Reynaldo Lopez piled up the strikeouts as Triple-A Charlotte topped Gwinnett, 5-4, in walk-off fashion on Sunday.

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JULY 17, 2017 Sunday's best: Lopez piles up strikeouts for Charlotte William Boor, MLB.com Gonzalez returns from DL to face Dodgers Glenn Sattell, Special to MLB.com Need for speed: Hanson, Engel bring the jets Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com Sox let 5-run lead slip in sweep by Mariners Fabian Ardaya and Scott Chasen, MLB.com Derek Holland made a great behind-the-back grab and then tossed his glove to first base Eric Chesterton, Cut4 Avi continues hot 2nd half start with 2 HRs Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com In My Words: Kopech taking it 'day by day' Michael Kopech, Special to MLB.com He Wants to Stay in Chicago, but Anthony Swarzak Has Pitched His Way into Trade Buzz for Rebuilding White Sox Vinnie Duber, CSN Chicago Report: Yankees, Red Sox Scout Todd Frazier, David Robertson on Sunday CSN Staff, CSN Chicago Post-Quintana Sweep Shows How Rough Life Could be for 2017 White Sox After Trade Deadline Vinnie Duber, CSN Chicago Mistake-prone White Sox blow five-run lead, get swept by Mariners Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune Melky Cabrera seems to be flying under trade-deadline radar Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune 9 questions with Todd Frazier: Hidden talents, strangest fan request, more Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune White Sox rebuild taking root in Charlotte and Birmingham Dan McGrath, Chicago Tribune MORRISSEY: With 3 teams rebuilding, how much losing can Chicago take? Rick Morrissey, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox Frazier could be bound for 3B-needy Red Sox Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox let early five-run lead get away, fall to Mariners in 10 Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun-Times Rebuilding White Sox like foundation Renteria is setting as first-year manager Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Mariners complete three-game sweep against White Sox Scot Gregor, Daily Herald By the numbers: White Sox waste five-run lead, two-homer day from Avisail Garcia James Fegan, The Athletic Rick Renteria: White Sox Way Or The Highway Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago Cruz Homers In 10th, Sends Mariners Over White Sox 7-6 Associated Press Sunday's best: Lopez piles up strikeouts for Charlotte By William Boor / MLB.com July 16, 2017 Reynaldo Lopez piled up the strikeouts as Triple-A Charlotte topped Gwinnett, 5-4, in walk-off fashion on Sunday. Lopez, the No. 36 overall prospect, fired 66 of his 99 pitches for strikes as he generated a season-high 12 strikeouts and yielded just two hits in seven innings of one-run ball. The White Sox No. 6 prospect was stuck with a no-decision as the Knights bullpen blew a ninth-inning lead, but that doesn't diminish Lopez's brilliant performance. "He was very good," Charlotte pitching coach Steve McCatty told MiLB.com. "His changeup was good and he had a live fastball. When he got ahead, he used his change well. His offspeed got better as the game went along. I thought he pitched a real nice game. He's a young guy who's learning how to pitch and about what he does well. He didn't force things and did a very good job of controlling the game." The 23-year-old righty got off to a fast start, retiring the first 11 batters he faced, seven via strikeout. In total, Lopez recorded at least one strikeout in six of his seven innings and had multiple strikeouts in five frames. After illustrating strong command through six, Lopez's command wavered a bit in the seventh as he issued two walks and gave up a run via a wild pitch. However, with two on and two out Lopez was able to escape the jam with a strikeout, concluding his fourth straight quality start. Other top prospect performances from Sunday's action: No. 8 overall prospect Eloy Jimenez (White Sox No. 2) put together his first multihit game since joining Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. Jimenez, who is 4-for-10 in three games with the White Sox organization, doubled and went 2- for-3 with three RBIs.

2 No. 10 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers (Rockies No. 1) is starting to heat up for Double-A Hartford. Rodgers got off to a slow start with the Yard Goats, but went 1-for-3 with a homer in the win over Trenton and has hit three homers over his past two games. After hitting.174 through his first six games at the Double-A level, Rodgers has boosted his average to.257 through 18 contests. No. 30 overall prospect Blake Rutherford (Yankees No. 3) came up big with a clutch two-run homer in the ninth inning of Class A Charleston's 2-1 win over Lakewood. Not only did Rutherford lift his club to victory, but he also extended his hitting streak to 11 games as part of his 2-for-4 performance. No. 76 overall prospect Delvin Perez (Cardinals No. 4) collected a season-high three hits for the Rookie-level GCL Cardinals. Perez, 18, is off to a slow start this season, hitting.190 through 18 games, but may be on the verge of turning it around. Perez finished 3-for-4 with a triple and has a hit in four straight games. No. 100 overall prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres No. 5) got back on track with a 2-for-4 game for Class A Fort Wayne. After going 0-for-12 over the past three games, Tatis began the game with a groundout, but broke out of his slump with a fourth-inning double and then hit a three-run homer in the sixth. Angels No. 9 prospect David Fletcher appears to be adjusting quite well to life with Triple-A Salt Lake as he stuffed the box score, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two stolen bases in a loss to Sacramento. After hitting.276 in 64 games with Double-A Mobile, Fletcher was promoted to Salt Lake, where he is 4-for-8 through two games. Marlins No. 4 prospect Dillon Peters spun his second straight scoreless start as he went 4 2/3 innings for Class A Advanced Jupiter. Peters threw 47 of his 71 pitches for strikes, striking out four and giving up just three hits. The 24-yearold has a 1.54 ERA across six starts this season and has given up one earned run or less in each outing. Orioles No. 7 prospect Austin Hays showed off his power with his third multihomer game of the season. Hays, who has 22 homers across two levels, went deep twice in Double-A Bowie's win over Altoona. Hays also extended