"Oh No! We Suck Again!" -- Reviving the White Sox in 2025

[jksander]

May 30, 2025: The first game of the Baltimore series was rained out, so we will have a split doubleheader tomorrow afternoon instead. This is going to mean a stretch of 10 games in nine days, and though for now it does not appear we’ll have to throw our starting rotation too far out of whack, Cannon and Perez will be available to spot start during that stretch if needed -- though neither will be rested enough to start a game tomorrow.

May 31, 2025: Trevor Bauer (0-4, 5.44 ERA, 41.1 IP, 44 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) started game one for us with a 1:35 p.m. first pitch, facing Baltimore’s Tomoyuki Sugano (3-5, 3.45 ERA, 60.0 IP, 44 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Bauer quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the first and let Adley Rutschman walk in the Orioles’ first run with just one out. Another scored when he was slow with the throw to first on two outs, allowing Jorge Mateo to reach safely for an RBI single. But with the unplanned doubleheader, he’d get more rope than usual in this one. Austin Slater hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to get us on the board and back within a run, but they got it back in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Heston Kjerstad hitting a solo bomb to make it 3-1. Bauer got through the inning, but on 94 pitches ... so his afternoon was over. Michael A. Taylor hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth to get us back within a run, and Penn Murfee took over on the mound for the bottom half. He struck out the side and got us through the seventh as well, and Shane Smith got the ball in the bottom of the eighth with us still trailing by a run. But the game was blown in the bottom of that inning, when Jorge Mateo hit a two-run homer to expand their lead to three runs. We had no answer, and the Orioles got through the first with a 5-2 win. Bauer took the loss and fell to 0-5, his ERA at 5.44 thanks to six hits, five walks, four strikeouts and three earned runs in five innings’ work. They only outhit us 7-5, and Slater had two hits, a walk, a run and an RBI thanks to his sixth homer of the season.

They took enough time to clear out the fans, do a quick cleanup and let last night’s ticketholders in for game two, which featured Yu Darvish (6-2, 3.37 ERA, 66.2 IP, 58 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) dueling against Dean Kremer (4-4, 4.85 ERA, 52.0 IP, 53 K’s, 1.48 WHIP). In the bottom of the second they took the lead when a wild pitch advanced baserunners into scoring position, with Gary Sanchez reaching first on an E5 error that drove home Cedric Mullins. But we didn’t let them add on, and in the top of the third Miguel Vargas hit a single that drove in Otto Lopez for the tying run, with Chase Meidroth coming in to score the go-ahead from second ... nice play! Darvish got us through the sixth and reached 10 K’s for the second game in a row, and we added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Michael A. Taylor scored while Tauchman reached first on a dropped throw E1 error to make it 3-1 White Sox. Shane Smith came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, and he got through the seventh and two outs in the eighth, before Heston Kjerstad hit a solo homer out of left to get Baltimore back within a run. Mike Clevinger took the ball from him and got the final out of that inning, and with the score unchanged he powered through the ninth as well, pitching around runners on first and second to strike out Gary Sanchez and Colton Cowser as we won 3-2. Darvish got the win, lasting six innings with three hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts to go with a single unearned run. We outhit them 9-6 as well, led by Otto Lopez, who hit three times with a run scored. Clevinger improved his ERA to 1.34 through 40.1 innings, and earned his first save of the year in the process.

Chase Meidroth was named AL Rookie of the Month, and so far this season the 23-year-old third baseman has hit .254 with six doubles, a triple, three homers and 18 runs batted in. We finished the month of May with a 22-36 record overall, and after one last game in Baltimore tomorrow we’ll have a week of games against Detroit and Kansas City at home to hopefully improve our standings in the division. This should actually be a good month for us to try and make real headway, since we’ll play 16 of our 26 games this month on our home field.

June 1, 2025: Noah Syndegaard (3-3, 3.32 ERA, 62.1 IP, 40 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) started our final game against Baltimore, facing Charlie Morton (1-4, 3.99 ERA, 47.1 IP, 41 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). Baltimore took the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Jordan Westberg, and a two-run double on two outs by Kjerstad added to our misery. But in the top of the fifth our bats woke up quickly ... Cadyn Grenier hit an RBI single, Otto Lopez added an RBI double, and Chase Meidroth hit an RBI single to tie the score at three each! Penn Murfee took over in the bottom of the sixth, still tied up, and Kimbrel got the ball in the seventh to keep it that way. But he stayed out in the eighth and shouldn’t have ... Cowser walked, as did Jordan Westburg, and Gunnar Henderson hit an RBI single to take the lead, no outs. So Clevinger had to come out and take the ball with two in scoring position. One of them scored off a sac-fly by Kjerstad, and the other scored off a sac-fly by Adley Rutschman, Kimbrel singlehandedly digging us a three-run hole. Our bats were silent in the ninth and we lost this one 6-3. Kimbrel fell to 1-2 with a 7.11 ERA, allowing two hits, two walks and three earned runs while only getting three outs. They outhit us 7-6, Teel getting a hit and a walk with a run scored, while Joey Gallo walked twice and got nowhere.

Next up is a four-game set at home against Detroit, a 30-30 team sitting in fourth place but 7.5 games up on us. We’ll then host three against division-leaders Kansas City, who hold a 36-24 record.

[Pelican]

So true. And mine is just an attempted quick fix, hence the many one-year contracts. A truly responsible owner would pour money into scouting (particularly international) and player development.

Rather than all the talk of a salary cap, I would prefer to see a floor. Teams that go under $100,000,000 a year can pay the difference to the pension fund.

[Pelican]

Interesting that You Darvish has pitched well. He's still unsigned in early May in my sim.

[jksander]

Originally Posted by Pelican

Interesting that You Darvish has pitched well. He's still unsigned in early May in my sim.

Big fan of him, so I'm glad to see he's adjusted well to being back in Chicago (though on the opposite team). Of all our moves, getting him seems to have helped in the biggest way -- that and signing Syndegaard ... Bauer has mostly been a "fan interest" move, his pitching has been replacement level or worse all around. Same with Kimbrel, who would be gone already if we didn't need depth out of the pen.

[jksander]

Getting a lot of in-game crashes, so waiting for the next patch to continue this. (And yes, they're documented and reported )

[jksander]

I decided to keep this going while the devs figure out the issues with 3D play, by handing over the managerial reins and simming games one at a time. I'll still write them up as usual, but I won't be taking control of things like substitutions and pitching changes. It'll still be hands on, but I'll be more focused on giving my manager a good team to field, while we work on draft prep and trying to make moves ahead of the deadline.

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CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/2/25 ... p.B1
White Sox Ownership Makes Move, Hires Guillen as Manager

CHICAGO, Ill. - In a surprising move, the White Sox have announced that David Harrison, who has been serving as General Manager as well as on field manager of the team, will be stepping back into a fully front office role. As a result, the team will need a “field general,” and in that vein they have chosen to hire Ozzie Guillen, 61, to lead the clubhouse. Guillen, who managed the Sox from 2004-11 and the Marlins in 2012, has a 747-710 record as a manager and, despite having been retired for more than a decade, he has high hopes for this team.

“I love this team,” he said at the press conference announcing his hire. “I loved the team when I played for Chicago for 16 years and when I managed the team after I retired. And it’s shameful how far my Sox have fallen. I think management has the team on the right track, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure this team succeeds as we continue to rebuild.”

Harrison has said Guillen will have full control over the team’s depth charts and day-to-day operations, which will free him up to focus on making moves pre-deadline as well as prepping for the upcoming draft.

“I did what I could as a manager early in this season, but I agree with ownership that getting someone as dedicated as Ozzie to take over clubhouse management is goingt o help us in the long term,” he told the gathered press. “He’s a great manager to have when we’re looking at bringing up our developing prospects, and his leadership is going to pay dividends as our Sox find their footing.”

Guillen will manage his first game of the new era when the Tigers and Royals come to town for a seven-game stretch this week. They play the Tigers for game one tonight at 7:05 p.m.

