Sidney Brown follows the Chicago White Sox for WARR
As the old saying goes, April showers bring May flowers, the phrase fits perfectly for the 16-37 Chicago White Sox.
Errors, inconsistent hitting and pitching punctuates the team’s efforts but there were a few bright spots during the month of May. Let’s first start with pitching, headed by two young guns and a veteran. Let’s not forget that Carson Fulmer was optioned down to Triple A Charlotte early in the month (2-4 record, 8.07 ERA, 29 K) due to inconsistency, which didn’t help with overall good feelings towards the rotation at the time.
James Shields: 6 starts, 30 strikeouts, 15 earned runs given up and pitched 7 plus innings three times.
Lucas Giolito: 6 starts, 2-3 record, 22K, 24 ER given up; best outing: 5/19 vs. TEX (6 IP, 2 ER, 3 K)
(7 IP, ER, 8 K)The offense for the Sox has been a roller coaster ride all season long. Two key members stood out for the month of May making their presence known at the plate.
Tim Anderson: 7 HR, 13 RBI (.242 AVG, 11 HR, 20 RBI overall)
Jose Abreu: 3 HR, 18 RBI (.298 AVG, 9 HR, 31 RBI overall)
As the month of June is upon us, more improvement is expected overall. With the young core continuing to learn on the job, bad habits are expected, but a willingness to correct the mistakes should be the main priority.
Will Shields continue to be consistent and up his trade value? Will Giolito continue to build momentum and pitch deep into ballgames? Will the offense as a whole turn the corner and pick up the slack for the pitching? As the weather heats up, look for some answers to these questions.
Giving Props
All props are due to Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar, who will help open this weekend’s series against Milwaukee by throwing out the first pitch.
Of course we’re all familiar with Farquhar’s story of suffering a brain hemorrhage during a game in April. The harrowing experience put a scare into Sox followers everywhere and relief can be felt across the baseball world as the 31-year old has gone about recovering.
Part of Farquhar’s week back in the spotlight has had him take interviews, most notably with Good Morning America, and he’s stated in no uncertain terms that he wants to play again.
Farquhar is a rare instance of a pitcher who didn’t need to retire to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Like him, I’m confident that this won’t be his last time on the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field.
But until his official return let’s make sure to celebrate Farquhar’s recovery, his resilience and his ability to spend more time with his friends, family and his team.
Team Statistics
Batting Avg.: .247 (10th in AL)
ERA: 5.04 (13th in AL)
Home Runs: 64 (10th in AL)
RBI: 205 (14th in AL)
Stolen Bases: 47 (1st in AL)
Team Leaders
Batting Avg.: Charlie Tilson (.364)
Home Runs: Matt Davidson & Tim Anderson (11)
RBI: Jose Abreu (31)
Pitching Leaders
ERA: Nate Jones (3.10)
Strikeouts: James Shields (45)
Wins: Lucas Giolito (3)
Holds: Nate Jones (3)
Saves: Joakim Soria & Nate Jones (4)
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