Dylan Cease Day was cancelled about five minutes before it was scheduled to begin, as Cease suffered a hamstring strain during warmups. The bullpen parade instead held down the fort, allowing just four hits through a complete game shutout effort. With the victory, the White Sox won their 70th game of the season and pushed the Indians on the brink of elimination.
W: Josh Osich (4-0) L: Aaron Civale (3-4)
The Good
Daniel Palka: 2-for-3, 2 HR, BB, K, 2 RBI
Zack Collins: 2-for-3, BB, RBI
James McCann: 1-for-3, HR, BB, K, 3 RBI
The Bad
Ryan Cordell/Adam Engel: 0-for-5, 3 BB, K (Not THAT bad, honestly)
Moment of the Game
This one’s a no-brainer. This had to be a good feeling for Palka and the rest of the 108ers.
Stats On 35th: Let’s Break this one down By the Numbers
Last Night’s Numbers:
25.9/-5.8, 120, .789, 1.074, 70
25.9/-5.8
Last night’s MVP and LVP, in terms of Win Probability Added (WPA) were James McCann (25.9%) and Yolmer Sanchez (-5.8%). McCann had the deciding blow in this game: a three-run shot in the fourth that would be all the White Sox needed. Sanchez, on the other hand, really played no role in the game, going 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
120
Daniel Palka had gone 120 plate appearances – spread across 2018 and 2019 – between home runs after launching his 1st of the season in the fourth inning. Naturally, he didn’t have to wait very long to get his second, as he homered in his next at-bat.
.789
Despite his recent 0-for-7 skid, Adam Engel has turned in a pretty passable performance in September. He is currently slashing .258/.319/.470 (.789 OPS) on the month. Honestly, with his defense, this is enough to be a fourth outfielder on this team heading into 2020. His swing has greatly improved, and it looks as if Engel will try and keep his name in the conversation heading into Spring Training this year.
1.074
Zack Collins looks like he is starting to make strides at the plate. Over his last eight games, the backstop has slashed .355/.429/.645 (1.074 OPS) with two home runs and three doubles. His at-bats have actually looked pretty good, even when he has been getting out. He has struck out 11 times over those eight games, however, so look for this to be a focus point for Collins heading into 2020.
70
With the win, the White Sox took home their 70th win of the season, the first time they reached that mark since 2016. The White Sox will need to win three of their final four ballgames to avoid losing 90 games or more for the third consecutive season. The good news: their opponent is Detroit.
The Games Ahead: Detroit Double-Header
Game 1: Tyler Alexander (1-4, 4.99 ERA) vs. Ivan Nova (11-12, 4.80 ERA), 3:10 PM CT
Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, Immediately following Game 1
Stay dry – hopefully they get these games in!
Player of the Game
The return of Palkamania? McCannon? Or the rise of a rookie? Vote and decide!
