Two wins, four losses.
Against the top two teams in the division.
That much has been established a half dozen games into the season, that the White Sox are still looking up at the slugging Twins and dealing Indians after losing two of three against each team.
This is supposed to be the year the Sox challenge the class of the AL Central. Three years of rebuilding behind them, an assemblage of young talent and the addition of veteran free agents in the offseason supposedly positioned them to finally make the postseason after an 11-year drought.
Sox manager Rick Renteria has been pushing the postseason message since last winter. Players have been telling us how loaded and talented their lineup is, proclamations sprinkled with “World Series” mentions to trumpet the message.
Outsiders bought in, one publication touting the Sox lineup as the seventh best in baseball. Another had them 11th in power rankings.
In the big picture of the their long-term plan for sustained success, such talk might be a year too soon, but sizing up the Sox roster and, with 16 of 30 teams making the playoffs after a 60-game season, the postseason was deemed hanging fruit just one week ago.
But those Twins, who set the record for homers in a season, can still hit. And the Indians’ starting pitching has been lights out.
It’s not going to be easy, especially if Sox starting pitching doesn’t measure up. Save for one (of two) good start by Lucas Giolito and one from Dallas Keuchel, the Sox starting pitching has been awful. The lineup struggled with runners in scoring position for much of the Indians series but didn’t have Eloy Jimenez for two games or Nomar Mazara for any of it.
“If we get the starting pitching that we’ve talked about since the winter,” Renteria said after the Sox and Giolito beat the Indians 4-0 Wednesday, “we have a chance to play games like this and keep ourselves in it and give ourselves and our offense an opportunity to strike.
“If we play good baseball, play our game, play good baseball, I think we can stand with anybody.”
Perhaps, but these first two series offered a reality check. The defense made the pitching staff work for more outs at times.
“Obviously [the Twins and Indians are] very good teams,” Giolito said. “The Indians starting pitching is very, very solid. The Twins offense is very, very solid. For us, it’s important that we sync up our explosive offense along with our starting pitching. Our first round of starters did not go as planned.”
Giolito said it’s about coming to the field every day expecting to win no matter the opponen, but that comes with a strong starting rotation. Giolito pitched a dud against the Twins and a gem against the Indians, Dallas Keuchel was excellent against the Twins and Reynaldo Lopez (Twins), Dylan Cease and Carlos Rodon (Indians) put the Sox in early holes in their first starts. Lopez, Cease and Rodon brought varying degrees of promise but uncertainty and were big keys to the season. The early returns were not good, and the depth that should be there as a fallback has been affected with Michael Kopech opting out and Lopez (shoulder) and Jimmy Lambert (forearm) hurt.
At least Rodon, in his first start since Tommy John surgery, righted himself for two innings. Giolito bounced back from his poor outing against the Twins in the opener with six scoreless against the Indians Wednesday in what he hopes is a tone-setter.
“I’m excited to see how Dallas does next game [Friday against the Royals] and the rest of the starters [following],” Giolito said.
The bullpen has been good, going unscored upon in Cleveland.
Now it’s on to Kansas City, a team the Sox have to make hay with. They say they weren’t overwhelmed by the Twins and Indians.
“No man, it’s just a small sample,” shortstop Tim Anderson said. “We’ve got a lot more baseball to play. We’re just getting started.”
