Author: Ashley Sanders

Ashley is currently in her second year of college at Aurora University; she is double majoring in Health Science (pre-med) and English, as well as minoring in Psychology. She has grown up in the Southwest Chicago suburbs, where she has cheered her lungs out supporting the White Sox, Packers (yes, Go Pack Go!), Blackhawks, and the U.S Women's National Soccer Team. Apart from consuming all things sports, Ashley is an avid reader, Parks and Recreation fanatic, and a cat enthusiast. A nice hour drive to the stadium, Ashley usually attends five or so Sox games each season. As an incredibly passionate Sox fan, she has many pictures with the players, as well as autographs. @Ashley22Sanders frequently plays #SoxMath and was fortunate to represent her female White Sox and math fanatics as a 2018 and 2019 semifinalist. Ashley will forever support Yolmer Sánchez, Lucas Giolito, and Carson Fulmer. It is her goal to give this site engaging content and an unmatched energy. It's an exciting time on the South Side, and she can't wait to capture it all! Follow Ashley on Twitter @Ashley22Sanders.

Lucas Giolito splits his start in the MLB: The Show Players Tournament

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Offbeat, White Sox Game Recap

Virtual baseball: Lucas Giolito is a proven ace in real life, but how does he fare in the video game world? (twitch.tv/generalgio)

Lucas Giolito, in his 1983 Sunday White Sox jersey, made his debut last night for the MLB: The Show Players Tournament, where one player from each team represents his respective ball club in an online baseball tournament. (Feel free to read Janice Scurio’s introduction to the event on SSHP to further familiarize yourself with the friendly, yet competitive competition!)

I took it upon myself to live-tweet the event, and I had a blast doing so! In case you missed it or just want to re-live last night’s opening events, I present to you … the game recap!

Game 1: Atlanta Braves at Chicago White Sox

To kick off the night, Giolito squared off against Luke Jackson of the Atlanta Braves. Rightfully so, Lucas Giolito opted to pitch the virtual game as himself. Giolito pitched into an early, bases-loaded jam to begin the tournament. However, like the ace Giolito is, he threw a fly out in-between two strikeouts to escape the jam unscathed. Unfortunately, Lucas could not capitalize on a major momentum shift, so the game remained scoreless after one full inning.

Both players settled in for the second inning, and failed to score.

However, to lead off the third and final inning, Luke Jackson went deep off of virtual Aaron Bummer for a solo shot to open the scoring, 1-0. Ace on the mound and an ace in the game, Giolito kept the damage to one. Looking for one to tie, two to win, Giolito went down 1-2-3.

Jackson squeezed by with a 1-0 victory, as Giolito dropped his first game of the tournament, resulting in an overall 0-1 record.

Game 2: Chicago White Sox at Miami Marlins

Shaking off a close game, Giolito stormed into his second match against Miami Marlin’s Ryne Stanek. Giolito opened the scoring with a deep two-run shot off of the bat of virtual Eloy Jiménez, 2-0 Good Guys!

For the bottom of the frame, Giolito started newly-acquired White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Stanek was able to snag a run, but that was all the Giolito/virtual Keuchel pairing surrendered in the inning.

Extra bases galore took over in the top half of the second inning. Lucas started with a leadoff double, which was immediately followed by an RBI triple! Then the triple came home on a single. Lucas scored two additional runs later in the inning; up 6-1, Lucas entered the bottom of the frame, where he pitched a scoreless inning!

Top of the third, Lucas snagged an extra run as he entered the bottom half up, 7-1. Keeping with the game’s momentum, Giolito pitched another scoreless inning and paved his way to his first victory of the tournament!

Lucas improved the Sox’s record to 1-1 overall and was looking to start a winning streak!

Game 3: New York Mets at Chicago White Sox

After some technical difficulties on Jeff McNeil’s end, game three of four was underway. Giolito started virtual Reynaldo López, who gave up a triple and walk to begin the game, but once again, the ace on the mound and in the game escaped the jam without allowing a run to cross the plate. However, similar to game one, Giolito could not score in his half of the inning.

