A recap at the All-Star break is in order here

[Lake Shore Drive]

First and foremost, it's most important to point out that despite all the injuries the Good Guys have sustained this year, and they have been by the bagful, we have managed to scratch out an 8 game lead in the weak Central. We also happen to have the best record in the AL, altho only .003 points separates us from Houston and Boston. In essence, we're in a 3 way tie for the #1 postseason slot. Our record tho is perhaps a touch misleading. I don't have the specifics in front of me, but I believe I heard last night during the draft discussions that our boyz are 2 games under .500 against teams with winning records. In other words, we're feasting off of the losers. Now that's not too terrible of an issue. When you bring up splits on most teams with winning records, they tend to beat up on the lower levels and play closer to .500 ball with the better clubs. Obviously, I'd like to see us win more games than lose against teams that we might face in the playoffs - duh. But we can only play what's on our schedule, and if we have a greater number of games against teams with losing records, then so be it. Besides, this is the MLB. Any team can beat any team on any given day.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So how does our club currently fare overall stat-wise vs the rest of the league?

*We're 4th in BA, 3rd in runs scored (altho 2nd in RS per game).
*We're 2nd to LAST in dingers - only KC is behind us and we're the only two teams in the league with fewer than 100 of them.
*But we're 2nd in taking BB. The main reason I bring this up is historically we suck at accepting the free pass. It's refreshing to see us willing to take some pitches for the good of the team, with many times leading to a walk.
*We're 9th in striking out. Again, worth pointing out because just as we never liked to walk, we always seemed to love striking out in bunches. Both stats are showing more a more disciplined approach at the plate. Could TLR be an influence here? Hmmm....
*We're 2nd in ERA, 1st in SO, 4th lowest in issuing walks.
*Our collective WHIP is also 4th. That tells me our pitchers leave a lot of men stranded on the base paths.
*Defensively, we're ranked 12th, at least going by the fielding percentage stat. But IMHO, it looks to me like this is the best overall defensive team I've seen since our WS club. Sometimes the stats can be misleading and I think this is one of those.

 

[Mingo]

I'm looking forward to revenge series against the Yankees and Astros in the Chicago area.

The Sox are also 10 out of 11 in one run games.

Fielding takes some hits when you have to play so many guys out of position.

The Sox could still play 500 base ball the rest of the season and still win 91.5 wins.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

One more thing which I believe is pretty important and should be noted. Actually, I brought this up prior to the start of the season, but if anyone's noticed, the 2nd half of our schedule is gonna be tougher than it was leading up to the break. Nothing like kicking off the post AS game campaign with a 3 game set against the 'Stros, the team who recently swept our asses and did so with authority. Plus we can expect series against such winning teams as the A's, Angels, Rays, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, and of course the always tough Indians, the only team with any semi-realistic shot at winning the Central. We're going to see what kind of team we really have in the coming months.

 

[Jiddy]

You know how I know we're f*cking good? Our team actually wins at a higher clip when our "MVP" doesn't play....Not too many teams you can say that about. That's how good we are. No stopping us boys.

 

[msgkings322]

You gotta think they will add some players via trade too. Maybe not OF with Robert and Eloy coming back, but maybe a 2B and a reliever...

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

You gotta think they will add some players via trade too. Maybe not OF with Robert and Eloy coming back, but maybe a 2B and a reliever...

There's a thread in here somewhere where we discussed if Hahn even needs to make any kind of move, being our bench, including the young call ups, has been doing great, and even our pen has shown more signs of consistency (we'll ignore Liam's gag yesterday). But you never know with Hahn. If he finds someone he believes can help us down the stretch, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger.

 

[Montalban]

America's team, though devastated by injury after injury, keeps on rolling and has the best record in MLB at the break.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

America's team, though devastated by injury after injury, keeps on rolling and has the best record in MLB at the break.

The Cowboys play baseball too?

 

[Montalban]

The Cowboys play baseball too?

I suppose some might, I’m not sure

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So here are the current power rankings and guesses as to who will make it to the postseason, according to CBS Sports - the mild surprise here is who they have winning the whole enchilada:

MLB Power Rankings: Gearing up for the second half with playoff predictions, including World Series winner

Let's look ahead and predict the playoffs while also ranking the teams, starting at the top with a team from out West

www.cbssports.com

I have to say it's a bit funny that we're ranked a notch above the Astros, probably the hottest team in Baseball and the club who recently swept us. But then again, rankings are meaningless.