[jksander]

June 2, 2025: With a week of home games scheduled, we really could use a good stretch of play from our team. Ryan Weber (2-5, 3.21 ERA, 53.1 IP, 35 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (4-3, 3.38 ERA, 74.2 IP, 85 K’s, 1.19 WHIP). Detroit took the lead in the top of the second with a solo homer by Parker Meadows, and they added on in the top of the third with an RBI single by Riley Greene. But Cadyn Grenier hit a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth to tie it up, and he hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to give us a 3-2 lead! Craig Kimbrel came out to pitch in the top of the seventh, and Shane Smith took over in the eighth, giving Detroit back the run with a solo homer by Kerry Carpenter to tie it back up 3-3. But Austin Slater put us back into the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer, and Brandon Eisert had a quick ninth inning to close it out, finishing by getting Jake Rogers to ground into a 6-2-3 double play as we held tough to win 4-3 in Ozzie Guillen’s first game as a manager! Smith wound up with his first blown save, but improved to 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA, while Eisert saved his 11th game of the season with two hits, a walk and a strikeout. Each team had nine hits, ours led by Slater who had three hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI, while Grenier had two hits, a walk and three RBIs.

OOC: Ozzie Guillen has moved Noah Syndegaard (3-3, 3.48 ERA, 67.1 IP 44 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) into a setup role, and will be running a rotation of Darvish, Clevinger, Bauer, Burke and Weber. I’m not sure how Clevinger, who has played 28 games so far out of the bullpen, will handle being a starter considering his weak stuff and 40 stamina, but he has a 4-2 record and a 1.31 ERA with 36 K’s and a 0.92 WHIP so I’ll trust Ozzie’s judgment -- it’s what we’re paying him $1.5 million a year through 2029 to handle.

June 3, 2025: Sean Burke (3-6, 4.31 ERA, 54.1 IP, 57 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) started our second game against Detroit, facing Jack Flaherty (2-7, 7.47 ERA, 53.0 IP, 71 K’s, 1.64 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second off an RBI single by Otto Lopez, and a Mike Tauchman solo homer in the third gave us a 2-0 advantage! Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run triple in the fifth to extend the lead to four runs, and Jonathan Cannon took over with no outs and a runner on first in the top of the sixth. Detroit got on the board in the top of the seventh with an RBI single by Kerry Carpenter, and Matt Vierling hit a solo homer to cut our lead to two in the top of the eighth. But Eisert handled business in the ninth and we were able to win once again, this time by a 4-2 margin. Burke got the win, improving to 4-0 with a 3.94 ERA thanks to five innings with three hits, three walks and six strikeouts, and Eisert got his ERA down to 2.45 with his 12th save. We were again matched on hits, seven against seven, and Lopez led the way with a hit, two walks and an RBI, while Tauchman popped his eighth homer of the season.
 
June 4, 2025: Trevor Bauer (0-5, 5.44 ERA, 46.1 IP, 48 K’s, 1.49 WHIP) pitched against Tyler Holton (5-2, 2.53 ERA, 64.0 IP, 58 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) in game three against the Tigers. Jorge Alfaro hit a solo homer for us in the bottom of the second, but Detroit was having none of it ... in the top of the third they hammered us for seven runs, including three-run homers by Gleyber Torres Parker Meadows, driving Bauer out of the game with NO OUTS, just two complete innings -- the experiment with him back in the majors may now be over. Detroit spent the rest of the game adding on runs, and we lost this one badly 11-2. Bauer allowed six hits and seven runs in two innings with three walks and a single strikeout, falling to 0-6 with a 6.52 ERA, and we were outhit 13-8, Grenier leading the way with two hits and an RBI.

I’ve decided to release Trevor Bauer, and in turn promoted 21-year-old rookie phenom Noah Schultz to the majors, where Guillen plans to slot him into the #3 spot in the rotation. Through 11 starts at AAA Charlotte, Schultz has gone 5-4 with a 4.32 ERA and 83 K’s through 58.1 innings, good for a 1.18 WHIP and 1.9 WAR.

June 5, 2025: Yu Darvish (7-2, 3.10 ERA, 72.2 IP, 68 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) pitched against Reese Olson (4-2, 3.42 ERA, 71.0 IP, 62 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) in our final game of the four-game set against the Tigers, and we took a quick lead in the bottom of the first with a sac-fly by Kyle Teel which scored Otto Lopez from third. Detroit tied us up in the top of the fourth with a solo homer by Riley Greene, but Grenier answered with one of his own in the bottom of the inning to put us back on top 2-1. We broke it open in the bottom of the fifth with four more runs scoring, including a two-run single by Chase Meidroth, amd we were dominant from there as we stumped the Tigers 8-2 ... the Ozzie Guillen era opens with a 3-1 series win! Yu Darvish allowed three hits and a run with a walk and four strikeouts in his 5.1 innings, giving him the win, and we outhit the Tigers 12-5, led by Teel who had three hits and two runs batted in.

We’ll take a 25-38 record into the series against the Royals, who currently lead our division by four and a half games over Cleveland, the Royals’ record sitting at 37-26. We’re just two days away from the start of the draft combine, and just five weeks away from the draft itself.

[jksander]

June 6, 2025: Mike Clevinger (4-2, 1.31 ERA, 41.1 IP, 36 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) made his first start of the season, facing Kris Bubic (4-4, 3.68 ERA, 71.0 IP, 75 K’s, .18 WHIP) in our first of three against the Royals. They scored in the top of the first off a sac-fly by Bobby Witt Jr., and they tacked on three more in the second, piling on as our bats took the night off. Trailing by six as we went into the bottom of the ninth, Lenyn Sosa hit a two-run double to cut into their lead but not by enough. We lost this one 7-3, and we were neer in the game at all once the Royals hit us early. Clevinger lasted 3.2 innings but allowed nine hits and five earned runs, walking one and striking out five, and we were outhit 13-6 ... Sosa, as a pinch hitter, had a hit and two RBIs, leading the team with minimal opportunity.

Heading into the draft combine, I’ve gotten together with scouting director Mike Shirley and we’ve put together a list of our top 25 players of interest, to see if we can build up a strong relationship with them through this multi-day “speed dating” setup. Here are the top players we’re monitoring along with their initial interest levels.

SP Jamie Arnold, 21 -- Florida State University (2.0/5.0) -- Very Weak
SP Folger Boaz, 20 -- East Surry College (1.5/4.5) -- Weak
3B Ethan Holliday, 18 -- Stillwater (OK) HS (0.5/4.5) -- Very Weak, committed to Oklahoma State
SP Ryan Reich, 21 -- Seton Hall University (1.5/4.5) -- Weak
SP D.J. Newman, 21 -- Bowling Green State University (1.5/4.0) -- Very Weak
SS Kayson Cunningham, 18 -- Johnson (TX) HS (0.5/4.0) -- Very Weak, committed to Texas Tech
SP Aiden Stillman, 18 -- St. Francis (FL) Catholic HS (1.0/4.0) -- Very Weak, committed to University of Virginia
SP Minjae Seo, 19 -- John Paul II (TX) HS (1.5/4.0) -- Very Weak, committed to University of Florida
3B Xavier Neyens, 18 -- Mt. Vernon HS (0.5/4.0) -- Very Weak, committed to Oregon State
CF Cam Cannarella, 21 -- Clemson University (1.5/3.5) -- Weak
SP Scott Reinguette, 21 -- Clemson University (1.5/3.5) -- Average
SP Kolten Smith, 21 -- University of Georgia (1.5/3.5) -- Weak
SS Dean Curley, 21 -- Northview (CA) HS (1.0/3.5) -- Very Weak, currently playing JuCo baseball
 
June 7, 2025: Noah Schultz made his MLB debut today, facing Cole Ragans (9-4, 2.36 ERA, 76.1 IP, 81 K’s, 1.26 WHIP). The Royals got on the board with an RBI single by Nelson Velasquez in the top of the first, and Salvador Perez batted in another with an RBI single in the top of the third. But Chase Meidroth got us on the board with a sac-fly that scored Lenyn Sosa from third in the botom of the third, and we tied it in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Otto Lopez! Schultz confidently pitched through the sixth inning, maintaining the tie, and in the bottom of the inning Lopez reached on an E9 error, allowing Miguel Vargas to score the go-ahead run! Michael A. Taylor hit a single that drove in two more, and Schultz got two outs in the seventh before Martin Perez came out to relieve him. Lenyn Sosa added on with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, completing the rout as we bested the Royals 8-2. Schultz pitched 6.2 innings with three hits, seven strikeouts and two runs, only one of which was earned, starting his career out with a 1-0 record and a 1.35 ERA while throwing 89 pitches. Perez then came out to pitch the rest of the game for a save, allowing three hits with three strikeouts as we outhit the Royals 10-6 ... Sosa led the way, hitting twice with two runs and three RBIs, while Lopez added two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

Folger Boaz has shown a significant bump in interest, up to average after day one of the combine, as has Kayson Cunningham.