Knotted 0-0, the second inning saw McNeil and the Mets score four runs. On the bright side, Giolito grabbed two runs in his half of the second to keep the game close!

McNeil was able to tack on an insurance run in the top of the third, adding to a 5-2 lead. Giolito looked for three to tie, four to win, but he left the final frame with a goose egg.

Lucas and the virtual Chicago White Sox sat at 1-2 overall as they went into their fourth and final game of the night.

Game 4: Chicago White Sox at Toronto Blue Jays

Ready to move on from his second loss of the night and even up his overall record, Giolito put up a crooked number in the top half of the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette.

Bichette was 3-0 to start the MLB: The Show Players Tournament, so going up 3-0 in the first was a crucial accomplishment for Giolito. Giolito also left Bichette scoreless in the first, as Giolito pitched as his virtual self once again.

Giolito managed a few baserunners in the second inning to continue the pressure, but the runners did not find their way home. As for Bichette’s half of the second, he rocked a solo-shot to centerfield, but the ace kept the damage at one.

Entering the final inning up 3-1, Giolito threatened to score but could not add anymore insurance runs. Looking for the save and victory No. 2 on the night, Giolito put in Alex Colomé to seal the deal. As consistent as Colomé was for the 2019 season, virtual Alex is no different!

Lucas Giolito and the virtual Chicago White Sox put an end to Bichette’s three-game winning streak and evened their overall record at 2-2.

Afterthoughts

Interestingly, Lucas is 2-0 on the road, and he is 0-2 at home to the start of the Players Tournament!

Lucas Giolito currently resides in second place in the AL Central. Niko Goodrum and the virtual Detroit Tigers lead the division with a 3-1 record, with Kansas City and Cleveland yet to play. One game out of first and a few competitive games under his belt, look for Lucas to challenge Goodrum for the top spot in the division.

Overall, Lucas had a solid start to the tournament. His next scheduled set of games will occur this Wednesday, April 15 at 8:00PM CST; once again, I will live-tweet his performance in a Twitter thread. MLB is also keeping track of the records and schedules on their website. Lucas will play another four games: Pittsburgh, the North Side, Kansas City, and Colorado.

If you wish to watch Lucas live, make sure to give him a follow on his Twitch account, where he streams all of his practices and competitive games. All streams are available to re-watch at any given time! His commentary is fantastic, he constantly answers fans’ questions (he even demonstrated each of his pitching grips last night), and he radiates pure wholesomeness. Come for the MLB: The Show Players Tournament, but stay for Giolito’s wonderful character and personality.

 

 

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The White Sox drop their simulated home opener, 5-2

by Ashley Sanders, posted in 2020 Strat-o-Matic Simulation

What could have been: Luis Robert grabs his first major league hit during the simulated Opening Day game against the Kansas City Royals. (@WhiteSox)

Whether an actual baseball game is played or not, South Side Hit Pen is here for you!

As many of you know, today was supposed to be the long-awaited White Sox home opener. Unfortunately, life happens. Fortunately, Strat-O-Matic is helping baseball nation out by simulating the 2020 games, day by day. Yes, they even remembered to include the Sox! As all of baseball should know, this team is the team to watch for the foreseeable future.

On this overcast, 40-degree day, your Chicago White Sox were anticipated to send out this interesting lineup formation:

  1. Yoán Moncada 3B
  2. Yasmani Grandal C
  3. Eloy Jiménez LF
  4. Edwin Encrnación DH
  5. José Abreu 1B
  6. Tim Anderson SS
  7. Nomar Mozara RF
  8. Yol- … I mean … Leury García 2B
  9. Luis Robert CF

Personally, I would have flip-flopped Eloy and Abreu, as one of many rearrangements to this lineup.

And of course, Lucas Giolito was given the first start of the year by the Sox’s pitching staff! However, Giolito would go on to pitch only five innings, where he gave up four runs on six hits, three walks, and a long ball. On the bright side, he did theoretically throw eight strikeouts, which we absolutely love to see!

