Chicago’s lead in the AL Central has shrunk to just 2 1/2 games over the Cleveland Guardians, and if you’ve been watching the South Siders, you know exactly why. After a blowout loss yesterday, the team’s struggling offense and continued pitching woes are making this playoff race a real nail-biter. The Rangers, meanwhile, just snatched a half-game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West by beating Chicago.
The Bats Are Silent, Except for the Ks
The White Sox are playing like they’re allergic to runners in scoring position, hitting a miserable .208 as a team in August in those situations. That’s the second-worst average in all of baseball over that stretch, which is just brutal when you’re fighting for a division title. And it gets worse: these guys have racked up the most strikeouts in August with a whopping 70. Seriously, the K-train is in full effect, with Colson Montgomery leading MLB in Ks over the last two weeks, piling up 24 in 51 at-bats, and Munetaka Murakami right behind him with 21. Woof, that’s rough. The offense has been living and dying by the long ball, which just isn’t sustainable for a deep run. They’re sitting at a 5-5 record over their last 10, while the Guardians have bounced back, winning seven of their last 10 and riding a five-game winning streak. Cleveland just took down the Los Angeles Angels yesterday, a team that, naturally, had chances to come back and blew them.
Pitching Staff Taking Hits, Kay Looks Solid
The pitching staff, already struggling in both the rotation and bullpen, just took another hit with Huascar Brazobán heading to the IL with a left lat strain. That’s never what you want to hear mid-season. Righthander Jonathan Cannon is getting the call-up from Triple-A Charlotte to try and fill the void. Look, Cannon might not be the answer everyone’s hoping for, but you gotta respect the front office for trying anything at this point. Tonight, Anthony Kay gets his 25th start of the season, and honestly, the dude has been solid for the Good Guys. He’s probably their second-best starter behind Sean Burke. Kay’s got a 3.96 ERA and 1.327 WHIP over 127 1/3 innings, and he’s been improving, rocking a sweet 2.66 ERA with a 2-1 record in August, allowing just seven earned runs over 23 2/3 innings in four starts. His great outing against the Atlanta Braves last week went unrewarded, though, because the offense totally ghosted him.
Lineup Shuffle and Tonight’s Tough Matchup
On the roster front, it’s tough news for Andrew Benintendi, who’s on the bereavement list. We’re sending all our thoughts to him and his family. Rikuu Nishida is rejoining the team in his place. Tonight’s lineup sees Sam Antonacci taking over as DH and leading off against tough righthander Jacob deGrom, with Tristan Peters shifting to left field and Brenton Doyle slotting into center, batting eighth. Peters has been a bright spot, homering in three straight games, so can he make it four? Will Venable loves those righty-lefty matchups, and while the lineup is almost identical to Monday’s losing effort, there’s one silver lining: Randal Grichuk absolutely mashes deGrom. He’s slashed .385/.429/.1.000 with two dingers in 14 plate appearances against him. The White Sox need those bats to wake up and get Kay some early run support. Can they protect that shrinking division lead against deGrom and the surging Rangers tonight? They absolutely have to.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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