August's Month in a Box opened with a note that the White Sox hadn't posted a month with a positive run differential, and they hadn't really come close, either.
I'm pleased to report that they seemed to take it personally. Put it on the board and strike up the band!
- March/April: -13
- May: -29
- June: -27
- July: -49
- August: -18
- SEPTEMBER: +12
The Sox didn't get there with crafty pitching, because they allowed nearly five runs a game. Instead, they averaged 5.4 run a game courtesy of the second-best offense in September. Sox hitters collectively finished only behind the Astros in the American League with an .831 OPS. They posted the league's highest batting average by a whopping 22-point margin, wich always helps (.290; Kansas City finished second at .268).
It still wasn't enough to save Todd Steverson his job, mostly because the Sox finished true to form in the categories that have held them back for years. Even in the boom times, they posted the second-worst walk rate and the fourth-highest strikeout rate.
Team Performance
- Record: 12-14
- Run differential: 12 (140-128)
- Standings: Third, 28½ GB
- Longest winning streak: Three, Sept. 18-21; Sept. 25-28
- Longest losing streak: Seven, Aug. 27-Sept. 2
- Largest margin of victory: Nine, Sept. 20
- Largest margin of defeat: 11, Sept. 24
Hitting Leaders
- Batting average: .412, Yoan Moncada
- On-base percentage: .455, Moncada
- Slugging percentage: .710, Eloy Jiménez
- wRC+: Moncada, 191
- Home runs: 9, Jiménez
- RBIs: 25, Jiménez
- Walks: 10, Yolmer Sánchez
- Strikeouts: 28, Jiménez
- Stolen bases: 3, Moncada
Pitching Leaders
- Wins: 3, Josh Osich
- Losses: 3, Reynaldo López and Alex Colomé
- Innings: 31, López
- Strikeouts: 31, López
- Appearances: 13, Aaron Bummer
- Relief innings: 15⅓, Bummer
Coming and Going
- White Sox debuts: Danny Mendick
- White Sox departures: None
- Going up: Mendick, Dylan Covey, Zack Collins, Daniel Palka, Jose Ruiz
- Going down: None
#SoxMorgue
- Lucas Giolito: Strained right lat
- Dylan Covey: Right shoulder soreness
Awards
Most Valuable Player: Yoan Moncada. He bounced back from an injury-marred August with the best month of his career. As you can see above, he had a complete month on both sides of the ball. If you have to pick a nit, he only hit two homers over 23 games, but he had plenty of extra-base hits (11 doubles, two triples), and added a few bags by going 3-for-3 in stolen-base attempts. Throw in a respectable walk-to-strikeout ratio and some sterling defense at third, and FanGraphs put him at 1.8 WAR for the month alone.
Least Valuable Player: Daniel Palka. Palka managed to avoid historical ineptitude with eight hits in September after one total from April through August, including a pair of homers that ripped the hearts out of the Cleveland Indians. That said, he was still just 8-for-39 with 17 strikeouts, and his defense remained abysmal. He might be able to resurface as a lefty bench thumper somewhere, but his outfield days can't continue.
Most Valuable Pitcher: Dylan Cease. With Giolito injured and López's gems outnumbered by his disasters, Cease is the winner by default, if only because he managed to lower his ERA by nearly a full run over his four September starts. Two of them were good, one of them was decent, and he was lucky to skate out of the other with just one run allowed despite lasting only 10 outs. He was supposed to make a fifth start, but a hamstring strain didn't allow him to get out of the bullpen.
Least Valuable Pitcher: Dylan Covey. Covey made two starts and posted a 17.05 ERA before a shoulder strain ended his season halfway through the month. The White Sox were able to get him off the hook in his second one, which prevented him from dropping to 6-30 for his career.
Fire Man: Aaron Bummer. Kelvin Herrera posted better peripherals during an encouraging finish, but Bummer had to do the heavier lifting as the best high-leverage guy standing. He only had one costly stumble over his 15 appearances while stranding eight of the 10 runners he inherited. He closed out a statement season with nine consecutive scoreless outings, over which he stranded six of seven runners while allowing only five of his own.
Gas Can: Jose Ruiz. He had company -- Jace Fry walked 11 over nine innings -- but Ruiz gave up 14 hits over 5⅔ innings and lost both high-leverage appearances he made. It could've been worse, because Ruiz's last outing was a triumph. He recorded the first five outs of a Johnny Wholestaff shutout after Cease had to be scratched.
Gold Glove: Tim Anderson. After an abysmal August in the field, Anderson rebounded with a month where his superlative plays outnumbered his errors many times over. He committed just two errors all month, while making a number of sensational plays showcasing his arm. Yolmer Sánchez and Yoan Moncada were also strong in a good month for the infield.
