WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF AUGUST 27, 2017 'El del Pinonal' goes deep, but Sox fall to Tigers Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com 'El Jalisciense' locked into groove for White Sox Scott Merkin, MLB.com Lopez 'feels good,' eyeing quick return Scott Merkin, MLB.com Right wrist sprain forces Delmonico to DL Oliver Macklin, MLB.com 'Matty B' faces 'Matty D' in Tigers-Sox finale Jason Beck, MLB.com Kopech impresses again for Charlotte David Adler, MLB.com What Carlos Rodon hopes to accomplish by altering his pre-start routine Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago Reynaldo Lopez nears return as Nicky Delmonico goes on the disabled list Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago White Sox fall 6-3 to Tigers as win streak ends at 3 games Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune White Sox place rookie Nicky Delmonico on 10-day disabled list Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson makes special tribute for Players Weekend Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune White Sox Reynaldo Lopez relieved after 50-pitch bullpen session David Just, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox put Delmonico on 10-day DL; Rodon hit hard in loss David Just, Chicago Tribune Rodon roughed up in White Sox's loss to Tigers Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Nearing end of 53rd season, ex-sox manager Lamont still loves the game Scot Gregor, Daily Herald By the numbers: Hot streak ends for White Sox and Carlos Rodon James Fegan, The Athletic Wave of prospect injuries leaves White Sox in a pinch James Fegan, The Athletic 'El del Pinonal' goes deep, but Sox fall to Tigers By Fabian Ardaya and Jason Beck / MLB.com August 26th, 2017 CHICAGO -- "J-Up" and "Miggy" went back-to-back off "Los" as the Detroit Tigers slugged their way past the Chicago White Sox, 6-3, at Guaranteed Rate Field and halted the South Siders' brief three-game winning streak on Saturday. White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon, who went by "Los" for Players Weekend, looked human after a stretch of five consecutive quality starts against teams in postseason contention. Rodon, a pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff, did induce seven swinging strikes and four strikeouts in five frames. But the southpaw allowed seven hard-hit balls -- balls with exit velocity of 95 mph or greater -- including back-to-back homers from Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers the lead in the third. "The changeup was there to Miggy, he just made a good swing," Rodon said. "Good hitter. And then I think that was a 1-1 count to Justin, a fastball I was trying to get in a little more and he made me pay. I left it up." Rodon, who adjusted his pregame warm-up by starting earlier to get his usual third-inning kick in velocity from the get-go, was unable to maintain any level of sharpness. "Today, even after the third inning, we were looking for everything to get back up and [it] didn't quite get there today," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "So hopefully the routine he goes through in his next start will hopefully put him in a better place and we'll be able to see that spike in velocity and crispness that he shows after about three innings, which has been the last 4-5 outings, I think." Tigers starter Buck Farmer, who struck out 11 in 6 1/3 shutout innings his last time at Guaranteed Rate Field, on May 27, allowed three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 frames Saturday. Farmer had "George" -- his birth name -- on the back of his jersey as he picked up his third win. The White Sox runs off "George" came on a two-run blast by Yolmer Sanchez, otherwise known as "El del Pinonal," and an RBI double by Tim Anderson, who is honoring his late friend with "B. Moss" on the back of his jersey. "He had pretty good control," Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont said of Farmer. "He controlled the outside corner pretty well, changed speeds. That's the second real good game he's pitched against these guys."
Shane Greene, rocking "Shaner," came in for his second five-out save in three days. He got a double play to get out of the eighth, and worked around an Omar Narvaez single and his own error for a scoreless ninth and his fifth save of the season. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Stumpfed: After Anderson's RBI double brought the go-ahead run to the plate and had the tying run in scoring position with a pair on in the sixth, the Tigers went to left-hander Daniel Stumpf to flip the switch-hitting Sanchez to bat from the right side of the plate -- where he's hitting.229 this season. "Donald" got Sanchez to strike out swinging on a high fastball to end the inning and keep it a 5-3 game. "Greene got the big outs, but I thought that Stumpf and [Warwick] Saupold got awful big outs for us, too," Lamont said. "Stumpy came in and turned Sanchez around to the right side and struck him out, and then he got Narvaez out to lead the next inning off. Those are big outs, too." Bootsie hits, steals: Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who is going by "Bootsie" during Player's Weekend, kept Detroit rolling after the back-to-back blasts. After Andrew Romine, known as "Robomb," doubled in the fourth, Kinsler brought him home with an RBI single past the glove of Anderson. Kinsler then stole second by beating "Narvy" -- White Sox catcher Narvaez -- on the throw to swipe the bag and scored on an RBI single by "Mowgli," aka Dixon Machado, to make it 5-2. