WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF AUGUST 16, 2017 “Miggy quiets Dodgers, but 'pen stumbles” … Ryan Posner and Joshua Thornton, MLB.com “Anderson's surge continues with leadoff homer” … Ryan Posner, Special to MLB.com “Rodon looks to spoil Darvish's LA debut” … Ryan Posner, Special to MLB.com “White Sox closer role is a 'fluid proposition'” … Ryan Posner, Special to MLB.com “Covey comes off DL and shifts to bullpen” … Ryan Posner, Special to MLB.com “And Tyler Clippard's roster spot goes to ... White Sox make roster move ahead of series with Dodgers” … Vinnie Duber, CSN Chicago “Zack Collins has been training with Yasmani Grandal since high school, and it's paying off for the White Sox prospect” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Crosstown love: Cubs quietly gave White Sox manager Rick Renteria World Series ring”… Tim Goldrick, CSN Chicago “Reinsdorf: Ozzie Guillen 'can't come back' as White Sox manager”… Tim Goldrick, CSN Chicago “Why White Sox prospect Lucas Giolito feels as good as he has all season” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox prospect Carson Fulmer leaves games early, expected to make next start” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox promoting Eloy Jimenez, Zack Collins to Double A” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox closer situation 'fluid' after rapid bullpen turnover” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox relievers surrender 5 runs in 8th in 6-1 loss to Dodgers” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Jerry Reinsdorf says he started rebuild to do what's right for White Sox fans” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox fan experience tops, Bears last among Chicago teams, according to J.D. Power” … Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune “Yoan Moncada's son takes 'cute' to a new level” … Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune “Miguel Gonzalez’s unforgettable week: Birth of son, first start at Dodger Stadium” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox reinstate pitcher Dylan Covey from DL” … Elan Kane, Chicago Sun-Times “Willie Harris sees ‘superstar’ potential in Eloy Jimenez” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf still in it to win it” … Bob Nightengale, USA Today “Sox allow five runs in eighth inning, lose to Dodgers 6-1” … Associated Press “White Sox — not Cubs — have most satisfied fan base in Chicago” … John Silver, Chicago Sun-Times “Chicago White Sox promote Jimenez, Collins to Class AA” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “The White Sox are shifting more than ever, even if you can't prove it's working” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Eloy Jimenez, Zack Collins promoted to Double-A Birmingham” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Takeaways from rare Jerry Reinsdorf interview” … James Fegan, The Athletic “By the numbers: Pitchers' duel with the best team in baseball predictably falls apart” … James Fegan, The Athletic

Miggy quiets Dodgers, but 'pen stumbles By Ryan Posner and Joshua Thornton / MLB.com | August 16, 2017 LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers continued their historic 2017 run, using a five-run eighth inning to beat the White Sox, 6-1, on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, becoming the first team since the 2004 Cardinals to be 50 games over .500. The Dodgers, who have the best record in baseball at 84-34, reached 50 wins at home for the third straight season. They are on pace to win 117 games, one more than the Major League record shared by the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 1906 Chicago Cubs. For Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who grew up following the Dodgers, he's not taking his club's historic pace lightly. "It's a credit to the guys in the clubhouse," Roberts said. "It's really special. I know personally, having worn this uniform as a player and knowing a lot of guys that played before, it's pretty special." On the first pitch of the game, Tim Anderson deposited a 91-mph fastball from Alex Wood over the left-field fence to put the White Sox ahead early, but the Dodgers southpaw settled in, shutting down the South Siders over seven innings while striking out six. Logan Forsythe tied the game at 1-1 with his bases-loaded sac fly in the sixth, but Wood settled for a no-decision in his bid to tie Clayton Kershaw for the Major League wins lead at 15.