his hitting streak to eight games with the 2-for-5, four-rbi performance. Red Sox No. 8 prospect Josh Ockimey collected a pair of extra-base hits, including a walk-off homer in Class A Advanced Salem's 12-inning win over Carolina. Ockimey, who finished 3-for-6, gave Salem a one-run lead with an RBI double and then ended the game as he led off the 12th with his 10th homer of the season. Phillies No. 14 prospect Adonis Medina put together one of his best starts this season for Class A Lakewood. Medina pitched six scoreless innings, notching seven strikeouts and giving up just three hits and no walks. The 20-year-old has a 3.32 ERA through 15 starts and has strung together five quality starts in his past six outings. Phillies No. 22 prospect Carlos Tocci had been hitless in four of his past five games with Double-A Reading, but snapped out of his funk with a season-high four hits. Tocci singled in each of his first four at-bats before grounding out and finishing the game 4-for-5. Rays No. 11 prospect Garrett Whitley collected his fourth three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Class A Bowling Green. Whitley had a pair of extra-base hits in the game as he doubled in the third and hit a two-run homer, his eighth, in the fifth. Rockies No. 12 prospect Tyler Nevin filled up the box score with a career-high four hits for Class A Nashville. Nevin, hitting.241 this season, went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and a trio of RBIs. Royals No. 3 prospect Eric Skoglund picked up his third win of the season after throwing seven innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Omaha. Skoglund, who has given up one earned run in four of his past five starts, gave up nine hits in the outing, but struck out seven and didn't issue a walk as he threw 74 of his 102 pitches for strikes. Yankees No. 19 prospect Ian Clarkin lowered his ERA to 2.61 with another quality start for Class A Advanced Tampa. Clarkin, 22, struck out seven and gave up two runs in seven innings. The lefty has thrown the ball well in July, giving up four earned runs across 19 innings (three starts). Gonzalez returns from DL to face Dodgers By Glenn Sattell / Special to MLB.com July 16, 2017

3 The Dodgers and White Sox open a short two-game series in Chicago on Tuesday. The two franchises have been a Major League staple. The Dodgers date all the way back to the late 1800s in Brooklyn, while the White Stockings sprung up in Both franchises have played for more than 100 years, but only 27 games against each other, mostly after the implementation of Interleague play. The teams first met in the 1959 World Series when the Dodgers claimed the title in six games. The teams first got together during the regular season in 2003 with the White Sox taking two of three games. They haven't played each other since Chicago took two of three in '14. The White Sox hold a advantage all-time over the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers in his first appearance since the All-Star break. He'll be opposed on the hill by White Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who makes his first start since going on the disabled list with A/C joint inflammation in mid-june. Kershaw has won 10 straight decisions. Three things to know about this game Gonzalez dropped three consecutive decisions in June before going on the DL. He gave up 25 hits, including five home runs, over 15 2/3 innings as his ERA swelled to Kershaw earned the win the last time the Dodgers beat the White Sox. On June 2, 2014, Kershaw went eight innings of two-run, four-hit ball, striking out nine in a 5-2 win at Dodger Stadium. Gonzalez has never faced the Dodgers, but over his career he has pitched to two current players on the roster: Chris Taylor has four hits in seven at-bats (.571), while Logan Forsythe has four hits in 16 trips to the plate (.250). Need for speed: Hanson, Engel bring the jets By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com July 16, 2017 CHICAGO -- White Sox manager Rick Renteria has said he often considers himself and his coaching staff to be teachers during the organization's rebuild. What he can't teach, however, is speed and athleticism. General manager Rick Hahn has done his part to add those into the roster as of late, adding a pair of speed-driven players to the 25-man roster over the last month and a half to change the dynamic of Renteria's lineup. "I think it opens it up and how the opposing club looks at you," Renteria said. "They see the speed out there, and they anticipate certain actions at times." White Sox center fielder Adam Engel, the team's No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was recalled and made his Major League debut on May 26. A couple weeks later, on June 9, Hahn went and claimed Alen Hanson off waivers from the Pirates to serve as a utility man. The two now rank as the club's two fastest players, according to the new Statcast sprint speed metric, which measures the players' top sprint speed on the basepaths in terms of feet per second. Each also ranks among the game's fastest players, with Engel tied for 12th in the metric at 29.2 ft./sec and Hanson tied for 21st at 28.8 ft./sec. The pair has often found themselves together near the top or bottom of the lineup, giving a burst of speed that's been missing particularly as other speedsters such as Leury Garcia and Charlie Tilson deal with injury. It provides lineup flexibility for Renteria, giving him players who have gotten on base since arriving in Chicago -- each has an on-base percentage near.330 with the White Sox -- and wreaked havoc. "I've been taught from a young age that there's two types of guys in a lineup: guys who score runs, and guys who drive in runs," Engel said. "I would say both of us fall into the category of guys who score runs, not that we can't drive in runs. Our main job is to get on base and try to score runs and try to set the table for the guys behind us." The pair's speed on the basepaths has changed the way opponents defend them, they said. Now, each move is magnified with an even smaller margin for error than is usually allowed at the Major League level. "On our side, when we face teams with a lot of fast runners, we're always trying to be aware of any situation, knowing you can't make any mistakes," Hanson said through interpreter Billy Russo. "You have to be ready for them to take off. That's a lot of pressure for the defense, and for the pitcher, too. Now that we have that advantage, we're trying to use it."

