Lip Man 1

Now 3-9 in the last 12 games. Have scored three runs or less in eight of those games. Castillo pitches Saturday, based on what he's done so far this year AND with the Sox, they'll be out of first place by Saturday night most likely. Those trade deadline deals SURE have helped this club! LOL 😄

Six factoids today: September 12, 1900 - The White Sox beat the Cleveland Blues 12-4 and 9-1 in Chicago to clinch the franchise’s first pennant. However, the American League wasn’t recognized as an official Major League at the time, that would come the following year. Roy Patterson got the win in the game. The season seemed to set the tone for the franchise, exceptional pitching and defense with just enough hitting to win games. Cleveland manager Jimmy McAleer said as much after the Sox clinched against his club. “It's the strangest thing that ever happened. A club with no good batsman to win a flag! Why, such a thing was never heard of before. Manager (Dick) Padden has done most of it. He has been the whole works, and has shown himself a born general. The pitchers did the rest, with special credit to that lad Patterson.” September 12, 1922 - After three straight singles by Cleveland to open a game at Comiskey Park, the White Sox executed their eighth triple play ever. It was a bonkers play, which started out as a routine double-play grounder from second baseman Eddie Collins to shortstop Ernie Johnson to first baseman Earl Sheely. Cleveland left fielder Charlie Jamieson scored from third on the play, but for some reason the runner who started on second base, shortstop Bill Wambsganss, went for home as well; Sheely fired home to catcher Yam Yaryan for the out (and yes, the White Sox once had a catcher named Yam Yaryam). The White Sox still were routed in the game though, 8-2, yielding 17 hits. September 12, 1976 – At nearly 53 years old, “Minnie” Minoso became the oldest player in Major League history to get a hit, singling in the second inning of a 2-1 White Sox win over California. Angels starter Sid Monge surrendered the hit. Minoso would later strike out and fly out to left in the game, won by the White Sox on Brian Downing’s walk-off double in the 10th inning. Both Monge and future Hall-of-Famer Rich Gossage went the distance in this meaningless September game between teams with a combined record of 125-160. September 12, 2016 – The White Sox tied an unusual franchise record as they beat the Indians 11-4 at U.S. Cellular Field. In the game the Sox scored at least one run in every inning. It was only the 20th time in Major League history that a team had accomplished this. The Sox banged out 16 hits, Avisail Garcia getting four of them. Six went for extra bases. The first time the franchise accomplished this was May 11, 1949 beating the Red Sox at Comiskey Park. September 12, 2019 – All-Star right-hander Lucas Giolito set a White Sox record by striking out eight straight Royals hitters from the third through the fifth inning during an afternoon game at Guaranteed Rate Field. Of the eight, seven were swinging strikeouts and Meibrys Viloria was caught looking. The run started with Whit Merrifield to open the third and ended with Nicky Lopez grounding out to shortstop Tim Anderson to end the fifth. Giolito finished with 12 strikeouts overall. Carlos Rodon (September 30, 2016, against the Twins) and Joe Cowley (May 28, 1986, at the Rangers) previously shared the White Sox consecutive strikeout mark at seven. According to STATS, Giolito’s eight straight tied for the seventh-longest single-game MLB run at that time. But even with his brilliant afternoon he lost the game 6-3 giving up a pair of home runs, one of which was a three-run shot which made the difference. September 12, 2020 – For the second time in his career Sox first baseman/DH Jose Abreu had himself a game to remember. The slugger drove home seven runs in a 14-0 slaughter of the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. The team record is eight in a game. Jose first did this in 2016. He went 4 for 4 and scored five runs. Abreu became the first White Sox player in club history to get four hits, two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored in a game. It was also his 17th multi-home game.

Agreed

My point is that's what happens when your offense is home run or nothing and you've got guys up and down the lineup who can't get on base.

"Luck is the residue of design..." - Branch Rickey.

When they do hit home runs they are solo shots because nobody is on base. Friends and neighbors the end is near. This club played beyond expectations but it has finally caught up with them it seems. Six hits, three walks and the only runs they score are solo home runs...against a pitcher with a record of 5-14 with an ERA of almost six. Only in the world of the White Sox. Castillo goes tomorrow and by tomorrow night the Sox will be in second place.

The Cubs seemed to have no trouble against the "hard throwing" Pirate pitchers today.