June 8, 2025: Ryan Weber (2-5, 3.22 ERA, 58.2 IP, 39 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched in our final game of the series against the Royals, facing Thomas Hatch (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 K’s, 2.33 WHIP), who just got called up from AAA Omaha where he was 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA. Once again the Royals got started quickly, Dairon Blanco hitting a solo homer in the top of the first to go up 1-0. But we answered with an RBI single by Miguel Vargas in the bottom of the inning. They answered with a solo blast by Vinnie Pasquantino in the top of the second, but in the bottom of the third Tauchman hit a two-run homer to get the lead, Vargas followed him immediately with a solo homer, and we held a two-run lead heading into the fourth inning. Incredibly, that lead held the rest of the way, and we were able to completely shut the Royals down as we won this one 4-2 for back-to-back series wins. Weber lasted 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, a walk and two runs with four strikeouts as he improved to 3-5 with a 3.22 ERA. Kimbrel and Perez each had their fourth hold of the year, and Eisert held tough in the ninth to save his 13th, improving his ERA to 2.30 through 15.2 innings. We outhit the Royals 6-2, led by Vargas who had two hits, a walk, a run and two RBIs, including his ninth homer, while Tauchman had a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs behind HIS ninth of the year as well.

Our record improved to 27-39, and we’ll have a week of road games upcoming, including three against the Athletics (26-39, 5th AL West) and three against the Rangers in Texas (46-20, 1st AL West) after a day off tomorrow. Guillen is off to a 5-2 start as a manager, and we’re starting to build real buzz on the south side even with us still trailing our closest competitor in the Central by five and a half games.

No big news out of the combine, though Scott Rienguette is starting to build some serious interest in our organization. He has a four pitch mix with a quality slider and changeup, with plenty of movement though his control may never be great. We’re intrigued by his stuff and potential, and he shows promise as a guy who could set up camp in the middle of the rotation with ease. He’s done well at Clemson, but it’s not likely he’d be our first round pick -- might have to keep an eye on him and see if we can snag him in the second or third round. His bonus demand is expected to be significantly under $500,000, so he’s definitely a guy to keep an eye on.

June 9, 2025: We’re starting to draw interest from Jamie Arnold, though Ethan Holliday remains completely disinterested ... Holliday would be a risk, as he wants at least $10.5 million as a bonus and has suggested he’s going to be hard to sign even then, as he’d be able to make good NIL money playing for Oklahoma State. I really like Arnold, though ... he’ll command a high bonus (at least $11 million) but he’s already developed his pitches while at Florida State, where he went 10-4 this year with a 2.96 ERA and 129 K’s in 134 innings. He has a four pitch mix with a killer slider and changeup, and while his stuff is solid, his potential control is even better -- potentially elite. If we can win him over (and get him to drop somehow to #10 overall) he’s our guaranteed pick ... but with a ton of interest in him, I can’t imagine we’d ever get that lucky.

[jksander]

June 10, 2025: Sean Burke (4-6, 3.94 ERA, 59.1 IP, 63 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) faced off against Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (2-5, 5.09 ERA, 61.0 IP, 59 K’s, 1.62 WHIP). We got going in the top of the first with an RBI single by Meidroth and a groundout by Vargas that scored Meidroth from third, giving us a 2-0 lead. We added on three runs in the top of the third, but the Athletics got on the board with a two-run homer by Brent Rooker in the bottom of the inning that cut our lead to 5-2. They then took control in the bottom of the fifth, with a two-RBI double by Jacob Wilson, a sac-fly by Anthony Rizzo that tied it up, and then an RBI double by Gio Urshela that gave them a 6-5 lead. They added on three more in the sixth, two in the seventh and two in the eighth as they completely steamrolled us, winning this one 13-5. That was ugly. Burke only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) off seven hits and two walks, striking out four. So Justin Dunn took the loss, falling to 1-1 with a 7.76 ERA, giving us one inning with five hits and four runs (three earned) as the collapse became complete. They outhit us 15-11, with Otto Lopez leading our charge with three hits and a run scored.

June 11, 2025: Yu Darvish and Brady Basso faced off in game two (OOC: I fast-clicked and forgot to take their stats down before I simmed ... still getting used to not actually playing the games out) and we could have wallowed in our disappointment after giving up 13 unanswered runs last night but we came out with a fighting attitude. Vargas batted in Meidroth with a single to get the lead in the top of the first, and Sterling Marte scored off an RBI single by Meidroth in the fourth to extend our lead to 2-0! J.J. Bleday got the Athletics on the board in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer, however, and in the bottom of the seventh they tied us with a homer by Shea Langeliers, sending us into the eighth knotted 2-2. In the top of the inning, Joey Gallo scored when Chase Meidroth walked with the bases loaded, putting us back into the lead, and a wild pitch and a single by Tauchman let two more score before the inning ended, giving us a three-run cushion! Perez and Eisert got us through the rest, and we were able to hold on to win this one 5-2. Darvish was strong as usual, striking out nine through 5.1 innings with just two hits, a walk and an earned run, and though Perez blew his second save, he got the win thanks to our strong eighth inning performance, improving to 4-2 with a 4.86 ERA. Eisert saved his 14th game and got his ERA down to 2.16, and we outhit them 7-3 in the duel, led by Meidroth who had two hits, a walk, a run and two RBIs.

That trade to get Yu Darvish is looking better and better, as he’s quietly turned into our ace at age 38 ... obviously he’s not going to be able to hold that role forever, but if he can stay even remotely close to this level for the next couple years, he’ll be more than worth his salary as we start to turn the tide of our franchise’s luck.

June 12, 2025: Mike Clevinger had his second start of the season, facing A’s pitcher Osvaldo Bido, and the A’s broke the stalemate in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Anthony Rizzo. But in the top of the sixth Tauchman tied it up with an RBI single, and Meidroth tagged up and scored the go-ahead off a flyout by Kyle Teel! A single by Michael A. Taylor, coupled with an E8 error, let Tauchman score from second, and Austin Slater hit a three-run homer to cap the inning as we humbled the A’s and took a 6-1 lead. Shane Smith took over with an out and a man on in the bottom of the sixth, and the A’s got two back in the seventh off a sac fly by Bleday and an RBI single by Esteury Ruiz. In the bottom of the eighth they closed the gap further, thanks to a runner scoring off a fielder’s choice and an RBI single by Zack Gelof that made it a 6-5 ballgame as we came up to hit in the ninth. With no insurance forthcoming, Brandon Eisert replaced Perez for the bottom of the inning, pitching around a single by Ruiz as we escaped this one with a 6-5 win for another series win! Clevinger got the win, improving to 5-3 with a 2.15 ERA, lasting 5.1 innings with five hits, a walk, a run and five strikeouts. Eisert saved his 15th game, his seventh in a row since blowing the save attempt and taking the loss back on May 13th in Cincinnati, and his ERA is now a stellar 2.04. The Athletics outhit us 11-9, but we perservered, thanks to Meidroth who had three hits, a walk and a run scored, while Tauchman added two hits, a run and an RBI.

We now have a 29-40 record heading into the series against Texas, which will be a real challenge -- the Rangers are 48-21 and have been riding solid pitching through their entire rotation as well as excellent power from Joc Peterson (17 HR, .984 OPS), Corey Seager (15 HR, .798 OPS, Marcus Semien (14 HR, .833 OPS) and even Jake Berger, who has been on and off the bench but still has 10 homers, 10 doubles, a .270 average and .522 slugging. So they’re going to be a hard lineup to shut down no matter how our pitchers do.

The draft combine is now complete, and we’re focused on continuing to scout the draftable players so we’re ready in July to maximize our success.

[jksander]

The following is a transcript from a segment on “Chicago Talks Sports with ‘Danger’ Dan Dangerian” on 670 The Score, from the afternoon of June 12, 2025.

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Danger Dan: Alright, sports fans, we’re here with what you’ve been waiting for! The White Sox haven’t given us much to talk about lately, unless you count ‘smack,’ but there’s been excitement on the South Side this year as the team tries to escape the dumpster and extinguish the flames of last year. Just over a week ago they made a surprising move and hired former manager, and two-time World Champion, Ozzie Guillen out of the radio booth and brought him back to the dugout ... and the team’s been winning! And now he’s here to talk about it! How’s it going, Ozzie?

