Sox beat the Astros 8-5 with a combination of hitting and defense and even some smart baseball.

 

Yoan Moncada went 1/2 with 2 walks .

 

Kevan Smith was the hitting star with a homer, double, 2 walks and 4 RBI

 

Adam Engel made an amazing catch to take a HR away from Brian McCann

 

Nicky Delmonico went 1/3 but that hit was a bunt to beat the shift. It's the 2nd time he has done that which in my mind is extremely smart baseball .

 

Tim Anderson continued his recent spate of good hitting by going 2/5 with a double.

 

Avi's 1st game back from injury was a success . He also was 2/5 with a double

 

Abreu was 2/5

 

Saladino and Avi pulled off a double steal which against a groundball pitcher with a good sinker like Kuechel was a good call . Also smart baseball.

 

Luery made a rather silly base runiing play and Renteria was in his ear like he usually is when a teaching moment presents itself.

I can get behind a win like that. However, if we miss the first pick by 1 game - I'll then be bummed. ?

I can get behind a win like that. However, if we miss the first pick by 1 game - I'll then be bummed. ?

 

Yea. Good, fun win but this Tank must go on. Helluva play by Engel.

That's our rare winning formula say once out of every 7 games. I fully expect us to lose 6 of 7 the rest of the season. The formula is to once every seven games hit the s*** out of the ball and survive like tonight, 8-5.

Only hope for regular wins is Rodon or Friday's starter dominating a game. Right now here's how I'd rate our team.

Starting pitching: D-minus.

Bullpen: F.

Lineup: D to D-minus.

Defense: D to D-minus.

Baserunning: F.

Managing: D to D-minus.

 

You are all such bundles of joy. And Hi8tis if we lose the top pick by 1 game you can cry about every one of the wins, The tank will go on but this is what we all wanted. Now that the vets have been purged we are left with the youth and we also want it to do well. Wins will occasionally happen when our pitchers do not give up more than 5 runs. So be happy for wins without reminding us we still need to lose and we suck. We are all aware of that fact.

That's our rare winning formula say once out of every 7 games. I fully expect us to lose 6 of 7 the rest of the season. The formula is to once every seven games hit the s*** out of the ball and survive like tonight, 8-5.

Only hope for regular wins is Rodon or Friday's starter dominating a game. Right now here's how I'd rate our team.

Starting pitching: D-minus.

Bullpen: F.

Lineup: D to D-minus.

Defense: D to D-minus.

Baserunning: F.

Managing: D to D-minus.

 

If Matt Davidson gets an A++++, but the lineup as a whole is a D/D-, that means every other player is an F? Do they not grade on a curve at KU?

You are all such bundles of joy. And Hi8tis if we lose the top pick by 1 game you can cry about every one of the wins, The tank will go on but this is what we all wanted. Now that the vets have been purged we are left with the youth and we also want it to do well. Wins will occasionally happen when our pitchers do not give up more than 5 runs. So be happy for wins without reminding us we still need to lose and we suck. We are all aware of that fact.

 

We don't have to worry about the Sox consistently winning games the rest of the season. A blind squirrel will find a nut every once and awhile though.

 

The Astros also do not have Springer and Correa in the lineup, which makes a huge difference.

 

We are still projected to finish 61-101, worst record in the mlb

We don't have to worry about the Sox consistently winning games the rest of the season. A blind squirrel will find a nut every once and awhile though.

 

The Astros also do not have Springer and Correa in the lineup, which makes a huge difference.

 

We are still projected to finish 61-101, worst record in the mlb

Does anyone actually care about the games or celebrate good games by the players ? Guess I am looking for more of a Future Sox type of atmosphere where people are excited about the youth doing good. I know at this time it's more important for the recent acquisitions to do well in the minors however why is it that every at bat by Moncada was followed in the minor league threads and now that he is up no one seems to care anymore ?

Great analysis Cali. Love the positive vibes, only got a chance to catch some of the game. No doubt it is important to recognize the good times from some of our players that will be here in the future (or will net us a good trade down the line).