After the Dodgers loaded the bases in the eighth, righty Jake Petricka plunked Joc Pederson to give L.A. its first lead, then Austin Barnes followed with a two-run single and Corey Seager added a two-run double to give the Dodgers a 6-1 advantage they would not relinquish. Chicago righty Miguel Gonzalez allowed one run on five hits, lasting six innings on 100 pitches in a no-decision. He has allowed only two runs in his last 14 1/3 innings. "I thought he obviously kept us in the game, gave up one run, got us out of a jam in the sixth, just a really nice job by [Gonzalez]," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. " … It kind of started unraveling a bit. They're a good hitting club, and they got some pitches to handle." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Not so Grandal: Gonzalez held the Dodgers scoreless until Forsythe's bases-loaded sac fly with one out in the sixth inning tied the game at 1. But a baserunning blunder kept the Dodgers from extending the rally, as Yasmani Grandal was caught off the bag at second on the play, ending the inning. Justin time: Following a leadoff double from Leury Garcia and a Yoan Moncada groundout that moved Garcia to third, Wood faced some trouble with the game tied 1-1. However, Wood's defense was there to back him up. Adam Engel hit a sharp liner that could have sneaked past Justin Turner at third, but the All-Star third baseman made a nice grab and recorded the second out. Wood struck out pinch-hitter Alen Hanson to end the inning. "Corey let me know a slider was coming right there," Turner said. "So I had a chance to cheat a little bit toward the line, and sure enough he hooked a hard ground ball down the line and I was able to beat it there." QUOTABLE "When you look at it and you look at the win-loss, it's remarkable. We're going to celebrate tonight like we do every time we win, but we will refocus and it's going to be fun having Yu [Darvish] on the mound making his home debut. But, yeah, 50 games over .500 is kind of uncharted territory." -- Roberts, on being 50 games over .500 "There was just a lot going on out there when I was on the mound. I was thinking about my family and my friends out there, supporting me every pitch. It's definitely a game I will never forget. -- Gonzalez, a Los Angeles native, on making his first career start at Dodger Stadium in front of friends and family SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS This is the fourth Dodgers team to reach 50 games over .500. The last time was the 1953 squad, which accomplished the feat on Sept. 27 that season. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Left-hander Carlos Rodon will get the start for the White Sox in the series finale at 5:10 p.m. CT. Rodon worked a season-high eight innings while striking out four on Thursday against the Astros. . Dodgers: Yu Darvish makes his home debut for the Dodgers in Wednesday's 7:10 p.m. PT series finale. The right-hander recorded 10 strikeouts in his first two starts since coming over from Texas at the Trade Deadline. He has a 5.12 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Anderson's surge continues with leadoff homer By Ryan Posner / Special to MLB.com | August 16, 2017 LOS ANGELES -- With the kind of season Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood is having, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson figured he'd try to catch him by surprise in Tuesday's series opener. Anderson was able to do just that by sending the first pitch of the game a Statcast™-projected 409 feet into the left-field seats at Dodger Stadium for his fourth career leadoff homer.

"They always try to sneak that first one by the beginning of the game," Anderson said after the White Sox 6-1 loss. "They always think the hitter is going to take it, but I was ready for it." Anderson's home run was just the seventh hit off Wood this year in 117 1/3 innings. It was also Anderson's fifth homer in his last nine games. He's batted .316 with nine runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs in that span as well. What's been the difference? "Hitting strikes, hitting pitches he can handle," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "It's no secret. I think you take balls and you hit strikes, and that's what he's been doing. He's been working on trying to hone in on more hittable zones. But that just comes with time. "He's gaining experience, gaining knowledge. A lot of our kids our still doing that. They're gaining knowledge and figuring out what they can and can't do." Anderson, the 17th overall pick of the 2013 Draft, added to his career high with his 14th homer of the season. The 24-year-old belted nine homers in 99 games last year as a rookie. He credited a more laid-back approach for the recent power surge. "It's really just relaxing and having fun," Anderson said. "I go back to last year where I came up and played and had fun with it, try not to do too much. It's really just relaxing and locking in." Anderson's leadoff homer was the lone run the White Sox were able to muster against Wood and the Dodgers bullpen. "He just went out there and was looking for a ball over the plate and took advantage of it, but then I thought [Wood] started making adjustments, going in and off the plate," Renteria said. "Our guys did a really nice job, and some of our relief was able to keep them at bay, but we just fell short."