4 It's been a factor defensively, as well. Hanson ranks second in sprint speed among second basemen, his official position, but has also allowed Renteria even more flexibility with his ability to play multiple positions, including the outfield. Engel has primarily found himself in center field, where he's tied for ninth with those at that position in terms of sprint speed and has made an impact on Renteria. "Engy, he's a pretty gifted center fielder," Renteria said. "His routes are clean, he's got good foot speed, he's able to track balls down here and everywhere we've been playing." Sox let 5-run lead slip in sweep by Mariners By Fabian Ardaya and Scott Chasen / MLB.com July 16, 2017 CHICAGO -- Nelson Cruz's second game-winning homer in two games lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 7-6 extra-inning win and a series sweep over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday. Chicago, who trailed 6-5 at the seventh-inning stretch, knotted things up with Jose Abreu's RBI double down the left field line off Steve Cishek to score Alen Hanson. After Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson shut down Seattle in the eighth and ninth to force extras, Chris Beck allowed the go-ahead homer to Cruz, the first batter he faced in the 10th. Cruz, whose two-run homer in the sixth on Saturday secured a 4-3 win, took a 3-0 fastball from Beck and laced it over the leftfield wall. The ball traveled 352 feet, according to Statcast. "Just location, you know? Something you can drive," Cruz said, of what he was looking for with a 3-0 count. "It's not every time you're going to get it, but definitely looking for something you can put damage on." White Sox left-hander Derek Holland's ERA since the start of June entering Sunday was the worst among qualified Major League starters. It dropped, but only slightly, to Holland got an early 5-0 boost and was cruising through four innings before a four-run fifth allowed Seattle to come back and tie it. He left after 5 2/3 innings with the bases loaded in a 5-5 game. Anthony Swarzak, who gave up the go-ahead homer in Saturday's 4-3 loss, allowed the go-ahead run to score on a wild pitch. "It's frustrating," Holland said. "I think it was a better pitching performance than obviously the line said. One pitch [the tying home run to Danny Valencia] is what really killed me." Mariners rookie right-hander Andrew Moore had the shortest outing of his young career, giving up five runs and three homers over three innings of work after going at least six in each of his first three starts. Moore was taken deep twice by White Sox All-Star Avisail Garcia in the game's first two innings, with the blasts sandwiched around Omar Narvaez's second career homer. "Total team effort. Obviously, Andrew Moore was not on top of his game today," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Thankful for us, we had a pretty rested 'pen." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED King in the South (Side): Garcia had been in a prolonged 1-for-31 slump entering his first career All-Star appearance, in part due to a sore left knee and sprained right middle finger that nagged him. He has come back strong in the second half, and led off the second inning on Sunday with a solo shot driven 422 feet, according to Statcast, to right-center field to open up the scoring against Moore. It was Garcia's first homer this month, and first at home since May 13 against San Diego. Of the first 10 earned runs Moore had allowed in his career, six have come on solo homers. It was the first of two homers for Garcia, his sixth career multi-homer game and first since May 20, coincidentally at Seattle. I think that the All-Star break might have given him a little charge, make him feel a little better," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "We're glad his knee is feeling good and his hand is feeling good, that he's continuing to put together some obviously very good at-bats." Beyond the wall: Holland's struggles since the start of June have been compounded by his tendency to give up the long ball. After Seattle had already scored in the fifth on Jean Segura's sacrifice fly, Valencia took Holland deep to left field for a game-tying three-run shot that went 414 feet, as projected by Statcast. Holland has now given up 13 homers in 36 2/3 innings since the start of June.

