Off-day musings: 1/3 of the season done, 2/3 to go.

[southsider2k5]

The Sox sit at 29-25 at the 1/3 mark of the season. The team is sitting in 2nd place two games behind KC, and a half game ahead of Cleveland. Extrapolate that over the course of 162 games, and it comes out to 87 wins, or one game higher than the 86 it took to make the 2nd wild card last year. Currently they are 1.5 games behind Baltimore for the #2 wild card spot.

 

So far the pitching has been a bit better than expected, sitting #5 in all of baseball with a 3.40 team era. Starters rank 8th with a 3.56 team era. Despite the disastrous stretch of May, the White Sox are still #6 overall in bullpen era at 3.10.

 

The offense has moved up to #22 in team OPS (.697) and #19 in runs scored this season. Team OBP is up to 20th at .314. Last year they were 28th in OBP (.306), 27th in OPS (.686), and 28th in runs scored.

 

In terms of team fielding the White Sox have the 2nd fewest errors in all of baseball at 23, and are tied for 2nd in team fielding percentage at .989. They are 10th in overall chances, an improvement from #24 last year.

[Lip Man 1]

If they can start beating divisional teams they'll have a good shot. If not...well we've seen that movie before.

 

Mark

[captain54]

I wish people would stop with "the Sox are above .500 and in 2nd place on June 1st. Everybody would have been happy with that pre-season"

 

That's not the point. During the course of the first 1/3 of the season, the Sox lost a 6 game lead and then dropped 2 games back. That's a pretty alarming swing. Despite that, the season proceeds as is and the status quo remains

 

Hahn's recent comment on the state of the Sox seemed to infer that the same bunch got the club 13 games over at some point, so it's certainly capable of doing it again.

 

Yea Rick. But the same bunch also was capable of a 7 game losing streak and some historically horrific loses. So equally, they are capable of that as well

 

 

[southsider2k5]

I wish people would stop with "the Sox are above .500 and in 2nd place on June 1st. Everybody would have been happy with that pre-season"

 

That's not the point. During the course of the first 1/3 of the season, the Sox lost a 6 game lead and then dropped 2 games back. That's a pretty alarming swing. Despite that, the season proceeds as is and the status quo remains

 

Hahn's recent comment on the state of the Sox seemed to infer that the same bunch got the club 13 games over at some point, so it's certainly capable of doing it again.

 

Yea Rick. But the same bunch also was capable of a 7 game losing streak and some historically horrific loses. So equally, they are capable of that as well

 

And I wish people would stop pissing into every thread that isn't full of woe and angst.

 

[chisox802]

I wish people would stop with "the Sox are above .500 and in 2nd place on June 1st. Everybody would have been happy with that pre-season"

 

That's not the point. During the course of the first 1/3 of the season, the Sox lost a 6 game lead and then dropped 2 games back. That's a pretty alarming swing. Despite that, the season proceeds as is and the status quo remains

 

Hahn's recent comment on the state of the Sox seemed to infer that the same bunch got the club 13 games over at some point, so it's certainly capable of doing it again.

 

Yea Rick. But the same bunch also was capable of a 7 game losing streak and some historically horrific loses. So equally, they are capable of that as well

 

That's the thing. Some of those losses were just awful. I understand the argument of everyone would have taken this pre-season, however not with some of the losses we have had.....

 

That 7-1 blown lead in the 9th against KC still makes my stomach turn.

[hi8is]

Start the year 23 and 10.... Then only be 4 over .500 at this point.. No way to paint it other than a disappointment.

 

Hopefully they run off on a good 8 - 2 for the next 10.

[caulfield12]

If Ventura and Hahn earned the fans' trust, there would be more support and less "historical" woe and angst.

 

It's definitely true that if we were, let's say the Marlins, and were a new franchise in the early 1990's and already had two World Series championships that the fans wouldn't have that constant fear of disappointment...(frustration with Loria is another issue, but we have enough fans frustrated with JR, too).

 

I'll just put it this way. The three teams that have longer stretches without a postseason, ones' CEO just publicly annihilated his GM and most expensive pitcher, one is run by Jeffrey Loria and the other is Seattle, who looks to be in a slightly better position (at least currently) than the White Sox (not to mention they're benefiting from all their new tv contract revenues and were able to add Cruz/Cano).

 

Yeah, we could be the A's, the Rays, the Reds, the Padres, the Marlins, the Twins or the Braves (who at least have the new stadium to look forward to). Things COULD be worse. But I'd hope we would have a higher expectation than not being in the five to seven worst franchises in baseball.

 

 

[Harry Chappas]

If the 8 run 8th and 7 run ninth can put a team in a funk, what I saw yesterday should also pull it out of a funk.

 

The bullpen literally won that game yesterday with the main implosion culprits coming through in a big way.

 

Am I happy where they sit right now, no but the AL Central is not as good as it has been and the White Sox are right there with any of them.

 

Somke and mirrors is not really needed just guys to produce as the have in the past.

 

[captain54]

And I wish people would stop pissing into every thread that isn't full of woe and angst.

