The Chicago White Sox have spent 2026 turning the season into a surprise run, climbing from worst to first and opening September with a 3.0-game edge over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. But the margin is thin, and one ugly trend is hanging over the last month: the starting rotation has gone cold at exactly the wrong time.
That concern comes straight from ESPN’s David Schoenfield, who pointed to how uneven August was for Chicago despite the team hanging around in the race. "The White Sox went 14-14 in August despite the rotation posting a 6.21 ERA; only the Athletics and Colorado Rockies had a worse rotation ERA in the month," Schoenfield writes.
That number tells the story. A 6.21 ERA from the starters is the kind of month that can erase good work elsewhere, especially with the division race this tight. Chicago can afford some turbulence, but not much, and the way the rotation has performed leaves plenty of room for the Guardians to close the gap.
The biggest name in the group is Luis Castillo, brought in at the 2026 MLB trade deadline, but he hasn’t stabilized things yet. He owns a 6.45 ERA with the White Sox across five starts.
Davis Martin is currently on the injured list. Sean Burke has been solid overall, though August was a different story.
That leaves Chicago with its top three starters all carrying some level of uncertainty. Behind them, Anthony Kay, Erick Fedde, and Jose Urquidy haven’t exactly offered reliable answers either.
Will Venable has done a strong job managing the bullpen lately, but the White Sox still have a clear problem on their hands as September arrives. If the rotation doesn’t straighten out soon, that 3.0-game lead could disappear fast. If it does, the AL Central title remains there for the taking.
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Some of the most painful memories are tied to seasons that seemed to be building toward something bigger before everything turned. Carlos Quentins 2008 run remains one of those cases, and it sits alongside other record-setting White Sox days, including Albert Belles franchise marks in 1998 and a notable team achievement in 2024. For longtime followers, the history lesson is part celebration and part warning, because the White Sox have never been short on moments that can swing from pride to heartbreak in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]