Chicago White Sox: Breakdown of the Wild Card Series
The Chicago White Sox are about to take on the Oakland A’s in the first round.
On Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox has a date with the Oakland Athletics who are the champions of the American League West. Despite the fact that the two teams finished one game apart in the regular season, the White Sox dropped five seeds below the A’s. The Athletics finished as the No. 2 seed, while the White Sox were slapped with the No. 7 seed following a loss to the Chicago Cubs and a Cleveland Indians victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. That results in a trip to Oakland for the start of the postseason. Tuesday will be the first meeting of the season between the two ball clubs.
Oakland has been a house of horrors for the White Sox. They have lost eight of their last nine games there. That bodes well for the A’s who are tied for first for the American league’s best record at home going 22-10 in the Oakland Coliseum. However, the White Sox has shown they are capable of winning on the road this year. They are tied for the AL’s second-highest win total away from home going 17-13.
The White Sox also owns a slight advantage offensively. Oakland ranked eighth in the American League in runs scored and tenth in OPS. To put that in perspective they finished slightly ahead of the Royals. Meanwhile, the White Sox ranked second in runs scored and OPS along with finishing at the top of the pack in home runs, and slugging percentage.
Both teams limped into the wildcard round. The White Sox finished the season with a horrific 2-8 stretch while the A’s lost five of their final eight games. In the best of three series, it will be important for both teams to get off to a fast start. Losing Game 1 could spell a short stay in the playoffs. Here is everything you need to know about how the White Sox matchup up with the Athletics in the Wild Card round:
Infield
The A’s will be without their best player Matt Chapman after he was lost for the season with an injury. This is a big blow to their lineup who will need to put up a lot of runs to keep pace with the White Sox offense.
The White Sox have depth at catcher. James McCann and Yasmani Grandal will likely both see time this series either behind the plate or as the designated hitter. Both have a knack for getting on base while providing some power to go along with it. The A’s catcher Sean Murphy is a rookie. He has a great arm and is swinging a hot bat lately. He is hitting .277 with 5 dingers, two doubles, and 9 RBI’s over his past 16 games.
Jose Abreu will take his usual spot at first base. He has played in all 60 games for the White Sox this season. Abreu is the front runner for the AL MVP honor. He leads the MLB in RBIs and is second in the AL in home runs. He is coming off a great month of September in which he drove in 28 runs. His counterpart Matt Olson has also played in all 60 games this season and can also hit for power. He has 14 home runs and 42 RBI’s on the year. However, unlike Abreu, he has struggled to put the ball in play. He has an abysmal .195 batting average and has struck out 75 times this year.
At second-base, the White Sox will trot out Nick Madrigal. As a rookie, he has shown an excellent approach at the plate with the ability to put the ball in play even with two strikes. On top of that, he has provided a superb defense. The A’s acquired their second-baseman, Tommy La Stella via a trade with the Los Angeles Angels. He has been raking at the plate since arriving in Oakland. He is hitting .289 with 16 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, and 11 RBI’s over 27 games. Like Madrigal, he does not strike out much. He owns the lowest strikeout rate in baseball.
A shortstop features two very exciting players who have both worn a White Sox uniform. Tim Anderson is in the midst of a slump going 6 for his last 46. This has been rare for the 2019 batting champion, but despite the rough stretch, he is still hitting .322 on the year, good enough for second-highest in baseball. In the opposing dugout is Marcus Semien who was an MVP candidate in 2019. However, the former White Sox has not had as strong of a campaign in 2020. His OPS has plummeted more than 200 points this season as his overall number has dipped with it.
Third-base has been a weak spot for both teams this year. Jake Lamb is filling in for the injured Matt Chapman. Meanwhile, Yoan Moncada has struggled to find his footing at the plate after testing positive for COVID-19. Although Moncada’s offense has slipped his defense has been very good in the hot corner.
The designated hitter is one of the few spots offensively Oakland has an edge. The A’s have Mark Canha at DH. He has killed lefties this season which could be a factor in Game 2. He is slashing .342/.500/.526 against lefties this season.
Outfield
Roaming left field for Oakland is Robbie Grossman, who is a serviceable defender and can handle the bat at home plate. Eloy Jimenez has much more power and upside as a hitter but is battling a foot injury that could interfere with his production and hamper him defensively. This could be problematic for the White Sox because the defense is already not Eloy’s strong suit. The health of his foot will be something to keep an eye on this series
The centerfielder this series will feature two slumping hitters. Ramon Laureano finished the season 4-29 over his last 9 games. What he lacks in offense he makes up for in defense. Laureano is an excellent defender who can cover a lot of ground. Luis Robert is a slightly better defender which speaks volumes to how talented the rookie is. He is also struggling at the plate hitting just .136 in September.
