Two 5-Run Innings Enough for White Sox to Win

August 16, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

The Chicago White Sox might have injured outfielder Avisail Garcia back sooner than expected. Meaning sometime soon. As in before the end of the season. Which is good news for the Sox because the guy can hit. It would be even better news if he could pitch.

Video below of Lauren Mellor. For all who care (even for those who don’t).

* Speaking of the Sox, starter Hector Noesi went five innings (plus three batters in the sixth) against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and allowed five runs. Meaning he was the winning pitcher because the offense was more than sufficient in an 11-5 decision. Also meaning the much-maligned (and deservedly so) bullpen provided scoreless relief.

* Nothing like a pair of five-run innings — in the Sox’ case the first and fifth innings — to give yourself a chance to win. The victory left the Sox with a 58-64 record. Meaning the team needs to go 23-17 in its final 40 games to finish .500. Now that might not sound like a difficult proposition, except the Sox haven’t been at .500 in recent memory.

* Speaking of scoring runs, Sox first baseman Jose Abreu went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs to run his season total to a major league-leading 89. And, yes, he should be thinking about where he is going to place the AL rookie of the year award.

* Speaking of scoring runs, Chicago Cubs rookie second baseman Javier Baez scored a run as he went 1-for-4 with a mere two strikeouts in a 3-2 loss to the host New York Mets. Cubs left-hander Travis Wood allowed all three runs in 5 1/3 innings. At the plate, he went 0-for-1 with a walk. Meaning Wood still has a better batting average (.261 to .245) than Baez. And one more walk as a hitter this season than Baez (still without a walk in 49 at-bats).

Sorry, but no video of Wendy Trent today.

* For those tracking Baez’s strikeout frequency, he has 19 in 49 at bats. Which translates to .388 percent. Which generally does not translate to a successful big-league career. But he’s young. Meaning he has a lot more striking out to do.

* Speaking of striking out on the big-league level, the Cubs traded outfielder Brett Jackson — who struck out 59 times in 142 at-bats with the Cubs in 2012 — to Arizona for pitcher Blake Cooper. It’s not every day you can deal a guy who whiffed .492 percent of the time.

* Their loss left the Cubs with a 52-69 record. The statistical analysis department around here calculates that to meaning the ballclub needs to go 11-30 to avoid 100 losses. And to finish at .500, the Cubs need to go 29-12. Something says .500 is a won-lost record the Cubs won’t be seeing any time soon — as in (wait for it) wait for next season.

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