white sox takeaways
Catcher, pitcher helping keep Sox in postseason contention
Here are four takeaways from the weekend’s series at Guaranteed Rate Field, in which the White Sox won two of three against the first-place Twins.
The journeyman pitcher, who played with six major-league teams over 11 seasons and played in an independent league earlier this season, allowed just two runs in five innings in his Sox debut Friday.
He credited McCann for running a smooth operation.
“He’s never seen me before,” Detwiler said Friday. “And for him to work this well with me the first time really says something about him.”
McCann has posted outstanding offensive numbers on the way to earning his first All-Star selection. He had clutch hits throughout the Twins series, hitting a two-run homer in
Sox pitchers also rave about McCann’s work behind the plate.
“If I wasn’t throwing to him, I don’t think that my numbers would be nearly as good as they are right now,” ace Lucas Giolito said after tossing five scoreless innings Sunday. “His pitch calling back there, I don’t remember the last time I shook off a pitch. The game planning, everything he brings to this team is amazing.”
Giolito surrendered a one-out single to Jonathan Schoop in the third inning Sunday. That was the only hit he allowed in five innings in yet another dominating performance.
A rain delay of 2 hours, 54 minutes cut short his outing.
Giolito (11-2) became the first pitcher in major-league history to make the All-Star team the season after finishing with the worst ERA in the majors among qualified pitchers. Giolito had a 6.13 ERA in 2018. He lowered his ERA to 2.72 Sunday and leads the majors in victories.
“It shows that if you set your mind on something and you always believe in yourself, no matter what you may be feeling, no matter what it is, you can always find success,” Giolito said. “You just have to believe and know that it’s in you.”
Abreu, who will make his third All-Star appearance, continues to provide leadership. The 32-year-old first baseman also is feeding off the energy of younger players such as Yoan Moncada. Abreu and Moncada had three hits apiece Sunday.
“The youth that we have in this organization is very important,” Abreu said Sunday through an interpreter. “And it’s something that I use as a motivation because when you see those young guys, they push you to keep working hard, to keep doing your best, to try to find ways to keep producing.
“That’s something that I use every day to do my best and to also be an example for them because I know that all of these players look at me and see me as … a guy who can guide them. That’s a responsibility, too, and I take that very serious.”
The Twins outscored the Sox 26-5 while sweeping a three-game series May 24-26 in Minneapolis.
Jump ahead a little more than a month, and the Sox gained revenge in part because of the bullpen. Aaron Bummer allowed three hits in 3
“It was a big series,” McCann said. “You get to play the team that’s leading the division. You preach throughout the course of a season that each game is important in itself, but there is a little bit more in division games because it directly affects the standings.
“So taking two out of three is a big weekend, especially heading into an off day (Monday), leave on a high note and go enjoy (Monday) with that victory under our belt.”
The Sox have won 10 of their last 13 division games. They open a four-game series with another AL Central foe, the Tigers, on Tuesday at home. The series will include the debut of pitching prospect
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