They have played to keep their friends around and White Sox management elected to do that on Friday.
By not trading Jeff Samardzija, the White Sox kept in tact a roster that has produced a 17-9 mark since June 30 and has crept back into the wild-card picture.
The White Sox started a six-game homestand on Friday night only 3 1/2 games back in the wild-card race. The decision to not deal Samardzija and push forward with the current roster was met with satisfaction by players and the coaching staff.
“We truly believe we can keep this up, and keep playing good baseball and have a chance,” pitcher John Danks said. “But for them to not break us up and not do anything to hinder that means a lot. Now it’s time for us to go play.”
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Chris Sale didn’t want to discuss trade talks that could have resulted in a deal that sent away Samardzija. Sale briefly answered a question about his friend and headed for the weight room.
“Same team we had yesterday, we're all smiles,” Sale said.
MLB
Manager Robin Ventura predicted Thursday night in Boston he’d have the same team on Friday. He’s happy the group returned, especially given its recent offensive production. Whereas the White Sox offense has slumped all season, the team scored 56 runs on its 7-1 road trip.
“You almost feel the way we’ve played in the last week you’ve already traded for guys,” Ventura said. “These guys are playing in a way that we haven’t seen in the first couple months. But they’ve played and hitting-wise you’ve gotten new guys.”