 

I didn't come here to start an argument or a troll war, just a simple entry on a fan forum, relaying my point of view. It's not a right vs wrong thing. Sorry if you can't handle that. That's unfortunate

 

Woe and angst would more relate to human injustice, inequality, the fact that people can't support their families or that young people are being killed in Chicago, almost daily. Not whether the Sox can right the ship and fix the pen, whether Abreu can start hitting, or whether or not they can make at least the 2nd WC in October.

[southsider2k5]

I didn't come here to start an argument or a troll war, just a simple entry on a fan forum, relaying my point of view. It's not a right vs wrong thing. Sorry if you can't handle that. That's unfortunate

 

Woe and angst would more relate to human injustice, inequality, the fact that people can't support their families or that young people are being killed in Chicago, almost daily. Not whether the Sox can right the ship and fix the pen, whether Abreu can start hitting, or whether or not they can make at least the 2nd WC in October.

 

Hi Trump.

[captain54]

Hi Trump.

 

Whoa. I'm not sure where the Trump thing came from. But, you got me. Well played. I lie mortally wounded. Congrats

Edited June 2, 2016 by captain54

[Jerksticks]

If the 8 run 8th and 7 run ninth can put a team in a funk, what I saw yesterday should also pull it out of a funk.

 

The bullpen literally won that game yesterday with the main implosion culprits coming through in a big way.

 

Am I happy where they sit right now, no but the AL Central is not as good as it has been and the White Sox are right there with any of them.

 

Somke and mirrors is not really needed just guys to produce as the have in the past.

Exactly. The bullpen should be pretty good over the long haul, not too worried. I think Latos and Abreu are the main cogs where my concern lies. We need Jose to be Jose but we need Latos to exceed expectations a bit, which I dunno, seems iffy.

 

Those heartbreaking losses aren't that bad really. Our "7th inning team" stole plenty of games the first month to more than even that out. I'd say we're still on the positive side of the crushing losses received/given, or at least it feels that way.

[caulfield12]

It all comes down to health, as well.

 

The Royals and Indians have suffered significant early-season losses and are still competitive. The biggest loss for the Sox has probably been Jake Petricka.

 

In Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Perez, Moustakas and Gordon, you're talking about 5 of the 20 best players in the division on the shelf. The Tigers have also been playing better with Cameron Maybin back.

Edited June 2, 2016 by caulfield12

[Thad Bosley]

I wish people would stop with "the Sox are above .500 and in 2nd place on June 1st. Everybody would have been happy with that pre-season"

 

That's not the point. During the course of the first 1/3 of the season, the Sox lost a 6 game lead and then dropped 2 games back. That's a pretty alarming swing. Despite that, the season proceeds as is and the status quo remains

 

Hahn's recent comment on the state of the Sox seemed to infer that the same bunch got the club 13 games over at some point, so it's certainly capable of doing it again.

 

Yea Rick. But the same bunch also was capable of a 7 game losing streak and some historically horrific loses. So equally, they are capable of that as well

Interesting post. This Sox team is a tough one to figure out. It is obviously not as good as the one that started out 22-10, and yet it's not as bad as the one that subsequently went 7-15. The question is whether it's good enough to go at least 58-50 the rest of the way to sneak its way into the postseason. This is an organization with a fan base that desperately needs a shot in the arm of the excitement that a strong postseason run would bring, so here's to hoping the crack management team takes the necessary measures to help make that happen.

[caulfield12]

23-10

 

then 6-15

[GreatScott82]

The month of April was awesome! Clutch hitting, great defense and the pitching was tremendous. At the beginning of May, looking at the calendar and seeing the tough opponents, I was hoping for them to play at least .500 ball. Unfortunately, it felt like we took a time machine back to September 2012. They were no longer coming up with clutch hits, in fact the offense as a whole was a disappointing. The starting pitching was okay but the bullpen and the way Robin handled it was HORRENDOUS. This brings us to June- they stand at 1.5 games behind KC- who in my opinion is not as strong as they were last year. If the Sox bullpen does their job--they easily sweep them last week.

This series against Detroit is very important. The White Sox are 148-173 (.400 ball) against the AL Central since Robin took over in 2012. If you can't beat your divisional opponents--what are we doing here? Seriously-- kick Detroit's ass and let us Sox fans know we can get back in this thing.

 

It is obvious this team has holes. We all know it. They need another power bat, starting pitcher and most importantly-- bullpen help. My hope is that Hahn can get creative and get something done soon because this team needs help on multiple levels.

 

[flavum]

vs Tigers this year....

 

6-4 at home, 5-4 on the road. Anything less than 11-8 isn't good enough, especially if they're going to have a piss record against the Royals again.

[Texsox]

A loss is a loss no matter if it is game one, 47, or 162. No matter if it is a blown lead or a blow out. No matter if it comes after 6 other loses or 15 wins. As SS2k5 presented the stats it isn't a bad place to be.

[flavum]

A loss is a loss no matter if it is game one, 47, or 162. No matter if it is a blown lead or a blow out. No matter if it comes after 6 other loses or 15 wins. As SS2k5 presented the stats it isn't a bad place to be.

