Dylan Cease didn’t have it Friday.
Rookie Dane Dunning didn’t have it Saturday.
And Reynaldo Lopez got crushed by the Cubs Sunday.
Those are your top three White Sox possibilities to start a potential game three in the best-of-three Wild Card series against the Athletics that begins Tuesday in Oakland.
Not exactly a treasure trove of starting pitchers to choose from after Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, who will take the ball in Games 1 and 2, respectively.
The Sox should be in good hands with Giolito (4-3, 3.48 ERA) and the playoff-tested Keuchel (6-2, 1.99), but they might not let their plan be known until the last minute.
“It is not any clearer but we have a couple ideas we’re working on,” manager Rick Renteria said after the Sox lost to the Cubs 10-8 Sunday to close the regular season. “We have three guys that are capable of at least starting. There’s another strategy we might employ.”
That might include piggybacking or perhaps a bullpen day. Perhaps left-hander Carlos Rodon, who retired five batters in a row Sunday after hitting Kyle Schwarber with a pitch, might figure in the mix. It was Rodon’s second appearance since he came off the injured list Wednesday when he gave up a pair of game-deciding two-run hits in a loss to the Indians.
In any event, the Sox will likely be leaning heavily on their pen after banking on Giolito and Keuchel to go deep in their starts.
“That’s become one of our strengths,” catcher James McCann said of the Sox pen featuring three rookies.
The starting rotation after Giolito and Keuchel? Not so much.
Cease (4.01 ERA) hasn’t worked beyond five innings while walking 14 over his last three starts, and he allowed three homers to the Cubs Friday. Dunning (3.97 ERA), who has made seven starts, has tailed off in his last two lasting four and three innings against the Indians and Cubs, allowing eight runs.
Lopez allowed six runs on four hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings Sunday.
Jimenez improving “exponentially”
Left fielder Eloy Jimenez (foot sprain), who missed the entire Cubs series was much improved, Renteria said.
“[Monday] is going to be actually a big day for [Jimenez],” Renteria said.
“He’s improving exponentially, I should say. And tomorrow will be a good day for us to kind of truly assess where he’s at. Because then we can kind of probably put him through the wringer and see where he’s at.”
Not too great vs. good teams
The Sox went 9-1 against the Royals and Tigers and 3-1 against the Pirates, all losing teams, for a collective 21-3. The Sox were 2-8 against the Indians, 1-2 vs. the Reds and Cardinals, 3-3 vs. the Cubs and 2-2 vs. the Brewers, teams with .500 or winning records.
This and that
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who was being used in a mop-up role Sunday, left the game with a sore shoulder. Gonzalez, signed as a free agent in the offseason, has been plagued by shoulder issues the last two seasons.
*The Sox ‘ 14-0 record vs. lefty starters was the the second-longest season-opening unbeaten streak in Major League history behind the 1963 Baltimore Orioles (16-0).
*Edwin Encarnacion’s season long struggle continued to the final day with three strikeouts and a walk. Encarnacion was 18-for-124 in his last 34 games.
