Dylan Cease had nowhere to go but up after allowing 11 runs over two-thirds of one inning (or one-third of two innings) in his previous spring start, and he didn't use all of his cushion with his start against Oakland on Tuesday.
But according to accounts as his outing unfolded, it appeared as though he gave it some thought.
Cease allowed two runs (one earned) over 3⅓ innings against the Oakland Athletics, which was good enough to lower his Cactus League ERA to an even 18. Because the game wasn't streamed live, we have to take everybody's word for it.
Cease struggled in the first inning, allowing back-to-back hits to Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown and then a walk to Brent Rooker. He had trouble locating his slider, but after two runs came home in the first, he was able to correct the issue, and had a smooth ending to his outing, holding the A’s scoreless for his last 2 1/3 innings.
“I threw curveballs and sliders really well for strikes,” Cease said. “I started off a little slow, but I feel like I got my rhythm. It’s definitely a positive step in the right direction.”
James Fegan also relayed progress with Cease's velocity.
Given that Cease prioritized a full and proper spring training when explaining why he wasn't pitching in the World Baseball Classic, it makes sense that he would take advantage of the longer, low-stakes runway in his ramp-up toward Opening Day. Then again, he would've made the same call even if he were trying to work through/past something, so again, we're back to taking people at their word.
With Cease rebounding well enough to stabilize his situation, the White Sox pretty much have all of their starting pitchers going in the right direction.
Lance Lynn: He's having fun in the World Baseball Classic, picking up the victory against Canada with five easy innings. He threw 42 of 65 pitches for strikes, struck out six without a walk, and while he gave up a solo homer, it was after sitting through a nine-run first for Team USA.
Lucas Giolito: He takes the ball today, coming off six strikeouts over three innings in his previous start against the Cubs. It looks like there will be some sort of streaming option on the Giants' side, so we can update our assessment later today.
Michael Kopech: It took until March 11 for him to appear in a game, but he extinguished any concerns by retiring all nine Angels he faced on 37 pitches, going to the bullpen to get his pitch count past 45.
Mike Clevinger: He hit 96 on the stadium gun in his only A-game action thus far against his former team, giving some credence to the idea that he's past his knee issues.
It's not quite "firing on all cylinders," but it could be worse. The Mets, for instance, will be without José Quintana until July at the earliest due to a stress fracture in his rib, which had a benign lesion on it. Given that Quintana was the most popular free agent in the Offseason Plan Project, many Sox fans imagined him returning to the South Side to shore up the rotation, and imagine what a blow that would be.
The hope is that such a crisis will continue to be theoretical. Pointing out good health always feels like an invitation for bad news, but given the White Sox's pitching depth issues, an intact five-man rotation is close to necessity. For the time being, it's on the right path.
