Autumn Dreamin

How did the league let us get Houser for free lol

Defensive positioning and managing runners both much improved this season

Houser painting the edges to absolutely no avail

colSSon

Especially rough look after Bockenstedt carried a perfect game into the sixth. Final line: 6IP, 2R (both unearned), 3H, 0BB, 7K. An error behind him let a couple across.

As someone who watches unreasonable amounts of Sox MiLB and has seen Colson play at every level including AFL, I think this is the right move. The spot where they rushed him was from AA to Charlotte. I think playing on that first half Barons team last year for even a month or two would have been better for him, and I'm pretty convinced that he would have been up before now if he did. Championship aside, there was a group of prospects clearly developing winning ways together with no one shouldering the task of needing to be "the guy" every night. When he went to Charlotte instead, it was a team much more (forgive the pun) barren of that "next core" feeling which I think made him internalize a sense that he needed to hurry up and come be the franchise savior by himself. You're the top bat on the farm, you're bubbling up national lists, things in Chicago are miserable, they need you ASAP. Hitting in Charlotte is easy so this should basically be perfunctory, just rack up some numbers and we'll see you in September! Then you get a guy who had been breaking records for consecutive games on base swinging like he needed to hit the baseball from Charlotte into Lake Michigan to justify where he was at. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he finishes the season with an MLB slash better than his Charlotte one. Also wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't. Cags has a 14 WRC+ ~100 ABs in to his first taste of the bigs; PCA (hate him, but he's good) was slashing .188/.238/.271 coming into July last season. Would I like to see another couple weeks of great AAA production? Sure, obviously wouldn't hurt. But I think there's something to be gained from getting him up here while he's hot, getting him away from the sense that the next 1-10 stretch puts him another month away with not many months to go, with the ASB not far away if he does need a breather ten days in, and with the post-deadline freedom of a rebuilding team right on the horizon after that. If he struggles in the bigs, it's a new struggle and one that is basically expected. He'll be one of several rookies up here that can relate to that struggle, compared to on an island in Charlotte as a top prospect slumping in AAA. Even being sent down again with an MLB to do list would have a sense of progress to it (shouldn't happen really, they should have no shortage of ABs to give after the deadline). There's just less pressure for his first 100 ABs up here with the other young guys than there would be for his next 100 ABs in Charlotte in a way that I think lets him get back to himself mentally. Sorry for rambling, but I'm still high on the kid. Hope he crushes it.

Would anyone believe the Sox are tied for the second best record in the division since June 1? Tigers: 16-13 White Sox: 10-19 Royals: 10-19 Twins: 10-20 Guardians: 9-19 The Guards offense has been worse than ours by a meaningful margin (95 runs vs. 76 runs scored) in that span. Royals have Witt and Garcia but not too much else in the lineup. Sox, Royals, Guards all starved for power. There was a moment there were it seemed multiple ALC teams would be in WC contention, but everyone other than Detroit has a negative record, pythag, and run diff for the season.

Brooks!

Gonna miss Tauchman.

Shane Murphy pitched like he had dinner plans. 7IP scoreless on just 70 pitches before getting burned for a cheapie in the 8th. Final line 8IP, 1ER, 5H, 2BB, 3K on 83 pitches. Lots of soft contact easy outs, finished the 8th with a pickoff. Barons hit a solo shot bottom 8 to tie. 1-2-3 9th from Zach Franklin set up a walkoff winner 2-1 final. The 8th inning solo shot (by C Colby Smelley, his first) was the Barons first HR in almost 3 weeks.

Anyway, ball's carrying in Charlotte tonight. Knights are up 6-1 after an Amaya HR and Elko slam. Still batting with 2 on, one out. Schultz has 3K through 2, got ambushed on a first pitch FB for a solo shot. He was all sinker/slider in a 1-2-3 first, starting mixing in the change and cutter a bit in the second.

He was HBP again yesterday but seemed fine and stayed in the game, got the walkoff hit.

Hmm...

Pretty sure the strike 3 call that Wilson didn't get to end the inning was the same location Kershaw got #3000 on

Oh come on blue

Sat too long maybe

Meidroth has some moves sliding into second lol

Give us your walk-prone, your live arms, your low slot lefties yearning to pitch free

Looks like Muncy got the worst of the collision unfortunately. Hope it's not too bad for either player.

Taylor is hurt

That's my opening day starter!

His next start is on the road. Were they going to export all of this to Milwaukee if he ended at 2999? Kinda feels like someone told Capra he had to take the fall lol