Ozzie Guillen: It’s an adjustment, I’ll tell you.

Danger Dan: Being back in baseball instead of doing radio for the team?

Guillen: I just try to get back into the grind of it all. Baseball’s different from when I came up, you know, players are softer and don’t like it when I go off like I used to. I have to adjust.

Danger Dan: So what’s your strategy been like, introducing yourself to the team?

Guillen: We have young guys coming up who aren’t used to the everyday pounding this game puts on you. And we have veterans, like Darvish, who are going out every game and fighting to show the young guys what it takes. They all know me, or they think they do depending on what clips they’ve watched ...

Danger Dan: We’ve all seen those!

Guillen: ... so I don’t have to overdo it. You see it working, the team has been winning games since I took the job.

Danger Dan: Seven and three! It’s been a good start. So what was the interview process like ... anything like your first time getting the job?

Guillen: I was drunk! [Laughs.] No, no, it’s been in talks for a while now. They needed a manager, the new guy is a front office guy and did his best but he didn’t have the experience to tell these players what needed to be done. He just didn’t want to be [----] like last year, didn’t want to [----] himself out of the job. So they came to me.

Danger Dan: That must have been strange with all the things you’ve said about Reinsdorf ...

Guillen: He knows I just [-------] tell it how it is, that’s me, that’s who you get. I know he said I burned bridges when I managed that year in Miami, but that’s a bridge I’ve pushed water under by now. And when I was in the booth with Chuck [Garfien] I always did my best to be fair. I tell the truth, but I’m fair, I’m not a bull[----]er here. I’m Ozzie. And when your team is losing hundreds of games, and thousands of fans, it’s fair to ask what’s ownership going to do?

Danger Dan: Have you gotten to reintroduce yourself to the umps? What have they thought of the new Ozzie Guillen?

Guillen: Man, I’m too old for that [----] ... man, I’m 61! I don’t have time to piss off the umps. Hell, they’ve got robots to worry about, and once they take over, what am I gonna do to piss off a robot? Just working to keep the team going in the clubhouse and make it clear we are here to do a job. We may not do it well all the time, but if the effort is there I don’t need to do crazy [----].

Danger Dan: If the effort’s not there?

Guillen: I’ll jump out that window when the time comes. I’m older, but I’m still Ozzie.

Danger Dan: You heard it here, fans, the great Ozzie Guillen! We’ll let him go get the team ready for the flight to Dallas to face those Texas Rangers, owners of a 48-21 record, tied with the Dodgers for best in baseball ...

[jksander]

June 13, 2025: In our first of three games in Texas, Noah Schultz (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 K’s, 0.45 WHIP) faced off against Rangers number five starter Jon Gray (7-4, 5.32 ERA, 64.1 IP, 57 K’s, 1.52 WHIP) who has been able to dominate despite subpar stuff due to the team’s brutally consistent hitters. We got going in the first inning despite two outs to start the frame -- Mike Tauchman walked, took second on a wild pitch, and then came around to score off an RBI single by Miguel Vargas to put us in the lead 1-0! In the top of the second Otto Lopez hit an RBI single to extend the lead, and in the third inning Vargas scored off a groundout by Teel to make it 3-0 White Sox! Texas got it all back in the bottom of the inning, however, Marcus Semien hitting a two-run double and Corey Seager tying the game with an RBI single. But we kept fighting -- Otto Lopez hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to put us back into the lead, and again the Rangers answered, Seager hitting a solo slam to tie it back up in the bottom of the sixth. A Kyle Higashioka RBI double put them into the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, but we stunned the crowd in the eighth when Lenyn Sosa hit a two-run homer to flip us back on top. Craig Kimbrel kept them from tying things in the eighth, and Penn Murfee came out for the last two outs in the ninth to keep it that way, as we beat the Rangers 6-5 in game one! Schultz gave us a good start, 5.1 innings with five hits, a walk, a run and four strikeouts, but it was Noah Syndegaard who got the win from the pen ... he got us five key outs with two hits, a strikeout and an earned run, improving to 4-3 with a 3.52 ERA, while Kimbrel got his fifth hold and Murfee his first save. We managed to outhit the Rangers 8-7, led by leadoff-man Lopez, who hit three times and walked once, scoring once and driving in two with his first homer of the year.

June 14, 2025: Ryan Weber (3-5, 3.22 ERA, 64.1 IP, 43 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) pitched against Jacob deGrom (4-3, 3.99 ERA, 79.0 IP, 104 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) in game two against the Rangers, and Texas wasted no time getting the lead -- Evan Carter doubled and Joc Pederson batted him home with a single to give them a quick 1-0 lead after one inning. They added on a pair in the third with a Pederson sac-fly and an RBI single by Adolis Garcia, and we didn’t score until the top of the fifth when Grenier hit a single to drive home Marte and get us within two. But the Rangers put an end to our hopes when Joc Pederson hit a leadoff homer which was soon followed by a Josh Smith hit a grand slam, putting the Rangers up 8-1 as we went into the sixth feeling thoroughly defeated. They added six more runs in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to a three-run triple by Evan Carter, among other embarassments. That was more than enough to cement a 14-1 beatdown as the Rangers evened the series and flexed their muscles. Weber lasted 4.1 innings with 12 hits, two walks, two strikeouts and EIGHT earned runs, more than earning him the loss as he fell to 3-6 with a 4.06 ERA, and we were outhit 16-8, Slater and Alfaro hitting twice each but getting nowhere.

June 15, 2025: Sean Burke (4-6, 4.10 ERA, 63.2 IP, 67 K’s, 1.29 WHIP) got the start in our last game against the Rangers, facing Nathan Eovaldi (4-4, 3.36 ERA, 72.1 IP, 73 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). Texas took the lead with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the first by Wyatt Langford, and moments later Marcus Semien hit an RBI single to extend the lead. We managed to tie the score in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer by Mike Tauchman, but Langford hit his second of the game in the bottom of the eighth to put the Rangers ahead for good. They beat us 3-2, and snapped our streak of three consecutive series wins, but we fought hard in this one and it’s hard to find fault with a team that keeps coming out fighting even with the odds (and the opponents’ lineup) stacked against them. Penn Murfee took the loss, falling to 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA after allowing Langford’s second dinger. They outhit us 8-6, with Tauchman as our offensive leader with his two-run homer, number ten on the year.

We’re off tomorrow and then have nine of our last dozen games this month at home in front of our fans at Rate Field. This week we host St. Louis (34-38, 4th NL Central), travel to Toronto (37-35, 2nd AL East) for a weekend series, and then play Arizona (36-35, 2nd NL West) and San Francisco (30-42, 4th NL West) in Chicago. It’s a stretch of games we should be competitive in, though our 30-42 record remains far from intimidating. But we’re not the worst team in the majors, so we’re going to take our plusses where we can find them.

[jksander]

June 17, 2025: Yu Darvish (8-2, 2.92 ERA, 83.1 IP, 81 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) pitched in game one against the Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy (5-3, 3.79 ERA, 73.2 IP, 56 K’s, 1.21 WHIP). St. Louis took the lead in the top of the first with an RBI single by Nolan Arenado, and they added on a pair in the third with singles from Willson Contreras and (again) Arenado. By the time we got on the board with Otto Lopez’s second homer of the season, we trailed the Cards 5-1 and had looked lost all night. St. Louis added two more in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer by Nolan Gorman, and then our bats woke up! Kyle Teel homered, Grenier hit an RBI single, Lopez followed him with another RBI single, and then Tauchman hit a sac-fly to score Grenier and bring us back within a pair, trailing 7-5 ... but that was all we had in us, and we lost by the same score. Darvish took the loss in an uncharacteristically bad outing, allowing six hits, two walks and three earned runs with just three K’s in just 3.2 innings. We outhit them 13-11, so the offense wasn’t our problem tonight, our team led by Otto Lopez who was five for five with a run and two RBIs, improving his average to .331 in the leadoff spot.

Today we put the final touches on an extension for right-handed reliever Noah Syndergaard, who has agreed to stay in Chicago next year for $1.7 million, the same as he’s making this season. Though he started the season as a starter, he’s adjusted well to being moved to the pen by Guillen, where he can be our late innings setup man, and he says he loves how we’ve embraced him on the south side after playing short stints with the Angels, Dodgers and Guardians.
 
