Pregame notes: Closing time

This is the last home game of the White Sox season, and they sit at a 33-47 mark at Rate Field, which is both already 10 wins better than their 2024 performance, but a fair bit better than their 25-50 road mark.

"Hopefully we can give these fans something to cheer about today," Will Venable said. "They’ve been great the entire summer. It’s been great to see them identify with our growing club and really excited about the thought even beyond today and this fanbase and our group. Just excited about the thought of them coming out and supporting us when we have better results is exciting."

Venable also said Sox fans are smart, and while he didn't specifically mention Sox fans being handsome and charming on record, this reporter feels it was implied.

"They certainly know baseball," Venable said. "That’s for sure. You hear moments that they get upset about and plays that they are vocal about. They appreciate great baseball plays and they’re appropriately responsive to poor plays. They’re just a smart fanbase and passionate as well. As we’ve seen the good moments get supported and hear about the bad moments, too, which is what it should be."

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Sunday might be too soon for it to play out in full, but Sean Burke is trying to crawl out from under a peculiar issue.

"He iterated through a sinker, a changeup, a couple things and it took a little bit away from his spin talent, because he does have really good spin talent," Brian Bannister said. "He is a natural supinator, so getting back to his foundation there and you've seen his velo spike as he's kind of gone back to his natural process; being on the outside of the ball and spinning the ball. We're just working on adding depth and power to some of his breaking offerings."

His sinker and changeup have been necessary additions to his arsenal, but they require a different style of release than his four-seamer, slider and curveball. As Burke arrived in Charlotte in August after his surprising demotion, Sox coaches became convinced that practicing his sinker so much had warped his slider's movement and command. Worse yet, all his practice hadn't led to much improvement to his sinker either, to the point where there was some consideration to ditching the pitch entirely.

So part of Burke's improved velocity and command to his glove side is believed to be his adherence to recommendation from the White Sox to pretty much never throw his sinker nor changeup in catch play again, and only use it in games. In-game usage to show hitters a different pitch shape is the only environment where it's worth getting Burke off his speciality of supinating his wrist to spin breaking balls and four-seamers.

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Lenyn Sosa took sole possession of the White Sox home run lead with his 21st blast in the ninth inning Saturday night. His closest competitor is Andrew Benintendi at 20, who hasn't played since Tuesday due to leg issues. His most powerful competitor is Colson Montgomery at 18, who hasn't homered in his last 50 plate appearances.

It looks like Sosa, who entered the season with 15 homers in 163 career games played, might have this in the bag with seven games remaining.

First pitch White Sox vs. Padres

TV: CHSN

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM, WRTO 1200 AM (Spanish)

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