Autumn Dreamin

Pipeline puts Thorpe at 3, Zavala at 6, and Iriarte at 9.

BA: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/dylan-cease-trade-scouting-reports-on-every-padres-white-sox-player-involved/

It seemed like a "see if you can sneak him through waivers" claim the whole time to me.

Shewmake has made a few nice plays at third. I think he's still in the running for the backup IF job. He's certainly been getting just as many looks as Mendick. Clean bottom 8 for Hill. Korey Lee caught the full game, which is notable mostly because it's unusual in ST...but also because it allowed him to hit an RBI triple to score Sheets (single) in the 9th. Shaw fumbled a swinging bunt to allow a leadoff runner, who came around to score (IF single, E1 on the throw, WP, RBI groundout). 2 straight Ks to wrap things up. Sox win 15-4. They have discovered the One Weird Trick to fix your run differential (hit a million XBH and score a billion runs). But to their credit, there was also plenty of the grindy FAST stuff too...they took the extra 90 whenever available, advancing on every PB and defensive fumble. Fletcher (IIRC) hustled to reach on a K and ended up scoring afterwards. Solid defense the whole game (a bunch of double plays and CS), solid pitching aside from Fedde getting hit in one inning and Touki laboring in his.

Long AB to the first batter. Started 0-2, then got to a full count + several fouls. Solid contact eventually, but it's a GO to Shewmake at third. Next batter is quicker, GO to first on a 1-2 count. 2 outs. 0-2 start for the next batter, followed by two fouls, two balls, another foul, another ball, and then a full count HBP. 1-1 single puts two on with two outs. Mound visit. 0-2 start to Frelick, then four straight misses to load the bases. First pitch ground out strands them all, but Touki really made himself work for it. Mendick hits a HR to leadoff top 8 because that's a thing we do now I guess.

Toussaint is in now with a 12-3 lead...should be a low pressure situation for him to make a case to keep his roster spot.

Fedde finishes with 4IP 3ER 7H 1K. All of the damage was done in one inning, on a run scoring FC and a two out HR. A couple hits were seeing eye grounders, the homer was the only XBH. He was helped out by a GIDP and a pair of CS. Leasure in now. His inning is quick: groundout, walk, GIDP.

.273/.316/.515 through 33 AB.

Leadoff single against Fedde, but an easy CS for Lee one pitch later. I'm a big fan of his arm. Routine groundout and a K to end a quick 1-2-3 for Fedde. Ortega adds to the lead with a HR (???) Pillar nearly matches him, settles for a double off the wall + an error to get to third. Lee crushes a HR (I like him so much), 5-0 Sox, still no outs in the 2nd. Maybe we should just trade divisions with the Cubs?

Eloy tagged out trying to stretch a double into a triple after the LF bobbled the ball. He's out, but Moncada (bunt single) and Vaughn (single) score on the play. Early 2-0 lead for the Sox. Korey Lee catching instead of Robinson as Fedde takes the ball.

That poor baseball...

Too bad this one isn't televised. 4 HRs so far, could have given Schriffen a chance to workshop calls for the season.

@South Side Hit Men A couple more bonus numbers for your tracker:

Who had TA (.412 SLG) slugging more than Burger (.208) on their ST bingo card?

In fairness, they probably should have scored one when this happened top 8. Moose and Montgomery walks, a Burdick K, and a double steal put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. A soft Burke grounder was flipped back to the plate for an out on Remillard pinch running for Moose. He was called out, but the radio crew conceded that the throw/tag seemed late and the Sox would likely have challenged (and won) if this was a real game.

Jacob Burke made an impressive catch to rob a hit for the first out. Pop out to 1B for the second out. Joey Bart hit a single to right, but Leasure got a K looking on a nice slider to end the inning. Sounds like he was sitting around 96-97, and maybe playing with the pitch mix a bit.

Sox pull ahead thanks to the young guys (and Moose). Shewmake triple, Fletcher groundout, Moose bloop RBI single, tie game 2-2. Montgomery single, Burdick K, Jacob Burke RBI single, Sox lead 3-2. Ramos worked a walk to load the bases, but a Phillips groundout ends the inning. Leasure in to pitch.

The good news: Speas got three consecutive flyouts. The bad news: He walked the bases loaded first, so the first two scored runs. Flexen finished with 3IP, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 2K.

They flipped to second, but Moncada beat it out.