June 18, 2025: Mike Clevinger (5-3, 2.15 ERA, 50.1 IP, 46 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched against St. Louis’ Sonny Gray (4-4, 3.51 ERA, 77.0 IP, 70 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in game two, and again St. Louis took the lead first, scoring off a sac-fly by Nolan Gorman in the top of the first. A single by Masyn Winn in the top of the second expanded the Cards’ lead to 2-0, but Austin Slater hit an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to get us on the board. Miguel Vargas tied it up in the bottom of the third with a solo homer, and Lopez put us into the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth that was quickly followed by one from Meidroth, giving us a two-run lead! Contreras hit a solo shot in the top of the fifth to keep the game tight, but Vargas answered with one of his own in the bottom of the inning to keep our offense humming. The homers kept coming -- St. Louis got within a run again with a solo bomb by Alec Burleson in the top of the sixth, but Vargas got it back with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning as we held them at bay. That wound up being the last salvo for either team, as we held tough to a 6-4 win in front of a growing home crowd. Shane Smith got the win out of the bullpen, improving to 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA, after relieving Clevinger in the fifth inning, and Brandon Eisert saved his 16th game of the year to improve his ERA to 1.83 through 19.2 innings over 21 appearances. We outhit them 14-9, led by Lopez, who followed yesterday’s 5-5 performance with a 4-5 one today, including a run and an RBI ... he’s got a red-hot bat and is now hitting .346 through 184 at-bats ... that waiver claim that brought him here in May is looking better by the day!

June 19, 2025: Noah Schultz (1-0, 3.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 11 K’s, 0.75 WHIP) started in our final game against the Cardinals, battling Erick Fedde (4-2, 3.82 ERA, 70.2 IP, 56 K’s, 1.17 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second with a groundout by Austin Slater that drove home Michael A. Taylor, and Taylor hit a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth to expand the lead! Schultz was on FIRE, throwing seven shutout innings, and Murfee and Syndergaard handled the last two innings to share in the 3-0 shutout victory! Schultz, in just his third career start, had a two-hitter through seven with two walks and four strikeouts, throwing 88 pitches as he improved to 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA. Murfee had his third hold, and Syndergaard picked up his first save, improving his ERA to 3.45 through 70.1 innings. We outdueled them 5-4 on hits, led by Taylor with three hits, two runs and two RBIs.

June 20, 2025: We’re in Toronto for three games against the 37-38 Blue Jays, and Ryan Weber (3-6, 4.06 ERA, 68.2 IP, 45 K’s, 1.33 WHIP) pitched this evening against Yariel Rodriguez (2-7, 6.59 ERA, 77.0 IP, 75 K’s, 1.52 WHIP) in a battle of pitchers who could both stand to have a good game. Toronto drew first blood in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Alejandro Kirk, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo homer in the third to extend their lead to 2-0. Addison Barger hit one in the fourth to add on, but we fought back in the top of the fifth -- Austin Slater scored off an RBI double by Dominic Fletcher, Jorge Alfaro scored off a balk call, and Otto Lopez hit an RBI single to tie it up. But Addison Barger hit a two-run homer, his second of the game, in the bottom of the sixth to get the Blue Jays back into the lead. Chase Meidroth got us back within one with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, and Joey Gallo batted in the tying run with a single in the eighth. Toronto then hammered us, Santander scoring off a walk by Alejandro Kirk, which was followed by a two-run single by Daulton Varsho to put them up for good. They’d go on to beat us 8-5, our bats doing their damndest but coming up short down the stretch. Martin Perez took the loss, falling to 4-3 with a 5.13 ERA, allowing two hits, a walk and three runs in his 1.1 innings of work. Each team had ten hits, ours led by Otto Lopez with two hits, a run and an RBI while Chase Meidroth added a pair of hits and an RBI.

June 21, 2025: Sean Burke (4-6, 3.95 ERA, 68.1 IP, 70 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) faced Max Scherzer (7-4, 4.34 ERA, 91.1 IP, 86 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) in our second game north of the border, and we got on the board first with an RBI single by Miguel Vargas in the top of the first. Lopez batted in another with a single in the top of the second, and two more scored in the third to give us a 4-0 cushion. Toronto finally scored in the bottom of the fourth off an RBI single by Kirk, and then in the bottom of the sixth we gave the rest back when Addison Barger hit a three-run homer to tie the score 4-4. Bo Bichette hit a three-run double in the bottom of the seventh that, coupled with another RBI single for Kirk, dug us a four-run hole, and the Blue Jays stifled us from there to win again 8-4. What sucks is Burke had a good start, five innings with six hits, a walk, four strikeouts and two earned runs ... so it was Kimbrel who blew the save (his second) and took the loss, falling to 1-3 with a 7.68 ERA after allowing three hits, a walk and four earned runs during the sixth and seventh innings. They outhit us 12-7, Otto Lopez again leading our offense with two hits, a walk, a run and an RBI.

Michael A. Taylor has signed a two year extension worth a total of $13 million, split evenly across the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Taylor, at 34, is our strongest defensive outfielder, and has hit .215 so far this year with five doubles, three triples and seven homers, giving him a .639 OPS. He currently has a +2.1 zone rating at left and a +3.6 zone rating at central, and he’s popular in the clubhouse since being signed by us back in February as a free agent.
 
June 22, 2025: Yu Darvish and Kevin Gausman faced off in the final game of the series in Toronto, and the Blue Jays took the lead quickly in the first inning with an RBI single by Bo Bichette. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run blast in the third to extend the lead, amd we just put out no energy in this one. They dominated the remainder and we lost in a 4-0 shutout, as the Blue Jays completed the sweep. Yu Darvish was flat in his second game in a row, taking the loss in a five inning effort with eight hits, three walks, three strikeouts and four earned runs, and they outhit us 9-5, only allowing us six baserunners all game. Nobody stood out.

Third baseman Josh Rojas has recovered faster than expected from his ruptured achilles tendon, and will begin a minor league rehab assignment effective immediately. We could definitely use his infield arm back in the lineup, so we’re hopeful all will go well with his continued recovery.

We’re headed back to Chicago for a week of games against the Diamondbacks (42-35, 2nd NL West) and the Giants (33-45, 4th NL West), but we’re definitely on a downward trend, having now lost six of our last ten games as we now sit at 32-46.

[jksander]

June 23, 2025: Mike Clevinger (5-3, 2.32 ERA, 54.1 IP, 50 K’s, 1.12 WHIP) pitched against Eduardo Rodriguez (6-4, 3.73 ERA, 91.2 IP, 80 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in game one against the Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte hit a solo homer for the Diamondbacks in the top of the first, but in the bottom of the sixth Jorge Alfaro hit an RBI double to tie it up, and Starling Marte (no relation) hit an RBI single to drive in the go-ahead, putting us up 2-1. Pavin Smith hit a homer for Arizona in the top of the seventh to re-tie the game, and that’s when the wheels fell off. Eugenio Suarez hit a grand slam, and that was the last of the offense for either team as we got stomped 6-2 based off their superior power. Martin Perez blew the save, his third, and fell to 4-4 with a 5.64 ERA thanks to three hits and five earned runs without even getting an out. They outhit us 8-4, and every single one of their runs were scored off homers. Alfaro led the team with a hit, a run and an RBI, while Tauchman had a hit and two walks but got nowhere.

June 24, 2025: Noah Schultz (2-0, 2.37 ERA, 19.0 IP, 15 K’s, 0.68 WHIP) rose to #2 in the latest prospect rankings, making his fourth start of the season for us tonight against Arizona’s Corbin Burnes (5-6, 4.11 ERA, 96.1 IP, 94 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Otto Lopez got us the lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a groundout by Chase Meidroth, and Schultz pitched five shutout innings before Craig Kimbrel came out to replace him at the start of the sixth inning, still leading by the one run. In the bottom of the sixth we had a repeat of the first inning, with Otto Lopez again scoring off a groundout by Meidroth, and then Miguel Vargas hit a three-run homer out of left field to expand our lead to 5-0! Justin Dunn came out in the seventh, getting two outs, and then Perez got us the rest of the way as we shut the Diamondbacks out to win 5-0. Our four pitchers combined for just six hits and three walks all game, with Schultz earning his third win with four hits, two walks and four strikeouts. He now has a 3-0 record and a 1.88 ERA, and we’re wishing we’d just gone ahead and called him up for opening day ... had we done so he would qualify for Prospect Promotion Incentives. We picked up eight hits ourselves, led by Vargas with his homer that batted in three ... that was his 12th of the season, as the 25-year-old finally is having his breakout season.

