This is how it is supposed to work. Just about.
With the return of Eloy Jimenez to the White Sox lineup it is hard not to say stuff like, “Finally”, “About time”, “Now we can compete”, “Let’s beat the crap out of the Twins.” Though all valid statements and it is very exciting to have Jimenez back in lineup, we can’t make that too much of an excuse for the first half play. But it was hard not to look at Wednesday night’s game and feel confident about the White Sox’ chances moving forward.
As we talked about in last week’s White Sox Scorecard, there is much to look forward to in July with the way the team is ramping up (performances by Dylan Cease, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, and Andrew Vaughn in June). The return of Jimenez only strengthens that confidence. Currently, the White Sox sit in third place in the AL Central, 5.5 games behind Minnesota, 1 game behind Cleveland, and 2 games below .500. The Sox still have some injuries lingering: Vince Velasquez just went to the IL, Yoan Moncada is out another couple of days, Danny Mendick out for the season, Jake Burger out until July 16, Yasmani Grandal out for most of July. But even this lengthy injured list looks much better than it did in June.
So why was Wednesday nights extra inning win over the Twins a microcosm of what we want to see from the White Sox?
Tim Anderson
The entire offense starts with Tim Anderson. Wednesday night’s game wasn’t perfect for Anderson as he went 0-4, but he had a walk and a run. The run is the important part. Every time Tim is on base, the White Sox find an offensive gear to get him home. Anderson’s average is down to .314 after batting well over .330 for most of the season. Hopefully, this small rut will not jeopardize his All-Star standing, but Anderson continues to put runs on the board for the White Sox.
Andrew Vaughn
Continuing his June tirade (he hit .324 in June), Vaughn raked against the Twins with a 2-5 showing, 2 RBI’s, and a home run. His batting average sits at .298, great for a 2 hitter with plenty of RBI opportunities when Anderson is on base. Vaughn scored two runs of his own on Wednesday.
Luis Robert
Cannot be stopped. Robert hit .306 in June with 21 RBI’s. He already has 4 more RBI’s in July. Robert is the guy that is always in the thick of things. There never seems to be a rally where he isn’t driving in runs. On Wednesday, Robert had 2 RBI’s, scored 2 runs, and hit a home run.
Jose Abreu
Had an RBI. Jose helps the White Sox score runs. We can hear all we want about the death of the RBI statistic, but guys that drive in runs are helpful and it will be the way Abreu is remembered. Abreu had an RBI in the win. The White Sox win when Abreu has RBI’s.
Eloy Jimenez
Jimenez was, of course, the news of the game. In his first game back, he hit a home run, went 2-5, and drove in three RBI’s. There was also some good defense. That is important because he ran from one part of the field to another part of the field and did not go on the Injured List. We take the wins when we can. Jimenez is never going to be a high average hitter, but the power always comes out at the right time and it is electric to watch.
Lance Lynn
Lynn has not settled into the season yet, not even close. Lynn’s stat line was reminiscent of the entire season so far, he gave up five runs in five innings, matching his 5.23 ERA. He wasn’t dominant, he had four strikeouts, but the White Sox won the game when he pitched. We like that storyline a lot.
Bullpen
The Bullpen was not storybook perfect either last night. Kendall Graveman gave up a run and Matt Foster gave up 2 runs. But there was Liam Hendricks to shut it all down with a clean inning and 2 strikeouts. Jose Ruiz finished it up with a clean, no run inning.
Bottom Line
The White Sox pitching has been sporadic and inconsistent, but the main complaint has been the offensive production. Last night was White Sox baseball. They scored in six of the ten innings. They scored when they needed to:
- Tied the game in the first
- Tied the game in the fourth
- Tied the game in the fifth
- Tied the game in the seventh
- Tied the game in the eighth
- Won the game in the tenth
Only one starter didn’t get a hit, seven different guys scored, five different guys had RBI’s, and Leury Garcia had the walk-off knock to end the game. When anybody in the White Sox lineup can do damage and there is nobody to pitch around, that is called White Sox baseball.
It isn’t like we don’t have any concerns. Michael Kopech is in a bit of a slump. Lance Lynn needs to get it together. Anderson needs to get back to form. But for Wednesday night, beating the first-place Twins team with offense felt like chocolate cake and champaign for breakfast.