As for the White Sox offense, it wasn’t too shabby. Every starting player had a hit besides the beloved Grandal. So, what does that mean? It means LUIS ROBERT SNAGGED HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HIT IN HIS FIRST BIG LEAGUE GAME! The arrow points up for Robert! The newcomer Mazara even hit a long ball! (The Sox won the trade.)

As for our *favorite* AL Central team, Danny Duffy earned the win in his first start of the year. He went 5 ⅔ innings, giving up only two runs off of eight hits while only striking two batters out. My #SoxMath brain is pointing out that the arithmetic seems a little off there, but I’ll let Duffy and the Royals have this victory; besides, the Sox are going to take the remaining games against Kansas City, anyway.

Kansas City’s offense compiled five runs off of nine hits, including two home runs. Can confirm no bat flips were initiated by the Royals. Can also confirm TA7 is waiting for Brad Keller for his first homer and bat flip of the year.

Even though the situation isn’t what we all anticipated come today, I hope you are all doing your part to stay safe! Real-life baseball games will be here before you know it, and our brilliant SSHP staff will have all of your game threads, game recaps, Six Packs, and many more fun articles that accompany actual games being played!

Thank you, Yolmer Sánchez!

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Analysis

A decade of fun and laughter: The White Sox gave him a chance, and Yolmer Sánchez has capitalized on it for the past 10 years. (Ashley Sanders)

As my favorite Chicago White Sox player, the recent moves surrounding Yolmer Sánchez have been difficult to comprehend. Instead of dwelling on something that I cannot control, I decided to go back and research (with the tremendous help from Baseball-Reference) Sánchez’s progress throughout the Sox organization and celebrate the life that he has given to his team and fans.

Sánchez became a member of the Chicago White Sox organization on May 6, 2009. At the time, Sánchez was known as “Carlos”: A 16-year-old, switch-hitting infielder looking for a chance to make it to The Show. (For respect toward his name, Sánchez will be referred to as “Yolmer” throughout the article.)

The timeline of Sánchez’s impact as a member of the White Sox:

2009-11

For his first two years in the organization, Yolmer played for the Dominican Summer League and the Appalachian League. By 2011, Sánchez made his way out of rookie ball, playing second base and shortstop for the Low-A Kannapolis Intimidators.

For the four months (June-September) that Sánchez was in Kannapolis, he batted .288/.341/.345. He accumulated 76 hits in 63 games, snagged seven bags, and even shot a long ball into the stands! As for his defense, Sánchez had a .980 fielding percentage at second base (53 games) and a .949 fielding percentage at shortstop (10 games).

2012

Sánchez’s early success propelled him to start with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash for the beginning of the 2012 season. From April to July, Yolmer slashed .315/.374/.395 in 92 games. With 19 stolen bases, six triples, and another home run, Sánchez was promoted to the Birmingham Barons (Double-A). In 30 games, Sánchez’s batting line looked like this: .370/.424/.462. On the up-and-up again, Yolmer traveled to his third minor league team in just one baseball year, the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.

At 20, Sánchez was one of the youngest players in Triple-A. The actual youngest at the time? Mike Trout, 19.

In a limited, 11-game window, Sánchez batted .256/.256/.308. Collectively, Sánchez was positioned at shortstop for 68 games and second base for 60, where he was credited with .967 and .982 fielding percentages, respectively. He aided 46 double plays at short and 39 at second. Overall, 2012 saw Yolmer surging through the ranks, as he was firing on all cylinders.

Sánchez did participate in the Sox’s Arizona Fall League, and played winter Venezuelan baseball to cap off his successful 2012 campaign.

2013

Yolmer started and ended his 2013 season with the Charlotte Knights, continuing where he left off the year prior. In 112 games, Yolmer slashed .241/.293/.296. He still saw roughly even playing time at short and second. Playing 52 games at shortstop, Sánchez had a .943 fielding percentage; for the 61 games at second base, Sánchez fielded .983. He was a part of 67 total double plays, and he only committed four errors while playing second.

For the third straight year, Sánchez went on to play winter ball in Venezuela.

