The Colorado Rockies come to town this weekend, and at 27-53, they’re the second-worst team in Major League Baseball. It just so happens that the White Sox are 6½ games worse at 22-61, so they are not a team the Sox can take for granted.
That said, the arrival of the NL’s cellar-dweller does mark the end of the 39-game stretch — originally 38 games before a rainout during the Braves series in April was tacked on to the end of it — during which the White Sox played a dozen consecutive series against contenders real or ostensible.
Entering the season, Josh predicted on the podcast that the White Sox would go 8-30 during this stretch, which he amended to 8-31 once the Braves were added to the fray. Thanks to the White Sox’s victory over the Braves on Thursday, the White Sox finished this stretch … 8-31. Cash in your winnings at your earliest convenience.
Tonight also marks the White Sox’s first attempt at hosting a postgame concert since last August, when the “I Love the 90s” concert featuring Vanilla Ice, Rob Base and Tone Loc was cancelled due to two people getting shot in the bleachers. A final report on the investigation was said to have been imminent back in February, but it’s 10 months later, and nobody still knows anything.
Spare Parts
- MLB offense is nearing all-time lows — hitters have theories — The Athletic
- Face any pitcher, any time: Inside MLB’s new Trajekt tech — ESPN
Offensive production around the league continues to slide, even after rule changes were implemented to try to increase the amounts of base hits, stolen bases and runs. I liked the way Christian Yelich described the way the pitcher’s advantage has taken root:
“I think in the past, guys would throw pitches that sucked, and they honestly didn’t know,” Yelich said. “Seriously. There would be no way for you to tell them otherwise, other than relaying info from your catcher to the pitcher that ‘I don’t really like this pitch. This one’s not working.’ So they wouldn’t know it wasn’t good or why it wasn’t good. So they’d still throw it all the time.”
So that’s why the complaints from pitchers about the Trajekt system that allows teams to replicate pitches from specific pitchers during games don’t really resonate. It’s ultimately better for the game if relievers strike out fewer batters, because otherwise little stands in the way of the game turning into a parade of anonymous guys throwing 97.
With the Rickwood Field game a success — but nothing else official on the calendar — everybody’s starting to wonder what’s next for the rehabilitated ballpark, because it has to be something, right? Rob Manfred says MLB “will be back in Birmingham” at some point, but it could be in one of many different ways:
“We could be back here in a variety of different ways,” Manfred said. “We have some really good ideas about how to stay active in this community, and we’re working those through.”
Manfred wouldn’t elaborate, but Rickwood could host other events. For example, something similar to what transpired last month at Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field, where the Hall of Fame staged a tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game. MLB showcases several special event games beyond the Field of Dreams. The annual Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., has been around since 2017, and two-game series have been played internationally— including in Japan several times, London in 2019, 2023 and 2024; Mexico City last year and this year, and Seoul, which debuted this year.
Matthew Trueblood shows with charts and graphs how Erick Fedde’s revamped arsenal has allowed him to expand his east-west attack, while wondering whether the rest of the league is as fond of working horizontally as Brian Bannister is.
Through eight starts, Dylan Cease looked like a Cy Young contender (5-2, 2.19 ERA, .426 OPS against). Through his next eight starts, he looked like Lucas Giolito after the trade (1-4, 6.43 OPS, .850 OPS against). He ended that slide with seven shutout innings against the Nationals on Wednesday, so let’s see if that signals a direction for his next seven games.
Last year, the White Sox led all of Major League Baseball in chase rate at 36.4 percent, while the Marlins were 11th at 33 percent, tied with Baltimore. This year, the Marlins are the wildest-swinging team in baseball at 37.6 percent, while the White Sox improved to 32.8 percent, which is tied with Baltimore. I suppose that’s the Jake Burger/Tim Anderson difference.
- Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, Royals — Kansas Reflector
- Missouri governor says new public aid plan in the works for Chiefs, Royals stadium — Associated Press
I remember listening to a Planet Money episode years ago about how businesses jump back and forth over State Line Road in Kansas City based on whether Kansas or Missouri were handing out the better tax incentives. The Royals and Chiefs are now testing those waters.
Speaking of Kansas City, there’s still time to sign up for our tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the bus to and from Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, July 20.
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
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