Rodon looks to spoil Darvish's LA debut By Ryan Posner / Special to MLB.com | August 16, 2017 Yu Darvish will make his highly anticipated Dodger Stadium debut Wednesday as he looks to continue his sizzling start with his new club in the finale of a two-game set against the White Sox. Chicago will counter with left-hander Carlos Rodon, who's coming off one of his finest starts of the season, an eight-inning effort against the American League West-leading Astros. Darvish is just the fourth player since 1900 to strike out 10-plus hitters in his first two starts with a team. He's also just the second pitcher in Dodgers history to accomplish the feat and the first since Karl Spooner in 1954. Since being traded from the Texas Rangers at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, he's 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and has 20 strikeouts to only three walks in 12 innings. He also has finished off a strikeout with 30.3 percent of his two-strike pitches. That's well above his 22.8 percent rate with the Rangers and also tops among L.A. starters this year, with Clayton Kershaw second at 26.5 percent. Rodon's eight innings Thursday against the Astros were a season high. He allowed only two runs in the no-decision. The 24-year-old left-hander has allowed just four runs in 15 2/3 innings over two starts this month. "It's just key things in my head, just like back to front, trying to stay through the zone to keep me in the zone so I can stay in the count and stay ahead," Rodon said. Three things to know about this game • Darvish last faced the White Sox in August 2013 and has a 5.12 ERA through three career starts against them. • Avisail Garcia is the only player on the White Sox who has faced Darvish, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. • Rodon has made only one career start against the Dodgers, which came in July, and Enrique Hernandez homered twice off him. Corey Seager and Chris Taylor homered as well.

White Sox closer role is a 'fluid proposition'

By Ryan Posner / Special to MLB.com | August 15, 2017 LOS ANGELES -- Tyler Clippard's brief stint as White Sox closer came to an end Sunday after being traded to the Astros for a player to be named or cash. Clippard had been acquired from the Yankees on July 19, but his departure once again opens the closer's role. Manager Rick Renteria hasn't pinpointed one reliever to take over the job, though. "I think it's going to be a fluid proposition," he said. "We're going to do the best we can to use a lot of our guys and give them different opportunities in different situations. Obviously, we're going to do the best we can to try and match them up." No player currently in the White Sox bullpen has logged a save this season. Chris Beck leads the group with 7 2/3 innings pitched in the ninth inning or later and has an 8.22 ERA in those appearances. Renteria is hoping to use the open role to learn more about his young group of relievers. "It's a huge benefit," Renteria said. "Not only assuming they have good outings, but let's say they have a bad outing. Maybe we can take advantage of it and figure out how they approach different situations. "Obviously, we can help them with the emotions that come with different situations, especially high-leverage situations. There's always a benefit." Clippard, David Robertson, and Anthony Swarzak have all closed games for the White Sox this season but have all been moved in trades. Left-hander Dan Jennings was also dealt while Nate Jones (elbow) and Zach Putnam (Tommy John surgery) remain out for the year. Davidson return still up in the air As expected, Matt Davidson traveled with the team to Los Angeles, but Renteria was unsure of a possible return date from the 10-day disabled list. Davidson, who leads the White Sox with 22 home runs, has been on the shelf since being hit on his right wrist with a fastball from the Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman on Aug. 1. Renteria said Davidson felt irritation in the wrist while taking swings before traveling for the series. "It was a little bit of a setback, I'd consider. " he said. "There's nothing structurally wrong with him; it's just the irritation." Davidson said Sunday he expected to go on a rehab assignment before rejoining the White Sox. He was already slated to not play in the series against the Dodgers before suffering the setback. Worth noting • On the heels of his promotion to Double-A Birmingham, Eloy Jimenez, the No. 7 overall prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, was named the Carolina League Player of the Week. Jimenez hit .385 with three homers with seven RBIs and scored seven runs in six games last week. • Outfielder Rymer Liriano was named the International League Player of the Week. The 26-year-old batted .345 with three home runs, seven RBIs and seven runs scored in six games with Triple-A Charlotte last week.

Covey comes off DL and shifts to bullpen By Ryan Posner / Special to MLB.com | August 15, 2017 LOS ANGELES -- White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey was in familiar territory Tuesday after being activated from the 10-day disabled list (left oblique strain) to join the team for its two-game set at Dodger Stadium. Covey -- a Pasadena, Calif., native who grew up a Dodgers fan -- said he'll have a lot of family and friends on hand over the next two days to hopefully see him pitch for the first time. They'll get to see Covey in an unfamiliar role, though, as he'll begins his first stint as big league reliever. "There are five spots in the rotation, and they traded [Tyler] Clippard, and I kind of came up for that last spot on the roster," said Covey, who made two relief appearances in his rehab with Triple-A Charlotte. "I felt really comfortable [during rehab] and I had command of all my pitches."

