White Sox: James Shields Throws Six Scoreless Innings Against Texas
By Matt Manetti
The right hander was dominate striking out six and allowing just three hits. Shields improved his ERA to 2.53 for the White Sox this spring.
James Shields showed he may still have some gas left in the tank. And hopefully that translates well going into the season. The Chicago White Sox righty blanked the Texas Rangers, tossing six shutout innings with six strikeouts. He allowed just three hits and improved his ERA to 2.53. The Sox would later lose to Texas 3-2.
Shields came to the White Sox last season and struggled. He had his worst season of his career and many questioned why he still had a job. The veteran needs a bounce-back season. So far this spring, he’s off to a good start. The organization just hopes this will carry over into the regular season.
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It’s usually hard to judge how well a player is doing in the spring because they may not be facing an MLB-caliber lineup everyday. However, this was Shields best start of the spring and gives fans hope he can pitch effectively once the season starts. An improved Shields would go a long for this team.
He will be relied on to be a veteran presence in the rotation. With a trio of youngsters in the minors, the rotation looks to be in good shape in the future, but right now, they need him to help be a stop gap for that transition.
The organization lost a big name in Chris Sale and now they need a guy like Shields to step up. A good season could help revive his career and show fans he can still be a productive pitcher.
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If he does have a good season he may even become trade bait once the deadline comes around. Let’s hope Shields is more accustomed to pitching on the South Side and can have a solid season.