly out of the stadium on Saturday night. At 49.5 percent, the White Sox get the second-highest percentage of their runs via the homer in MLB.

"It's just part of what these guys do, is make good swing decisions and take your best bat speed to a pitch in the zone," Venable said. "You’re seeing guys throughout the lineup do that, you’re seeing some guys like Chase [Meidroth], Drew Romo, guys really harness that approach that are tapping into some power. And then [Munetaka Murakami] and Colson [Montgomery] and [Miguel] Vargas, who we know have that power, are doing a great job also."

First pitch: White Sox vs. Cubs

TV: CHSN, WCIU, Marquee (Cubs)

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM, 107.9 FM La Ley (Spanish), 104.3 FM The Score (Cubs

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