3 ways the Chicago White Sox can benefit from upcoming schedule
The Chicago White Sox are about to embark upon a critical stretch in their schedule. Three of their next four series are against teams with a record above .500. The only series that is not against a team with a winning record is a three-game set against their division rival in the Detroit Tigers.
The Chicago White Sox have a good stretch of games coming up here.
On Tuesday, the White Sox will begin a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. This could be the start of a rivalry for years to come. Both teams have budding young stars and some of the top prospects in the game. The Blue Jays have arguably the best hitter in baseball right now in Vladamir Guerro Jr. Their lineup also leads the American League in Slugging percentage. The White Sox will also face the Blue Jay’s ace Hyun Jin Ryu, making this series even tougher.
After a quick stop in Detroit, the White Sox host the former American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays currently have the best record in the American League despite having the most strikeouts in the MLB. They should present another tough test with their combination of good starting pitching and a solid bullpen.
Next, the White Sox travel to Houston to take on the Astros. The Houston Astros have been the cream of the crop in the American League for the past couple of seasons. In 2019 they won the American League and in 2017 they won the World Series. While some cheating helped them out, they still have a very talented team which includes, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Alex Bregman just to name a few. This year they lead the league in batting average, hits, runs, and OBP.
While the upcoming schedule is no walk in the park, the White Sox can benefit from this stretch of games. Here are three ways the White Sox can benefit from the upcoming schedule:
1. Chance To Face Good Pitching
The Chicago White Sox are going to face some awesome pitching over this stretch.
The White Sox will be facing three quality starting pitchers against the Toronto Blue Jays. First up is Robbie Ray. Ray has a 3-2 record this season, with a 3.57 ERA. He was elected to the All-Star Game as a member of the Diamondbacks in 2017.
Next is 23-year old right-hander Alek Manoah. Manoah is a rookie this season and has shown promise. In two starts he a 3.86 ERA. One of those starts included a quality start against the New York Yankees in which he went six innings giving up no runs and striking out seven.
They close out the series having to face Hyun Jin Ryu who is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Ryu had the lowest ERA in the National League in 2019 as a member of the Dodgers. He was selected to the All-Star Game that same season. The following year he signed a massive contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and posted a 2.69 ERA which was good enough for fourth-best in the AL. He has been excellent once again this season posting a 5-3 record with a 3.23 ERA.
The Tampa Bay Rays also have a great pitching staff. As a team, they have the sixth-best ERA in baseball. These are the type of pitchers the White Sox lineup needs to be able to produce against. They have struggled against aces like Shaine Beiber and Garrett Cole already so this will be an opportunity for them to redeem themselves. In the playoffs, the White Sox will have to face great pitchers like these so this will be good practice for them.
2. Barometer Test
The Chicago White Sox are going to face some really good teams to try and stack up.
The White Sox have been able to beat up on some bad competition this season. Let’s face it, the AL Central is bad. Three of the five teams have losing records. The White Sox have had the luxury of beating up on the Twins, Royals, and Tigers. They have also faced the lowly, Orioles, Rangers, and Mariners. The White Sox have feasted on this weak competition. That’s not a knock on the White Sox. You play the schedule you are dealt and the White Sox have handled their business.
The White Sox’s first true test of the season is when they traveled to New York to face the Yankees. They failed miserably and got swept. However, their next series came against the first-place Cardinals and they took two of three. The upcoming games against the Blue Jays, Rays, and Astros should serve as a good benchmark for where the White Sox are at.
Each of these teams has a record of over .500. The Blue Jays are similar to the White Sox. A young talented team that has a lineup full of players who rake. The Astros and Rays each have a championship pedigree. Both have played in the World Series in the past couple of years. If the White Sox want to be the best they need to beat the best.
3. Improve Playoff Seeding
The Chicago White Sox want to position themselves as well as possible.
The only team with a better record than White Sox in the American League is the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 38-23 while the White Sox are 36-23. The White Sox have a chance to surpass the Rays in their three-game series.
The White Sox have two things working to their advantage. The first is that they are at home. They have been excellent at home this season. They have won 14 of their last 18 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The second thing working to their advantage is a good starting rotation.
Tampa Bay Ray hitters have struck out more than any other team in baseball. The White Sox pitching staff is second in the AL in strikeouts so this matchup should play to their advantage. They have three pitchers (Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodón, and Dylan Cease) in the top 10 in the American League in strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Toronto and Houston are each north of 30 wins this season. If seeding comes down to head-head records the White Sox will want to win these games so they can secure home-field advantage.
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The Astros have made the postseason each of the last four years. They reached the World Series in two of the four years and the two times they didn’t they were knocked out by the eventual AL champs. The White Sox do not want to be facing an elimination game in Houston come October.