If the season ended today, here would be the division winners and WC teams:

AL:
East - Red Sox
Central - White Sox
West - Astros
WC - Rays and A's

NL:
East - Mets
Central - Brewers
West - Giants
WC - Dodgers and Padres

I'm too lazy to hunt down my preseason predictions in here, but I remember them anyway:

AL:
East - Yankees
Central - White Sox
West - Astros
WC - Twins and Blue Jays

NL:
East - Braves
Central - Brewers
West - Dodgers
WC - Padres and Mets

So far I'm spot on with some picks, but dead in the water with others. Biggest surprise teams by far to date have been the Giants and Red Sox for the positive, and the Twins for the negative. Thought they were a for-sure playoff team.

 

[Mingo]

The series against the Astros is a test for this White Sox team. Answer the question - White Sox - can you play with a team like the Astros, or are you going to let them dominate you until the post season?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

FWIW, the Angels signed Eaton.

 

[Mingo]

FWIW, the Angels signed Eaton.

The Sox are Eaton his contract - as the $8 million was guaranteed. So the Angels get him for nothing. That's still a good deal for the Sox in the current staffing situation.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

The Sox are Eaton his contract - as the $8 million was guaranteed. So the Angels get him for nothing. That's still a good deal for the Sox in the current staffing situation.

His bat was in serious decline and his OF play didn't wow anyone. Maybe he can get a bit invigorated in a new uni, but I trust the Angels aren't planning on him as starter material.

 

[Mingo]

So the White Sox start the season - and those of us in the know say the Sox look good - should be a playoff contender, but seem a little thin for back ups. So Abreu performs like some magical Japanese Samori and nothing hurts him no matter what he crashes into, but the entire outfield and 2nd baseman and starting champion intangible - Grandal all get injured.

What happens? We find out the White Sox actually have players coming out of their arses. Vaughn, Burger, Sheets and even Collins is joining the party. Then we are reminded that Leuery Gracia and Danny Mendick are grade A players for their roles as utility players. And..... that doesn't even get me to the category called Billy Hamilton.

Go Sox!

 

[msgkings322]

So the White Sox start the season - and those of us in the know say the Sox look good - should be a playoff contender, but seem a little thin for back ups. So Abreu performs like some magical Japanese Samori and nothing hurts him no matter what he crashes into, but the entire outfield and 2nd baseman and starting champion intangible - Grandal all get injured.

What happens? We find out the White Sox actually have players coming out of their arses. Vaughn, Burger, Sheets and even Collins is joining the party. Then we are reminded that Leuery Gracia and Danny Mendick are grade A players for their roles as utility players. And..... that doesn't even get me to the category called Billy Hamilton.

Go Sox!

When is Grandal supposed to be back? Between him and Eloy and Robert they should see some better offense more consistently. And they can still trade for a 2B

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

When is Grandal supposed to be back? Between him and Eloy and Robert they should see some better offense more consistently. And they can still trade for a 2B

At the time of his surgery, the estimated timeline was 4-6 weeks. I'd definitely lean on the later side, if not longer. We're talking about knee surgery to a catcher. I'd be happy if we simply got him back in time for the postseason.

We're all missing the skillsets of Eloy, Robert, and Madrigal, but I have to say the subs have been performing better than expectations. It has been a pretty cool mix of rooks and vets filling in. It seems each day, at least on the days we win, that someone steps up. Of course it all starts with pitching. As long as our rotation keeps us in these games, we always have a shot.

 

[msgkings322]

At the time of his surgery, the estimated timeline was 4-6 weeks. I'd definitely lean on the later side, if not longer. We're talking about knee surgery to a catcher. I'd be happy if we simply got him back in time for the postseason.

We're all missing the skillsets of Eloy, Robert, and Madrigal, but I have to say the subs have been performing better than expectations. It has been a pretty cool mix of rooks and vets filling in. It seems each day, at least on the days we win, that someone steps up. Of course it all starts with pitching. As long as our rotation keeps us in these games, we always have a shot.

Agree on all of it, but not sure I trust the fill-ins in the playoffs, when all the pitchers are good. Need the real bats back.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Agree on all of it, but not sure I trust the fill-ins in the playoffs, when all the pitchers are good. Need the real bats back.

I'm pretty sure that I agree with you on that 100%!!

No one wants to see up to half of their starters MIA. It's very hard to win against good ballclubs when so much talent is missing. We know Nicky Two Strikes won't be there, but hopefully the rest will be ready to go within the next month or so, get some much needed game time experience, then be ready for the playoffs.