 

 

That's our rare winning formula say once out of every 7 games. I fully expect us to lose 6 of 7 the rest of the season. The formula is to once every seven games hit the s*** out of the ball and survive like tonight, 8-5.

Only hope for regular wins is Rodon or Friday's starter dominating a game. Right now here's how I'd rate our team.

Starting pitching: D-minus.

Bullpen: F.

Lineup: D to D-minus.

Defense: D to D-minus.

Baserunning: F.

Managing: D to D-minus.

Who cares about rating the team? We're concerned about the development of the young players that will be part of the rebuild. It was a good game yesterday seeing Moncada, Garcia, Engel, and even Anderson play well.

Engel's catch was amazing. I'm glad I was able to see it as it happened. As soon as McCann his the ball, I said to my wife, "That's gone." We both said something along the lines of "holy s***" when Engel caught it. Even my daughter, who was not really watching the game, said, "He caught that!?"

 

I don't know if his bat will come around, but with his defense and speed he wouldn't need a ton of offense to be a valuable piece.

Yeah, this is the type of win to enjoy with young guys coming through.

To me, the results don't matter, it's about the process. If the process is good and we lose, we're good. If the process is good and we win and we get a worse draft pick, it's worth it. If the process is bad and we get the #1 pick, we're still in trouble.

 

For example: Moncada's second AB is the only one I was able to see. He drew a walk on a full count. I'm glad he drew the walk, because he continues to show patience and a good process -- forcing the pitcher to throw him what he wants. However, what I DIDN'T like were the two swings he took. Both were offspeed pitches, and were strikes belt high and on the outer half. He clearly recognized them as pitches he wanted to hit, but he tried to pull both of them and was way out in front. Keuchel is a junk slinger and a good one, so it's easy to miss the first one. But between the video prep he should have done, Keuchel's reputation, coaching prep that should have happened, and seeing the pitch earlier in the AB, he needed to be able to stay back and try to poke that second strike into RF.

 

He's still learning, and he's already further along than, say, Dayan Viciedo EVER got in the MLB, so I'm not being a debbie downer. Just an example of the stuff I think we should be "rooting for" and/or "concerned about" aside from draft position.

Yeah that catch was incredible. I hope Engel can just learn to get more contact. That kind of defense off the bench would be so valuable.

I was at the game last night...unfortunately I missed the catch and the homer live as I was up in the Fundamentals deck with my kids (who were praised by all the coaches for their fundamentals, so there's that).

 

Still, saw the replay of the catch on the big board. Amazing.

 

The atmosphere at the park was really weird. Quiet. Like real quiet. I was expecting big ovations for, well, almost everyone. But nope.

 

This is a team that jumped all over a Cy Young contender. Forget pitching, that's what's going to do this team in for the rest of the season (except Rodon and hopefully Lopez). But as long as Holland, Shields and Gonzalez are in there, I expect the team to be shellacked a lot. And that's ok, but if they make the games fun by fighting for every run. By improving every game. By doing the little things. By having fun on the field, as hard as that is when you are losing...that's all we can ask for.

 

That's what I saw last night. And it was nice to get a win, even if they are overmatched.

Engel's catch was amazing. I'm glad I was able to see it as it happened. As soon as McCann his the ball, I said to my wife, "That's gone." We both said something along the lines of "holy s***" when Engel caught it. Even my daughter, who was not really watching the game, said, "He caught that!?"

 

I don't know if his bat will come around, but with his defense and speed he wouldn't need a ton of offense to be a valuable piece.

 

I said it in the game thread, but his route to the ball was almost as perfect as his technique to get to the ball once he got to the fence. He looked like he was actually fairly shallow and in slightly into left center when that ball was hit. His route to the ball was straight as an arrow to the spot where the ball was hit.

 

I really hope that Engel can hit at all, because he is a near GG level CF.

To me, the results don't matter, it's about the process. If the process is good and we lose, we're good. If the process is good and we win and we get a worse draft pick, it's worth it. If the process is bad and we get the #1 pick, we're still in trouble.