5 "I still thought he was attacking the strike zone, he was working in, he was using his breaking ball, keeping it down," Renteria said. "I think if he gets that breaking ball down to Valencia, down below, I think he gets out of that pretty much unscathed." "The home run that Valencia hit was huge," Servais said. "That's the one that got us back totally in the game. "I like hitting him in the two-hole against the lefties. He adds the power dimension there. But the at-bats are good and I think his defense at first base really goes underrated." QUOTABLE "I'm getting faster, yeah. That one hurt a little bit after I touch third base. Yesterday was before [third]. So it's getting better" -- Cruz, joking about his slow trot around the bases "I've never done that, actually. When I caught it, I felt like it was heavier than normal when you catch a ball, so that's where I was freaking out a little bit, what to do. I just ran over and gave him my glove." -- Holland, on getting the ball stuck in his glove on a comebacker in the fourth inning SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Sunday was the first extra-inning game at Guaranteed Rate Field for the White Sox this season and first for Chicago since a 2-1 win on May 19, coincidentally against Seattle. As for the Mariners' last sweep over the Sox, you'd have to go back a little further. The club's last sweep of three-plus games at Guaranteed Rate Field came in 2003, just two years after Servais retired from the sport. "You obviously want to win series and sweeps are definitely a bonus," Valencia said. "It's crunch time for us. These next couple weeks will be very telling to see the direction the club decides to go in." WHAT'S NEXT Mariners: The Mariners will continue their road trip on Monday, taking on the Astros for a three-game set at Minute Maid Park. Left-hander Ariel Miranda (7-4, 4.15 ERA) will get the ball for the series opener at 5:10 PT, looking to rebound from a July 5 outing in which he gave up six runs in five innings to the Royals. White Sox: The White Sox will have Monday off before hosting the Dodgers for a two-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field. Miguel Gonzalez (4-8, 5.15 ERA) will make his first start Tuesday since coming off the 10-day disabled list after dealing with A/C joint inflammation in his right shoulder. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Derek Holland made a great behind-the-back grab and then tossed his glove to first base By Eric Chesterton / Cut4 July 16, 2017 White Sox starting pitcher Derek Holland had a busy day on the mound during Sunday afternoon's 7-6 loss to the Mariners. It started in the first inning when he was spooked by Nelson Cruz's fake mound charge. In the fourth inning, it was Holland's turn to be the protagonist in a highlight. Robinson Cano hit a chopper back to the mound that Holland nonchalantly snared behind his back. All he needed was to flip the ball to first for the first out of the inning. One problem: The ball had taken up permanent residence in Holland's glove, forcing him to improvise. Hollandgloveflip. His glove flip to first forced Jose Abreu to recall the fundamental axiom of catching a baseball he likely learned as a youth: Use both hands to make the catch. Holland talked to MLB.com's Fabian Ardaya after the game: "[The glove]'s broken. I had to switch it up. That was a cool play, but I'm more worried about getting the wins and losses. It's cool to get a nice play like that, especially against a guy like Cano -- sorry, buddy -- but the main thing is we want to get the wins. And today was just not one of those days."

6 Had he done it before in a game? "I've never done that, actually. When I caught it, I felt like it was heavier than normal, when you catch a ball, so that's where I was freaking out a little bit, what to do. I just ran over and gave him my glove. It went right through the web, it was stuck in between it, broke the lacing. Just got stuck. I saw (Jon) Lester do that before, too. Just one of those things, it's cool." Avi continues hot 2nd half start with 2 HRs By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com July 16, 2017 CHICAGO -- Avisail Garcia called his All-Star appearance in Miami life-changing. In Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss against Seattle, he showed he's still the same dominant force, with his second multi-homer game of the season. It was the sixth multi-homer game of Garcia's career and first since May 20, when he homered twice at Safeco Field, also against the Mariners in a 16-1 win. Garcia knocked both homers in the first three innings off Mariners starter Andrew Moore, continuing his hot start to the second half of the season after a sore left knee and a sprained right middle finger caused him to go 1-for-31 entering the break. Healthy and rejuvenated from his time in Miami, Garcia went 5-for-13 over three games - including Sunday's 2-for-5 performance -- with a pair of homers against Seattle to open the season's second half. "I think that the All-Star break might have given him a little charge, made him feel a little better," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "We're glad his knee is feeling good and his hand is feeling good, that he's continuing to put together some obviously very good at-bats." The 26-year-old right fielder led off the second inning by taking Moore's first pitch, an 80.4-mph slider, 422 feet to right center field, as projected by Statcast, to open up the scoring. It was his first homer since June 20, and first at Guaranteed Rate Field since May 13 against the Padres. He came up again with one out in the third and Jose Abreu on first base and drove a 3-1 changeup to left field, admiring his shot as it traveled 415 feet, as projected by Statcast, to extend Chicago's lead to 5-0. "Staying and tracking on baseballs when they leave them where they shouldn't, putting a pretty good swing on them," Renteria said of the homers. "He's a pretty strong guy." Garcia has now tied his career high with 13 homers this season, matching his entire 2015 total in just 81 games. He's five away from matching his career-best of 59 RBIs, also from 2015, and his.313 average and.867 OPS are both well above his career averages. After a career-shifting performance in the first half of the season, Garcia said he's determined to show his first 3 1/2 months and trip to the All-Star Game were no fluke. "It's big," Garcia said. "I had fun over there, enjoyed my days over there. It's time to get ready, two more months in the second half. I'm trying to help my team win [and keep it going.]" Renteria said he's seen a changed Garcia all season, and that Sunday's outburst was an indicator his elevated performance was here to stay. "He's a young man who's continuing to mature and get more and more comfortable in his own skin," Renteria said. "The confidence that comes with becoming an All-Star certainly plays a part in that. I think it's something he's going to be able to build upon and keep moving forward and hopefully it's a part of who he's going to become perpetually moving forward." In My Words: Kopech taking it 'day by day' White Sox top pitching prospect working hard at Double-A Birmingham By Michael Kopech / Special to MLB.com July 17, 2017 I'll be honest, it's difficult not to think about playing in the big leagues. You wish you were there right now. So the big thing for me is trying to stay in the moment. At the All-Star Futures Game in Miami, I said something that I needed to hear for myself as much as anything else. I also figured other players in similar situations could benefit from it as well.