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Saturday marked the fourth time all season the Tigers had gone back-to-back with homers in a game. The last time Detroit accomplished the feat came on July 1, when J.D. Martinez and Cabrera homered consecutively in the first of a doubleheader against the Indians. HE GONE Tigers manager Brad Ausmus earned his fifth ejection of the season and second in a span of three days during the fifth inning on Saturday. Ausmus appeared to be arguing with home plate umpire Nick Mahrley from the dugout during Victor Martinez's at-bat, at one point drawing Mahrley to take his mask off and exchange words with Ausmus. Mahrley then tossed Ausmus, sending the Tigers manager back to the clubhouse for arguing balls and strikes. "Brad thought there was a pitch a little low," Lamont said. "He really didn't say a whole lot, but he kicked out. I think, sometimes, the longer you go out there, the more money it's going to cost you. I think he did the right thing myself [by not going out on the field]." WHAT'S NEXT Tigers: Matthew Boyd (5-7, 6.24 ERA), aka "Matty B," gets the ball Sunday seeking his first win since July 29 as the series wraps up with a 2:10 p.m. ET matchup. Boyd has lost twice in as many starts in Chicago this year, yielding eight runs on 14 hits over seven total innings. White Sox: Lucas Giolito (0-1, 6.00 ERA) takes the bump at 1:10 p.m. CT on Sunday to make his second career start in a White Sox uniform. He allowed three homers and four runs in six innings relying solely on his fastball last time out, and became the first White Sox pitcher since Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez to not walk a single batter in six or more innings in his club debut. 'El Jalisciense' locked into groove for White Sox Veteran righty has a 2.94 ERA since returning from DL; Davidson starts at DH on Saturday By Scott Merkin / MLB.com @scottmerkin August 26th, 2017 CHICAGO -- There were some pretty impressive seasons put together by Miguel Gonzalez with Baltimore from 2012-14, with a sub-3.80 ERA in all three and a below 3.30 ERA in two of them. But a scout who has followed Gonzalez since back in those American League East days believes the right-hander is an even better pitcher now with the White Sox. It's all about gaining wisdom with age for the 33-year-old veteran. "I've learned a lot from these guys here, mixing in pitches and staying positive every time and staying through it," Gonzalez said. "Helps a lot, for sure."
Since coming back from the disabled list on July 18, Gonzalez has put together a stretch of consistent mound work over eight starts. He has a 3-2 record with a 2.94 ERA and has worked at least six innings in seven of those starts. Gonzalez, wearing "El Jalisciense" on his back for Players Weekend, yielded two runs over eight innings with a seasonhigh nine strikeouts Friday against the Tigers. He pitched in front of his family, including Mateo, his two-week-old son. Thursday is Gonzalez's next start, against the Twins, assuming he is not traded beforehand. Gonzalez certainly could help a contender in the season's final month and beyond, as he has been helping the rebuilding White Sox and their young pitchers. "I try not to think about it. I'm here," said Gonzalez of an August trade possibility. "They're giving me the opportunity to pitch every fifth day. I'm part of the White Sox. I'm going all the way for it, for sure." Matty D. returns Matt Davidson, the man known as Matty D. during Players Weekend, brought his 22 home runs back to the White Sox lineup for Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Tigers. Davidson returned from a one-game injury rehab assignment to test his sore right wrist, suffered when hit by a Marcus Stroman pitch, when Yoan Moncada was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday. Davidson will essentially continue his injury rehab as part of the White Sox, getting a start at designated hitter Saturday and then playing third base on Sunday. He has a day off with the team on Monday, and then the White Sox will see how he feels Tuesday at Target Field. In Saturday's loss, Davidson had two singles in four at-bats. "We're just going to kind of play it by ear," Davidson said. "I'm trying to go slowly getting back in, because I didn't get a long rehab at all. I just DH'ed for three at-bats down there. We'll see how the game goes and how the days go altogether. "I feel great. During the whole DL stint I was able to work out and take ground balls and everything. It's just kind of more getting into the game, getting into the timing of the game. That should be good." Lopez 'feels good,' eyeing quick return By Scott Merkin / MLB.com @scottmerkin August 26th, 2017 CHICAGO -- Highly-touted White Sox pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez hopes for a quick return to the Majors, if he continues to make solid progress in the recovery process from a strained back putting him on the 10-day disabled list on Aug. 19 (retroactive to Aug. 18). Lopez threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Friday, and the plans are for another bullpen Tuesday, when the White Sox open a three-game series against the Twins at Target Field. If all goes well in that session, Lopez potentially could face the Rays at home next weekend. "I'm not sure, but I think it's going to be here," said Lopez, through interpreter Billy Russo, as to whether his next start would be on a Minor League rehab assignment or with the White Sox. "I'm feeling good. I don't have any discomfort, any soreness. Thank god, I'm feeling very good." "Obviously, we're already coming to the end of August, so it might be almost a moot point," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "For us, just make sure that he's completely healthy and doesn't feel any twinging at all. That he just feels comfortable doing what he's doing and obviously, right now, up to this point he does feel comfortable. We'll just wait and see how this thing plays itself out." The right-hander arrived on Aug. 11 with the White Sox and made two starts covering 10 1/3 innings. He gave up eight runs, while striking out 12 and walking seven. But Lopez left in the fifth inning of that Aug. 17 start at Texas due to the soreness. He has played catch at various distances and embarked on the side sessions, using all of his pitches, in a push to get back healthy. "Yes, I'm satisfied and relieved," said Lopez of his rehab work. "At first I was a little concerned because I didn't know if that was something more complicated. But with all the treatment, I've been feeling good. At this point, I feel very, very good." "He's doing fine, moving along," Renteria said. "Can't give you a date certain yet as to his return, but he's progressing very well."