2014

For the second straight year, Sánchez started the season with Charlotte. He played 110 games, all the while fighting to not fall back into organizational filler status. After a disappointing offensive 2013, Sánchez performed to the high standards of a .293/.349/.412 batting line. Yolmer played twice at third, 44 games at short and 64 games at second with outstanding fielding percentages across the board.

Establishing himself as a reliable defender and an uprising hitter, Sánchez received the call in July and made his way to The Show!

On July 13, 2014, Sánchez donned No. 77 in his major league debut for the Chicago White Sox, a team who had all the faith in a Venezuelan teenager. Batting second and playing shortstop, Sánchez began a five-year stint in the majors. Unfortunately, he went went 0-for-5, popping out to second base in his first plate appearances and striking out twice. However, Yolmer was perfect in the field, foreshadowing his incredible skill that would eventually earn him a Gold Glove in 2019.

In his second major league baseball game on August 2, Sánchez secured his first major league hit, a single to right field off of Detroit’s Shane Greene, in a 3-for-4 performance!

Sanchez Rookie Season.JPG

On September 27, 2014, I snapped a shot of my favorite player for years to come. Note the lack of accent mark on the jersey in those less-enlightened days. (Ashley Sanders)

Sánchez finished the rest of the 2014 season with the White Sox. He played 28 games: one at short and 27 at second base. He recorded an almost-perfect fielding percentage of .992 at second. Offensively, Yolmer batted .250/.269/.300.

Once again, Sánchez went to Venezuela to play winter ball for the Tiburones de La Guaira to finish his 2014 baseball campaign.

2015

When the 2015 season came rolling into view, Sánchez started his year with the Sox (debuting his new No. 5 jersey). However, it was a short-lived stint from April 8 to April 10, heading back to Charlotte from April 12 to May 13. Not losing any hope for a long-term major-league stay, Sánchez put together a .344/.368/.466 batting line back on the farm. With 26 games at second base, Sánchez put together a .980 fielding percentage, and he played perfect defense at third base for three games.

Tearing up the minors as he did, the White Sox brought Sánchez back up to the big leagues. And shortly into his second stint of the season with the Sox, Sánchez made a major impact.

Sanchez 2015.JPG

On July 11, 2015, Yolmer Sánchez signed a baseball for me down in St. Pete, my very first player autograph. (Ashley Sanders) 

Later that month, my man, Yolmer Homer, ripped a long ball to the stands!

The following day, this happened:

Hyping my No. 1:

Selfie Sunday Sanchez

Arguably the best-ever promotion by the White Sox (#SelfieSunday) gave me another chance to meet Sánchez, on Aug. 30, 2015. (Ashley Sanders)

Sanchez Photo Bomb

Sánchez photobombed a picture featuring my Mom, Avisaíl García, and me. (Ashley Sanders)

First Selfie with Sanchez

Sánchez and I snapped a selfie, a tradition for many years to come. (Ashley Sanders)

Sánchez finished the 2015 season playing 120 games with the South Siders. He batted .224/.268/.326, crushing five home runs, notching a triple, and going 2-for-2 in steals. Defensively, Sánchez played all his games at second base, securing a .990 fielding percentage. Overall, he made a lifelong fan.

Winter 2015 was the last time Sánchez ventured back to his home country to play winter ball.

2016

In order to improve his bat, Sánchez started his 2016 campaign with the Knights. He played 61 games, racking up a .255/.309/.421 batting line, with a .984 fielding percentage between short and second base. Staying true to pattern, Sánchez found his way back to the majors … twice!

And after the July 27 call-up, Sánchez was up with Chicago to stay.

He played 53 games with the Sox that season. He put up a disappointing slash line of .208/.236/.357 with four home runs, but Sánchez did not lose hope.

2017

Before the 2017 season, Sánchez was asked, for the first time in his professional career, how he would like to be addressed. He responded with, “Yolmer,” and a resurgence of Sánchez occurred!

