The Chicago White Sox started their final series of the 2023 season on Friday night. They are hosting the San Diego Padres at Guaranteed Rate Field to end the season. It doesn’t mean much but we still want to see our team end the season.
It will be a while before we get White Sox baseball again after this weekend so we might as well enjoy it. There are also a few things to take note of ahead of what may be a very difficult off-season.
Dylan Cesse made his final start of the season for the White Sox. He put together another good start as he only gave up one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out seven batters and walked two. Now, his season is officially over after 32 starts. He will end the year with a 4.58 ERA.
Unfortunately, the bullpen wasn’t able to hold the Padres from there as the White Sox ended up losing 3-2. It was a close game but they couldn’t get it done. That has been the story of the season. At least they weren’t blown out.
The White sox lost but something cool did happen in the meantime.
The cool part about the game was that Carlos Perez hit his first career home run. It is a shame that it came in a loss but it is now a night he will never forget. It also came in the 9th inning off of Josh Hader who has been one of the best relievers over the past decade. That is definitely a cool thing for him.
Perez wasn’t the only player to hit a home run for the White Sox. Red-hot Yoan Moncada also went deep for the home team. He is now up to 11 this season after he was either injured or terrible in the first half of the season. Hopefully, that will keep up in 2024.
Unlike their last series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, this series has absolutely no impact on the Wild Card race in either league. This is strictly going to be a battle between two disappointing teams loaded with talent.
On Saturday night, Mike Clevinger is going to face his most recent former team as he looks to have a strong finish to what has been a great year on the field for him. He will face Michael Wacha of the Padres who has had a fantastic year as well. This season is almost over with only two games left so try to enjoy it as much as possible.