Right wrist sprain forces Delmonico to DL White Sox call up Brantly from Triple-A Charlotte By Oliver Macklin and Scott Merkin / MLB.com August 26th, 2017 The Chicago White Sox have placed outfielder Nicky Delmonico on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist and purchased the contract of catcher Rob Brantly from Triple-A Charlotte, the club announced Saturday. Delmonico, who woke up feeling discomfort in the wrist Friday, is batting.307 with six home runs and 12 RBIs in 22 games for the White Sox in his first stint in the Major Leagues. The 25-year-old, who reached base safely in 21 of his 22 games, was the first player in White Sox history to hit six homers in his first 19 career contests. "Just right now, it's a wrist sprain. Obviously, it's enough to shut him down a little bit," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "We'll see how he progresses over the next couple days. "Obviously, time will tell how quickly he'll be able to return. But the initial onset right now, it's obviously aggravated, so we've got to give it some time to calm down." Brantly, who was signed by the White Sox as a Minor League free agent on June 29, batted.290 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 82 games split between Triple-A Charlotte and Triple-A Louisville of the Reds organization. The 28-year-old backstop was hitting.278 with five home runs and 29 RBIs in 36 games with the Knights. 'Matty B' faces 'Matty D' in Tigers-Sox finale By Jason Beck / MLB.com August 26th, 2017 Sunday's series finale between the Tigers and the White Sox provides the opportunity for "Matty B" to face "Matty D" to close out Players Weekend. Matt Boyd is the Tigers' starting pitcher, looking for his first win since July 29 and his first win at Guaranteed Rate Field after two losses to the White Sox on the South Side this season. Matt Davidson is the White Sox slugger just back from a four-week stint on the disabled list. Davidson had a three-hit, two-rbi game in Boyd's start in Chicago April 6, though that included a home run off Anibal Sanchez. Davidson had two more hits and an RBI when Boyd returned to the Windy City on May 26, homering off Blaine Hardy. The Sunday matinee also marks the second White Sox start for Lucas Giolito, the pitching prospect acquired from Washington in the Adam Eaton trade last winter. Giolito allowed three homers and four runs in six innings in his debut against the Twins, taking the loss. Three things to watch for in this game Tigers third baseman Nicholas "Nick" Castellanos is expected back in the lineup after missing the last two games with a sprained ligament in his left wrist. Tigers closer Shane "Shaner" Greene could be available to pitch after a five-out save Saturday night. He threw 25 pitches in his second five-out save in three days. White Sox right fielder Avisail "Avi" Garcia is batting.446 (21-for-47) over his last 13 games. Kopech impresses again for Charlotte By David Adler / MLB.com August 26, 2017 On the day his father was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. let his bat pay tribute. Vlad Jr., the Blue Jays' top prospect and No. 6 overall in baseball, went 3-for-4 for Class A Advanced Dunedin on Saturday, ripping his 12th home run of 2017 and driving in five of Dunedin's six runs. He finished a triple shy of the cycle and threw in a walk for good measure. The 18-year-old third baseman knocked a two-run homer to left-center field in the first inning against the Tampa Yankees, giving the Blue Jays an early lead. After the Yankees went ahead 3-2, Guerrero hit a bases-clearing double to center in the fourth to put Dunedin up 6-3.