We picked up reliever Eduard Bazardo off waivers from the Seattle Mariners today, and we’ve optioned Justin Dunn back to the minors to make room for him. Bazardo has a 2-0 record this year with a 2.84 ERA through 25 appearances, striking out 38 batters in 31.2 innings’ work. His 1.11 WHIP and 0.8 total WAR made him an obvious pickup when he wound up on our radar, as the 29-year-old has great movement on his four pitches including a blistering curve. Guillen has him pencilled in to be our new closer, with Brandon Eisert stepping into a late innings setup role, with the ability to close out games as well when needed.

June 25, 2025: Ryan Weber (3-6, 4.12 ERA, 74.1 IP, 47 K’s, 1.29 WHIP) pitched against Merrill Kelly (3-5, 5.22 ERA, 69.0 IP, 64 K’s, 1.54 WHIP) in our final game of the series against Arizona. This one was a duel early, and we finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth with a solo leadoff homer by Joey Gallo, putting us ahead 1-0! Josh Naylor hit one in the top of the seventh to tie it up, and Jake McCarthy hit an RBI double in the top of the eighth to give them a 2-1 advantage. It all came down to the bottom of the ninth ... with one out, Dominic Fletcher pinch hit for Tauchman, hitting a groundball single that batted in Gallo as the tying run, at which point Otto Lopez walked it off with an RBI single that scored Austin Slater, giving us a come-from-behind 3-2 win to take the series! Eduard Bazardo, who arrived just hours ahead of the game’s start, pitched the final inning for us and got the win, with just a walk and a strikeout, and we outhit them 11-5, led by Lopez (two hits and an RBI) and Slater (two hits and a run scored).

We’re off tomorrow and will then host San Francisco for three, with our record now at 34-47.

[CBLCardinals]

For the 2025 version of the Pale Hose to win nearly ~70 game pace that’s Gods work you doing pal!

They have some interesting prospects IRL and glad to see Schultz coming up already.

[jksander]

Originally Posted by CBLCardinals

For the 2025 version of the Pale Hose to win nearly ~70 game pace that’s Gods work you doing pal!

They have some interesting prospects IRL and glad to see Schultz coming up already.

Yeah I'm really enjoying it. Not doing anything crazy on trades this year because it's not worth trying to do anything to overly screw up draft position for next year (and getting any really good bats to add on would cost us prospects I don't want to give). But I'll keep an eye on waivers for sure ... Bazardo is a real catch, I can't believe Seattle waived him lol they tried to get sneaky and failed.

[jksander]

June 27, 2025: Sean Burke (4-6, 3.93 ERA, 73.1 IP, 74 K’s, 1.31 WHIP) pitched against the Giants’ Kyle Harrison (2-6, 5.13 ERA, 80.2 IP, 100 K’s, 1.41 WHIP) in game one of the series, and in the top of the fourth San Francisco struck first, with an RBI double by Willy Adames putting them ahead 1-0. We tied it in the bottom of the fifth off a Tauchman RBI single, and Lopez followed him with an RBI single that scored Meidroth from second to put us in the lead 2-1! Bazardo came out in the top of the ninth with the lead unchanged, and he pitched like he’s been with us for years ... LaMonte Wade Jr. reached first on an E4 error, but Bazardo caught him stealing, struck out Matt Chapman swinging, and then got Adames to hit a pop fly out to center for the final out as we held on to win 2-1! Burke improved to 5-6 with a 3.76 ERA, pitching 5.2 innings with a hit, two walks, five strikeouts and a single earned run. Perez (#7), Murfee (#4) and Eisert (#1) picked up holds, and Bazardo earned his first save of the year on 14 pitches without a hit. We outhit them 6-1, damned near coming out of this with a shared no-no, and Chase Meidroth led the offense with two hits, two walks and a run scored.

June 28, 2025: Yu Darvish (8-4, 3.33 ERA, 92.0 IP, 87 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) has had a pair of rough starts, but hoped to bounce back today, playing against Keaton Winn (7-6, 3.70 ERA, 90.0 IP, 84 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) in game two against the Giants. The Giants got on the board with a solo homer by Matt Chapman in the top of the fourth, however, and in the fifth Darvish got rung up big-time ... Jerar Encarnacion hit a solo homer, LaMonte Wade Jr. hit an RBI single, and then Chapman hit his second homer of the night, a three-run slam that forced us to bring Jonathan Cannon out of the bullpen, trailing 6-0. Joey Gallo grounded out in the bottom of the inning to get us on the board when Michael A. Taylor scored from third, but we were clearly not in it. The Giants held us off easily as we lost this one 7-2. Darvish lost his fifth game of the year, allowing four hits two walks and six runs (two earned) in his 4.2 innings ... he’s 4-4 with a 3.22 ERA since joining our team, and we’ve just got to hope he can maneuver through this rough patch. They only outhit us 6-3, but five of those runs came off the long ball, which has killed us all season. Gallo, as our designated hitter today, hit once, walked once and drove in two runs to lead the offense.

June 29, 2025: In our last game of the month and final game of this home stretch, Mike Clevinger (5-3, 2.30 ERA, 58.2 IP, 54 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Jordan Hicks (3-1, 2.68 ERA, 40.1 IP, 36 K’s, 1.34 WHIP). In the bottom of the first, Miguel Vargas hit an RBI single to put us on the board, Michael A. Taylor hit a sac-fly to score Chase Meidroth, and then Tauchman scored when Starling Marte hit into a fielder’s choice, giving us a 3-0 lead after one inning. Heliot Ramos hit a solo homer for the Giants to get them on the board in the top of the third, but Marte hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning and Austin Slater followed it with a two-run double to extend our lead to 6-1! We added on six runs in the bottom of the fifth, and Clevinger got two outs in the sixth before getting pulled for Kimbrel -- which is huge for a guy with his stamina! Another pair scored for us in the seventh, and even with San Francisco getting those two back in garbage time, we still routed them 14-3, grinding out another series win! Clevinger took the win, improving to 6-3 with a 2.24 ERA, lasting 5.2 innings with two hits, two walks, six strikeouts and one earned run, and we managed to put up 14 runs while only outhitting them 10-5 ... Lopez went 3-3 with three runs and four RBIs, and Marte added two hits, two runs and three RBIs. Otto Lopez, hitting .336 with 16 doubles two triples two homers and 25 runs batted in, has quietly asserted himself as a dark-horse All Star prospect, after being waived by the Marlins just six weeks ago!

Noah Schultz has quietly been working to improve his velocity, and now is throwing in the 96-98 mile per hour range! Our scout, Mike Shirley, has reported that beyond that his control has greatly improved (which explains how he’s come up to the bigs with such a consistently low WHIP) and he believes his potential stuff is still as close to unlimited as a young player can be. He considers him to be a “medium” risk to fully reach his potentials, but even as he stands, he’s the best pitching prospect in the majors by far.

Hagen Smith, meanwhile, has shown no major development progression so far this season, but we have him at AA Birmingham, and he remains a top ten prospect. We’re not going to rush him ... initially expectations had been that he could be ready to come up next spring, but it’s more likely he’ll remain at AA for the season and move up to AAA if ready in the spring.

After our 7-19 start in April and a solid 14-14 month in May, we’ve continued to show improvements as we were 14-12 in the month of June. With less than two weeks til the draft and the All Star weekend upcoming, we have a real chance to surprise people in the season’s second half. Our 36-48 record has us still in dead last in the AL Central, but incredibly we’re just 8.5 games out of first ... and we’re third in the AL in OBP (.328), first in walks (348) and sixth in overall baserunning (+2.5). Our starters’ ERA is 3.97 (3rd), and our overall BAPIP for all pitchers right now is .271, which is second in the AL. The key has been our defensive efficiency -- in that metric our team ranks third in the AL (.708) and our zone rating as a team is +12.6 (4th). Considering we’re a rag-tag bunch of youth and veterans strung together with bailing wire and twine, I’m pleased with those results.

We’ll hit the road this week for three against the Dodgers (58-27, 1st NL West) and three in Colorado (30-54, 5th NL West), and will then play out the remainder of our pre-All Star stretch at home, facing Toronto (43-42, 2nd AL East) for three and then finishing with a four-game set against our division rivals in Cleveland (43-40, 3rd AL Central).

