tray

TA is not a bad guy. A couple of missed plays might indicate that he is distracted by some personal issues or lost focus for some reason we don't understand. These players are human beings for C-sakes. He was a batting champion and can be an elitre defensive shortstop with his range and his arm. Let's cut him some slack. When TA starts hitting and Eloy returns this line-up could be what we thought it could be.

The close loss is just baseball, just like the win that the Sox recently got in NY when Rizzo grounded into a DP (Thanks Cubs!) You can't win 'em all. Sox are not out of contention for the Division on June 11. That one hurt, but let's relax a bit, IMO, they Sox need to insure that they have a solid top of rotation (a One and two) heading into the next few years, so I would love for them to make Cease and Gio the pillars of it. I am guessing here but signing them up could very well prove to be a better bet than the Mets made. It just is not that easy to sign two pitchers of their caliber in their prime without laying out huge contracts.

Sox need Eloy's bat and are screwed if he is out for any extended period. He has been a difference maker in the past few series.

Sox do not have a legit Closer...and that includes Liam since he came back throwing 93 mph fastballs. Just going to have to try different relievers back there until one stands out over the others.

Line-up was weaker without Eloy in there.

I'm sick of the Eloy haters on this board.

You have a lot of time on your hands...to waste.

one more slider

2 gone

I would be OK with one W out of this series. The Sox aren't ready to compete against teams with better talent and I don't expect them to. Expectations have been lowered significantly for this team. Nothing has gelled for any extended period. Eloy , Burger, and Vaughn can only carry the team so far.

That was a cool game to watch. I loved seeing the ump take one off the face mask and keel over as Moncada scored the winning run. TA7 did a good job staying in the box to the last moment then backing off the pitch. Hinch got outmanaged. They didn't hold Moncada close to second or have any idea how to defend against the bunt. Intentionally walking Sheets was foolish as well.

chitowonsportsfan: Why do you think DFAing Lynn is funny? Well OK, let's see if your attitude changes after a few more Lynn starts against .500 + teams.

DFA Lynn and try ReyLo as the 5th starter while searching on the scrap heap for a replacement. Lynn is not going to work his way into playing condition this season and that should have been determined prior to or during Spring Training. Lynn lacks balance on the mound. He falls off the rubber after pitches and does not hit the spots where he is supposed to throw. He's toast. An almost guaranteed L every time his spot comes up in the rotation.

There are issues with talent evaluation from past Drafts and now up and down the system to the major league roster. The result is a team with a talent deficit compared to other teams. A lot of over-rated players over-hyped players (e.g. Sheets, Vaughn, Benintendi and even Robert) on our roster and in our minor league system, so no useful reinforcements available when and where needed. Plus...under-performance by the so-called core players abounds and we have an over-analytical Manager who puts his myopic in-game decision making through self-analysis while viewing game film into the wee hours of the night.

There are some some players on the team like Eloy, Burger, Lynn, Gio, Middleton, Santos, and even Middleton that generate a lot of positive energy in the dugout, bullpen, and for fans on the field. To me, they are the heart and soul of the team. Other guys like Luis Robert Jr. and Moncada seem like they are more into themselves for whatever reason. Maybe, like other pro athletes who suddenly come into big money, they lack the focus and desire to win that they once had.

Eloy is the best hitter on the White Sox. He brings a level of excitement that few other players on the team can each time he steps in the box. He is not an easy out like some other players on the team have been this season in key situations. Anyway, what difference does it make when your starting pitcher gives up a grand slam and your relievers can't hold a lead? One player and even an entire offense can only do so much to help a team win. Sox pitchers have been inconsistent and mostly dreadful this season. But hey, why not make Eloy or Tim Anderson the scapegoats ?

How was Vaughn "ruined" by having him play in the outfield ? AV needs a big leg kick to generate power and as a result he has a lot of swing and miss at outside sinkers. He is what we thought he was - a decent .250 hitter who should average about 20HR per season and play average defense at 1B. Not bad at all bat at the same time, not an All-Star. So I don't blame Andrew for swinging and missing in the 10th because that is what he does a lot of when pitchers heed the scouting reports on him. I also don't blame Tim for not throwing out a runner trying to score. That is a tough play to make for any short stop. Even if he catches it and transfers the ball cleanly, he may not have gotten the runner tagged out. Tim scored a run that Steve Stone said no other Sox player could have. Moncada is a vacuum cleaner at 3B. Another incredible play today. Eloy had an appendectomy about 3 weeks ago yet despite that, he laid himself out on his sewn-up belly to slide in safely with the go ahead run. I did not like the way Robert played that ball in the 9th. If he keeps doing things like that, maybe he will end up in Right field. He has all the talent but he has to play smarter. Hold up and play some balls on the bounce. Not sure why Graveman was taken out after a 6 pitch inning or why Grifol used Kelly after he was recently bombed. Bad luck, poor playing and decision making but somehow, with reduced expectations for this team, I managed to enjoy most of the game. It is how you look at things as you get older. Trust me on this.