Guerrero now has five home runs since his promotion to Dunedin in mid-july, and he is batting.333 with a.451 on-base percentage and a.497 slugging percentage in 41 games with Dunedin. Saturday marked Guerrero's fourth three-hit game and 14th multi-hit game at that level. The younger Guerrero is fresh off being named to MLBPipeline's Prospect Team of the Week last week -- when he hit.545 with three home runs and 11 RBIs -- and he shows no signs of letting up. Other top prospect performances from Saturday's action: No. 12 overall prospect Michael Kopech impressed again in his second start since being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte. The hard-throwing right-hander, the White Sox No. 3 prospect, threw five innings of one-run ball against the Gwinnett Braves, giving up just two hits and striking out six. In two outings with the Knights, Kopech has a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10 innings. What Carlos Rodon hopes to accomplish by altering his pre-start routine By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago August 26, 2017 Throughout his career, Carlos Rodon s fastball velocity has increased as games wore on, sometimes by as much as 2-3 miles per hour late in the contest. Rodon and the White Sox altered the pitcher s pregame routine on Saturday night in an attempt to reach that increase earlier. While the White Sox pitcher was OK with how the adjustment worked, overall he had an off-night in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. Rodon allowed five earned runs in five innings pitched, his shortest outing in a month. But Rodon said it wasn t the change in tactics that did him in as he lost for the first time since July 25. Just today wasn t very good, Rodon said. They hit the ball well and made me pay on some pitches I missed on. Felt pretty good. Decent. Thought command was somewhat there. They swung the bat good, some homers, and made me pay when they got guys on. This season, Rodon has averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball, according to Brooksbaseball.net. Rodon s fastball normally starts in the 93-mph range and usually experiences an uptick in the fourth or fifth inning. The average increases to more than 94 mph by the fifth inning and he reaches his high of 95.8 mph in the seventh. The White Sox wanted to try and help Rodon -- who had a 2.25 ERA and 37 strikeouts in his last 36 innings -- tap into his velocity earlier. With that in mind, Rodon walked out to the field for his pregame warmups about 40 minutes before first pitch. Normally, Rodon heads out 30 minutes before the game. We re trying to make an adjustment with him just to see if we can spike his ability to be a little more explosive earlier, manager Rick Renteria said. Rodon touched 95.5 mph, according to MLB Stat Cast, in the first inning and averaged 93 miles overall. But from there he dropped down to an average of 91.5 mph the next two innings before regaining some velocity. He averaged 92.7 mph overall for the game, his lowest average since July 9 at the Colorado Rockies. Similar to that outing, Rodon wasn t as sharp as he has been. Justin Upton drove a fastball that caught too much of the plate out to right field for a game-tying two-run homer in the third inning. And while Rodon thought he made a good pitch to Miguel Cabrera, the slugger followed Upton by blasting a 1-1 changeup for a go-ahead solo homer to right. Detroit scored twice more in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Ian Kinsler and Dixon Machado to grab a 5-2 lead. Rodon allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four in an 89-pitch effort. He was a little erratic, Renteria said. Not as good as he s been the last couple of outings. He ended up just getting a little fatigued, so he was good after five. Even after the third inning we were looking for everything to get back up and didn t quite get there today. So hopefully the routine he goes through in his next start will hopefully put him in a better place and we ll be able to see that spike in velocity and crispness that he shows after about three innings, which has been the last four-to-five outings I think.
Rodon said he intends to try a similar plan in his next outing (likely Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays) with a few tweaks. Even though Rodon had been on a roll before Saturday, he s not worried about the it-wasn t-broke-don t-fix-it theory. He realizes that tapping into his better velocity can be a good thing. As a player and as an athlete you have to adapt and make those changes, Rodon said. It s something I m going to learn how to do. Just a little different trying to get going early in the first and have that velo jump. Started off good, but just make some tweaks in the next one and go from there. Reynaldo Lopez nears return as Nicky Delmonico goes on the disabled list By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago August 26, 2017 While the news regarding Nicky Delmonico isn t good, the White Sox are encouraged by the progress of Reynaldo Lopez. The rookie pitcher appears to be on the mend and could soon start in the big leagues again as long as he stays on track. Lopez threw a 50-pitch bullpen on Friday and is set to participate in another on Tuesday in Minneapolis. If all goes well, Lopez s next action would be his third start for the White Sox. Lopez went on the 10-day disabled list last Saturday with a strained back. Delmonico was placed on the 10-day DL with a sprained wrist on Saturday. I m satisfied and relieved, Lopez said through an interpreter. At first I was a little concerned because I didn t know if that was something more complicated. But with all the treatment, I ve been feeling good. At this point, I feel very, very good. I don t have any discomfort, any soreness. Thank God I m feeling very good. Delmonico was scratched from the lineup on Friday and had an MRI, which showed no significant damage. Even so, the White Sox will shut down the rookie hitter for now to avoid anything serious. Catcher Rob Brantly was added to the 40- man roster and promoted from Triple-A to replace Delmonico, who s hitting.307/.429/.573 with six home runs in 91 plate appearances. We'll see how he progresses over the next couple days, manager Rick Renteria said. Obviously time will tell how quickly he'll be able to return, but the initial onset right now, it's obviously aggravated so we've got to give it sometime to calm down. Renteria was more upbeat when discussing Lopez, who would likely return to the mound during the next homestand if he stays on pace. Lopez would likely avoid a rehab because he only recently went on the DL and the minor league season ends in eight days. He's progressing very well, Renteria said. For us, just make sure that he's completely healthy and doesn't feel any twinging at all. That he just feels comfortable doing what he's doing and obviously right now up to this point he does feel comfortable. And then we just wait and see how this thing plays itself out. White Sox fall 6-3 to Tigers as win streak ends at 3 games Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune August 26, 2017 Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back home runs for the Tigers in the third inning of their 6-3 victory Saturday against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Upton s two-run home run off Carlos Rodon accounted for two of the three runs scored that inning. Yolmer Sanchez, who hit a walk-off single Friday for the Sox, hit a two-run home run in the second inning Saturday. The Tigers scored twice more in the fourth to help end the Sox s winning streak at three games. Cabrera had three hits, while Dixon Machado had two in the victory. The White Sox fell to 51-77, while the Tigers improved to 56-72. At the plate: In his first game since returning from the disabled list, White Sox designated hitter Matt Davidson had two hits. Omar Narvaez had two hits and Avisail Garcia walked twice and had a hit.