#LeadoffYolmerHomer

Sánchez played 141 games in 2017 with a much-improved batting line: .267/.319/.413. He hit a career-high 12 homers on the season (#YolmerHomer) and had a career-high 59 RBIs. Splitting time between second base (78 games) and third base (52 games) (with two outfield appearances and one at shortstop), Yolmer had .981 and .977 fielding percentages, respectively. This was his best season as a South Sider. Overall he established himself as a reliable, dependable player in his first full season with the White Sox.

2018

This influence carried over into the 2018 season where Sánchez earned his first ever spot in the Opening Day lineup! He started at third base, his primary position of the season. Having a solidified spot in the lineup, Yolmer went on to have another impactful year.

Yolmer April 2018

The first Yolmer selfie of the 2018 season (April 23)! (Ashley Sanders)

And Yolmer kicked off the season with the most iconic Gatorade celebration of the century:

Yolmer Father's Day 2018.JPG

Father’s Day selfie. (Ashley Sanders)

Back at St. Pete where it all began:

The goofy shenanigans strike again:

When I thought that I couldn’t love Yolmer any more than I already do:

Silly Yolmer

Sept. 1, 2018 was one of the best days of my life. (Ashley Sanders)

When 2018 came to a close, Sánchez put up a .242/.306/.372 batting line with eight long balls and 55 RBIs. He recorded a hat trick for career-highs in games played, plate appearances, and triples: 155, 662, and 10, respectively. In fact, Sánchez and Mallex Smith led the American League with 10 triples apiece.

Christmas Sanchez

Best Christmas present ever. (Ashley Sanders)

2019

For a second straight season, Yolmer Sánchez earned a spot in the Opening Day lineup. Uncharacteristically, Sánchez made four errors within the first 10 games, but had only five the rest of the season.

Sanchez Selfie 2019

Another season, another Sánchez selfie (June 15, 2019)! (Ashley Sanders)

Another year, another trip to St. Pete:

Game recognizing game:

Game Recognizes Game

Icons

Sanchez Autograph

Sánchez wrapped up the 2019 season hitting .252/.318/.321 and came in clutch a few times this season:

His fielding percentage was .987, and he aided in a career-high 108 double plays, and he made many beautiful plays like this:

With his tremendous showing as a second baseman, Sánchez earned the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for 2019, beating out finalists DJ LeMahieu and José Altuve.

From his 10 years playing baseball as a member of the White Sox organization, Yolmer Sánchez brought an infectious personality, a reliable glove, and a guy who meets with the fans before every single baseball game. He has accumulated a 8.6 WAR in his major league career. He’s batting .244/.299/.357, and he has hit 31 #YolmerHomers. His career fielding percentage sits at .986 for second base, and he helped turn 330 double plays. At 27 years old, there is still room for growth. His personality and glove-dependability almost ensured himself as a piece to this team’s future … until the bad news dropped:

It’s a bitter business, and it’s a shame that Sánchez has become a free agent. Forever the optimist, I hope by some miracle that Yolmer is signed back into the South Side. Regardless, he is a player who deserves to be on a team by the time spring training rolls around. I’ll be rooting for him no matter where he goes.

I would like to thank Yolmer for bringing life to the organization, hustling during every play, and for being a fan’s favorite player. He gave me someone to root for, and for all his kind acts, this is the least I can do to illustrate my gratitude.

Here’s to Yolmer Sánchez!

 

Six Pack of Stats: White Sox 5, Tigers 3

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Six Pack of Stats

Win No. 72: The season ended on a victorious note. (FanGraphs)

White Sox win Game No. “162”

After an exciting finish to the season, let’s go into the stats one last time in 2019:

.335

Tim Anderson wins the MLB and AL batting title with a .335 batting average! Congrats, Stick Talk! Let’s go for back-to-back titles in 2020!

1

Kelvin Herrera, during the last game of the season, records his first save of his 2019 campaign.

2

Joe Resis, my fellow editor-in-crime, has made it back to the #SoxMath Championship at SoxFest for back-to-back seasons!

6

The South Siders used a combination of six pitchers (Detwiler, Cordero, Osich, Marshall, Bummer, and Herrera) en route to their end-of-the-season win.

