White Sox: Five Takeaways From Series Against Twins

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White Sox split four-game series with lowly Twins. The team lost five of seven games on road trip, starts nine game homestand on Monday.

The White Sox jumped out to another quick lead on Sunday against the Twins, before watching Minnesota comeback. Despite trailing 10-9, the Sox were able to mount an impressive comeback in the ninth inning and lead 11-10. However, struggling closer David Robertson blew another save for the pale hose.

Luckily the Sox didn’t go down without a fight and rookie shortstop Tim Anderson delivered a clutch two-run double in the top of the 12th inning. This would be the decisive blow as the Sox left Minnesota with a 13-11 victory and a split of the four game series.

Although the Sox held leads in each game during the series against the Twins, they weren’t able to hold off Minnesota in two of those games. There were some unspectacular performances from James Shields and Anthony Renaudo. However, the biggest surprise might have been Jose Quintana‘s bad start on Thursday.

With the Sox returning home on Monday to start a lengthy homestand, the team will need to focus on getting back to .500. After the win on Sunday, the Sox sit at 65-71 and well out of contention. There were some positives from the series with the Twins however. Those positives along with other takeaways will be highlighted over the next five slides.

Next: Jose Quintana Struggles

Sep 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Jose Quintana Struggles Mightily Against Twins

Jose Quintana entered his start against the Twins with an 11-9 record and an AL-leading 2.77 ERA. However, the Twins ended their 13-game losing streak by hammering on Quintana throughout the night. Quintana had arguably his worst start of the season on Thursday. The All-Star pitcher gave up seven earned runs in five innings pitched against the Twins.

The Twins hit two home runs off Quintana and were able to get seven hits off the Cy Young award candidate. Although Quintana doesn’t have the number of victories as other Cy Young candidates, he has been pitching well lately for the Sox. In his previous two starts before Thursday, Quintana had given up just two earned runs. Despite giving up seven earned runs against the Twins, Quintana did record eight strikeouts.

In order for Quintana to have any chance of winning the Cy Young award, he will need to finish the season strong. Quintana already doesn’t get much run support from the Sox offense, and he will need better outings moving forward. The Sox shouldn’t worry about Quintana as starting pitchers will have a bad start or two during a season. If Quintana can get back to dominating, the Sox will be fine for the remainder of the season.

Next: James Shields is Still Bad

Aug 29, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher James Shields (25) pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

James Shields’ Struggles Continued Against Twins

The James Shields experiment has been a disaster for the Sox. With another poor outing from Shields on Saturday, Sox fans have to be wondering why the front office made the trade for him in the first place. Shields lasted just two innings on Saturday and gave up three home runs to the Twins. This was Shields fifth consecutive start without a decision.

After pitching a gem against the Cubs on July 26, Shields hasn’t won a decision since. The veteran pitcher hasn’t been anywhere close to duplicating that start against the Cubs where he pitched eight scoreless innings. Instead, Shields has reverted back to the struggling pitcher the Sox foolishly traded for in early June.

In his previous start against the Tigers on August 29, Shields gave up four earned runs and two home runs. Although he was charged with two earned runs against the Twins, he forced the Sox to deplete its bullpen yet again. If this continues, the Sox might need to explore the possibility of releasing Shields at the end of the season. This would make the team look even more foolish as they could have kept John Danks for less money owed moving into 2017.

Next: Tim Anderson Is Legit

Sep 4, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (12) hits a two run double during the twelfth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Chicago White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins 13-11. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Tim Anderson Wins Game on Sunday

The Sox might have themselves a special player in Tim Anderson. Although Anderson isn’t walking at a high rate, he continues to get hits for the Sox. After getting a hit in his last two games against the Twins, Anderson saved his best performance for Sunday. The rookie shortstop added another multi-hit game on Sunday, and knocked in the winning runs with a two-run double in the 12th inning.

Anderson is hitting .285 on the season, but is currently a longshot to win the Rookie of the Year award in the American League. Despite having just seven walks on the season, Anderson is still succeeding at the plate. To go along with his impressive game on Sunday, Andreson has 25 multi-hit games this season. If the Sox decide to fully rebuild in the offseason, Anderson should certainly be one of the building blocks for the future.

Next: David Robertson Blows Another Save

Aug 4, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher David Robertson (30) pitches in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Chicago won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

David Robertson Blows Comeback for White Sox

After the Sox came back from an 8-5 deficit on Sunday to take an 11-10 lead, David Robertson blew his sixth save. Robertson has struggled this season, and although he has 34 saves this season, he hasn’t been consistently dominant. The veteran reliever save percentage sits at 85%, just a little bit higher than his 83% save percentage from last season.

Robertson has 33 saves this season, and could surpass his save total of 34 from last season. However, the Sox should explore the possibility of trading the reliever. The Sox most certainly won’t get equal value for Robertson, but if they can get financial relief they should make a trade. Robertson will be owed $11 million in 2017 and $12 million in 2018. With 2016 first round draft pick Zack Burdi succeeding with Triple-A Charlotte, the Sox could perhaps easily replace Robertson next season.

Next: Jose Abreu Has Spectacular Series

Sep 4, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) celebrates with third baseman Todd Frazier (21) after hitting a three run home run during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Jose Abreu Had Impressive Series

Jose Abreu had a tough start to the season in 2016. After the slowest start in his MLB career, Abreu has started to turn it on offensively since the All-Star break. On Sunday against the Twins, Abreu hit two home runs and knocked in seven runs for the Sox. Abreu collected three hits on Sunday, and it was his third game of the series with three hits.

Abreu has been hot recently and in his last 30 games, the slugger is hitting .374 with 11 home runs. The 2014 AL Rookie of the Year now has 22 home runs on the season with 86 RBI and a .293 batting average. While it looked like Abreu might not hit 20 home runs this season, he could very well match his 30 home run total from 2015. It would have been nice to see this type of production from Abreu earlier this season, but it certainly won’t hurt now to have him produce.

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