[jksander]

July 1, 2025: Noah Schultz (3-0, 1.88 ERA, 24.0 IP, 19 K’s, 0.79 WHIP) got a real challenge as we came into LA to face the Dodgers, facing off against Tyler Glasnow (6-3, 3.99 ERA, 76.2 IP, 90 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) as we hoped to be able to take down the best team in baseball. The Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the second with a solo homer by Teoscar Hernandez, but Schultz wasn’t fazed, and he continued to pitch very well, getting us into the sixth inning when, with no outs and a runner on first we replaced him with Noah Syndergaard with the lead still 1-0 Dodgers. But Eisert came out in the seventh and we got blown up -- Miguel Rojas hit a two-run single, James Outman hit a sac-fly to drive in another, and Rojas scored off a Freddie Freeman RBI single to dig us a 5-0 hole. But in the top of the ninth we erupted, as Austin Slater hit an RBI single to get us on the board, Otto Lopez hit a two-run double, and then Chase Meidroth tied it up with a two-run single! Martin Perez took over in the bottom of the inning hoping to get us into extras, but the Dodgers walked it off with a one-out RBI single by Miguel Rojas to beat us 6-5. What a heartbreaker! Schultz had a great five inning effort, with two hits, three walks, four strikeouts and one earned run ... cut the walks down and he could have gone six or seven. The comeback spared him an “L” in the decisions column, and the loss went to Perez who is now 4-5 with a 5.34 ERA. We actually outhit the Dodgers 8-7, led by Lopez who hit twice with a run and two RBIs.

July 2, 2025: Sean Burke (5-6, 3.76 ERA, 79.0 IP, 79 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) started against Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 2.29 ERA, 19.2 IP, 14 K’s, 0.71 WHIP) in game two, with Kershaw still trying to come back fully from a pair of minor injuries that have kept him from being more than a spot starter this year so far. And LA wasted no time, putting up seven runs on us in the bottom of the second. Burke was replaced by Jonathan Cannon in the bottom of the third, trailing 7-0, but the game was a rout from there. We picked up five runs in the eighth and ninth, but by then the game was well out of reach as they crushed us 11-5. They only outhit us 11-10, but Burke’s two innings were a disaster -- seven hits, two walks and EIGHT earned runs, leaving our bullpen to clean up his mess. Lopez hit three times with two runs and an RBI, keeping his average at .348 through his first 53 games of the season.

July 3, 2025: LA’s been destroying us and we won’t even face their best pitcher (Roki Sasaki, 11-2, 3.67 ERA) during this series. Ryan Weber (3-6, 3.84 ERA, 79.2 IP, 51 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) pitched against Blake Snell (6-4, 3.74 ERA, 65.0 IP, 76 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) in game three of the series, and the Dodgers picked up where they left off last night, Shohei Ohtani hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give them the lead. But this time Starling Marte fought back for us, hitting a two-run slam of his own in the top of the second to tie it up, and this game turned into a slugging battle from there. Max Muncy and Tommy Edman hit back to back solo homers in the bottom of the second, but in the top of the sixth Miguel Vargas hit an RBI double, Austin Slater put us into the lead with a two-run homer, and Michael A. Taylor hit a solo shot out of left to add on, putting us ahead 6-4! Will Smith got them a run back with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, but Eduard Bazardo held tough in the bottom of the ninth to keep the slim lead and we won this one 6-5 ... there would be no sweep! Shane Smith got the win, pitching two innings with just two hits as he improved to 4-3 with a 4.82 ERA. Eisert got a hold, his second, and Bazardo saved his second game of the season, improving his ERA to 2.60 through 34.2 total innings for us and Seattle. They outhit us 8-6 and out-homered us 4-3, but we did the job, led by Vargas with two hits, two runs and an RBI.

[jksander]

July 4, 2025: Happy birthday, ‘Murica! Yu Darvish (8-5, 3.35 ERA, 96.2 IP, 90 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) was raring and ready to go against Colorado’s Brendan McKay (3-3, 4.06 ERA, 57.2 IP, 46 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in our first game of the year at Coors’, and we were hopeful the rockets red glare would only refer to the post game fireworks and not a hailfire of dingers. Colorado hit us first, getting an RBI single off Hunter Goodman’s bat in the bottom of the second to go up 1-0. They added two more in the third, thanks to an RBI double by Ezequiel Tovar, and a solo homer from Thairo Estrada in the fourth had them leading 4-0 and our hopes fading fast. Martin Perez took over in the sixth, and in the top of the seventh we got on the board with an RBI single by Starling Marte, cutting their lead to 4-1. Mike Tauchman hit a two-run single in the top of the eighth to cut their lead to one, and we tied it in the ninth with an RBI single by Meidroth! Moments later Tauchman hit a single into left and drove in Dominic Fletcher for the go-ahead run, and Bazardo shut them down in the bottom of the frame as we held on to the come-from-behind 5-4 victory! Darvish had a five inning five hit effort, but those hits and two walks contributed to four earned runs, against just five strikeouts. Noah Syndergaard got the win, improving to 5-3 with a 3.36 ERA, and Eduardo Bazardo was locked in as usual, saving his third game and keeping his ERA unblemished since joining our team. We outhit them 8-6, led by Tauchman, who had two hits and three RBIs.
 
July 5, 2025: Mike Clevinger (6-3, 2.24 ERA, 64.1 IP, 60 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched against Spencer Turnbull (3-6, 4.54 ERA, 71.1 IP, 67 K’s, 1.47 WHIP) in game two against the Rockies, and we got out to a quick lead in the top of the second thanks to a three-run homer by Austin Slater. But Colorado hit right back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run shot by Thairo Estrada, and they tied it up with a solo homer by Miguel Toglia in the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the seventh Kris Bryant hit a two-run blast to shoot them into the lead 5-3, and that was all they needed to complete the victory, since we had no answer. Brandon Eisert took the loss, falling to 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA after allowing a hit, a strikeout and two (unearned) runs thanks to Bryant. We outhit them 8-6 but aside from Slater’s two hits, one run and two RBIs, and a hit, run and RBI from Teel, our offense had little to offer.

July 6, 2025: We’re a few days away from the draft and a week away from All Star announcements, as we finish this Colorado series with a matchup of rookie Noah Schultz (3-0, 1.86 ERA, 29.0 IP, 23 K’s, 0.83 WHIP) versus Ryan Feltner (2-9, 4.92 ERA, 86.0 IP, 59 K’s, 1.47 WHIP). Miguel Vargas reached base on an E5 error and allowed Tauchman to score, putting us up 1-0 in the top of the first, and Schultz was locked in, shutting them down consistently early on. In the top of the fifth, two scored off a Vargas RBI triple and then Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer, extending our lead to 5-0! Meidroth batted in a run with a line drive single in the sixth to make it a six-run lead, and Schultz got us through the sixth unblemished, a quality start that let Craig Kimbrel take over after the stretch with a huge advantage. We kept them at bay from there, shutting them down 6-0 in as complete a win as you’re likely to have when playing at Coors! Schultz improved to 4-0 with three hits and nine strikeouts through six innings (no walks!) and Kimbrel and Shane Smith combined for three innings with a hit, a walk and three strikeouts as they shared in the shutout glory. We outhit the Rockies 9-4, led by Lopez and Tauchman, who each had two hits and a run.

We’ll head into our final week of pre-All Star games back in Chicago, our record sitting at 39-51, still just 8.5 games out of first in the division. We trail Kansas City, Detroit and Cleveland by five and a half, so our upcoming four-game stretch against the Guardians could prove to be very valuable. But first we have to get past Toronto and their 46-45 record ... they’re currently in second place in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by eight and a half.

July 7, 2025: Sean Burke (5-7, 4.56 ERA, 81.0 IP, 79 K’s, 1.33 WHIP) pitched against Toronto’s Max Scherzer (9-4, 4.01 ERA, 110.0 IP, 105 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in our first of three against the Blue Jays here at Rate Field. We took the lead off a sac fly by Michael A. Taylor in the bottom of the first to go up 1-0, but in the top of the fifth they tied us up with a solo homer by Nathan Lukes. Burke got us through six, and Eisert took over in the top of the seventh, still tied up 1-1. His first batter faced, Bo Bichette, hit a solo homer over the left field wall to push the Blue Jays into the lead, but we fought back in the bottom of the inning, tying it up again with a leadoff homer by Gallo. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Noah Syndergaard gave up a homer to Davis Schneider, sending us into the bottom of the final inning with work to do, and we weren’t up to the task, losing this one 3-2. Syndergaard took the loss, falling to 5-4 with a 3.42 ERA, and we lost despite outhitting them 9-6 ... Gallo’s homer and two hits (and nothing else) for Lenyn Sosa led our offense as we suffered our late collapse.