Covey (0-4, 8.12 ERA) has made eight starts for the White Sox this season, which were the first of his Major League career. He said he expected the oblique injury to sideline him for just a couple of weeks, but he's been out since May 26. White Sox manager Rick Renteria foresees Covey working multiple innings when called upon but didn't solidify him into that long-relief role. "We may have to use him multiple innings and stretch him out to that point and then pull back and give him a day or two to rest," Renteria said. "We plan on using him in various situations." Covey, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Monday, knows he'll need to adjust his routine as a reliever. "It's just being able to get ready very fast," Covey said. The White Sox acquired Covey from the Oakland A's through the Rule 5 Draft this past offseason.

And Tyler Clippard's roster spot goes to ... White Sox make roster move ahead of series with Dodgers By Vinnie Duber / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 And Tyler Clippard's roster spot goes to ... Dylan Covey. The White Sox made a necessary roster move ahead of this week's series with the Los Angeles Dodgers out in California, reinstating Covey from the disabled list a day after his 26th birthday. Covey takes the roster spot of Clippard, who was recently traded to the Houston Astros. It's been a long time on the shelf for Covey, who was placed on the 10-day DL way back on May 26, much longer than 10 days ago, with a strained left oblique. After starting three times with the Arizona League White Sox, he made a pair of relief appearances on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. Covey's first big league action didn't go too well this spring. He made eight starts for the White Sox in April and May, racking up a startlingly high 8.12 ERA. He allowed four runs or more in five of his six May starts and twice allowed 10 hits in the eight outings on the season. Covey figures to be a member of the White Sox bullpen now that he's back from injury. The starting rotation spots are pretty well spoken for between Carlos Rodon, the newly promoted Reynaldo Lopez and veterans James Shields, Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland. The White Sox start the two-game set with the Dodgers behind Gonzalez on Tuesday night in Chavez Ravine. Rodon pitches Game 2 on Wednesday. The team has yet to announce how the rotation will line up for the four-game weekend set against the Texas Rangers.

Zack Collins has been training with Yasmani Grandal since high school, and it's paying off for the White Sox prospect By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Since he started catching, Zack Collins has always had a major league mentor he’s counted upon in Dodgers backstop Yasmani Grandal. Early in his high school career, Collins — who was promoted to Double-A Birmingham from Single-A Winston-Salem on Tuesday — knew he wanted to catch. He sought help from Grandal, who had just been drafted by the Cincinnati Reds after catching at the University of Miami, and convinced him to train together. They’ve remained close ever since. That bond has been extremely helpful at every step for Collins, who has an experienced friend who understands the complexities of developing into a catcher. Even though Collins is very pleased with his 2017 campaign, he has his doubts like any other player. At times, the White Sox 2016 first-rounder has been frustrated by his batting average this season. But same as always, Grandal has been a perfecting sounding board.

“I was like Yaz what do I do?” Collins said. “He’s like, ‘You’re there to catch, hit home runs and have a good on-base percentage.’ He pretty much told me all he cares about is making his pitchers feel good, having a good slugging percentage and a good on-base percentage. That’s pretty much it. “We all have things to work on, but I’m happy with how my season has gone.” Grandal likes what he has seen from Collins since the outset. He liked how much effort Collins, who was 15 at the time, put into training sessions as he attempted to match the pace of Grandal’s rigorous offseason conditioning program. Collins could only manage to do part of the training and said he always felt like he had run a marathon afterward. “I put him through a lot of hard work,” Grandal said. “I had a vision for him, and I needed to get him to where I see him (being) in a short period of time. He needed to put the work in. I think we made lots of strides toward that goal.” Since then Grandal has been a guide for Collins on a matter of subjects. When the Reds selected Collins in the 27th round of the 2013 draft, Grandal suggested he think about playing in college, and Collins ended up playing at Miami. Grandal had made the same decision in 2007, and he went from a 27th-rounder to a first-round pick in 2010. The two have also discussed how Pilates help strengthen core muscles and how much it can help catchers. Collins began doing Pilates last offseason and on Monday said he feels strong and in great shape despite having played in a career-high 101 games, including 76 starts at catcher. “I’ve spoke to him a lot, pretty much guiding him through little things here and there,” Grandal said. It’s no surprise to find that Collins recently brought up his batting average in a conversation with Grandal. Collins has heard the questions and at the Futures Game last month said he’s not as concerned about his average. After all, he still carried a high on-base percentage and had 18 doubles and 17 home runs. Behind the plate, Collins had thrown out 41 percent of the stolen-base attempts against him this season, up from 3-of-21 last year. But naturally, Collins had some doubts. He’s open to working on his swing — “You can say hitch, you can say bat movement, but the key is to get in a good position at an early time and just be able to see the pitch and hit it,” Collins said. Collins just prefers to work on the swing change in the offseason. After trying to adjust recently during the season, Collins found it difficult to compete while making the switch and requested a stoppage until instructional camp, which begins in Glendale, Arizona, next month. Collins said on Monday he’s headed to the one-month camp for minor leaguers. “It wasn’t really working in the middle of the season,” Collins said. “It’s tough to think about swing changes, but right now I’m just going out there and hitting and having fun the way I’ve always done. We’ll worry about that in the offseason. “When you’re trying something and you have one bad game it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe I should do something different.’ We’re going to work on everything in the offseason.” After talking to Grandal, Collins had confidence that the rest of what he has accomplished shouldn’t be overshadowed internally by his strikeout total and average. He instead wanted to focus on finishing the season strong at Winston-Salem. In August, Collins hit .343/.500/.686 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and seven RBIs in 48 plate appearances before his promotion. While he’s the one who has done the work, Collins knows have a sounding board like Grandal continues to be a big help. “I had just started catching, I was raw back there,” Collins said. “I think it was more important to work with him just to see how he carries himself and he works rather than learning stuff. I would go watch him play and to see how he carries himself on the field and the way he did things helped me out a lot.”

