Happy halfway point!
The White Sox have played 81 of their 162 games this season and there’s a day off. With a day off, you need something to read. And with that, I present a collection of White Sox nuggets from the last week.
- On Sunday, Lucas Giolito looked like the Lucas Giolito we have become used to in 2019. He now has an MLB-high 11 wins to go along with 115 strikeouts. He’s one of four pitchers in White Sox history with 11 wins and 110 strikeouts before the all-star break, joining Chris Sale (2016), Wilbur Wood (1972, 1973) and Juan Pizarro (1963).
- It’s pretty amazing that the White Sox have managed a 39-42 record this season. Lucas Giolito has posted a stellar 2.72 ERA in his 16 starts. However, in the other 65 games this season, White Sox starters have had a less-than-ideal 6.15 ERA. Credit to this team for scratching and clawing their way through thus far.
- James McCann is headed to his first career All-Star Game. He has an excellent .319/.376/.514 slashline with nine home runs. Of those nine home runs, five are off pitchers who have been all-stars. David Price (five-time all-star), Trevor Bauer (2018 all-star), Jon Lester (five-time all-star), Chris Sale (seven-time all-star) and José Berríos (2018 all-star).
- José Abreu recently took over the seventh spot on the White Sox career home run list with 165. Of the eight AL franchises which have been around since the early 1900s, here are the other players seventh on franchise home run lists:
Yankees: Bernie Williams, Tigers: Lou Whitaker, Red Sox: Mo Vaughn, Browns/Orioles: Rafael Palmeiro, Indians: Andre Thornton, A’s: Al Simmons, Senators/Twins: Kirby Puckett.
- The White Sox faced Australian lefty Lewis Thorpe yesterday, who made his MLB debut. It was the first time the White Sox had a Thorpe as an opponent since Olympic legend Jim Thorpe of the Giants in Game 5 of the 1917 World Series… kind of.
Thorpe was penciled in the starting lineup as the Giants starting rightfielder, but was pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the first inning before he could get on the field.
- Remember when Eloy Jiménez hit each of his first eight Major League home runs on the road and went homerless in each of his first 18 career games at Guaranteed Rate Field?
Well, in his eight home games since he’s hitting .333/.394/.867 with five home runs, eight runs and 11 RBIs.
Also worth noting: Eloy’s 14 home runs rank third in White Sox history among players in their first 57 career MLB games, behind José Abreu (19) and Zeke Bonura (14).
- Hopefully, Yoán Moncada has found a home in the No. 2 spot in the order. When hitting there this season, he’s slashing .332/.388/.600 in 48 games.
From 2012-18, the White Sox had consistently struggled getting production out of that spot, putting up an anemic .242/.291/.358 slashline over that seven-year span.
- Two White Sox players this season have had a streak of five games with both a hit and an RBI. One is Moncada.
The other one is Jon Jay, who has played only six games with the team. He went 0-2 with a walk and sacrifice in his White Sox debut, but in each of the last five games, he has had at least one hit and an RBI. He has been great.
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