The White Sox left themselves with less breathing room after getting swept at home by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the numbers around them still offered a little relief.
Sam Antonacci’s hard slide that sparked both benches clearing was the most dramatic moment of the series for fans who were looking for a jolt. For White Sox supporters, though, the real tension is in the standings.
Their AL Central cushion is shrinking fast, and there’s a real possibility that by the time they finish their visit to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cleveland Guardians will already be in first place when the Sox arrive in Cleveland.
Even with the sweep, the Sox did get some help elsewhere. The Guardians dropped two of three to the Baltimore Orioles, which moved the magic number to clinch the division to 15.
If the Sox are still sitting atop the division when they get to Cleveland, Game 1 could cut that number by three. A Sox win and a Guardians loss would knock off two, and the Sox would also lock up the season-series tiebreaker, which means a first-place tie at the end of the year would still go their way.
The playoff picture is a little tighter too. On the surface, the magic number to reach the postseason would be 14.
But the Toronto Blue Jays are currently the first team out in the AL Wild Card race, and the Sox won five of six against them this season. Because of that tiebreaker, their actual postseason magic number is 13.
It feels strange to be tracking all this while the Sox have dropped three of their first nine games in September, and first place after the Cardinals series is far from assured. Still, they remain in position for the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs, and that reality matters.
This team has been in rough patches before. The difference this year is that it has avoided letting those stretches turn into full-on collapses. It will need to do that again if it wants to get where it’s trying to go.
In Other News...
White Sox Pitching Decision Could Change Hagen Smith's Role
Luis Castillos recent stretch has left the White Sox with a little more sorting to do on the mound. After he failed to complete five innings in each of his last four starts, Chicago pushed back his next scheduled outing, and the club has not yet posted probable pitchers for the coming series. Will Venable said Hagen Smith is expected to get the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a sign that the team is still balancing immediate rotation needs with the longer-term plan for a young arm.
For now, the White Sox are still working with Castillo on his mechanics and recovery while keeping other options in play. David Sandlin and Smith are both in the mix, and the way Chicago lines up the next few games could say a lot about how the team wants to handle its pitching depth from here. The rotation picture is still fluid, and Smiths role may end up being shaped as much by Castillos progress as by his own readiness. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Made A Miguel Vargas Choice Fans Wont Forget Soon
Will Venables decision to sit Miguel Vargas for what he called a routine day off quickly became one of those choices that travels well beyond a single afternoon. The White Sox were deep enough into the season that every lineup decision invited scrutiny, and leaving a star third baseman out of the starting nine only fueled the kind of injury speculation managers usually try to avoid. Venable pushed back on that idea, but the absence still stood out because Vargas has become one of the more important bats in the lineup.
Vargas did eventually pinch hit, but the moment never turned into the kind of late-game spark Chicago needed. He grounded into a double play in a critical spot, and the White Sox lost, which only sharpened the look-back at the original decision. With the season winding down, the bigger point feels pretty simple: if Chicago wants to squeeze out meaningful wins, it needs its best players on the field as often as possible, even when the margins feel small. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Reveal Their Plans
The White Sox have leaned on their bullpen all season, and Sean Newcomb has been one of the more important reasons why. With free agency approaching, his place in the mix is suddenly part of a bigger offseason question for a club that may want to keep the late innings from becoming a weak spot again.
Adrian Morejon is the kind of left-handed reliever who could fit what Chicago is looking for, after turning in steady work over the past three seasons and lining up for free agency himself. The White Sox can still try to bring back Newcomb, but the broader search for a dominant lefty should tell you plenty about how they plan to shape the roster once the offseason begins. [Read more 🡒]