Crosstown love: Cubs quietly gave White Sox manager Rick Renteria World Series ring By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 The Cubs have been quite generous with doling out World Series rings. The Ricketts family bestowed jewelry to all team employees, egregiously treated fan Steve Bartman and, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Rick Renteria.

In Nightengale's insightful interview with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf that published Tuesday, he made mention of how the Cubs respected Renteria during his brief stint on the North Side, so they elected to quietly present him a ring after winning it all. Former Cubs manager Dale Sveum and former GM Jim Hendry were also honored with rings. Renteria posted a 73-89 record in his lone season leading the Cubs, who at the time were right in the middle of a long but fruitful rebuild. He was fired after Joe Maddon parted ways with the Tampa Bay Rays and became available. Although the split was relatively unfair to Ricky, that's a classy move by the Cubs organization.

Reinsdorf: Ozzie Guillen 'can't come back' as White Sox manager By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 The calls for Ozzie Guillen to return as the White Sox skipper will go unanswered as long as Jerry Reinsdorf owns the team. The chairman made that crystal clear in his interview with USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Tuesday: I feel very badly for him. Ozzie is a good manager. I’ve recommended Ozzie for several managerial positions that opened up, but his experience in Miami was costly. I hope he ends up somewhere. He can help somebody. He just can’t come back here. He burned some bridges when he left here. Guillen presided over the 2005 World Series team and compiled 678 wins in his eight seasons on the South Side, but he was a habitual line stepper, to quote the late Charlie Murphy. The former manager was a consistent adversary to then-GM Kenny Williams, who now fills the executive vice president role on the South Side. Their arguments often spilled over into the media, painting an ugly picture of their relationship. Ozzie's filter-free approach followed him to Miami, where he was the manager for one season. There, he made the mistake of saying that he "respected Fidel Castro," which didn't exactly thrill a city with a large Cuban population. He was fired at year's end. As for a possible return to the Sox, the shouts were deafening towards the end of Robin Ventura's term -- mostly because of the contrast between Ozzie's get-in-your-face personality and Ventura's calm demeanor. But with Rick Renteria leading the young team, they've quelled to a certain extent. "Ozzie Ball" won't be returning to Chicago anytime soon.

Why White Sox prospect Lucas Giolito feels as good as he has all season By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Though many of his Charlotte teammates are in the majors and his own prospects for a promotion are promising, Lucas Giolito doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. The Triple-A Charlotte pitcher is absolutely thrilled for teammates Yoan Moncada, Aaron Bummer, Nicky Delmonico and Reynaldo Lopez. He hopes to be there in Chicago to join them soon, too. But given all the effort he’s put in to reach this place, a spot in which he’s produced the consistency he desires, Giolito wants to keep his focus. His overall numbers aren’t what he’d like, but Giolito -- who is 5-10 with a 4.70 ERA in 23 starts -- feels comfortable with what he has accomplished in 2017. The right-hander’s curveball is sharp, he’s throwing his offspeed pitches in all types of situations and pitching deeper into games. “It’s super exciting,” Giolito said of teammates’ promotions. “At the same time, the position I’m in, the stuff I’m trying to work on, I can’t be worried about when am I getting the call. … “You don’t want to put the GM hat on. I’m here to play. I’m here to go out there every fifth day and win for my team. I’m here in Charlotte and that’s what I’m here to do and I’m going to keep working on that.” Those fifth days have been much better of late. Giolito pitched fewer than five innings in six of his first 16 starts this season. He had allowed 85 hits in 83 1/3 innings and posted a 5.40 ERA. Opposing hitters produced an .835 OPS against Giolito.

