White Sox: Three Takeaways from Series Against Phillies
Why is James Shields Still Pitching?
James Shields had another poor outing, nothing new for Sox fans this season. On Tuesday, Shields lasted 5.1 innings and gave up six earned runs on nine hits to the Phillies. The Phillies aren’t a strong offensive team as they rank last in MLB in total offense.
However, this didn’t stop them from pummeling Shields on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Shields start was his 18th loss of the season and dropped his record to 5-18 on the season. At this point, Shields should most likely shut it down for the rest of the season.
There’s nothing left to prove for Shields, and if he makes two more starts he could be in danger of becoming a 20-game loser. You read that correctly, Shields could finish this season with 20 losses. The trade for Shields continues to look bad with each start he makes, and the Sox are on the hook for two more seasons if they don’t release him after the season. Hopefully for Shields, he can somehow manage to win his final starts before the season ends.
Chris Sale Cy Young Chances Vanish Against Philadelphia
Chris Sale had an outstanding performance against the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 16. In the start, Sale pitched a complete game and gave up four earned runs. On Wednesday however, Sale didn’t last more than four innings against Philadelphia.
The Phillies, coming off a 7-6 win against the Sox on Tuesday jumped on Sale early. After the Sox got a 1-0 lead thanks to a solo home run from Adam Eaton in the first inning, the Phillies responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Sale gave up six earned runs in four innings pitched on seven hits.
Sale’s Cy Young candidacy suffered as the starter fell to 15-9 and saw his ERA climb to 3.23. With just another start or two left, Sale doesn’t have much time to improve his chances for the Cy Young award. The Sox didn’t put up much of a fight in Sale’s start as they loss 8-3 to Philadelphia to complete the brief two game sweep for the Phillies.
White Sox playing like they’re ready for season to end
After Jose Abreu stated the Sox didn’t have the same desire as the Royals after a loss on Monday, the Sox proved him right. The Sox could have started its series against Philadelphia with more urgency, but Shields pitched another dud.
On Wednesday, the Sox had the chance to split the brief series against the Phillies but managed to get blown out again on this road trip. The Sox could finish its fourth consecutive season with a losing record for the first time since 1989. This is rare territory for this franchise, and hopefully it will be a wake-up call for the front office. Changes certainly need to be made after the season as the team has lost more than half of its fanbase since Venutra’s hire as manager in 2011.
Eaton was the only Sox player that had a solid series offensively. Eaton collected four hits in the series, including a leadoff home run on Wednesday. The rest of the Sox offense wasn’t as effective against the Phillies. No other player for the Sox collected more than one hit in either game against Philadelphia.
The Sox will conclude their road trip against the Indians beginning on Friday. The Indians haven’t lost a series to the Sox at Progressive Field this season. With the season coming to an end soon, the Sox don’t have much time to continue disappointing its fans. The Sox will begin its last homestand of the season on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the start of a four game series.