That's why I'm hoping that even if they fall short of the post season they win at least seven more games and lock in a "winning" record. To go from 102 losses to 82 wins in a single season is pretty remarkable and gives the organization and fan base something to feel good about. The progress made will have paid off record wise. And given the uncertainty next year with the labor situation that may be all everyone can hang their hat on.

But they have much better starting pitching.

Very true.

Stat of the Day: As a team the Sox are hitting a robust .200 for the entire month of September.

By the way I'll be curious to see how the Pirates do against the Cubs this weekend.

Not the same. They never really were serious contenders come September. K.C. went on an insane run (like the Sox did in 1983) The three years I mentioned they literally were a few weeks away (and in 1967 a week away) for going to the post season and they completely fell apart.

This is who the Sox are facing tonight for the Cardinals: 5 and 14 with a 5.57 ERA If they can't actually score runs off this stiff then they are in more serious trouble than anyone can imagine.

Personally unless they turn things around I'm think the Sox in 1967, 2003 and 2012. (Look it up)

From Fegan's post game: Nearly no-hit Already limited to five runs in their first two losses to a Pirates team playing out the string, the Sox — still with their best offense in years — couldn’t manage a hit off hard-throwing right-hander Jared Jones on Thursday night until Colson Montgomery’s two-out double off the wall in the seventh inning. Fittingly, the runner was stranded by a Braden Montgomery lineout. The two-hit shutout loss sealed a damaging sweep and reduced the Sox lead in the American League Central to just 1.5 games. “We helped him out tonight chasing on the slider,” said Andrew Benintendi. “Their whole staff seems like they all throw 100 mph. I think they have the highest average fastball in the league. It will be good to put them in our rearview.” A coming six-day road trip that ends with three games against second-place Cleveland will now be potentially decisive for the division race. “Sometimes a punch in the face is needed to get going,” Fedde said. “You need to get something from the series. And I know this club, I know this team, we’re not going to roll over.”

There's an old saying, 'you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink...'

Two factoids today: September 11, 2001 - The White Sox were in New York near ground zero when the terrorists attack on the World Trade Center towers took place. They got a firsthand look at one of the darkest days in U.S. history. Major League Baseball, in the wake of the national emergency, suspended all games for a week. The Sox returned to New York in early October to make up the three games with the Yankees. September 11, 2016 – In a 2-0 loss to the Royals at U.S. Cellular Field, Sox pitcher Chris Sale set the team record by recording 200 or more strikeouts for the fourth consecutive season. Sale set the team single season mark for strikeouts in 2015. He would pitch eight innings striking out 12, only to lose as the Sox offense could not give him any support. In 2016 he’d fan 233 hitters.

As far as the rebuild they still have a very long way to go especially in the most important position...pitching.

It's almost like the players think it is a mortal sin to shorten up and go the other way.

Absolutely. That's eight losses in 11 games. Maybe they have been playing over their heads the first five months and they are reverting back to the norm. They are hanging on by a thread to the division and the #2 seed. 34 runs in 11 games. (10 came in a single game) Seven of those games they scored three runs or less. Home Run or nothing.

As long as JR is in charge this isn't happening.

From Paul Sullivan's column today: Bridgeport BluesNo one from Bridgeport wants the Sox to leave Bridgeport and turn it into a virtual ghost town. Unfortunately, Ishbia lives on the North Shore, not Bridgeport, and has no nostalgia for the neighborhood that’s been home to the Sox for 116 years. If the Sox and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority had allowed bars and restaurants to be built around the new ballpark 35 years ago, as late Gov. Jim Thompson originally promised at McCuddy’s, Bridgeport would now be like River North and the team wouldn’t have to move to draw more fans.

In the last 10 games the Sox have score 34 runs...10 came in a single game.

From Fegan's Sun-Times story: With 17 games left after Wednesday, the repeated assertions that rookies Noah Schultz, David Sandlin, or that a rehabbing Drew Thorpe could be recalled for meaningful innings down the stretch are harder to figure. But that hasn’t slowed the flow of said assertions. “There’s a number of guys down there that are going to be helpful for us at some point here,” Venable said. “A very important piece of this, getting to the end here, is having those guys available and ready to contribute.” If Thorpe being asked to turn a lineup over twice in a division race–more than two years since he was last in the majors–feels far-fetched, multi-inning relief work is a potential fit for him and other Triple-A starters.