7 I said, "If you take it day by day, you could win the day. If you win a day, you could win a week. If you win a week, you could win a month. If you win a month, you could win the year. If you win each one of those things every time, you're going to reach your goal." Right now, taking it day by day is the best approach for me. Obviously, I want to think about what might be a year from now, but I can't get to that point if I don't win today. I got a taste of the big league experience by pitching in the Futures Game at Marlins Park. It was the first time I pitched in front of a crowd that big. Coming out of the bullpen, the first thing you see is an upper deck that's full. I'm not even used to pitching in stadiums that have upper decks. I looked up once, and when I saw how many people were there, I looked down and never looked up again until I got to the mound. I was nervous, but once I threw the first pitch, it was back to normal. I treated it as a regular game until Yoan Moncada stepped into the box. Before the game, I told him not to take the bat off his shoulder so I could look good on TV. I threw him some good pitches to strike him out. I was excited to be there and represent the White Sox. It makes me want to work harder. I have work to do. I'm not satisfied with what I've done this year in Double-A Birmingham. I got off to a good start and then struggled a bit. I wasn't where I needed to be mentally. I was carrying one bad outing into the next and trying to do too much. It messed up my mechanics. I never really played a full season until this year. I have to realize you're going to have some so-so starts during a long season. I have to put it behind me and focus on the next one. I'm looking to finish strong so I can call it a good year. I know Sox fans are excited about all the young prospects in the system. We're just as excited to get to Chicago and help the White Sox win. My goal is to get to the big leagues. If that's tomorrow, three years from now, or somewhere in between, that's not in my control. What I control is being prepared to compete every time I step on the mound. Just try to win the day. As told to Ed Sherman. He Wants to Stay in Chicago, but Anthony Swarzak Has Pitched His Way into Trade Buzz for Rebuilding White Sox By Vinnie Duber / CSN Chicago July 16, 2017 It s like 1977 all over again on the South Side, because all anyone is talking about is rumors. (Get it? Like Rumours? The Fleetwood Mac album? Nothing? Fine.) After this week s shocking blockbuster trade that sent Jose Quintana across town to the Cubs, it s assumed that a mass exodus has begun, with the White Sox expected to be nowhere near close to finished dealing productive veterans for minor league assets that could help in their rebuilding efforts. Todd Frazier s name has been all over the internet for the past few days, the baseball world almost making it a foregone conclusion that he ll soon be shipped to the Boston Red Sox. Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal went as far as saying a deal between the two seems seems almost inevitable. Strangely, Melky Cabrera hasn t been mentioned in any rumors, but he showed why he probably should be by picking up four hits and his major league leading eighth outfield assist in Saturday night s game against the visiting Seattle Mariners. But perhaps the most likely trade candidates are in the White Sox bullpen, particularly at the back end, which has been pretty darn strong in David Robertson has veteran experience and plenty of postseason experience, too, from his days with the New York Yankees, including a World Series ring from But setup guys Anthony Swarzak and Tommy Kahnle have been mentioned as guys who could be moved, too. As good as Robertson s been, both Swarzak (2.51) and Kahnle (2.57) have lower ERAs.

8 All three were on display Saturday night, and aside from Swarzak surrendering a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz, the first batter he faced, the trio was lights out, retiring all but one of the final 12 batters of the game and that one was cut down in a double play. It was more of the same from the three most important pieces of the White Sox relief corps, who turned in a stellar first half, stellar enough to throw their names into midseason trade talk. We all take a lot of pride in it, we all work really hard. And it s good to see everything kind of coming together for individual guys down there right now, Swarzak said. Swarzak, statistically, has been the best of the bunch, and it s why he s been listed alongside Frazier and Robertson as a guy who could fetch something of value in a trade-deadline deal. Robertson is a closer, something contenders pay premiums for seemingly every season around this time, but there are contenders in need of help throughout the bullpen. The Washington Nationals instantly come to mind, a first-place team with the worst relief ERA in baseball. Swarzak made it clear he doesn t want to leave the South Side but admitted that there s a little bit of a silver lining to being mentioned in trade buzz it means you ve been pitching well. We all want to win now and win here, Swarzak said. If your name s being talked about, that s always good. But at the same time, it d be nice to win here in Chicago. These fans are great, these coaches are great, the players are great, and we just want to kind of bring it all together. I know we ve got the talent to do it in this room, we ve just got to keep getting the reps together. So hopefully they can keep us together and maybe we can win a few more games. If not, that s how it is, and guys will go on and do great things elsewhere. Much like the discussion around Quintana, there are some caveats with guys like Swarzak and Kahnle that maybe don t apply to guys like Frazier and Cabrera. The White Sox could opt to hang onto these relievers and use them to construct their bullpen of the future. But at the same time, an opportunity exists to add a younger piece that could help the team when the rebuild reaches its apex. Rick Hahn & Co. will have to think about that with Swarzak, a guy who has really figured things out this season, sporting a 2.51 ERA through 36 appearances with the White Sox after turning in a 4.52 ERA in his first seven major league seasons. I think that I ve made tremendous strides over the last few years, Swarzak said. This year, the results are there to back up the hard work. That s always promising and reassuring because you re starting to trust the process and realize that you re heading in the right direction. I want to keep it going. We ve got a lot of baseball left, and if I have a bad second half, that kind of negates everything I did in the first half. I just