But a curveball he’d been working to command since spring training and throw for called strikes has started to come around. Giolito said the improvement has come from a combination of better mechanics and commitment to throwing and trusting the pitch. He also trusts that the work he puts in with pitching coach Steve McCatty between starts has him in the right place to succeed, which has allowed him to not overthink things. “There were some games I really just wouldn’t have it, I’d be throwing it in the dirt, it wasn’t a competitive pitch,” Giolito said. “Now I go out there with confidence every outing that I can throw it over for a strike.” “Early in the season there were a lot of starts where I was thinking about too many things at the same time of trying to get guys out and pitch deep into games. It’s too much. Now I go out there and I’m not worried about the stuff that I’m working on in the four days in between starts.” Giolito has also continued to throw the slider/cutter that he learned this spring with more success. Between that, his curve and changeup, Giolito said he’s worked to throw all of his pitches in different counts so he can do the same with comfort in the majors. But spotting the curveball for strikes consistently is a big key. In his last outing, Giolito said he threw roughly 20 curves with confidence. “He’s just simplified his delivery, simplified his thought process and he’s been able to kind of execute the plan that he has,” White Sox player development director Chris Getz said. “That is commanding his fastball and curveball for strikes. He’s had an effective slider and his changeup has been pretty good. The stuff is good. The delivery can be very good. That’s what’s he has been able to do, just kind of putting it all together “The combination of all those things will give him a good chance to be effective up here at this level.” One American League scout said of Giolito that “all the tools are there,” it’s just a matter of consistency. Over his last seven starts, Giolito has pitched into the seventh inning four times and gone at least five innings all but once. He has a 3.20 ERA in that span with 40 strikeouts, 30 hits and 19 walks in 39 1/3 innings. The performance would appear to have Giolito in line for a September promotion at the least. He’d love for nothing more than to be back in the same rotation as Lopez, who made his White Sox debut on Friday. But he’s there, Giolito said he intends to stay focused on here where the everyday attention to detail has helped him improve. “I’m definitely watching a ton of the games and keeping my eye on stat lines like Lopey’s debut,” Giolito said. “I was all over trying to watch as much as I could. I’m super happy for him. At the same time, I look forward to getting that opportunity to go up there and be with those guys. “While that’s there, there’s still a lot of work to be done here. And I know that as far as all the stuff I’m trying to put together, it’s not perfect, it never will be perfect. But I’m doing everything I can to build up that consistency.”

White Sox prospect Carson Fulmer leaves games early, expected to make next start By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 15, 2017 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carson Fulmer left Tuesday night's game early but he should be back on the mound again in time for his next start. The Triple-A Charlotte pitcher exited in the top of the sixth inning with a cramp in his right leg, Knights manager Mark Grudzielanek said. Fulmer informed the staff he had cramped up in the third inning and received treatment. He returned to the mound but had to exit again in the sixth. The Knights lost 5-3 to the Toledo MudHens in 10 innings at BB&T Ballpark. “He just cramped up. It was a hot night and it was his push-off leg,” Grudzielanek said. “His actions, he was feeling it so we got him out of there. “He was a cramping up a few innings, probably the end of the third he came in a little tight, worked him out, hydrated him and tried to get him feeling a little better, loosened him up. He looked good in the fourth but it came back after the fifth.” “Absolutely, he’ll be fine. It was cramps. It wasn’t anything other than that. You get better, you move on and he’ll make his next start and be ready to go like he always does.”

