For most of the season, Carlos Rodón looked like a real weapon for a Game 3, which in turn made Dylan Cease an enviable option for a Game 4, especially among people queasy about the idea of going to the short-rest well.
But that version of Rodón apparently isn't available, so the White Sox made it official: Dylan Cease will be your Sunday starter instead, squaring off against Houston rookie Luis Garcia.
This decision addresses one loose end about Game 2, although not in a satisfactory way. The way Tony La Russa avoided Michael Kopech on Friday made it seem like he was going to be a big part of Sunday's game. That may still be the case because Cease isn't a great bet to work deep into a game himself, but since they're both hard-throwing righties, there isn't the kind of usual contrast between the starter/opener and long reliever that can confuse the opponent's lineup construction.
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Set that aside, and it's a good opportunity for Cease. He's deserved a shot to pitch in the postseason after going 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA and 226 strikeouts over 165⅔ innings. He's also been the most productive starter outside of Lucas Giolito in the second half:
| Pitcher | GS | IP | H | HR | BB | K | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Giolito | 13 | 74.2 | 56 | 9 | 19 | 76 | 2.65 |
| Dylan Cease | 14 | 73.2 | 61 | 9 | 29 | 109 | 3.67 |
| Lance Lynn | 12 | 66.1 | 60 | 9 | 14 | 71 | 3.66 |
| Dallas Keuchel | 13 | 64.2 | 86 | 12 | 28 | 37 | 6.82 |
| Carlos Rodón | 9 | 43 | 31 | 6 | 10 | 55 | 2.51 |
Starting Cease is a sound assessment of risk and reward. His tendency to get out of whack for one inning might be a fatal flaw to be exploited by an offense as talented as Houston's, but his ability to get swinging strikes on multiple pitches inside the zone give him the best chance of silencing the Astros for five innings, even if it didn't work so well for Giolito. I'd say failure can be instructive, but failure could also end the season, so it's not really worth entertaining before it happens.
He'll be facing Garcia, who went 11-8 with a 3.30 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 155⅓ innings. He matched Rodón pitch-for-pitch when the White Sox saw him on June 18, with Garcia allowing one run over seven innings. He struck out eight while scattering seven hits and two walks. Lefties can get him (.814 OPS against, versus .548 by righties), and the Astros limit his exposure the third time through. He didn't face Luis Robert or Eloy Jiménez, the Yasmani Grandal he saw was hitting .155, and Gavin Sheets wasn't a thing yet. All those elements haven't been able to produce an extra-base hit for the White Sox this offseason, but they're left to hope that regression makes itself a friend by Sunday night.
(Photo by Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