72

The White Sox picked up their 72nd win of the season! They avoid a 90th loss, and that is a stat worth celebrating!

123

José Abreu secures the AL RBI lead with 123 during his 2019 season. I hope he continues to wear the pinstripes for many, many years to come!

The White Sox win the final game of the 2019 season, 5-3

by Ashley Sanders, posted in White Sox Game Recap

Ending on a High Note: The Chicago White Sox win their 72nd game to end their season, 72-89. (@WhiteSox)

Anderson wins the MLB and AL batting titles, and Abreu secures the AL RBI lead

The 2019 Chicago White Sox end their season on a positive note: capturing their 72nd win of the season! For as much as the season aggravated fans, it did bring its sunshine…

The Detroit Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the first off of a Miguel Cabrera home run. However, in the bottom-half of the inning, José Abreu scored on a throwing error by Detroit’s third baseman, Ronny Rodriguez.

Bottom of the fourth inning, the infamous #SoxMath was played. The 2019 finalists:

South Side Hit Pen’s very own, Joe Resis, will be back at SoxFest defending his 2018 championship title! Congratulations, and good luck, Joe!

Back to the game, the score stayed knotted at one until the Tigers took the lead back in the third off of a bloop, Jordy Mercer RBI-single that scored Victor Reyes.

Once again, have no fear White Sox fans becasue the Good Guys put up a four-spot in the sixth to take the lead back, 5-2.

Yoán Moncada grounded out to tie the game at 2, which scored Danny Mendick — who came in as Tim Anderson’s replacement.

STICK TALK!

Eloy Jiménez doubled home Ryan Goins, who pinch-ran for Pito.

Welington Castillo finished the inning’s scoring by launching a two-run home run for that 5-2 lead.

One-out in the ninth inning, Rodriguez launched a solo home run to left field to decrease the scoring deficit, 5-3.

Kelvin Herrera was able to close it out, and the White Sox enter the 2019-2020 offseason on a victorious note!

We all know what that means!!!

(•_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

Keep checking out South Side Hit Pen for many offseason reads! It has been my honor bringing coverage to the South Side Sox and SSHP community beginning in May of this year. I look forward to many more writings in this growing community of passionate White Sox fans! Rest up; there is a lot to do for 2020! I’m predicting many more sunglasses emojis and a playoff appearance!

Gamethread: Tigers at White Sox

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Gamethread

Bittersweet: The end of a season is never easy, but time to recharge, revise, and regroup is a necessity. (@WhiteSox)

Game No. 161

The Chicago White Sox are 71-89 and will be desperately trying to earn their 72nd win over their 90th loss. It’s Game 161 of the season, and José Abreu leads the American League in RBIs. Tim Anderson is about to clinch the AL and MLB batting title, and Yoán Moncada will try to hold his place in the top-three of the leading AL batting averages.

Let’s not forget my guy, Yolmer Sánchez, who is in the running for a Gold Glove award!

Although the season was disappointing in more ways than not, there was a lot of sunshine to be cherished during the past seven months. Lucas Giolito had a complete turnaround, Aaron Bummer was a star reliever, James McCann was a revelation, and the emergence of Eloy Jiménez. The list can go on. I know there is a lot of work to be done in the offseason, but I’m going to enjoy these accomplishments as the final out of today’s ballgame is made.

Before the final out will be made, Ross Detwiler is the man in charge of securing the 72nd win of a one-game shortened season. The Southpaw owns a 3-5 record and a 6.85 ERA in 17 games this season. It has been a rollercoaster for the veteran reliever, so let’s hope this ride ends with a win in the bag.

Spencer Turnbull will take the mound on the behalf of the Detroit Tigers. The righty is 3-16 with a 4.59 ERA in 29 games played this season. The Good Guys saw Turnbull for the first and only time on August 5. The South Siders snagged two runs off of two hits and three walks in a three-inning outing by Turnbull. I anticpate more of the same this afternoon.

The end-of-the-season lineups:

Yolmer “Carlos” “Homer” “Ashley’s Favorite Player” Sánchez bats leadoff, and the MLB batting title leader and AL RBI leader follow.

