Tuesday night’s 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds was one of the most frustrating losses of the season for White Sox fans. Chicago launched three home runs off Reds starter Nick Lodolo to jump out to a 4-0 lead, and got another gem from budding ace Sean Burke. The lead was 4-1 heading into the top of the eighth and Will Venable turned to lefty Bryan Hudson to hold down the lead. Unfortunately, Cincinnati rallied for three runs in the eighth to tie the game and won the game in ten innings, lowering the White Sox AL Central lead to just 2.5 games.
Hudson, who surrendered three runs and failed to get an out, continued what’s become a concerning trend in the second half of the season. Hudson has allowed eight earned runs in 8.1 innings since the All-Star break, good for an 8.31 ERA. Seven of those eight runs have come in two appearances, but they’re the type of blow up outings that simply didn’t happen in the first half. With the recent reinforcements added to the White Sox bullpen, it’s worth wondering whether a role change is the optimal decision for Hudson moving forward.
The White Sox have options should they move Bryan Hudson to low leverage
The White Sox pulled off a strong deadline deal, adding righty reliever Huascar Brazoban from the Mets, and Brazoban’s performance has been strong early. The 36-year-old righty has allowed one earned run in four innings so far for the White Sox, and it’s easy to see why the club acquired him. Brazoban could easily step up alongside Grant Taylor and Sean Newcomb in a late-inning role. Righty Jordan Hicks got off to a rough start but has turned things around big time in recent weeks, and has earned more high leverage opportunities.
In addition, the White Sox haverecently promoted top pitching prospects Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith. Smith fired two hitless innings in his big league debut on Sunday, though he did walk four. McDougal has yet to make his debut but should early this week. Both pitchers have the arsenal to be high-leverage options, even more so than Hudson, who relies on location rather than stuff to be effective. McDougal and Smith will need to earn the trust in those roles, but both could conceivably get there by the end of the season.
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Bryan Hudson has been one of the White Sox’ stronger relief options all season, and his strong year has given the team a second late-inning lefty alongside Sean Newcomb. But at this stage of the season, effectiveness is more important than handedness. Every game, especially games against mediocre opponents like the Reds, is crucial as the White Sox push for the playoffs. Losing games in which you have a three-run lead in the eighth inning simply cannot happen. Bryan Hudson has been more prone to bad outings over the past few weeks, and he’s quickly becoming someone the team can no longer trust in big spots.
It’s a difficult decision for a pitcher who has been one of the most reliable relievers on the team all year, but sometimes difficult decisions need to be made for the sake of the team.
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