hogan873

I definitely think it's the long MLB season wearing on Mune to a point. The injury didn't help where he lost some momentum. We all figured he was going to a lower BA guy with power and higher OBP. He's slumping right now and probably needs a day off or two. As far as his future, I still think he gets paid. It would be wise for the Sox to have some conversations but leave any decision to next season. If he comes out the gate next season the same guy, I don't think $200M+ is unreasonable. Contract length will be interesting.

Getting to the playoffs will require relying on the offense, heavily. The starting pitching is wearing down, but the bullpen has been solid for the most part. However, they can't rely on the same guys to go out and pitch 4 or 5 innings a game, keeping the opposing offense at bay, while our offense tries to score runs.

Peters must be on this board and saw people talking s%*# about his slump. He said, "I'll show those fuckers."

I think they'll make the playoffs, but it will be a photo finish. The division will likely be won within the last week of the season. Going anywhere beyond the first round looks tough with the starting pitching woes.

Good point. Look at the Cubs the last three games.

As someone else had mentioned, they can be a feast or famine offense. Today's performance really stands out after having some good offensive games at Wrigley and facing a some pitching that they should have teed off on. The reactions are a bit extreme today, but not necessarily unwarranted.

I think the Cubs/Sox series is way too pumped up every year. However, this is the first season in a while when both teams are in contention. I still think series against AL Central teams are much more important. Sure, you want to win every series, but I'd rather lose a series to the Cubs than to the Tigers, Guardians, or Twins.

Maybe adopt a rule like the Frontier League has for extra innings. The 10th inning is played normally, but if no one wins, they go to sudden death. The home team chooses to bat or play defense. A runner starts at 1st base. If the offense scores, they win. If the defense gets three outs with no runs scored, they win.

Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer (who didn't have a beard) passed away at 77. I just read that he had stepped away from the band's tour earlier this month due to health issues. Apparently he was in Hospice care when he died.

And stop throwing fastballs right down the middle to PCA.

I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a Google notification saying the Sox won 4-3. I didn't know they lost (in another walk-off) until I came to SoxTalk. Sucks, but I'm less concerned about losing to the Cubs than their record against the AL Central. That being said, they really need to win today.

I'm okay with ABS, but maybe increasing teams' challenges to three per game. Umpires are still missing enough pitches to warrant more. As far as the ghost runner...first of all, it's not a ghost runner. Anyone who played backyard ball or wiffle ball knows a ghost runner means there's an imaginary runner on a base that runs the same speed as the actual runner behind them. Anyway, as far as that rule, I'm okay with the runner, but maybe not in the 10th. The 10th (and maybe 11th) inning is played normally, and the free runner is used once you get to the 11th or 12th.

It's not a very vibrant color for sure.

Meidroth is shaping up to be a much bigger part of the Crochet trade than originally thought. He is truly a grinder that hits for average and now some power. His defense is pretty good, too. He and Antonacci are shaping up to be pains in the ass for other teams on offense, defense, and attitude.

Seems weird to have a retirement game so soon. As others have said, maybe honor him in a few years. For sure, TA was something special, for a short period of time. His walk-off HR in the Field of Dreams game will always be one of the best White Sox highlights. The injuries, to go along with the off field drama, killed a promising career. Starting a fight and promptly getting KO'd didn't help matters.

What the hell, man? Until you go through something like this, don't talk about it. Trust me, it is NOT a bump in the road. It's devastating and something you get through, not over.

Definitely possible. Also, I don't think Romo has options left, and Quero does. Obviously they could have just DFA'd Romo and kept Quero around. In that scenario, though, Bart would still be playing the majority of the games. That would hurt Quero's development.

If Bart gets most of the playing time, sending Quero down is fine. He can get consistent playing time and work of improvements. Romo shouldn't play more than a couple days a week.

I gave them a B, but it's probably a B-. I think the rotation got a little better, possibly more than a little if a change in surroundings helps Castillo. The bullpen addition was really good. Big improvement over Dominguez for a fraction of the price. I'm not sure about the move for Doyle. I wonder if that move was in anticipation of an outfielder being moved, and a deal fell through. But, replacing Pereira with Doyle seems like a wash. I think Bart was a smart move. He's an improvement over what we had going on, although that's not saying much. And they gave up essentially nothing for him. As someone else mentioned, the ask for Stephenson must have been ridiculous considering he didn't move. The best part of all of this is the team got better, and they didn't trade any top prospects. We'll know in a few weeks how much better they got.

Ah, that's right. That guy sucked.

That depends on whether he'd claim Drake LaRoche to be the heart and soul of the team.

With the acquisition of Doyle, could an outfielder be on the move? Possibly for a catcher?

Seems like this will strengthen the back end of the bullpen. This guy is essentially the replacement for Dominguez, at a fraction of the cost. I would think Taylor becomes the closer.

Splitting the series with the Yankees, and being "in" every game, was a decent result. One thing they continue to prove is that they do not quit. Previous years' teams didn't win too many games when they were trailing late. Going into Tampa for the weekend will be a test. Taking two of three would be awesome. One of three would be meh. Getting swept, right before the deadline, would suck.

When this trade happened, it seemed like the thought was Hicks was the extra piece, along with salary, while Sandlin was the real target. While the jury is still out on Sandlin, Hicks has seemed to find success again. He has looked damn near unhittable since returning. The odd trade that looks to have worked out, just not in the way we thought. If Sandlin ends up being good, this could be a really good trade for the (White) Sox.