Fulmer moved on after a slow first inning cost him three runs. The right-hander yielded a three-run homer to ex-Cubs prospect Jeimer Candelario in the first inning, one of three first-inning hits Fulmer allowed. But Fulmer, the team’s first-round pick in 2015, settled down and retired 10 straight batters. Fulmer is 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA in 24 starts this season. “He hung some pitches and got behind a little bit and when that happens you put some runners on, put a good swing on it and it leaves the park,” Grudzielanek said. “He understands the consequences when you get behind hitters. “He looked good after that. He’s working his offspeed pitches. I thought he threw for strikes earlier in the counts and got ahead of some of the hitters and had some rollouts and some easy fly balls and he was a different pitcher there for four or five innings.”

White Sox promoting Eloy Jimenez, Zack Collins to Double A By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | August 15, 2017 The White Sox are promoting outfielder Eloy Jimenez and catcher Zack Collins to Double-A Birmingham from Class-A Winston-Salem, a source confirmed to the Tribune. Jimenez, the Sox’s No. 2 prospect, has dominated at Class A since he joined the Sox in the Jose Quintana trade in July. He hit .345 with 11 doubles, 26 RBIs, 12 walks and 21 strikeouts over 29 games with Winston-Salem. Collins, the Sox’s No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is hitting .223 with 18 doubles, 17 homers, 48 RBIs, 76 walks and 118 strikeouts over 101 games with Winston-Salem this year. Collins, the No. 10 prospect in the Sox system, heated up over the first two weeks of August to hit .343 with four doubles, a triple, two homers, seven RBIs, 11 walks and eight strikeouts over 11 games.

White Sox closer situation 'fluid' after rapid bullpen turnover By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | August 15, 2017 The White Sox didn't have a pitcher on their roster with a major-league save this season when they opened a two-game series against at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night. Save opportunities are now up for grabs after the Sox flipped veteran Tyler Clippard to the Astros on Sunday for a player to be named or cash. Manager Rick Renteria called the late-innings situation "fluid," and he said many of the young pitchers will receive opportunities to show what they can do. "It's a huge benefit, not only assuming they have good outings," Renteria said. "Let's say they have a bad outing. Maybe we can take advantage of it and figure out how they approach different situations. We can help them with the emotions that come with different situations, especially high-leverage situations." The Sox bullpen has seen massive change this season. Of the relievers on the opening-day roster, only Jake Petricka remains. David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Dan Jennings and Anthony Swarzak were traded. Nate Jones and Zach Putnam are injured. And Michael Ynoa was designated for assignment. Dylan Covey, who opened the year in the rotation as Carlos Rodon recovered from left biceps bursitis, returned from the disabled list Tuesday to take Clippard's place. Covey, 26, suffered a strained left oblique in his last start May 23. He was 0-4 with an 8.12 ERA in eight starts in his first season with the Sox after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft in December. The Sox will have Covey work in relief, and he was upbeat about the move despite limited experience out of the bullpen in spring training and during his rehab assignment. "When I did it in Charlotte, I felt really comfortable, and I had command of all my pitches," Covey said. "You don't get those 25 or 30 warm-up pitches before you go into the game to get ready. But I'll make some quick adjustments. I think I kind of like it."

Covey also really liked the venue for his return. He grew up a Dodgers fan in Pasadena, Calif., and had several family and friends set to attend the series. "This is kind of where it all started for me, loving baseball, so it's pretty cool to actually be on the field looking (at the fans), instead of looking at the field," Covey said. "I'm glad to be back with the team." Covey is one of three current Sox relievers to make their major-league debuts this year, with Brad Goldberg and Aaron Bummer. Gregory Infante, Juan Minaya and Chris Beck had limited experience coming into this season. And veteran Mike Pelfrey is taking his first extended crack at relief. That leaves Petricka, who has made just 17 of his 171 career appearances this year because of injury, as the most experienced reliever. He had 14 saves for the Sox in 2014. "Time is going to tell us who's dealing with the different leverage situations better," Renteria said.