On the mound: Rodon allowed five runs, seven hits, a walk and struck out four in five innings for the Sox. Up next: vs. Tigers, 1:10 p.m. Sunday, WGN-9. LH Matthew Boyd (5-7, 6.24) vs. RH Lucas Giolito (0-1, 6.00). White Sox place rookie Nicky Delmonico on 10-day disabled list Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune August 26, 2017 The first player in White Sox history to hit six home runs in his first 19 games is bound for the 10-day disabled list. Nicky Delmonico was placed there by the Sox on Saturday afternoon with a sprained right wrist. The 25-year-old is batting.307 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and has reached safely in 21 of his first 22 games, good for a.429 on-base percentage. The White Sox called up catcher Rob Brantly from Triple-A Charlotte to take his place on the roster. Brantly is hitting.293 with 10 home runs in 83 minor-league games this season. He has played in 112 games over parts of three major-league seasons, including with the White Sox in 2015. On Friday, the Sox placed second baseman Yoan Moncada on the 10-day disabled list with a bone contusion in his right shin. The White Sox face the Tigers at 6:10 p.m. Saturday in the second of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field. White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson makes special tribute for Players Weekend Paul Skrbina / Chicago Tribune August 26, 2017 Tim Anderson is adding to the old sports adage about playing for the name on the front of the jersey. The White Sox shortstop also is playing for the name on his back B. Moss during Players Weekend. The unique opportunity for players to choose what goes on the backs of their jerseys during these three days allowed Anderson to pay tribute to Branden Moss. The second-year player's good friend was shot to death in May in a parking lot in their hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala. With the blessing of Moss' family, Anderson chose to honor him. Anderson doubled in a run during the Sox's 6-3 loss to the Tigers on Saturday, one day after he led off the ninth inning with a double and scored the winning run on Yolmer Sanchez's single. On Wednesday, Anderson's ninth-inning single against the Twins resulted in his first career walk-off hit. "My drive to the ballpark was kind of emotional," Anderson said after Friday's game. "It's a very special moment. "It's an honor to put his name on the back of the jersey. Just thinking about the good times (we had)." The good times Anderson's had on the field of late have been a welcome respite from a season peppered with struggles. Through Friday, Anderson was batting just.238 with a.382 slugging percentage and had committed 25 errors, most by any player by eight. In his last seven games before Saturday, Anderson batted.107 in 28 at-bats. In the 12 games before that, though, he hit.340 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. "He's been dealing with a lot of things that affect emotion, that are very... personal," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "I'm sure he's thinking about his friend all the time. "For him to wear that uniform... it's pretty special. It speaks a lot to who he is. I know it hasn't been all the best this season but he continues to grind through it." Anderson plans to display the jersey prominently in his home once the weekend is over. He also said he's going to give Moss' mother a jersey.
This weekend isn't the first time Moss' name has appeared on Anderson's White Sox garb. Hanging in his locker is a black Sox cap with the letters "BMoss" and a cross written in silver Sharpie just above the brim. The two were godfathers to each other's daughters in a relationship Anderson has described as more of a brotherhood than a friendship. And Moss isn't the only "brother" to whom Anderson paid tribute on his jersey. Written on the "Thank You" patch on his right sleeve is the name offrederick Brown, a cousin of Anderson's and a man he considers a brother because they grew up raised by the same parents. "He's just played a big role in my life," Anderson said. "He has been behind the scenes and helped me make great decisions in life." Keep it on the DL: Nicky Delmonico was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist Saturday, making him the 19th Sox player to land there this season. Delmonico, who is the only player in franchise history to hit six home runs in his first 19 career games, has reached base in 21 of his 22 games and is batting.307 with 12 RBIs and a.429 on-base percentage. Catcher Rob Brantly was called up to take his place on the 25-man roster. The Sox put fellow rookie Yoan Moncada on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a bruise in his right shin. White Sox Reynaldo Lopez relieved after 50-pitch bullpen session David Just / Chicago Sun-Times August 26, 2017 Injured White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez said he threw a bullpen session Friday without any discomfort or soreness. Lopez threw 50 pitches, worked in everything in his repertoire and has been generally encouraged by his progress. I m satisfied and relieved, Lopez said Saturday. At first I was a little concerned because I didn t know if that was something more complicated. But with all the treatment, I ve been feeling good. At this point, I feel very, very good. Lopez, who was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Adam Eaton to the Nationals, landed on the disabled list Aug. 19 with a strained back. He was promoted from Class AAA Charlotte on Aug. 11 and made two starts before the setback. He said he expects to throw another bullpen session in the next week while on the road in Minnesota. For us, just make sure that he s completely healthy and doesn t feel any twinging at all, manager Rick Renteria said. That he just feels comfortable doing what he s doing, and, obviously right now, up to this point, he does feel comfortable. And then we just wait and see how this thing plays itself out. Renteria went on to say that Lopez could skip making a rehab start, calling it a moot point in late August. He s 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 innings. Davidson returns Matt Davidson came off the disabled list Friday and made his first start since Aug. 1 a day later. He batted fifth and served as the designated hitter. I m trying to go slowly getting back in because I didn t get a long rehab at all, Davidson said. I just DH ed for three atbats down there. We ll see how the game goes and how the days go altogether. Davidson was hit on the wrist by a Marcus Stroman pitch on Aug. 1. He left the game and had negative X-rays but still went on the DL a week later. He was hitting.238 with 22 homers, 51 RBI, 37 runs and a.500 slugging percentage at the time of the injury. I feel great, Davidson said. During the whole DL stint, I was able to work out and take ground balls and everything. It s just kind of more getting into the game, getting into the timing of the game.