want to keep pitching well and hopefully keep the ball in the ballpark. "Anthony has done a great job for us," manager Rick Renteria said Saturday. "I think he s grown into a high-leverage situation guy. But he s been very effective. We gradually used him early in the season. He showed that he could do it. He s commanded the zone. Stayed down in the zone. Used his slider very effectively. Hasn t been rattled by too much. We've tried to put him in situations.... I think he s been able to run with the opportunity he s been given and showed the whole world that he s capable of doing high-leverage situations very effectively." Like the rest of the team, Swarzak isn t necessarily worried about trade buzz on a daily basis. Renteria praised his players handling of all the noise ahead of Saturday s game, and they ll only have to keep that up over the next few weeks. We re trying to take care of what we can take care of, Swarzak said. You can only control so much in this game as a player, and what we can control is in between those lines. That s really what we re all trying to focus on. We re all trying to get better as a group and win as a group. It s unfortunate when we lose a piece like Jose to a trade, but that s the business we ve chosen, that s the game today. If it happens, it happens. Report: Yankees, Red Sox Scout Todd Frazier, David Robertson on Sunday By CSN Staff / CSN Chicago July 16, 2017 Among the 24,502 at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday were scouts for both the Red Sox and Yankees, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

9 Heyman reported that the rival teams are interested in White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier and closer David Robertson. Frazier, who has been rumored to be on the move for the last few days, is seen as a solid fit for a Boston team that is struggling at the hot corner. Per Fox's Ken Rosenthal, a deal sending the 31-year-old power hitter to Boston "seems almost inevitable." Whether David Robertson is packaged in that trade remains to be seen, but he is also drawing strong interest from another A.L. East team. The Yankees, Robertson's former team, need help in the back-end of their bullpen due to Aroldis Chapman's slow first half and health questions. Robertson held a 2.81 ERA over seven seasons in the Bronx before signing with the White Sox. Post-Quintana Sweep Shows How Rough Life Could be for 2017 White Sox After Trade Deadline By Vinnie Duber / CSN Chicago July 16, 2017 Very few folks gave the White Sox bad reviews for the Jose Quintana trade. Rick Hahn s front office shipped out the team s best pitcher earlier this week in a shocking crosstown swap that sent the 2016 All-Star hurler to the Cubs in exchange for that organization s top two prospects. From the standpoint of the White Sox rebuild, it was a stellar move, the latest from Hahn, who also brought huge return packages of prospects back in offseason deals involving Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. And more is expected. As the trade deadline approaches, several veteran White Sox have had their names brought up as trade candidates: third baseman Todd Frazier, relief pitchers David Robertson, Anthony Swarzak and Tommy Kahnle and perhaps even outfielder Melky Cabrera. While the deals that have already happened and the deals that could follow have been great news for the farm system and the team s future, the first series following the Quintana trade offered a grim picture of what things could look like after the team s top performers are sent out of town. Sunday s 7-6 loss to the visiting Seattle Mariners ended a sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox 0-3 in their first three games after Quintana was traded. Off the field, the White Sox have explained their feelings on Quintana s departure: It s part of the game. It s part of the business. And surely they do feel that way. But on the field, at least the timing of these three results just didn t look so hot. It s always hard when we lose a teammate and a good person, outfielder Avisail Garcia said. But it s part of the game. We re here today. We don t know tomorrow. Of course, the White Sox were a last-place team when Quintana was traded, and the organization s announced rebuild has been ongoing for several months. It s not like dealing away the ace of the starting staff signaled some bold new direction that hadn t already been understood. But with Quintana dealt, trading season is officially on on the South Side, and that means manager Rick Renteria and his players have been answering questions about more rumors and more deals for the past three days. It means they ll continue to get asked those questions for the next few weeks. And to add to the visual, Quintana made his Cubs debut Sunday, turning in a spectacular performance, allowing just three hits and striking out 12 in seven shutout innings. That was vintage Quintana, the kind of performance that, albeit quietly, made him one of the American League s top pitchers over the past several seasons. I haven t sensed that the guys are down, Renteria said. Their friend, their teammate who threw very well today, obviously, in Baltimore they re pulling for him. They know that the game of baseball has elements that not everybody likes. You would like everybody to be on the same team as long as possible, but change occurs and they re pulling for him. That kind of pitcher no longer exists on the White Sox starting staff. The team is hoping one day soon that guys like Carlos Rodon and Michael Kopech and others can lead a fearsome rotation. As of now, it s a patchwork quilt of the guys we saw this weekend. James Shields gave up four runs and watched his ERA balloon to 5.10 in Friday s loss. Mike

