After taking the opening contest of a four-game set with
Cleveland Indians, the Chicago White Sox now sit at 5-5; tied with the Indians
for second place in the division. The up-and-down season continues tonight as
the White Sox look to win consecutive games for the first time since winning
the first two games of the season.
It has been a week since my last update and a lot has
happened on and off the field since then.
Let’s start with the bad…
The White Sox and outfielder Avisail Garcia got terrible
news yesterday when a MRI revealed a torn labrum in Garcia’s left shoulder. Due
to the extent of the injury that involves part of the labrum being torn off the
bone, surgery is required to repair it fully. Garcia will likely undergo
surgery early next week and will be out for the remainder of the season.
General manager Rick Hahn indicated that the White Sox expect Garcia to be
ready to go for spring training in 2015. This news is very disheartening for
all parties involved, but it is not the end of the world. Garcia will be just
24 years old next season and is still a huge part of the future with the White
Sox having control of him for five seasons. Assuming Garcia fully recovers from
the injury, the worst part of this situation is him missing a full season of
at-bats in the major leagues. The 2014 season was supposed to be big
developmental year for many White Sox players and Garcia was no exception. Now
because of the season-ending injury, Garcia won’t be able to progress with the
rest of the building blocks this summer, and he will be season behind his
projected development.
Despite the devastating news, the White Sox must move on
this season. Although the Garcia injury is a major blow to his development, it
should not affect the White Sox too much in 2014 in terms of wins and losses.
With or without Garcia, I don’t view the White Sox as a playoff team, much less
even a .500 team. To replace Garcia, the White Sox called up Jordan Danks and
he figures to see some more playing time along with Alejandro De Aza and Dayan
Viciedo. Between the three outfielders, I expect the White Sox offense to withstand
the loss of Avisail Garcia in 2014.
Besides the injury, the White Sox have experienced some
problems within their pitching staff. After two turns through the starting
rotation, the left-handers have looked good, but the righties have struggled to
get going. Rookie Erik Johnson and veteran Felipe Paulino have combined to
allow 18 earned runs in 20 innings (It is worth noting that two of those starts
came at Coors Field). I wouldn’t worry about either Johnson or Paulino just yet,
but both pitchers need to start performing better. Outside of the struggles in
the rotation, the bullpen has had a tough time as well. Youngsters Daniel Webb,
Maikel Cleto, and Donnie Veal have pitched well, but veterans Ronald Belisario,
Scott Downs, and Matt Lindstrom haven’t been impressive. Lindstrom did enjoy a
nice 1-2-3 inning last night, so hopefully that is a sign of things to come. If
Lindstrom doesn’t get his act together quickly, then Webb, Cleto, or Nate Jones
(when healthy) will take over his duties as closer. The other two, Belisario
and Downs, have been brutal (10 earned runs in 5.2 innings), but their track
record suggests that they should at least be major-league average pitchers moving
forward.
Now the good…
As bad as the White Sox pitching has been at times this
season, the offense is on quite a roll. After ten games, the White Sox lead the
American League in batting average, home runs, runs scored, on-base percentage,
and on-base plus slugging percentage. I’m doubtful that the White Sox will lead
all those categories even a month from now, but it is certainly a vastly
improved offense over last season. Leading the offensive surge have been Jose
Abreu, Adam Eaton, Alexei Ramirez, and Tyler Flowers. Abreu’s start to the
season couldn’t be going any better as the slugger is hitting .310 with 4 home
runs and 14 RBI. This pace certainly won’t last and Abreu will likely face some
slumps as pitchers begin to adjust to his swing. The key to Abreu’s success
will be how quickly he is able to make his own adjustments at the plate. Eaton
continues to be the igniter at the top of the order, and surprisingly has seven
RBI to go along with his terrific on-base skills. Ramirez is off to the hottest
start of his career with two home runs and nine RBI to go along with a .421
average, and he could be in for a career-year. If that still proves to be the
case in July, then the White Sox will have an extremely valuable trade chip in
Ramirez. Just as we were all ready to dismiss Tyler Flowers as an option at
catcher going forward, he starts the season on an absolute tear with a .444
average, one homer, and five RBI. Despite the hot start, Flowers will have to
continue to show that he has changed his approach and show some sustained
success.
Injury News
Gordon Beckham had a slight setback in his rehab assignment
and has been shut-down until he no longer feels pain in his oblique. The
timetable is unclear at the moment, but I wouldn’t expect Beckham to be back with
the White Sox until the end of the month at the earliest.
Nate Jones’ injury status has changed slightly as doctors
determined that his injury is actually related to his lower back and not his
hip or glute. Jones received an epidural the other day, and the White Sox are
now hoping to have him back a little sooner than originally thought.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Twitter: @etichel07
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