 

Based on who they played and where they played the games, I think 29-25 is right where the Sox should be. But when you start 19-8 the first 27, and then go 10-17 the next 27---and in the process go 1-5 against the Royals---it's absolutely a shame the Sox aren't at least 31-23 at the 1/3 mark.

 

You can have any perspective on this you want to make yourself feel better. But make no mistake, the season series against the teams in the division are a big deal. Any deficit has to be made up against other teams--and that's tough to do.

[caulfield12]

I believe more fans are surprised at what happened to this year's team during this current skid (6-15) than they were the "collapse/choke" of 4-11 the final 15 games of September, 2012.

 

All along, the fans expected that the Tigers were the team with the superior talent, and the White Sox were relying upon so many rookie pitchers who'd never been in a playoff hunt...not to mention the signs the defense was already regressing after the first 4 1/2 months or so of fine play and the "breath of fresh air" from Ozzie being gone from the clubhouse.

 

There was nothing during that "things slipping away" streak in 2012 that was quite reminiscent of the Rangers' 13-11 loss and especially three consecutive heart-breaking losses to KC, not to mention the fact that that Tigers' team was MUCH better in terms of talent than anyone we're fighting with right now.

 

Of course, there wasn't anything similar to the "heartening" effect of Matt Albers' trip around the bases, either.

Edited June 3, 2016 by caulfield12

[GreatScott82]

I believe more fans are surprised at what happened to this year's team during this current skid (6-15) than they were the "collapse/choke" of 4-11 the final 15 games of September, 2012.

 

All along, the fans expected that the Tigers were the team with the superior talent, and the White Sox were relying upon so many rookie pitchers who'd never been in a playoff hunt...not to mention the signs the defense was already regressing after the first 4 1/2 months or so of fine play and the "breath of fresh air" from Ozzie being gone from the clubhouse.

 

There was nothing during that "things slipping away" streak in 2012 that was quite reminiscent of the Rangers' 13-11 loss and especially three consecutive heart-breaking losses to KC, not to mention the fact that that Tigers' team was MUCH better in terms of talent than anyone we're fighting with right now.

 

Of course, there wasn't anything similar to the "heartening" effect of Matt Albers' trip around the bases, either.

The team and the Central division were obviously different back in 2012. I was simply comparing the amount of games they lost in the standings in such a small amount of time. I do agree with you about the losses this season being much worse and almost inexcusable than the collapse in 2012. Affer the awesome April, expectations grew and with this sudden collapse and horrible play- fans are frustrated and rightfully so. It has been 8 years since we made the playoffs. Imagine if they just would have went in a rebuilding project at the beginning of 2010?

[caulfield12]

Yes, GreatScott, if we can make the assumptions that the trades worked out exactly like they did for the Cubs, for the most part...and they just as importantly made the right first round/supplemental draft picks AND also had the resources to throw so much money into international signings.

 

The timing would have been almost perfect to hit with all that talent about right now or next year...when the Royals and Tigers were falling off and the Twins (that backfired for them, so it seems...they've arguably been rebuilding since 2011 as well) and Indians rebuilds were also arriving on the scene. There is this prevailing idea that AT THE VERY LEAST we should be able to outspend the Indians and Twins, right???

Edited June 3, 2016 by caulfield12

[captain54]

The Sox could not beat the Royals in 2012. I think they only won 6 games. That fact alone made them look like pretenders. As it turned out, after they beat Detroit in the makeup game on Monday in mid September, things were looking good. They then beat the Royals in the first game of the next series, but then got shutout by "Cy" Chen, and lost that series. A sweep by the Angels followed that, and then they lost every series of the year until the last one.

 

Bottom line, I think the Sox paid the price for not being able to beat the lowly Royals that year

[GreatScott82]

Yes, GreatScott, if we can make the assumptions that the trades worked out exactly like they did for the Cubs, for the most part...and they just as importantly made the right first round/supplemental draft picks AND also had the resources to throw so much money into international signings.

 

The timing would have been almost perfect to hit with all that talent about right now or next year...when the Royals and Tigers were falling off and the Twins (that backfired for them, so it seems...they've arguably been rebuilding since 2011 as well) and Indians rebuilds were also arriving on the scene. There is this prevailing idea that AT THE VERY LEAST we should be able to outspend the Indians and Twins, right???

Haha you would think so.

 

And yes, even if half of the high draft picks and trades since 2010 panned out-- combined with free

Agent signings to fill out the roster, this team would be in awesome shape moving forward. Now we are hoping in this "3 year window" that began in 2015, we make the post season at least ONCE with this core group of guys, mediocre bullpen and lack depth in the farm system.

[flavum]

American League at the 1/3 mark:

 

Bos 32-22

Tex 32-22

Sea 31-23

Bal 31-23

Cle 30-24

KC 30-24

Chi 29-25

Tor 28-26

Det 26-28

LAA 25-29

NY 25-29

Hou 25-29

Oak 25-29

TB 24-30

Min 16-38

 

6 teams on pace for 90 wins. Sox put two of them there on their own.