Dylan Cease dominates again to end a decent July month

The Chicago White Sox needed to end July on a solid note. This might shock people, but they have only lost one series in the month. Going into the series finale against the Oakland A’s, they needed Dylan Cease to be on his game so that they could win it.

As expected, he was fantastic. Cease threw 6.0 innings of one-run baseball. He allowed four hits and one walk to the tune of seven strikeouts. His one run yielded was a solo shot home run by Ramon Laureano.

For the second straight month, Cease had an ERA lower than one. It has just been a magical season for him as he has really become the ace of this staff now. When he is on the bump, the White Sox have a legit chance to win the game.

Leury Garcia and Seby Zavala each had big days at the plate in the lower slots of the White Sox starting lineup. A couple of the big boys also produced as Eloy Jimenez and Jose Abreu each hit a home run in the game.

The Chicago White Sox are back to being over .500 thanks to Dylan Cease.

With the good enough offense combined with Cease’s performance, the White Sox were able to squeak out a 4-1 victory. The Minnesota Twins also lost their game to the San Diego Padres so the White Sox gained a game in the standings.

They are now above .500 at 51-50 and sit just two games back of those Twins for first place in the American League Central Division. It has been a hard season but the White Sox are still very much alive in their chase of a third straight postseason berth.

The White Sox also got good pitching once Cease came out. They ran out the A-team of relievers as Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, and Liam Hendriks all shut the door to preserve the lead and ultimately the win.

Entering July, there is just over a day left before the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline. The White Sox are almost certain to be buyers but we have to wait to see the extent of their shopping. If they make a few smart moves, they could find themselves with a much easier path to the playoffs.

If Cease can keep pitching like this and the offense can continue to keep pushing to get better, this team can go places. It is going to be a very fascinating team to watch down the stretch and into the playoffs.