On the farm Zack Collins went 3-for-3 with a double, home run, RBI and run scored in the second game of a doubleheader for Class AA Birmingham on Friday. Collins, the No. 9 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, was the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft. He has posted a.374 on-base percentage in 108 combined games between Class A Winston-Salem and Birmingham. Luis Robert, the No. 4 prospect in the system, went 2-for-5 with a homer and career-high four RBI Friday in the Dominican Summer League. He s 4-for-9 with six RBI and two runs in his last two games. White Sox put Delmonico on 10-day DL; Rodon hit hard in loss By David Just / Chicago Sun-Times August 26, 2017 The injury bug that has been going around the White Sox clubhouse this season has been highly contagious this week. Outfielder Nicky Delmonico became the latest victim, going on the disabled list Saturday with a sprained right wrist. He followed second baseman Yoan Moncada (shin), who was put on the DL on Friday, and right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (back), who landed on the list Aug. 19. I think it s just coincidence, happenstance, manager Rick Renteria said before the Sox 6-3 loss to the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. You know, it happens. Sometimes you have bad things going on at the same time. You just deal with it. Eight Sox are on the DL right now, and 19 have found themselves there this season. To put that number in context, the Cubs have put 11 players on the DL this season. The Dodgers have put 28 on it, according to STATS. The latest rash of injuries has deprived fans of Moncada, the Sox top prospect, and Delmonico, one of their most exciting hitters in the last month. Delmonico, who isn t among the Sox highest-rated prospects, had posted a.307/.429/.573 slash line with six homers and 12 RBI since his debut Aug. 1. The severity of things that are occurring right now, they seem to be just nagging little things, Renteria said. So hopefully they ll be recovering sooner than later. Despite being in last place in the American League Central, the battered Sox deserve credit for continuing to fight. That work ethic was evident Saturday, even in a loss that ended a three-game winning streak. Left-hander Carlos Rodon, who missed much of the first half of the season with a biceps injury, is working with a new pregame routine to help him last longer in outings. In his last several starts, Rodon didn t get into a groove until he was already through two or three innings. Now he s starting his warmup routine earlier in an effort to find his rhythm sooner. Rodon was roughed up for five runs and seven hits in five innings. He also allowed back-to-back home runs and hit two batters, but he said the poor outing won t keep him from sticking with the plan. Today just wasn t very good, said Rodon, whose streak of five quality starts in a row ended. They hit the ball well and made me pay on some pitches I missed on. Justin Upton connected on a 1-1 fastball and parked it in the bleachers in right-center field for a two-run homer in the third. The next hitter, Miguel Cabrera, smacked a 1-0 changeup out to right. He was a little erratic, Renteria said of Rodon. Not as good as he s been the last couple of outings. He ended up getting a little fatigued, so he was good after five. The Sox bullpen, which hadn t allowed a run in its last 10 innings, picked up the slack. It yielded one run in four innings to keep the Sox in the game. Sox hitters competed, too, working through four relievers and putting runners in scoring position in the sixth, eighth and ninth. Yolmer Sanchez, who gave the Sox a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the second, struck out swinging with runners at second and third in the sixth, and Tyler Saladino struck out looking with runners at first and third to end the game.
Rodon roughed up in White Sox's loss to Tigers Scot Gregor / Daily Herald August 26, 2017 Heading into Saturday night's game against the Tigers, Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had an impressive streak of five quality starts. They came against four first-place teams (Indians, Red Sox, Astros, Dodgers) and a wild-card contender (Twins). Detroit (56-72) figured to be easy pickings, but Rodon was off his game in the White Sox's 6-3 loss to the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. "Today wasn't very good," Rodon said after pitching 5 innings and allowing 5 runs on 7 hits, including back-to-back home runs by Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera in the third. "They hit the ball well and made me pay on some pitches I missed on." Rodon tweaked his routine to try to improve fastball velocity early in the game, but the results weren't there the first time out. "As a player and as an athlete, you have to adapt and make those changes," Rodon said. "It's something I'm going to learn how to do." Delmonico to DL: Before Saturday night's game against the Tigers, the White Sox placed outfielder Nicky Delmonico on the disabled list with a sprained right wrist. "It's enough to shut him down a little bit," manager Rick Renteria said. "We'll see how he progresses over the next couple days. Time will tell how quickly he'll be able to return, but it's obviously aggravated so we've got to give it some time to calm down." Delmonico hurt the wrist swinging the bat in Thursday night's game against the Twins. Since coming up from Class AAA Charlotte on Aug. 1, the rookie is batting.307 with 6 home runs and 12 RBI while reaching base safely in 21 of 22 games. Rob Brantly replaces Delmonico on the Sox's roster after having his contract purchased from Charlotte. Lopez update: On the disabled list since Aug. 18 with a back strain, rookie starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez threw a bullpen on Friday and is scheduled to throw another one Tuesday in Minnesota. "I'm feeling good," Lopez said through an interpreter. "I don't have any discomfort, any soreness. At first I was a little concerned because I didn't know if that was something more complicated. But with all the treatment, I've been feeling good." After his next bullpen, Lopez plans on coming off the DL. "It's game," he said. Davidson returns: Matt Davidson was back in the White Sox's lineup Saturday for the first time since Aug. 1, when he was hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Toronto's Marcus Stroman. Davidson was the designated hitter against Detroit and was 2-for-4. "I feel great," Davidson said. "During the whole DL stint I was able to work out and take groundballs and everything. It's just kind of more getting into the game, getting into the timing of the game." Nearing end of 53rd season, ex-sox manager Lamont still loves the game Scot Gregor / Daily Herald august 26, 2017 When he was 18 years old, preparing to graduate from Hiawatha High School in Kirkland, Ill., Gene had a dual scholarship offer from Kansas State.
