The Chicago White Sox have been one of the disappointing groups in baseball.
A well-liked preseason decide to win the American League Central, the Sox had been formally eradicated from the division title race with Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Acting supervisor Miguel Cairo described Sunday’s sport as “kind of embarrassing.”
The defeat wrapped up an 0-6 homestand, throughout which they misplaced three to the Cleveland Guardians, who clinched the AL Central on Sunday, and three to the Tigers. According to the Sox, it was the group’s first winless homestand of at the very least six video games since May 19-24, 1989, after they went 0-6 towards the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles at outdated Comiskey Park.
A group that began the season with World Series hopes finds itself underneath .500 at 76-77 with 9 video games remaining. The Sox are on the verge of lacking the playoffs fully, trailing the Seattle Mariners by 7½ video games for the ultimate AL wild-card spot.
The remaining stretch of the season begins Tuesday in Minnesota.
The Sox addressed a serious query Saturday, saying Tony La Russa wouldn’t handle for the remainder of this season on the course of his medical doctors. The query of what’s subsequent shall be addressed, common supervisor Rick Hahn mentioned, “when it’s appropriate to turn the page at the end of this year.”
As for the tip of this season, listed here are three questions for the ultimate stretch.
1. What’s subsequent for Tim Anderson and Michael Kopech?
The Sox positioned Luis Robert on the 10-day injured checklist Saturday with a sprained left wrist, and Hahn mentioned the middle fielder wouldn’t return this season.
The Sox even have been with out shortstop Tim Anderson (sagittal band tear on his left center finger) and beginning pitcher Michael Kopech (proper shoulder irritation).
The Sox have been huddling to determine what they’re going to do.
“We just recently passed the six-week mark post-op,” Hahn mentioned of Anderson, who went on the IL on Aug. 9. “I imagine when the damage initially occurred, we shared that after six weeks we may ramp him up and there’s a really actual likelihood he may return.
“So it’s really a question of does it make sense at this point in the year to try to rush into that two-week window or let nature take its course and send him into the offseason fully healed.”
Kopech went on the 15-day IL on Sept. 17.
“The shoulder is doing well,” Hahn mentioned. “Everything is progressing properly. He clearly had a problem with the (proper) knee (earlier), which was brought on by a baker’s cyst, some type of cyst within the knee. There has been some dialogue in regards to the acceptable time to have that cyst eliminated so sooner or later it’s not going to flare up because it did unexpectedly this yr.
“That’s where conversations are right now. The shoulder is good. At some point we are probably going to address the knee and send him into the offseason ready for next year without restrictions.”
2. How will Cy Young Award candidate Dylan Cease’s season wrap up?
Cease continues to make a powerful case for the Cy Young Award, pitching six scoreless innings in Sunday’s loss. It was his sixteenth high quality begin of the season. He has allowed one earned run or none in 23 of his 31 begins.
His 2.06 ERA is the second-lowest by a Sox pitcher in his first 31 begins of a season since 1920, behind Wilbur Wood in 1971 (2.04).
“I’ve got a lot left in the tank,” Cease mentioned.
Among major-league leaders, Cease ranks second in ERA, tied for second in opponents batting common (.188) and fourth in strikeouts (222).
“I hope he gets a chance to win a Cy Young Award,” Cairo mentioned earlier than Sunday’s sport. “I think it’s well-deserved. He’s been an elite pitcher this year. So I hope he wins it.”
Cease is in line to make his subsequent begin this weekend in San Diego. Asked if he needs to make two extra begins to finish the season, he mentioned, “I’d love to throw as much as I can, but we’ll have to see.”
3. Is this José Abreu’s remaining stretch with the Sox?
Abreu had a uncommon time without work Sunday.
“He’s a hard head, but we love him because he wants to be out there every day,” Cairo mentioned with a smile. “And that’s the kind of player you want to have on your team, guys who, no matter what, they want to be in the field.”
Abreu, 35, entered Monday tied for the AL lead with 176 hits. He’s fourth within the league with 150 video games performed.
While the facility numbers aren’t what he’s accustomed to, Abreu is tied for second on the group with 15 homers and tied for the group lead with 73 RBIs.
He’s a free agent on the finish of the season, and it stays to be seen what’s the subsequent step for the 2020 AL MVP and the Sox after 9 years collectively.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com