10 Pelfrey couldn t make it five innings in Saturday s loss and now owns a 4.64 ERA. Derek Holland gave up five earned runs in Sunday s loss, his ERA now sitting at 5.18 after blowing a 5-0 lead. And what about in the bullpen? If Robertson, Swarzak and Kahnle all get traded, who's next in line? Chris Beck? He gave up the game-winning home run to Nelson Cruz in the 10th inning Sunday. Again, these kinds of things were happening before Quintana was traded, and his absence alone won t change a trajectory that already had the White Sox heading toward a last-place finish in the AL Central standings. But without him, the present-day positives become more difficult to locate, and the focus will increase even more on what s going on down in the minor leagues, where the future of this team is growing. As for the guys who will play the remainder of the team s 2017 schedule, they have to continue to go about their business knowing that Quintana won t be coming back and that others are likely to follow him out the door. We wish Q the best, obviously. We re talking about him leaving, and we saw him perform very well today, too, so you ve got to give hats off to him, Holland said. But at the same time, we can t get caught up in those kinds of things. We ve still got to play the game whether we lose a guy or we gain a guy, whatever it is we ve still got to show up every single day. To get caught up in something like that, it s just not right. It takes away from your teammates, too, it shows you re not focused. The outcomes (this weekend) didn t go the way we wanted to. Look at how each game was, they were close. We re doing the right things, got to keep plugging away. Things are going to change, can t get caught up in that kind of stuff. Mistake-prone White Sox blow five-run lead, get swept by Mariners By Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune July 16, 2017 Nelson Cruz lost a 3-0 pitch from Chris Beck in the left-field stands in the 10th inning Sunday afternoon, Derek Holland lost his glove and the White Sox lost another game. And so the beats go on for the Sox, who blew a 5-0 lead and watched their American League-worst record drop to after a comedy of errors in a 7-6 loss to the Mariners, who completed a three-game sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field. The defeat was the Sox's seventh in eight games and 16th in their last 23. "That's the way baseball is," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "It's like life. You have ups and downs. Yeah, we got taken here for three games. It wasn't for lack of effort. "To say that's never going to happen again would be a lie. We want to play good baseball, give ourselves opportunities to win ballgames, certainly at least avoid sweeps." The rebuilding Sox were on the path to do just that after they built an early lead thanks to home runs in back-to-back innings by Avisail Garcia, his 12th and 13th of the lost season. Garcia's solo shot to lead off the second came two batters before Omar Narvaez hit his first of the season and second of his career to stake the Sox to a 3-0 lead. Garcia, who had one hit in his last 31 at-bats before the All-Star break which was no break for the team's lone All-Star has five in 13 at-bats since. He made another Andrew Moore pitch disappear in the third, this one good for two runs and a 5-0 lead. But not good enough for a victory. The Mariners' first run came courtesy of Kyle Seager's solo home run in the fourth, which began with Sox starter Derek Holland's behind-the-back snag of Robinson Cano's screaming bouncer. With the ball lodged in the webbing of his glove, Holland tossed it to Jose Abreu at first for the out, but the webbing in the glove broke, forcing Holland to go to his backup. "It's cool to get a nice play like that, especially against a guy like Cano sorry, buddy but the main thing is we want to get the wins. And today was just not one of those days," Holland said.

11 Shortstop Tim Anderson's major league-worst 21st error in the fifth inning on a bad flip to second base loaded the bases with Mariners, who responded by scoring four runs, including a three-run home run by Danny Valencia to tie the score 5-5. "One pitch is what really killed me," Holland said. "(Narvaez) was like, 'Maybe we should've went somewhere else.' But if I make that pitch, everybody's looking at it like, 'Wow, that was a great pitch.'" Defensive woes cost the Sox again in the sixth, when center fielder Alen Hanson made two errors on one play to put runners on second and third before Holland walked No. 9 hitter Taylor Motter to load the bases. That spelled the end for Holland. Reliever Anthony Swarzak's wild pitch allowed Guillermo Heredia to score, putting the Mariners ahead 6-5. Hanson began to atone for his mistakes when he led off the seventh with a double and scored on Jose Abreu's double to make it 6-6. But the Sox didn't score again. "Everybody's grinding, everyone wants to do their best," said Garcia, out of breath after a postgame workout. "Sometimes it comes your way, sometimes not. It's baseball, anything can happen." Melky Cabrera seems to be flying under trade-deadline radar By Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune July 16, 2017 Despite his ability to deliver offensively and defensively, White Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera's name has been all but left out of trade rumors as the July 31 deadline nears. Cabrera is batting.289 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs to go with.755 OPS in the final year of a three-year, $42 million deal. Cabrera had four hits Saturday, to go with his baseball-best eighth outfield assist. He had another Sunday as rumors intensified about third baseman Todd Frazier and possibly closer David Robertson being traded to the Red Sox. "I don't think about it," said Cabrera, who is hitting.357 this month. "My focus is just to come here every day and play baseball the best way that I can do it. I would like to stay here, but that's not a decision for me to make." The 32-year-old has injected life into the clubhouse and is known for his many secret handshakes. Not in his job description, though, is pseudo general manager. "(The front office) are the ones that know what decisions to make," he said. All eyes on 'Q': Jose Quintana's name was on the video board in right field at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday as the starting pitcher for the Cubs. The left-hander was dealt from the White Sox last week, and manager Rick Renteria said he'd be keeping an eye on that board to track Quintana's first start in a Cubs uniform. The Cubs scored four runs in the second inning against the Orioles, surpassing the run support per nine innings (3.95) Quintana received the last four seasons. "I'm sure I will (be watching)," Renteria said. "We wish him a lot of success. He's a tremendous competitor, tremendous human being." Quintana struck out 12, walked none and allowed no runs and three hits in seven innings. He said it: "He attacks the strike zone, devastating breaking ball. Commands his fastball. He's able to pitch to both sides of the plate effectively. Then he has that hesitation in his delivery that throws hitters off a little." Renteria on Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, whom the Sox will face Tuesday. 9 questions with Todd Frazier: Hidden talents, strangest fan request, more Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune July 17, 2017