Last night’s hero, Victor Reyes, bats leadoff for the Tigers; the future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera bats third.

It’s a 2:10 CT start; NBC Sports Chicago has the broadcast, and WGN-AM has the radio. @jresis, @lwilz17, and I will be battling it out for the #SoxMath semifinals!

Good luck to the competitors; a stacked SSHP final would definitely be awesome!

Ultimately, I would love nothing more than to debut the sunglasses emoji for an exciting 2019 finish and to foreshadow a hopeful 2020 playoff team. Let’s go and get it, White Sox!

Six Pack of Stats: White Sox 5, Tigers 3

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Six Pack of Stats, White Sox Game Recap

TA, YoYo, Pito: The three keystones for the future displayed exactly why they are integral parts to the future of this ball club. (FanGraphs)

The White Sox have entered a three-game winning streak!

Although the Chicago White Sox only scored half as many runs as they did last night, they made it exciting for a third game in a row, the second of which against the Detroit Tigers. Here are what the numbers of the night were like:

.335

Tim Anderson went 1-for-4 on the night, but have no fear, he still leads the league in AVG: .335!

.917

Yoán Moncada has continued to make the All-Star game regret not having him in Cleveland. With a triple and two RBIs in tonight’s game, YoYo increases his OPS to .917; he leads the South Siders in that department.

3

For the third time in the last four games, the White Sox have had all nine starting batters secure a hit in the ballgame.

10

In the past 12 of 14 games, the South Siders have accumulated at least 10 hits on offense! The rebuild is happening!

18

For the 18th time this season, Tim Anderson presented the crowd with STICK TALK! Let’s get to 20 on the season, TA7!

121

Presented with a bases-loaded situation in the top of the eighth inning, José Abreu singled home two runners for his 120th and 121st RBIs on the season! He leads the MLB by one and the American League by nine!

Six Pack of Stats: Mariners 2, White Sox 1

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Six Pack of Stats, White Sox Game Recap

Hello, Darkness, my old friend: Omar Narváez hits the walkoff home run to sail the Seattle Mariners to victory. (FanGraphs)

The Mariners prevail over the White Sox in a low-scoring, extra-innings, late-night ballgame

Of course, a West Coast game goes into extra-innings. Of course, another former Chicago White Sox decides the outcome of the game for the umpteenth time this season. It’s not ideal, but the tables will soon turn — some already have (Thanks, Eloy!).

.200

Aaron Bummer is back on track! Bum pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball between the seventh and eighth innings. With that stellar performance, Aaron created a .200 WPA to his name.

.346

From the seventh inning and beyond, James McCann is a .346 hitter. In the seventh inning of tonight’s ballgame, McCann drew a walk to load the bases and to keep the even batting average. For part two of the stat, in the ninth, McCann struck out to lower the average just a smidge.

4

Alex Colomé has only blown one save in his 2019 campaign, and we admire him for it. For non-save situations, Alex owns a 4-4 record. Honestly, not too shabby for a closer, and it’s hard to be upset with the losses for how lockdown he has been all season. He’ll get them back!

5

My guy, Yolmer “No. 5” Sánchez, tallied a hit for himself in the leadoff spot! The next four guys in the order also notched a hit, so the first five hitters did not go hitless deep in the night. I’d like to thank Yolmer for his leadership and role-modeling skills.

38

Omar Narváez, on the opposite side of the baseball diamond, was the former owner of Zack Collins’ No. 38 jersey number with the Good Guys. Collins drove in the tying run of the game — from hustling off of a fielder’s choice — to eventually lead the game to extra innings. But, the former 38, hit a home run in the bottom of the tenth to seal the deal for Seattle over Chicago.

106

Dylan Cease used 106 pitches to get through five innings of a one-run ballgame. He lowered his ERA from 6.53 to 6.18 during that span. Even though Ceasefire much rather see the 106-pitch mark in the seven-plus innings, for now, he’ll certainly take it in the fifth with only one run given up.

