The White Sox enter this Crosstown Classic with a four-game lead over the Twins, but their pitching staff is running on fumes. After emptying the tank during a sweep of the Tigers, the team now faces a brutal test against a Cubs lineup that just beat them in extra innings. Finding enough rested, healthy arms to survive this series could be the more pressing worry right now. Over the initial two contests at Wrigley, South Side Sox noted obvious effects as the Sox endured consecutive heartbreakers.
Starting Pitching Gamble
Sean Newcomb gets the ball as the opener, with José Urquidy expected to handle the bulk of the innings. This is a high-stakes move for a rotation that has lost Noah Schultz to Charlotte and placed Davis Martin on the IL. On Aug. 14 versus Detroit, Urquidy’s White Sox debut failed to inspire confidence since the righthander gave up three runs via five hits across 3 2/3 innings. Today, the Sox urgently require length from him to allow their bullpen any chance of recovery.
A clear roadmap for attacking the Cubs is provided by his Statcast profile. Because Urquidy struggles with walks and strikes out few batters, getting ahead and forcing Chicago to make contact becomes critical. While he has not qualified in several Baseball Savant run-value categories, his four-seamer, sweeper, changeup and curveball provide sufficient variety to prevent hitters from targeting a single pitch. Against a fierce Cubs lineup, hitting the strike zone and preventing walks could prove more valuable than chasing strikeouts.
Bullpen Arms Thin
The Cubs counter with Clay Holmes, who has made two starts since coming over from the Mets. His latest appearance occurred Aug. 14 versus the Cardinals, resulting in a win and quality start through 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Baseball Savant data for Holmes reveals his difficulty: an overall pitching run value in the 82nd percentile and breaking stuff in the 83rd. This is a stark contrast to the Sox bullpen, which is stretched thin after the recent losses.
Shane Smith stays on the 40-man roster yet failed to make a compelling return case, posting a 0-2 record with a 10.80 ERA and 2.52 WHIP across 8 1/3 innings in his final seven outings with the Knights. Following three encouraging rehab appearances between Birmingham and Charlotte after Tommy John surgery, Drew Thorpe presents another intriguing option, though he remains off the 40-man roster. We can only speculate regarding the source of reinforcements, yet something must yield.
Momentum or Heartbreak
Stealing one from the Cubs today would be a nice way to build some momentum before another important stretch. Atlanta visits tomorrow for a makeup contest, then a major weekend series versus the Mets. A four-game AL Central lead over the Twins remains for the Sox, but little time exists to dwell on North Side failures. Consecutive gut-punch walk-off defeats at Wrigley Field have left the team reeling.
The opener began uglily after the White Sox went down in order, followed by back-to-back homers from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki. Andrew Benintendi’s late-inning heroics helped, but wouldn’t be enough for a win as the Sox fell 7-5 in the opener. Sloppy defense and poor challenges once again doomed the South Siders. The Sox need to fix these fundamental errors if they want to survive the rest of the season.