12 White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier was game to answer some questions about the lighter side of life. What do you want to do after you retire from baseball? One of my dreams is to be a high school basketball or baseball coach. Hopefully somebody will take me so I could teach the kids the right way to play. I think that would be pretty nice to do for five or 10 years. Why do you wear No. 21? I wore 21 when I played Pop Warner, and Paul O'Neill was my favorite player growing up and he wore it. So it was fortunate that was the number they gave me. Do you have any superstitions? When I was younger in Little League I wouldn't wear my jersey until I was on the field. And I never touch the lines, those types of things. Funniest thing to happen to you on a baseball field? When I was 8 years old, I went No. 2 while on the field and then I had to come in and pitch in an All-Star Game. We ended up losing, let's put it that way. Favorite sports movie? There are so many good ones but I like "The Babe" with John Goodman it is old school. Strangest fan request? I signed a $100 bill. I think it went down in value. Any hidden talents? I can make my belly roll. That's about it, but it's a good one. Dream vacation spot? A dream vacation for me is the Bahamas. I've been there a couple of times. I have to explore outside of the United States a little bit more. Sport other than baseball you'd want to try? Curling. I think that would be pretty sweet. It takes a lot of using your brain and wizardry. Favorite clubhouse pastime? Playing cards after the game and having everybody stay for a couple of hours like we used to do, talking about the game or life in general. White Sox rebuild taking root in Charlotte and Birmingham By Dan McGrath / Chicago Tribune July 17, 2017 A few thousand of us were hanging out at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend watching the White Sox and the Mariners, fifth- and fourth-place teams that will have to hurry to get nowhere this season. After an eventful week in which the White Sox restated their commitment to the future, it might have made more sense to be in Charlotte, where Yoan Moncada is biding his time as the supposed best prospect in baseball and Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Carson Fulmer are auditioning to replace Jose Quintana in the varsity rotation. It's uncomfortably muggy this time of year, but Birmingham is where you will find Michael Kopech's laser beams pushing radar guns into triple digits as the right-hander works at becoming a front-line starter.

13 Travel 30 miles north from Charlotte on I-85 and you will hit Kannapolis, where newly acquired pitcher Dylan Cease has joined top 2017 draftees Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets in the Sox's Carolina League talent incubator. It's another 50 miles to Winston Salem, where Dane Dunning, Zack Collins and Eloy Jimenez are additional bricks in a foundation the Sox are intent on building for sustained success. It worked for the Cubs, whose scorched-earth rebuild required less than five years to produce a World Series champion although the sustained part of the success equation has eluded them this year, payback for an emphasis on hitters that ignored pitchers. The Astros were torn asunder just as thoroughly and they hit the All-Star break as runaway leaders in the American League West, one of two MLB teams with 60 victories. After resisting for years, the Sox junked their grab-bag approach and went young last winter, trading Chris Sale to the Red Sox and Adam Eaton to Nationals for a passel of prospects that had talent evaluators lavishing praise on the suddenly bountiful Sox farm system. More young hopefuls arrived in the Thursday deal that sent Quintana to the Cubs for Jimenez, an admired aspirant whose path to Chicago was blocked by a surplus of outfielders, and Cease, a stuff-laden Tommy John survivor who was a sixthround draft pick in "As an organization, we're in a much better position than we were a year ago," general manager Rick Hahn declared. "Our goal is to accumulate as much talent as we can. We're still in the first stages of the process. And we're very much open for business." Which means third baseman Todd Frazier and closer David Robertson could be in different uniforms by the end of the month. But there's risk involved with consigning the near term to the dust bin. The Sox don't play in mystically appealing Wrigley Field, and their fans are proudly persnickety in their insistence on winning baseball, staying home unless the product meets their standards. The team was 27th among MLB's 30 teams in attendance at the All-Star break, averaging 21,699 fans for 36 home dates. Not many more were watching on television; ratings were a dispiriting 0.8 (or approximately 28,000 homes) for 57 telecasts on CSN. "There may be a side effect, but I think that sells White Sox fans short," Hahn said. "They're smart enough and resolute enough to know what we're trying to accomplish. Our goal is to build a team capable of winning multiple championships." If manager Rick Renteria was experiencing any deja-vu dread, he concealed it well, insisting the emphasis on the future won't detract from the present. "We all work for the White Sox, we all play for the White Sox, and we have to stay committed to doing all the things necessary to win ballgames," he said. "They're all professional. They know what's going on." Renteria was the Cubs manager in in 2014, the final phase of their teardown. They improved by seven games over 2013, played.500 ball from July 19 on and were clearly a team on the rise, but Renteria lost his job when Joe Maddon suddenly and unexpectedly became available. He can breathe easy if he's concerned about history repeating. "Ricky remains the right guy to guide us through this process," Hahn said. "The way he and his staff have us playing the emphasis on fundamentals, the fight we've shown. I think that's one reason our fans will hang with us." Will it work? Who knows, because no one ever does with prospects. For every Kris Bryant, the Cubs have produced a Felix Pie. The Sox once paid big money to lure Joe Borchard away from football, envisioning him as a five-tool, cornerstone outfielder. Stanford Joe was no doubt a better quarterback than he was a hitter. The Sox have chosen a lane and they're committed to it, fully realizing it's not necessarily the safest, surest one. Minutes into his Friday session with reporters, Hahn disclosed that Zack Burdi, a 22-year-old from Downers Grove being groomed as a closer at Triple-A Charlotte, was facing Tommy John surgery and a year's rehabilitation. "This shows you can have the best-laid plans," he said, "and sometimes the baseball gods laugh at you." MORRISSEY: With 3 teams rebuilding, how much losing can Chicago take? White Sox, Bulls and Bears all going young. By Rick Morrissey / Chicago Sun-Times July 16, 2017