The White Sox were unable to start the second half of the baseball season strong, so they have turned to selling at the trade deadline.
The Chicago White Sox took off after the All-Star break to start the second half of the season but have since come back down to earth. After taking two of three from the Atlanta Braves, the White Sox lost two of three to the New Mets and were swept by the Minnesota Twins on the road. After a 3-9 start to the second half, the White Sox find themselves in the same position they have been most of the year: fourth place in the worst division in baseball and 13 games behind Minnestoa for the lead.
Offense Stuck in Neutral
During the stretch after the All-Star Game, the White Sox averaged 4.5 runs per game, up just a little bit from their season average of 4.1 runs per game. Run production has been a problem all year for the White Sox and that has continued. The White Sox are 23rd in runs in MLB, 22nd in RBIs, 18th in home runs, 29th in OBP, and 24th in slugging. Nobody is on base, and nobody is bringing home the runners that are on.
It isn’t like there are no signs of life. SS Tim Anderson has risen his OBP from .258 to .282 since the break. CF Luis Robert, Jr. has held his number 2 position for home runs in the American League (tied for 3rd in MLB) at 28, eight behind Angels DH Shohei Ohtani and three more than Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers. Looking into the run production, though, Robert has the third fewest RBIs of the top 16 home run hitters in MLB, only ahead of Marlins DH Jorge Soler and teammate 3B Jake Burger.
Most hitters on the White Sox like Burger and LF Andrew Benintendi have stayed mostly constant from their numbers before the break. DH Eloy Jimenez has raised his batting average by 15 points to .285 and his slugging by nine points to .481. In his ten games since the break, he has six RBIs and one home run.
Pitching Struggles
The pitching remains a complete roller coast ride for the South Siders. The White Sox gave up an average of over six earned runs per game since the All-Star break, well above their season average of 4.52. The White Sox have given up the sixth most earned runs in MLB with 479.
RHP Dylan Cease has a had a really great start to the second half. Against Atlanta, he pitched five innings and gave up one run. Against the Twins, he pitched six innings with one run and nine strikeouts. He was just okay, though, against the Cleveland Guardians last night, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings.
Everyone else in the rotation has been hit or miss. RHP Michael Kopech gave up 4 in 2/3 of an inning and followed it up with a one-run outing in 5 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, RHP Lance Lynn coughed up 10 earned in 10 2/3 innings. RHP Lucas Giolito had a rough day giving up 8 earned in 3 2/3 innings but followed it up with zero earned in five innings against the Twins in what ended up being his last start with the team.
In the final Twins games, the relief core had a tough time. RHP Keynan Middleton gave up tw0 earned in the 7th inning that the White Sox could not rebound from. In the series finale, RHP Kendall Graveman gave up three earned in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras.
It is not to say that the bullpen did not provide over a dozen scoreless innings over the last nine games, but the Pale Hose continued inability to bail out pitching with hitting and hitting with pitching costs them wins.
White Sox Trade Deadline
According to MLB.com, of the 17 players most likely to be traded, the White Sox have four of the players. I think that article is low because others could go. The White Sox are selling this trade deadline for the first time in a while which will dismantle the core rotation, bullpen, and possibly lineup for the rest of the 2023 season. Giolito and RP Reynaldo Lopez have left town for Southern California. Who will be next?
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