At the time, Lamont was looking forward to playing baseball for the Wildcats, and he also had an opportunity to play basketball at KSU under Tex Winter. That was before he was drafted in the first round (No. 13 overall) by the Detroit Tigers. Lamont signed a professional contract with the Tigers in 1965, and five years later he was in the major leagues. "Back then, I might have thought I was going to be a great big-league catcher," Lamont said. "I played in the big leagues some, but I wasn't a real good player." Lamont played in 87 games with Detroit from 1970-75, batting.233 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI. He followed that up with two more years playing minor-league baseball and called it quits. But Lamont was not finished with baseball. Not even close. "When I was playing, I always liked the teaching aspect, the inner workings of what goes on," he said. Lamont immediately went into coaching when he stopped playing. He started as a minor-league manager and -- nearly 40 years later -- is still in the game. Now 70, Lamont is the Tigers' bench coach. This is his 53rd straight year in professional baseball. "I think one thing it means is I've always wanted to go to work," Lamont said while sitting in the visitor's dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field Saturday before Detroit played the White Sox. "Coaching and managing for such a long time now, I just consider myself lucky. I like what I do." Lamont really liked what he was doing from 1992-94 -- managing the Sox. He guided the White Sox to the playoffs in 1993 and was voted American League manager of the year. In '94, the Sox were leading the AL Central with a 67-46 record when the players went out on strike. The season came to a screeching halt on Aug. 10, and Lamont still can't completely shake the memory. "I do look back on the strike," he said. "They kept saying, 'We're going to come back, we're going to come back,' and that's what I was hoping because we really had a good team. I think we were a better team than in '93, plus we had the experience of being in the playoffs. I think that would have really helped us. "We thought we had a team that was going to be able to get to the World Series. Frank (Thomas) was having a great year, (Jack) McDowell, Robin (Ventura), Julio Franco came in and was having a great season. Being in the playoffs the year before, the expectations were really big (in 1994) and the team responded." Coming out of the strike in '95, the White Sox went 11-20 and Lamont was fired. "I know you get fired," Lamont said. "I think I should have gotten more time because, (heck), we had a short spring training. I don't look back on that so much because there's nothing you can do about it. You have to move on." Lamont did just that. He coached and managed the Pirates, he coached for the Astros and Red Sox and has been with the Tigers since 2005. Even though he's getting up in age, Lamont is not thinking about retirement.
