White Sox in Position to Influence October As Spoilers
White Sox have the chance to spoil the postseason hopes of teams within the AL Central division. With 26 games remaining, the White Sox can also improve their chances of finishing season above .500.
The 23-10 Chicago White Sox have long since expired. In fact, watching the current team isn’t that unlike taking a big swig of spoiled milk, so it’s only fitting that Chicago is set to play spoiler.
Spoiler is a term dejected baseball fans often cling to as they look to attach any meaning to the dwindling slate of games. For the White Sox, it’s a very interesting construct as the team is simultaneously gunning for a protected Top 10 draft pick.
For this reason, even the allure of playing spoiler is somehow diminished.
This on-paper roster would seem imposing to playoff hopefuls. Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Carlos Rodon are three arms no contending team wants to see on the docket. Meanwhile, Jose Abreu is exceptionally hot and Todd Frazier is well on his way to a 40 home run season. Adam Eaton and Tim Anderson are pesky hitters at the top of the order while Melky Cabrera is turning in one of his better seasons.
Yet despite a litany of respectable talent, the South Siders are in a downright tailspin.
Teams hoping to shed tears from champagne instead of disintegrating playoff hopes are likely circling James Shields and Anthony Ranaudo starts with thick red pens. Hey, they might even get lucky and get in a little extra BP and face Matt Albers.
It’s always disappointing when the only motivation left to play out the string is to hope that you crush another team’s dreams in the process. It’s the worst type of “carrot” the world has to offer and there’s nothing intrinsic about it. For Chicago though, it’s all that is on the table.
With that said, here are some teams the White Sox can look to disrupt. All of them just so happen to be in the division, which adds to the intrigue.
Next: Detroit Tigers
DETROIT TIGERS
The Detroit Tigers sold off at the deadline last season. They flipped big names like David Price and Yoenis Cespedes and turned them into guys like Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and namely Michael Fulmer.
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, never a man to be coy with the wallet, replaced those losses with prime free agents like Jordan Zimmerman and Justin Upton.
What do you get when you combine newly infused young talent with meaningful expenditures on the free agent market? You get the 2016 Tigers, a 73-62 team right in the thick of things.
The Tigers haven’t even relegated themselves to just a wildcard yet as the AL Central is currently in reach.
Cleveland Indians 78-56 —
Detroit Tigers 73-62 5.5 GB
The wildcard is even more of a reality.
Boston Red Sox 76-59 + 2.0
Baltimore Orioles 74-62 —
Detroit Tigers 74-62 —
Houston Astros 72-64 2.0 GB
New York Yankees 70-65 3.5 GB
Kansas City Royals 70-66 4.0 GB
Seattle Mariners 69-67 5.0 GB
The Tigers with their high-octane offense and improving rotation look like a good bet to unseat the Orioles and sneak into the playoffs. In a crowded field, the Mariners have basically dropped out of the picture. If you recall, the White Sox took 3-of-4 from Seattle in a series that sent their season down the tube.
So the White Sox were the definition of spoiler there. Can they do the same to Detroit?
Detroit gets a tough draw in a series against Chicago that opens on Monday afternoon. They’ll have to face Sale, but will have the revived Justin Verlander as their counter. Miguel Gonzalez will likely go Tuesday and Quintana gets the ball Wednesday. The Tigers currently list those match ups as TBA.
In theory, this is a series that could set the hot bats from Motown back a bit. Just last week, the South Siders went toe-to-toe with the Tigers and had a chance to win every contest. Their bullpen had other ideas however as Robin Ventura continues to use Albers and Jacob Turner in close games. They’re also just 5-11 against Detroit this season.
The White Sox have a chance to take the wheels off the team from the capital of automobiles, but fringe bullpen talent and recent woes in the division say otherwise.
Next: Cleveland Indians
CLEVELAND INDIANS
The Cleveland Indians are a blueprint for how Chicago’s season could have gone. Like the White Sox, they’re built on a trio of arms at the top of their rotation.
The difference is that their value signings (Mike Napoli, Marlon Byrd, and Rajai Davis) were markedly better than that of Jimmy Rollins, Mat Latos, and Austin Jackson.
Not to mention manager Terry Francona has proven he can get the most out of a roster on an annual basis. As such, Cleveland currently sits atop the AL Central.
Cleveland Indians 79-56 —
Detroit Tigers 74-62 5.5 GB
The White Sox will play the Indians for seven more games this season. Had they hung around at all, they could have had a shot to make a move of their own. The Indians come to town for a four-game set from September 12-15th. Then the White Sox head to Cleveland for a three-game matchup from September 23-25th.
All the ingredients are in place for the White Sox to have a direct influence on how the AL Central race shakes out. Sweeping the Tigers and getting crushed by the Indians will seal the deal for Cleveland while the inverse is true if Chicago hammers The Tribe.
With just a 3-9 record vs. the Indians this season, the White Sox stand to only gain respectability if they can shift that closer to .500. For Cleveland it could be the difference between taking home division hardware or playing a one-and-done game in October.
Next: Kansas City Royals
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
If there’s one team whose playoff hopes Chicago should be intent on dashing, it’s those of the Kansas City Royals.
These clubs have a little history and if your memory isn’t short, you’ll remember that the Royals were instrumental in keeping the White Sox out of the postseason in 2012.
The South Siders went 6-12 against the Royals that season and to make matters worse, Kansas City couldn’t get the job done against the Tigers when it mattered most.
It’s beyond frustrating to see a team with as many key injuries, underperformance, and obstacles as the Royals have had this season still be in the mix.
It defies logic, just as it’s unbelievable how out of favor the White Sox have fallen since their 23-10 start.
This is the same club that staged an unforgettable seven-run comeback against Chicago in late May. For some, that series marks a turning point in a dismal season on the South Side.
Considering the true-talent of their roster, it’s unsurprising that the Royals are more on the edge of the crowd than at the front of the pack.
Boston Red Sox 76-59 + 2.0
Baltimore Orioles 74-62 —
Detroit Tigers 74-62 —
Houston Astros 72-64 2.0 GB
New York Yankees 70-65 3.5 GB
Kansas City Royals 70-66 4.0 GB
Seattle Mariners 69-67 5.0 GB
The White Sox get Kansas City for three games at home September 16-18th. By that point, they could look to sink a final dagger in their season. Oh how sweet the revenge would be.
Owners of a 3-9 record against the Royals, it’s quite possible this series is an avenue for Kansas City to extend their stay in the wildcard race. If that’s the case, then Chicago will have a do-over when they head to Kauffman Stadium for a four game set September 16-19.
A house of horrors for the White Sox, leaving Kauffman with a positive mark could be good for morale going into 2017 regardless of the club’s plans. Per usual, the stakes are much higher for the team on the other side. The Royals could bulldoze the White Sox (6-1 style) and do wonders for their wildcard positioning. For the third season in a row, the White Sox will reprise the role that the Royals have always known, while Kansas City provides their fans with yet another stretch of meaningful baseball.
Aren’t they just spoiled.