Dylan Cease has thrown just about the maximum amount of starts over the last four years. He's led the league in three of last four seasons, making 32 starts in 2021 and 2022, and 33 in 2023 and 2024. He's the only pitcher to have made 130 starts over this time period, and only 12 other pitchers have made 120.
That makes it all the more surprising that his Game 4 start against the Dodgers on Wednesday night was his first ever appearance on short rest.
It makes sense once you think about it. While Cease has ostensibly pitched for contending teams during this entire window, the White Sox coasted to their division title in 2021, never achieved escape velocity from .500 to require pulling out all the stops in 2022, and then everything collapsed in 2023. Circumstances never demanded that Cease pitch out of schedule.
Either way, it did not go well. Four days after squandering a pair of early leads by giving up five runs over 3⅓ innings and 82 pitches to the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS, he got pummeled for three runs over 1⅔ innings to take the loss in Game 4, which means the series shifts back to Los Angeles for the decisive Game 5.
It's a rough turn for Cease, because despite the game attempt at stepping up, all three of his postseason starts qualify as disasters.
| Year | Round | IP | H | R/ER | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ALDS | 1.2 | 3 | 3/3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2024 | NLDS | 3.1 | 6 | 5/5 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2024 | NLDS | 1.2 | 4 | 3/3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 14.85 ERA | 6.2 | 13 | 11/11 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
Cease didn't blame the short rest for short outing, saying his arm felt great. That might've been reflected in his velocity, but he left a handful of breaking balls up, which he couldn't afford to do against a Dodgers lineup that can turn around his fastball.
If the Padres manage to win Game 5, then it'll be fascinating to see whether Cease can recover in time for redemption in the NLCS. If the Dodgers prevail, I'm curious how his postseason struggles will be regarded. The sensible reaction is that it's two bad starts three years apart, followed by a strategical gambit that backfired the way short-rest outings often do. As the postseason expands and debates of value become increasingly October-centric, the slightly largening of small samples makes overreaction even more tempting.
Spare Parts
As initially reported by Francys Romero, José Abreu has signed on with the Senadores de San Juan in the Puerto Rican Winter League in hopes of a comeback for 2025. Abreu hit just .124/.167/.195 over 35 games with Houston before the Astros unceremoniously released in him in June, even though he was on the books for another $19.5 million in 2025. He'll turn 38 before spring training and looked as done as done could look at 37, but you can't blame him for wanting a crack at rewriting a better ending.
Acknowledging the very Twin Cities headline, Joe Pohlad won't be reducing payroll for a second consecutive season, but given that a newly Thad Levine-less Derek Falvey has to account for significant pay increases for Carlos Correa, Pablo López and a whole host of arbitration-eligible players, the money might've already been spent, unless some of it can be traded away.
- Twins say bye to blackouts, agree to TV deal with MLB: What you need to know -- The Athletic
- Cleveland Guardians TV rights to be owned by MLB in 2025 -- Akron Beacon Journal
As the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy hearing progresses, most of the teams whose broadcasts were carried under the Bally Sports umbrella will be required to find new homes. The Twins and Guardians are going the direct-to-consumer route with more details to come, and the Royals and Tigers could be joining them. Keep the fragile state of divisional TV deals in mind when Jerry Reinsdorf again blames Guaranteed Rate Field for a supposed competitive disadvantage.
Playing their first home postseason game in 10 years, the Tigers beat the Guardians by a second consecutive 3-0 score to make a Comerica clinch possible today.
The Tampa Bay area hadn't been directly hit by a hurricane since 1921, but Hurricane Milton changed that by arriving as a Category 3 on Wednesday. Tropicana Field, which is being used as a staging area for disaster response teams, suffered the earliest visible damage, as its fabric roof was torn to shreds. Here's hoping all of the Floridian members of the Sox Machine community are weathering the storm to the best of their abilities and fortune.
The most obscure White Sox to ever make a Sports Illustrated cover, Harry Chappas briefly commanded national attention when the White Sox made the 5-foot-5-inch 21-year-old their starting shortstop to open the 1979 season. My favorite part of the obituary, which I processed to the tune of "Holly Jolly Christmas":
Harry Perry Chappas was born Oct. 26, 1957, to Perry Harry Chappas, a television repairman, and Valli Chappas, a cook and baker for public schools.
