RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesHave Davis Martin’s purported pitch-tipping issues been resolved? | Getty Images
Like untold numbers of White Sox fans born roughly between 1920 and 2000, my baseball vocabulary is dominated by Hawk Harrelson’s one-of-a-kind (for better and worse) idiomatic way with words.
Though it’s not quite as prominent in the Sox fan lexicon as a “grab some bench!” or “sit back, relax, and strap it down,” one Hawkism that’s always stuck in my brain is the idea that, to paraphrase, just about every team wins 60 games and loses 60 games. It’s what you do with the other 42 that really matter. For the first time in a hot second, the South Siders made it to the good part of that equation while they still have time to make the other 42 really mean something.
Let’s say the Sox play roughly .535 baseball the rest of the way — a solid midway point between their .556 mark since mid-April and the .500 ball they’ve played since mid-June. That has them finishing out the season around 24-22 or 25-21, good for about 85 wins. If they can hold serve there, one of the trio of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit would have to finish off their season no worse than 27-17 to have a shot at catching them at the top of the division.
Detroit seems unlikely to make such a run, given that they just gave away a combined 180+ innings of 2.75 ERA pitching. Minnesota’s best hitter is out with no timetable for return, and they just placed their ace on the injured list. If the Sox can take care of business today at home versus Cleveland, it simply seems unlikely that the Guardians have the talent to play at nearly a .650 win percentage for longer than a month.
When it comes to Cleveland, those may be famous last words. Nonetheless, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Much of it will depend on Davis Martin, who takes the ball in perhaps the most critical rubber match of the year. The unquestionable question of the day, then, is whether Martin has successfully resolved his apparent pitch-tipping issues and can thereby regain at least some of his first half form.
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In other lineup notes, Chase Meidroth is expected to miss a day or two with what the team described as “left wrist discomfort,” something the Fox broadcasters in last night’s game noticed and discussed, as Chase was visibly wincing on swings.
Randal Grichuk gets the outfield start against lefty Joey Cantillo, with Sam Antonacci sliding to the keystone to make room for Meidroth. The seriousness of Meidroth’s injury might be ascertained by whether he feels well enough to sub in if Grichuk winds up in a key unfavorable matchup against a righty.
With Grant Taylor, Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, and Bryan Hudson all having pitched yesterday, it seems exceedingly likely that today we’ll experience the debut of one — if not both — of Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal. I look forward to seeing whether we may look forward to an infusion of bullpen help down the stretch.
Back-to-back reigning Manager of the Year Steven Vogt is sending out what’s undoubtedly his best lineup as he tries to stop the Guardians from falling four games behind the Sox — and potentially behind the Twins and Tigers in the division.
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First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CT from Rate Field in Armour Square, with standard broadcasts on CHSN (TV) and ESPN 1000 AM (radio). We’ll see you there!
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