 

For example: Moncada's second AB is the only one I was able to see. He drew a walk on a full count. I'm glad he drew the walk, because he continues to show patience and a good process -- forcing the pitcher to throw him what he wants. However, what I DIDN'T like were the two swings he took. Both were offspeed pitches, and were strikes belt high and on the outer half. He clearly recognized them as pitches he wanted to hit, but he tried to pull both of them and was way out in front. Keuchel is a junk slinger and a good one, so it's easy to miss the first one. But between the video prep he should have done, Keuchel's reputation, coaching prep that should have happened, and seeing the pitch earlier in the AB, he needed to be able to stay back and try to poke that second strike into RF.

 

He's still learning, and he's already further along than, say, Dayan Viciedo EVER got in the MLB, so I'm not being a debbie downer. Just an example of the stuff I think we should be "rooting for" and/or "concerned about" aside from draft position.

 

Does anyone actually care about the games or celebrate good games by the players ? Guess I am looking for more of a Future Sox type of atmosphere where people are excited about the youth doing good. I know at this time it's more important for the recent acquisitions to do well in the minors however why is it that every at bat by Moncada was followed in the minor league threads and now that he is up no one seems to care anymore ?

 

I want all of the players who will be on the 2020 team to do well and I also want them to lose every single game for the rest of the season. You can cheer for both of those things

To me, the results don't matter, it's about the process. If the process is good and we lose, we're good. If the process is good and we win and we get a worse draft pick, it's worth it. If the process is bad and we get the #1 pick, we're still in trouble.

 

For example: Moncada's second AB is the only one I was able to see. He drew a walk on a full count. I'm glad he drew the walk, because he continues to show patience and a good process -- forcing the pitcher to throw him what he wants. However, what I DIDN'T like were the two swings he took. Both were offspeed pitches, and were strikes belt high and on the outer half. He clearly recognized them as pitches he wanted to hit, but he tried to pull both of them and was way out in front. Keuchel is a junk slinger and a good one, so it's easy to miss the first one. But between the video prep he should have done, Keuchel's reputation, coaching prep that should have happened, and seeing the pitch earlier in the AB, he needed to be able to stay back and try to poke that second strike into RF.

 

He's still learning, and he's already further along than, say, Dayan Viciedo EVER got in the MLB, so I'm not being a debbie downer. Just an example of the stuff I think we should be "rooting for" and/or "concerned about" aside from draft position.

 

White Sox Dave posted a good blog yesterday pointing out how Moncada has actually sprayed the ball to all fields, and hasn't tried to pull things in general. This is a good sign. He's also swung at less pitches outside the zone than the major league average. For basically his first few months in the big leagues, I think this is good.

White Sox Dave posted a good blog yesterday pointing out how Moncada has actually sprayed the ball to all fields, and hasn't tried to pull things in general. This is a good sign. He's also swung at less pitches outside the zone than the major league average. For basically his first few months in the big leagues, I think this is good.

 

Yeah, definitely.

Does anyone actually care about the games or celebrate good games by the players ? Guess I am looking for more of a Future Sox type of atmosphere where people are excited about the youth doing good. I know at this time it's more important for the recent acquisitions to do well in the minors however why is it that every at bat by Moncada was followed in the minor league threads and now that he is up no one seems to care anymore ?

 

I'm following every Moncada AB, usually stopping what I'm doing or turning on MLB.tv just for them. That said, Eloy Jimenez has stole my heart. He's the Besssssssssssssssss

I said it in the game thread, but his route to the ball was almost as perfect as his technique to get to the ball once he got to the fence. He looked like he was actually fairly shallow and in slightly into left center when that ball was hit. His route to the ball was straight as an arrow to the spot where the ball was hit.

 

I really hope that Engel can hit at all, because he is a near GG level CF.

 

Mike Trout's physical tools baby

Mike Trout's physical tools baby

 

Million dollar tools, 10 cent swing.

I'll take the win when we can get em because they don't happen much. I sure as s*** didn't think they would thump Dallas like that, but that's baseball. Gotta love it.

 

Plus, after all the Q rumors with the Stros I love the thought of how the rebuilding White Sox went out and thumped their ace. I take the moral victory even if only for a day.

Moncada is hitting .185 but has a .343 OBP. He is going to be really good.