"As long as I still like it, I want to stay in baseball," he said. "And I still love the game. I don't think I could all of the sudden just quit the whole thing cold turkey. On TV they give all these stats, what this guy does, what that guy does, almost like they can tell what's going to happen. Well, they're full of (bleep). They can't. You never know what's going to happen and that's the beauty of the game." The ugly side of baseball reared its head Thursday in Detroit, when the Tigers and Yankees engaged in a brawl. "I got near the pile but I didn't get in the pile," Lamont said with a laugh. "First of all, I was too slow to get out there very fast. And second of all, I'm smarter than that." By the numbers: Hot streak ends for White Sox and Carlos Rodon James Fegan / The Athletic August 27, 2017 When Carlos Rodon is rolling right, it seems like he has every tool needed to dominate major league hitters, night-in, night-out. Then a night of bad command comes and all of the sudden mid-90s heat from the left side, a wipeout slider and an increasingly consistent change doesn t fit together into a fully realized package. By the time it was clear things weren t clicking as usual for Rodon, he had allowed back-to-back homers in the third and was chased after five innings in a 6-3 loss to the Tigers to end his streak of dominance. He was a little erratic, said Rick Renteria of Rodon, who tried warming up earlier to get his velocity up earlier than it had been in his previous starts. Not as good as he's been the last couple of outings. He ended up just getting a little fatigued, so he was good after five. 89: The lowest pitch count for any start this season for Rodon, whose run of good command definitely hit a bump in the road, between a walk, two hit batters, plenty of loud contact and his most runs allowed in his past seven outings. I mean if I pitched better, yeah. Sure, Rodon said when asked if he could have gone longer. Just didn t work out today. 5: Runs allowed by Rodon and also the streak of quality starts that died with his five-inning effort. He had a 2.25 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 36 innings during that stretch. In the course of two batters, as Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera put up back-to-back homers off Rodon in the third, he allowed more runs than he gave up in any of his previous five starts. Avisail Garcia was around three or four feet short of robbing Cabrera on a wall-scraper to right. The changeup was there to Miggy, he just made a good swing, Rodon said. Good hitter. And then I think that was a 1-1 count to Justin, a fastball I was trying to get on a little more and he made me pay. I left it up. 7: Swinging strikes for Rodon, who did not tout the feel and effectiveness with his changeup that marked his run of success. His fastball, averaging 92 mph, didn't merit concern but wasn't the strongest it s been this season. He actually had a new routine to try to speed that up a little bit, Renteria said of Rodon's typically late-arriving velocity. So he tweaked his routine and preparation for the game. And it was a little extended, a little different for him. So today even after the third inning we were looking for everything to get back up and didn t quite get there today. So hopefully the routine he goes through in his next start will hopefully put him in a better place and we ll be able to see that spike in velocity and crispness that he shows after about three innings. 3: Home runs during the last week for Yolmer Sanchez, who also had a walk-off hit Friday night. His towering fly ball to the right-field corner gave the White Sox a brief taste of a 2-0 lead in the second. There could be a lot of competition for the Sox's utility-man role in a few years, and reclaiming a bit of his first-half offense could go a long way for Sanchez. 30: Times on base for Avisail Garcia in 15 games in August, mostly on an insane barrage of singles. He s hit.418/.476/.491 for the month, which is great, but also deeply strange. Better to have a run of high average with little power than a run of low average with little power.
Avi has been doing a great job, said Rick Renteria. His bat has been very good. Putting good wood on the ball. In key situations continuing to do everything he was doing in the first half. His at bats have been really solid. 13: Extra-base hits for Tim Anderson in August after drilling an RBI double to the right-center gap in the sixth, bringing the Sox within two runs and briefly setting up an opportunity to tie the game for Sanchez with two on and two out. Anderson had a combined 10 extra-base hits across June and July. 26: Days since Matt Davidson s last hit in a major league game. He looked like someone completing his rehab assignment against major league pitching before he got ahold of a ball and poked it to left off Buck Farmer in the sixth. Davidson shanked another single to right off Alex Wilson in the eighth. 37.9 percent: Adam Engel s strikeout rate in the second half, which has contributed to a.134 batting average. He brings a lot to the table on defense, hustles on every play and makes a lot happen even when he s not hitting, but this has been an unsustainably rough stretch. Wave of prospect injuries leaves White Sox in a pinch James Fegan / The Athletic August 26, 2017 Lucas Giolito is still standing. In the middle of a rash of injuries to highly touted and exciting White Sox rookies, the headliner of the White Sox's return to the Adam Eaton trade said he feels healthy and strong as he prepares to enter the fairly unprecedented territory of making starts through the end of September. Aside from Giolito, the White Sox are suddenly starved for prospect star power, with Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez and now Nicky Delmonico who managed to put himself in the same breath as the others in the span of a month on the disabled list. Just right now it's a wrist sprain, manager Rick Renteria said of Delmonico, who's off to a.307/.429/.573 start. Obviously it's enough to shut him down a little bit. We'll see how he progressed over the next couple days. Obviously time will tell how quickly he'll be able to return, but the initial onset right now, it's obviously aggravated so we've got to give it some time to calm down. While Moncada s bone contusion doesn t seem like it should be a major hindrance to his performance once it calms down enough for him to return to action, Delmonico s wrist similar to Moncada s bruised thumb in May could knock him off his hot start. Lopez, at least, is providing some hope. He s been playing catch regularly throughout the homestand without any pain or discomfort, and recently completed a 50-pitch bullpen session in which he threw all of his pitches. He's on schedule to throw another on Tuesday in Minnesota, and afterward he should be ready to start. All indications are that that start would be one for the major league team. I don t have any discomfort, any soreness. Thank god I m feeling very good, Lopez said through an interpreter. I m satisfied and relieved. At first I was a little concerned because I didn t know if that was something more complicated. But with all the treatment, I ve been feeling good. At this point, I feel very, very good. Beyond Lopez clearly being hungry to prove himself at the major league level, his return would protect the White Sox from having to get unusual with their rotation or depend on September call-ups, in the seemingly likely event Miguel Gonzalez draws waiver deadline trade interest. Gonzalez has delivered quality starts in seven of his eight outings since returning from the disabled list while compiling a 2.94 ERA over that stretch. Friday night his peripherals matched his rosy runs allowed numbers as he struck out nine Tigers batters and issued zero walks and allowed zero home runs.
I try not to think about it, Gonzalez said. I m here, they re giving me the opportunity to pitch every fifth day. I m a White Sock. I m going all the way for it, for sure.