RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Perhaps Noah Schultz knew he was pitching for his spot in the White Sox’ rotation when he took the mound Monday against the Yankees. He struck out the side in the first inning, his only blemish being a double to future Hall of Famer Paul Goldschmidt. No shame in that.
The rookie left-hander needed a strong showing after allowing five runs in 3 ⅔ innings in his last start. Though he didn’t walk anyone — a bugaboo for most of his season — he surrendered 11 hits. Filling the strike zone is one thing. Having those pitches come back at you is another.
“The strikes are something that was on top of the list, to get him in the zone with his stuff being so good,” manager Will Venable said before the game. “And he was able to do that. But then there’s some shapes that he’s trying to get back, too, whether that’s more depth on the sweeper, more [vertical] fastball. Also, of course, maintaining the ability to attack the zone and maintain count leverage.”
But Schultz couldn’t stay on track. Fantastic catches by right fielder Braden Montgomery and left fielder Randal Grichuk on three hard-hit balls kept Schultz out of trouble in the second and third innings. He fell apart in the fourth, allowing two walks and a single before Venable pulled him, perhaps for the last time this season.
Venable disputed the game’s importance for Schultz personally — “It’s an important outing because we have to find a way to beat the Yankees” — but there’s no escaping this pitching predicament: The Sox can’t afford to develop a pitcher while pursuing a playoff spot. And they certainly can’t afford their starters hitting the showers early too often.
In their last 23 games, only right-hander Sean Burke has thrown at least six innings, which he has done four times. Schultz has been the only one in the rotation unable to get past five innings in that span, and he lasted just 3 ⅓ innings Monday.
For the Sox to hang on to their lead in the American League Central, they’ll need more length from their rotation. General manager Chris Getz figures to seek help for the stretch run by the trade deadline next Monday, and he might’ve begun his shopping in the bargain basement.
On Sunday, the Sox acquired right-hander Jose Urquidy from the Pirates for a low-level minor-league pitcher. It was far from a blockbuster, but it might portend how Getz tries to bolster the pitching staff.
Urquidy’s best season was in 2022, when he went 13-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 29 games (28 starts) for the Astros, who went on to win the World Series. He has pitched in 15 postseason games in his career. The Sox’ starters have combined for zero postseason starts.
This isn’t to say Urquidy will be a savior. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since April 13. After signing with the Pirates in February, Urquidy posted an 8.53 ERA in 6⅓ innings of relief, prompting his demotion to Triple-A. At Indianapolis, he had a 3.66 ERA in 17 starts (83 innings).
But if the Sox need to make a move, Venable said Urquidy will be ready and waiting at Charlotte.
“He’s an option for us,” Venable said. “We know how quickly things change here. There’ll be a need. It could be tomorrow, for all we know. Whatever the need is, I think that there’s versatility there with him. I know he’s got the ability to pitch in bulk but also come out of the pen and give us different looks. He’s a piece that we’re excited to have.”
With the starters consistently failing to go deep into games, Urquidy probably won’t be enough, or even a solution, for that matter. But in his short time as GM, Getz has shown he can find quality pitching at bargain prices. He’ll need to do just that if the organization decides Schultz needs time at Charlotte to get himself together.
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