Six Pack of Stats: Kansas City 6, White Sox 3

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Six Pack of Stats, White Sox Game Recap

The good, the bad, and the ugly: A new Sox record, a Giolito-start loss, and losing the season series to KC.

Lucas Giolito sets a new White Sox record, but the South Siders drop the season series, 10-9

A Lucas Giolito start that isn’t a winner is usually always disappointing. However, you can’t win them all, but you can certainly try to accomplish that feat. It’s time to go through the numbers of the game to determine what went right and wrong.

-.361

Luc-ace G-elite-o had a very uncharacterisitc, but unusual start during this matinee matchup. He allowed five runs to score, but he established a new Chicago White Sox record: creating an unordinary -.361 WPA Keep reading to find out what our ace of the staff accomplished!

1

Alex Colomé entered the game in the ninth for a well-needed inning to pitch off some dust. However, Alex commited an E-1 by throwing the baseball to center field instead of second base for the forceout. That run came around to score for Kansas City’s sixth run of the game.

2

For some good news, Daniel Palka recorded his second hit of the 2019 season: an infield single in the sixth! Hopefully, that 90-feet sprint to first ignited a spark for the rest of the season.

8

Lucas Giolito recorded three strikeouts in the third inning, three strikeouts in the fourth, and two straight punchouts in the fifth. Luc-ace G-elite-o owns a new White Sox record with eight straight strikeouts!


11

The offense surely tried to string hits together in order to produce runs. With eleven throughout the game, one would think that more than three runs would have crossed the plate for the Good Guys. Unfortunately, during the biggest rally of the third inning, José Abreu ran passed Nick Capra’a stop sign which resulted in the final out of what should have been at least a two- or three-run inning.

115

However, on the bright side, José Abreu took a fly ball to the center-field warning track in the fifth inning. It went as a sac fly to score Adam Engel. Engel’s run counted as Abreu’s 115 RBI of the season!

Six Pack of Stats: Angels 5, White Sox 4

by Ashley Sanders, posted in Six Pack of Stats, White Sox Game Recap

Drop-off slide: The graph, at the eighth inning mark, was construed to represent a water slide — made for Angels fans only. (FanGraphs)

Lucas Giolito pitches seven innings, and Tim Anderson crushes a two-run homer, but it all goes for naught

The Chicago White Sox’s starting pitching did a job well-done. The Chicago White Sox’s offense did a pretty good job. The Chicago White Sox’s back-end of the bullpen faltered during this fluke of a game.

-.261

In a rare, rare, incredibly bizarre sight, Aaron Bummer had an off day. And, you know what? That’s okay. For how spectacular he has been this season, this is okay. It does hurt that he contributed a -.261 WPA, but his 2.4 WAR this season speaks louder.

.333

Tim Anderson’s 2-for-4 night, which included a single and a two-run blast, kept his batting average at .333. In some of the best news of the night, TA still leads the American League in batting average!

2

This was only the second time ALL season where the Good Guys have lost the game leading after seven innings. That’s pretty impressive given that they aren’t a playoff team, and it just amplifies how great the late-inning arms have been for the South Siders.

7

Lucas Giolito continues to dazzle and impress. Luc-ace G-elite-o allowed only two runs off of three hits in this seven-inning start. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capture his 15th win of the season, but have no fear, he will try again in five days!

107

José Abreu’s first-inning double allowed Tim Anderson to score the first run of the game. TA7 accoutned for Mal Tiempo’s 107th RBI of the season. With Timmy leading the leauge in BA and Abreu second in the league with RBIs, I say we cheer them on to finish first in their respective categories by season’s end!

216

Giolito reocrded his 216th strikeout during tonight’s game. This feat puts Lucas in second place behind Ed Walsh as White Sox righthanders to strikeout at least this many during a season. Walsh recorded 269, 258, 255, and 254 strikeouts from 1908, 1910-1912 (Baseball Reference). Lucas is a little way away from tying Walsh’s 254 strikeouts in 1912, but he might surprise us by the time the season ends. Regardless, I am incredibly happy with how Gio has turned his pitching career around that has resulted in complete games, being one win out from 15, and having his name and Walsh’s in the same conversation.