White Sox: Close Out August With a Winning Record

Entering the month of August with a record of 37-69, even the most diehard fans might’ve doubted that the White Sox would come out of August playing anything better than .500.

However – following a 6-1 victory over first place Boston on Friday night – the White Sox did just that.

The ChiSox finished the month at 17-12, including winning 11 of 14 on the road.

While a stretch of losing 5 out of 6 home games to Cleveland in the middle of August may have cost the team a winning home record (they finished 6-9 at home), Chicago still impressed many by winning five consecutive series matchups on the road. Their final series victory on the road came against the Yankees, who currently lead the American League Wild Card race.

Speaking of their 5th consecutive road series win after the White Sox defeated New York earlier this month, Sox skipper Rick Renteria said, “It tells you there [sic] not laying down.” It was the first time since 2004-2005 that the White Sox won five consecutive road series matchups, with 2005 concluding in the team’s first World Series victory since 1917.

According to research conducted by baseballreference.com, the White Sox outscored their opponents 126-121 for a +5 run differential. They were also 6-2 in road games, including all three games in Tampa to complete their first series sweep in nearly a year. They finished the month tied with Detroit for third place in the AL Central, 10.5 games ahead of last place Kansas City.

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September will not be easy for Chicago, as they start out with two games against the Red Sox who, as previously noted, are the best team in baseball. They also will face a challenging 9 game stretch as they travel to first-place Cleveland beginning Sept. 18th, then return to face their first place crosstown rival Chicago Cubs and conclude the home portion of the season with a 3 game stretch against Cleveland.

However, as rosters expand from 25 to 40 players, several minor leaguers could see some action. This includes Seby Zavala, Ian Hamilton, and – never to be forgotten – Eloy Jimenez.

In the article “Chicago White Sox: Potential September call-ups“, Jason Kinander states:

“There’s no reason why Eloy Jimenez shouldn’t be on the big league roster, especially once that roster expands to 40.”

Our own Etheria Modacure wrote that even Jimenez knows he should be on the 40-man roster. Check out what Modacure had to say in his article about the call-up we’re all waiting for.

The month of August was a successful one for Chicago, and September figures to feature some excitement as well. It’s no longer rebuild time. It’s audition time on the Southside.