Hands of Stone: Daniel Palka. A good right fielder might've prevented a walk-off Omar Narvaez "homer." But he also had problems coming in on high pop flies, like this chance for example.", which doesn't require unusual timing to complete.
Bench Player: Welington Castillo. Another weird monthly slash line for Castillo -- .237/.268/.632 -- who drove in 14 runs on nine hits, seven of which went for extra bases (four homers, three doubles).
Stench Player: Ryan Goins. He fizzled to the finish, going 2-for-19 with no extra-base hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over 20 plate appearances. He also played right field due to the shortage of left-handed bats, which really didn't help him or the team.
Timeline
So much for postseason experience: The Charlotte Knights hunt for a wild card spot, which was elevated to a depressing level of importance, ends in abject collapse after the Knights lose a four-game lead over the course of the last seven games. (Sept. 2)
Ejection of the year: Rick Renteria makes home plate umpire Mark Carlson come all the way to the dugout to eject him during a game in which the White Sox walked 10 batters. (Sept. 2)
The start of spoiling: The White Sox deal the Indians the first of many tough losses when James McCann answers a Roberto Perez three-run shot with one of his own, and Eloy Jiménez goes back-to-back for the winner. (Sept. 3)
La Pantera non grata: The White Sox avoid calling up their two top prospects in September by suppressing Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal, with Dylan Covey, Zack Collins and Danny Mendick coming up in their stead. (Sept. 3)
Covering the extremes: One start after getting knocked out in the first inning, Reynaldo López rebounds with a one-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. The only hit is a double over the head of Ryan Goins, who broke in when his first step should've been back. (Sept. 5)
Specific season-ending surgery: Renteria undergoes rotator cuff surgery, which costs him a couple games against the Angels, and requires Joe McEwing for every signal to the bullpen the rest of the year. (Sept. 6)
Same as the old boss: The White Sox finally announce Nick Hostetler's replacement as director of amateur scouting. It's his former assistant Mike Shirley, who promises no changes. (Sept. 6)
A new record, but: Lucas Giolito ties the White Sox all-time record by striking out eight consecutive Kansas City Royals, but a pair of homers hurt him for five runs over six innings, and his season comes to a close after that due to a lat strain. (Sept. 12)
About that Narvaez homer: The deep drive that Daniel Palka couldn't come up with on the warning track should've only been a double instead of a walk-off homer for Omar Narvaez, but a botched review process never quite litigated the fact that the replay showed the ball hitting off the yellow line at the top of the wall and back into play. Thus, Narvaez's revenge was upheld (Sept. 14)
A five-reliever inning: Renteria gets in one more piece of overmanaging before the three-batter minimum arrives next year, using five relievers over the course of five batters against Seattle. The Sox ended up blowing a five-run lead, which Jose Ruiz cemented with a walk-off walk after an intentional one loaded the bases. (Sept. 15)
Late-inning regression: After blowing two leads in the eighth inning earlier in the month, the White Sox blow separate leads in the 11th and 12th innings against Minnesota. Alex Colomé blows the first save, and Ruiz the second. (Sept. 17)
Detroit boost: Daniel Palka eclipses his season hit total (two) in one game (three) during a 10-1 victory over Detroit. In the same game, Dylan Cease picked up his third win against the Tigers, against one win versus any other team. (Sept. 20)
Chicago boost: Jose Ramirez, playing for the first time in a month after a hamate injury, hits a grand slam and a three-run homer in his first two trips to the plate. This was the first game where the White Sox tried the opener. (Sept. 24)
The end of spoiling: The White Sox rebound by overcoming a pair of unfavorable pitching matchups with a pair of resounding victories over the Indians, including Ross Detwiler over Shane Bieber and Johnny Wholestaff over Aaron Civale. The Sox twice won games in September where the starter was scratched with no replacement in place. (Sept. 25-26)
Foreshadowing change: Rick Hahn says the last pregame press conference of the season is "a little premature on the everyone-coming-back conversations," laying the track for Todd Steverson's dismissal after the end of the season. (Sept. 27)
One last rainout: Rain interrupted multiple White Sox-Tigers games to force multiple doubleheaders, but one too late in the season -- with a doubleheader already on deck -- limits both teams to 161-game seasons. (Sept. 27)
Nothing gold can stay: The White Sox fall a game short of making it through the entire season without a blown ninth-inning lead as Alex Colomé throws a bunch of bad cutters after Tim Anderson's second and final error of the month. (Sept. 28)
No pennant, but two crowns: The White Sox win the final game of the season 5-3, but it's more notable for Anderson cementing the team's fourth ever batting title, and Jose Abreu securing the league's RBI crown. (Sept. 29)