Unfortunately, Mike Clevinger, who left after four innings in our 3-5 loss to the Rockies on July 5, suffered a significant injury ... team doctors informed us today he’s torn a muscle in his back, and will miss the remainder of the season. The 34-year-old was on a one year MLB-minimum contract, and we’re not intending to renew it now that his ability to pitch next year is in doubt. We’re going to release him and pay the remainder of his salary ($324,000 and change) rather than putting him on our IL.

To replace him in the lineup, we’ve made a move with our north side compatriots, the Chicago Cubs, sending them rehabbing third baseman Josh Rojas in exchange for Julian Merryweather (1-2, 2 SV, 3.96 ERA, 25.0 IP, 26 K’s, 2.00 WHIP) and $7.5 million in cash. It’s not a huge move by any means, but Merryweather is earning just $1.2 million this year, so his remaining contract is low and he has the stuff to be a decent contributor in our bullpen for the remainder of the season. And we had our concerns about whether Rojas was going to have what it took to get back into our lineup once his stint in the minors was complete.
 
July 8, 2025: Ryan Weber (3-6, 4.09 ERA, 83.2 IP, 53 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Kevin Gausman (8-4, 3.78 ERA, 85.2 IP, 85 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) in game two against the Blue Jays. Toronto got out to a quick lead when Davis Schneider scored off a wild pitch in the top of the third, and they added on three more to build a comfortable lead midway through the fourth. Austin Slater hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to get us on the board, and an RBI single by Lopez and an RBI double by Tauchman got us back within a run after six. We kept grinding, and in the bottom of the seventh Chase Meidroth hit a two-run double to complete the comeback, giving us a 5-4 lead heading into the eighth inning. But the bullpen didn’t hold, Anthony Santander hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth, and that was the last salvo. We lost this one 6-5 and will need to have a good game tomorrow if we want to avoid going into the Cleveland series on a losing streak. Syndergaard lost his second game in a row, falling to 5-5 with a 3.57 ERA, allowing two hits, a strikeout and two earned runs in his two innings of work. They outhit us 9-7, our bats led by Kyle Teel who had two hits, a walk and a run scored.

July 9, 2025: Yu Darvish (8-5, 3.54 ERA, 101.2 IP, 95 K’s, 1.17 WHIP) pitched against Bowden Francis (3-4, 5.98 ERA, 43.2 IP, 38 K’s, 1.42 WHIP) in the third game of the Toronto series. Darvish gave up a pair in the top of the first off a single by Bichette and another by Varsho. He made it into the sixth but gave up a leadoff double to Bichette, and Eisert came out and let Bissette score on a passed ball, with Varsho scoring off a double by Nathan Lukes ... Toronto 4, White Sox 0. But we woke up in the bottom of the inning, getting on the board with a Lopez RBI single, adding on with a two-run double by Starling Marte, and tying the score when Austin Slater hit an RBI single, giving us new life heading into the top of the seventh. But the ninth inning continued to be our achiles heel ... with Eduard Bazardo on the mound and the score still tied 4-4, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer and moments later Addison Barger hit a solo blast of his own, and just like that we were down three heading into the final frame. There was no comeback, and we lost 7-4. Three games in a row we’ve been on the cusp and then failed in epic fashion. Bazardo fell to 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA, allowing three hits, striking out one batter and allowing three runs, only one of which was earned.

We’ll head into the Cleveland series with a 39-54 record, and while we’re in last place and nine games back, they’re now at .500 and just a game and a half out of first place, just a game behind second-place Kansas City. We play them four games in a row here at Rate Field, with the draft in two days and the All Star break (and a much needed team reset) just tantalizingly out of reach.

July 10, 2025: Martin Perez (4-5, 1 SV, 5.25 ERA, 58.1 IP, 37 K’s, 1.53 WHIP) started game one of the Cleveland series, facing Shane Bieber (0-1, 3.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 9 K’s, 1.33 WHIP). We came into the bottom of the tied 2-2, but we took the lead on a two-run homer by Dominic Fletcher, and then in the bottom of the fifth took full control of the game, Joey Gallo hitting a two-run slam and Miguel Vargas following with a solo bomb out of right to make it a 7-2 lead. Gallo hit a grand slam in the eighth, his second dinger of the game, and we crushed the Guardians 11-2, a huge win for us! Perez improved to 5-5 with a 5.12 ERA, pitching five innings with four hits, three walks, four strikeouts and two earned runs. But Jonathan Cannon then dominated the rest, earning a FOUR-inning save with a hit, a walk and five strikeouts, his first save of the year improving his ERA to 4.58 through 59 innings and 28 appearances. We outhit them 12-5, led of course by Gallo who had two hits, a walk, two runs and six RBIs. He has hit 12 homers this year, but has only hit .189, so he’s been in and out of our lineups all year.

Tomorrow night we’ll be back here at 7:05 for first pitch in game two, but for now the focus is entirely on tomorrow’s rookie draft. More updates to come!

[jksander]

DRAFT DAY
The Washington Nationals hold the #1 pick overall, and our White Sox will pick 10th. We then have the top pick in every ongoing round going forward, so starting with the 44th overall pick (1st in the second round).

Round 1, Pick 10: SS JoJo Parker, 18 (Purvis HS, Purvis MS) -- 0.5/3.5 (Bonus: $6,890,000)
Round 2, Pick 44: SP Ryan Reich, 21 (Seton Hall) -- 1.5/4.0 (Bonus: $75,000)
Round 3, Pick 76: OF Brock Sell, 18 (Tokay HS, Stockton CA) -- 1.0/3.0 (Bonus: $850,000)
Round 4, Pick 106: SP Cody Freitas, 18 (Lincoln-Way Central HS, Bourbonais IL) -- 1.0/3.5 (Bonus: $650,000)
Round 5, Pick 137: SS Bruin Agbayani, 18 (Iolani HS, Mililani HI) -- 1.0/2.5 (Bonus: $700,000)
Round 6, Pick 166: C Dalton Bargo, 21 (Missouri) -- 1.0/2.5
Round 7, Pick 196: SP Marcelo Harsch, 18 (Xavier HS, Montclair NJ) -- 1.0/3.5 (Bonus: $950,000)
Round 8, Pick 226: 3B Brandon Anderson, 21 (Louisville) -- 1.0/2.5
Round 9, Pick 256: RF Bryden Bull, 19 (Belmont HS, Las Vegas NV) -- 1.0/2.5
Round 10, Pick 286: RP J.J. Garcia, 22 (Tennessee) -- 1.5/2.5
Round 11, Pick 316: SP Brock Blatter, 21 (Alabama) -- 1.5/2.5
Round 12, Pick 346: 2B Christian Mitchelle, 21 (Central Michigan) -- 1.0/2.5
Round 13, Pick 376: SP Jack Zang, 21 (Schoolcraft College [JuCo]) -- 1.5/2.5
Round 14, Pick 406: 1B Mason Braun, 18 (New Prairie HS, South Bend IN) -- 1.0/2.5
Round 15, Pick 436: CF Bryce Blaser, 21 (North Carolina) -- 0.5/2.0
Round 16, Pick 466: RP Brett Barfield, 21 (Florida State) -- 1.5/2.0
Round 17, Pick 496: OF Luke Boykin, 21 (Georgia) -- 0.5/2.0
Round 18, Pick 526: SP Murphy Brooks, 21 (TCU) -- 1.0/2.0
Round 19, Pick 556: CF Travis Friend, 19 (Orange Lutheran HS, La Mirada CA) -- 0.5/2.0
Round 20, Pick 586: RP Mason Morris, 21 (Ole Miss) -- 1.5/2.0

It was a very pitcher heavy draft, and we went a bit heavier than I’d originally planned to go on college kids (13 of 20 players picked). Brandon Anderson, our eighth round third baseman pick, is currently playing in Williamsport as part of the MLB Draft League, and Brock Blatter, our 11th rounder, is playing in the same league for the Frederick Keys. Our top five picks plus Marcelo Harsch remain unsigned until they officially agree to their draft bonuses. Everyone else has been assigned to their proper teams, and will be monitored for potential promotions in the fall.

[CBLCardinals]

Wow surprised to see Arnold fall to 10 overall.

If you don’t mind can you post the first 9 selections?