Tim Anderson is starting to hit for average this year. He has made some exceptional defensive plays and looks like he is feeling better out there every game. Judging from lingering racism in this country, Tim unfortunately has to be one of the small percentage of African American mlb players that has the burden of carrying the mantle of Jackie Robinson. Some like Josh Donaldson disagree. I was proud that reliever Joe Kelly called Donaldson out for what he is. Who is there to call fans out when they bring their bigotry to the game ?

ALL of that is true...All of it including the intended sarcasm. I will go further because some the criticism of "JR" as being "cheap" and that directed at certain black and Hispanic players as lacking motivation, etc. ,,while perhaps not intended as bigotry, undoubtedly appeal to those who hold those views. Moreover, repeated grinding of old decades long grudges against the owner, what he said 30-40 years ago, comparing Cub to Sox attendance, suggesting that the franchise be sold or moved, and otherwise trying to deflate any hope by fans for the current season seem like they are primarily intended to damage the team. This is not constructive criticism. It's bulshit and maybe something worse than that. There are 30 teams in major league baseball and only one will win it all. Many teams who have owners that spend freely do not win their division let alone a WS. There is a lot of luck in sports and in the ownership and management of teams. Sox barely missed out on Rutschman and OK, they made some bad decisions in the Draft and on trades, but that doesn't mean JR is cheap or that you are smarter than Sox management. You just have an outsized bull horn here, and some of you blow it all too often. Let the season unfold, harness your bitterness, and allow the rest of us to enjoy Sox baseball.

I like Home town players for the WSox like KC 2nd basemen Massey from Palos Park. Maybe Massey plus a strong pitching prospect for AV.

Eloy is an elite bat while Vaughn is an average bat with average power. Burger is starting to make a case for more at bats and those ABs should mainly come at 1B. There may be teams with a solid second base player or prospect that might be interested in trading for Vaughn. Include Steve Stone in a trade with AV to the Cubs. (just kidding... but Stone is Vaughn's biggest fan. He told us AV was a good outfielder lst year and fawns at the speed of grounders that AV hits for outs and HIDP. Vaughn is something of a tank physically, like Burger only slower afoot I don't dislike him in the line-up, he is just redundant on the roster...surplusage)

Ramirez and Naylor are back in Cleveland's already very good line-up and those two guys kill Sox pitching. It will be tough to take that series in Cleveland. Also, Sox aren't at full strength yet.

Vaughn cannot cover the outside part of the plate after his big leg kick. Even though Burger is not fast, he is faster than Vaughn on the bases, and that makes a difference. Burger can cover the entire plate and hits more HR than AV. IMO, Jake beat the pants off Vaughn for the full-time 1B job. Vaughn was touted as being a great outfielder last season, especially by Steve Stone. Now he can platoon in RF with Sheets. It would be foolish to risk injury to Burger by putting him in the outfield when Vaughn has already shown he can play out there and avoid injury.

The 2 hopper off the side of the mound wasn't even an error....but the way that it was immediately announced as one perhaps says more about the announcers than it does about Tim. True, analytically TA7 isn't the best defensive SS but he isn't the worst either. He had an injury earlier that slowed him down. Give the guy a break...this player had a batting Title not that long ago. Also realize that he will always be subjected to Josh Donaldson type excuses for criticizing him , i.e., baseless. I think his bat will prove people who doubt him wrong again. Also he makes tough plays other SS would not, and that does not show up in the stats. Of course, some want to trade Moncada after he bobbled a ball so there is that. Maybe just watch the games and get off the silly posts.

Vaughn has proven that he is a good hitter but I am not sure he is ever going to hit 30-35 HR. He is more of a line-drive / ground ball hitter who occasionally runs into one. Can an argument be made to give Burger some starts at 1B to take advantage of his HR swing?