Right-field is a weak spot for both teams. Stephen Piscotty is hitting .226 for the A’s while Nomar Mazara has him beat with a less than stellar .228 average. The White Sox may decide to play Adam Engel who has been much better at the plate while providing an upgrade defensively. However, Mazara is one of few lefties in a Sox lineup dominated by righties.
Starting Pitching
After getting the ball for the opening game of the regular season, Lucas Giolito will get the nod to start the first game of the postseason. Giolito has continued his dominance in 2020. He owns a 4-3 record with a 3.48 ERA and ranks second in the AL in strikeouts with 97. He also threw a no-hitter against the Pirates on August 25th. The tall right-hander is 1-1 vs Oakland in his career but has never pitched in the Coliseum.
Dallas Keuchel will start for the White Sox in Game 2. He is no stranger to the postseason, already having won four games and posting a 3.47 ERA over the course of 12 playoff appearances. He has been excellent for the White Sox this season going 6-2 and ranking second in the AL with a 1.99 ERA.
If it goes to a third game, Dylan Cease will likely get the start for the White Sox but expect a very short leash. The other options would be Dane Dunning or Reynoldo Lopez, neither of whom would provide the Sox with a great deal of confidence.
The A’s ace is Chris Bassitt. He is 5-2 on the year and ranks one spot behind Keuchel with a 2.29 ERA. He is a strong option to cancel out the righties in the White Sox lineup. However, he is unlikely to start Game 1 because it will mean pitching on three days rest. He will likely start Game 2.
The rest of the A’s rotation includes Mike Fiers, Sean Manaea, and Jesus Luzardo. Mike Fiers is 6-3 with a 4.58 ERA in 2020. Like Giolito, he has also thrown a no-hitter in his career. He has also pitched great against the White Sox. He is 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA vs Chicago. On top of that, he holds a 2.59 ERA in the Coliseum which makes him a viable option.
Sean Manaea is 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA. He is a lefty pitcher too so the White Sox lineup will be licking their chops if he starts. The White Sox are 14-0 vs southpaws in 2020. Jesus Luzardo is a 22-year old rookie who has electric stuff. He has struck out 59 batters over the course of 59 innings. But like most rookies, he is inconsistent and has a 4.12 ERA on the year.
Bullpen
The White Sox bullpen has been solid this season but this is one aspect of the series the A’s have a clear advantage. Their back end of the bullpen includes Liam Hendriks, Jake Diekman, Joakim Soria, and Yusmeiro Petit.
Liam Hendriks was an All-Star closer for the A’s in 2019 and has logged 14 saves in 2020. He has been virtually un-hittable with a 1.78 ERA. All you need to know about Jake Diekman his ERA in 2020. He has a 0.42 ERA in 21 innings of work this season. Joakim Soria has racked up 232 saves over the course of his 13-year career and knows how to get guys out late in innings. He had a brief stint as the White Sox closer in 2018 before being traded.
Yusmeiro Petit is Bob Melvin’s go-to guy when there is a traffic jam on the bases. He has been primarily used in high leverage situations and to escape jams. The A’s opening day starter, Frankie Montas, will also be available out of the pen. He throws 98 mph and the velocity can only increase now that he will only have to throw a limited amount of innings.
The White Sox do not want to be trailing late in games but their bullpen is just as capable of slamming the door. Alex Colome has 12 saves to go along with his 0.81 ERA. Codi Huer has a sub-two ERA and Evan Marshall has been imposing as well late in games. Aaron Bummer returning from injury should provide a boost at the back end as well as some flexibility for Rick Renteria. The White Sox have also added the flame-throwing rookie Garrett Crochet to the mix. The 21-year old left-hander has yet to give up a run and already is second in the league in pitches thrown 100 mph or more.
Prediction
The health of Eloy Jimenez will be a major factor in this series. The White Sox lineup looks much more menacing with him in the middle of the lineup. If the A’s manage to steal a game from one of the two White Sox aces then the Sox will be in trouble. Oakland has more starting pitching depth than the Sox. An elimination game with Dylan Cease or the inexperienced Dane Dunning could be a disaster for Chicago.
Cease has lacked command all season and struggled to strikeout hitters even when he is ahead in the count. This is a major concern for someone with great stuff like Cease has. Dunning lacks Major League experience and it would be unfair to thrust him into an elimination game with only seven major league starts under his belt.
light. Hot. Jose Abreu wins back to back RBI titles
However, I do not think it will get to this point. Both teams are struggling but the White Sox have a superior offense. Giolito has proven he can shut down opposing offenses and Keuchel has pitched in playoff situations before. The White Sox bullpen is good enough to hold their own while the White Sox offense will prove too much for the A’s. Sean Manaea will likely start one of the first two games and the White Sox have feasted off of lefties this season.
The key for the White Sox will be to score early and often to avoid having to come from behind against a stingy Oakland bullpen.