Dick Allen

He couldn’t have played this series anyways, but he is a 110 OPS+ guy for his career, and is cheap. The easy to replace line has been conspicuously absent since Hernandez and his 10 times bigger paychecks started struggling. I think Madrigal is going to be a really solid player. Everything was improving when he got hurt. His power, his defense. It is really going to hurt in a couple of years when the other guys get really expensive and they could use Madrigals 1st year or 2nd year arb numbers. It is not like JR is ever going to flirt with the luxury tax. He wouldn’t even do that with the Bulls where he was printing money.

Yes, chose with your brain, not your heart. Unless Carlos was faking it throwing 91, you are just asking for trouble. This isn’t the Tigers or the Indians or Royals,

None of us have any idea how Kopech would have performed today. He may have been worse than Crochet, but we knew how Crochet would most likely perform. Only 3 back to backs all year, and horrible on the back end 3 times. How the hell do you go to him in that situation?

The good news is because the Sox will be playing the next 2 at home, game 5 is a lock.

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking. And after watching Leury try to play RF the last day of the season, you knew a ball was going to find him.

Every button LaRussa pushed today, blew up in his face. A Reneria like postseason managerial performance.

Enjoy your $1 million buyout Craig.

Leury in RF is not good.

Hasn't every run Houston scored today reached base via walk?

3 times back to back games all year, and not good in the 2nd game each time. And he fails here? That's on Tony.

Just a curious move by LA Russa.

Again he was holding the runner on. Every 1B would have made the play.

He was holding the runner on. Positioning was implied. It was very unlucky for the Sox an automatic DP.

So what you are saying is the Sox should have no problem with game 3 or game 4.

There’s a reason why guys are good pitchers, and this is one of them. If you get in situations you have to swing at things with spin on them, or the spin is so tight you cannot recognize it, it is what happens. The White Sox aren’t the only team that seems to struggle vs. McCullers or good pitching in general. The reason pitchers are good isn’t because the hitters are stupid. If only hitting was as simple as many think, there would be football scores every game, with a few basketball scores thrown in.

I would have liked Kimbrel and Hendriks and Bummer to have been used today. Each with an inning wouldn't have meant anything for tomorrow. They haven't pitched since at least Saturday and Saturday is an off day.

On the bright side, the team scored 1 run, so to win Gio would have had to pitch a shutout, which is unlikely. At least they didn't waste a big performance by a staring pitcher. And now they have Gio for tomorrow where a win gets them the HFA everyone wanted.

I just hope if it goes to game 5, they skip Lynn and go to Gio. They have been beating up on Lynn far before he became a White Sox.

The problem is even if Kopech is lights out as a starter next seaon, he is going to have the same innings problem Rodon had this year.

His game plan hasn't worked vs. Houston for years. I hope he does doubt it

Probably wasn't a good idea to ignore the Astros destroy Lynn.

I find it hard to believe that Abreu is well enough to take BP, but may opt out. Unless he really shouldn't be taking BP, he is playing.

If someone told you at the beginning of spring training. That Eloy and Robert would miss half the season, that Grandal would miss 5 or 6 weeks, that TA would have hamstring issues almost the entire season, that Keuchel would pitch himself off the playoff roster, I think you would take the seed.

Obviously he may not be in the line up, but that can’t be the delay. Do they really think if he can’t go right now, maybe in a half an hour? They can always but him in before they actually exchange the line up cards minutes before the first pitch. They aren’t held to what they put out now.

I agree. When you have Eloy in LF, Hamilton is perfect for late and the lead or to pinch run for someone.