White Sox relievers surrender 5 runs in 8th in 6-1 loss to Dodgers By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | August 16, 2017 With the bases loaded in the eighth inning Tuesday night, White Sox reliever Jake Petricka hit Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson with a pitch to send in the go-ahead run. The night unraveled quickly from there for the Sox and Petricka in a 6-1 loss at Dodger Stadium. Austin Barnes and Corey Seager followed with a pair of two-run singles as the Dodgers scored five eighth-inning runs to break free from a 1-1 tie. Petricka inherited the bases loaded with one out. After Juan Minaya allowed a leadoff single in the eighth, Cody Bellinger reached on a fielder’s choice against left-hander Aaron Bummer. Yasmani Grandal and Yasiel Puig then walked against Bummer to load the bases. Petricka got Logan Forsythe to hit a soft grounder to third baseman Tyler Saladino, who threw home for the second out, but the Sox couldn't complete a double play to end the inning. Petrick then hit Pederson in the leg to send the first run of the inning in. At the plate Tim Anderson hit his fourth career leadoff home run to help the Sox to an early lead. Anderson’s shot to left field off Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood was his 14th homer of the season -- and the second leadoff homer in less than two weeks. On the mound Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who went to high school and college in the Los Angeles area, held the Dodgers scoreless over the first five innings. But he gave up a run in the sixth after loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. With one out, Forsythe then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to allow the tying run to score, but the Sox caught Grandal off second to end the inning. Gonzalez allowed only that run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts over six innings. The quote “It kind of started unraveling a bit. (Petricka) got the ground balls he needed, but it kind of just kept escalating. They're a good hitting ballclub, and they got a lot of pitches to handle.” – Sox manager Rick Renteria The quote 2 “They always try to sneak that first one by the beginning of the game. They always think the hitter is going to take it, but I was ready for it.” –Anderson, who has three doubles, five home runs and 10 RBIs in his last nine games.

Up next At Dodgers, 9:10 p.m. Wednesday.

Jerry Reinsdorf says he started rebuild to do what's right for White Sox fans By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | August 15, 2017 White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has "no regrets" about starting his team's rebuilding process this season at age 81 and said he plans to be with the team as it morphs into a contender in the coming years. In an interview with USA Today's Bob Nightengale — his first since the Sox began their rebuild in December — Reinsdorf called the bumps that come early in the process "very tough" but indicated it was the right choice. "What made it hard for me was my age," Reinsdorf said. "I'm 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? So why would I want to go for a full rebuild at my age. "The decision I made was that I can't be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what's right for the fans. The real owner of a team is the fans, the owner is a custodian. I will be gone one day, but fans will sti ll be there. ... "I do, however, intend to live for a while longer." In the interview, Reinsdorf also revealed he has recommended former manager Ozzie Guillen for several managerial positions but said he can't return to the Sox because he "burned some bridges when he left here." He also said former manager Robin Ventura made his own decision to leave last fall and would be welcome back in some role with the club in the future. And he praised current manager Rick Renteria for the way the Sox are playing despite their record. The streak: Nicky Delmonico didn't have an early chance to extend his Sox rookie record on-base streak Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. He entered the night having reached base in 12 straight games, the longest streak by a Sox player to begin his career. But Delmonico, who was the designated hitter in five of the Sox's previous six games, was not in the starting lineup against the Dodgers. Delmonico said he has tried to avoid thinking about the streak, during which he has gone 16-for-44 with six RBIs, five walks and 11 strikeouts. "I tried to not pay too much attention to it, but it's definitely pretty cool to look up there and see that," he said. Moving up: The Sox promoted outfielder Eloy Jimenez and catcher Zack Collins to Double-A Birmingham from Class A Winston-Salem on Tuesday. Jimenez, the Sox's No. 2 prospect after Yoan Moncada, has dominated at Class A since he joined the Sox organization in the Jose Quintana trade with the Cubs in July. He hit .345 with eight homers, 26 RBIs, 12 walks and 21 strikeouts in 29 games with Winston-Salem. Collins, the 10th pick in the 2016 draft, hit .223 with 18 doubles, 17 homers, 48 RBIs, 76 walks and 118 strikeouts in 101 games. On the air: Jason Benetti and Aaron Rowand are on the air for the Sox's two-game series against the Dodgers. Ken "Hawk" Harrelson and Steve Stone, who had scheduled time off, will return for the four-game series against the Rangers.

White Sox fan experience tops, Bears last among Chicago teams, according to J.D. Power By Phil Rosenthal / Chicago Tribune | August 16, 2017 The White Sox, who may not get to say they are No. 1 much lately, have beaten Chicago’s other major pro sports teams in the fan experience they deliver, according to a J.D. Power report released Wednesday.

Ironically, it’s possible their lack of big crowds may have helped them. The Bears, meanwhile, finished dead last. With 809 points out of a possible 1,000, the White Sox scored three points more than Major League Soccer’s Fire, which finished first among local franchises last year in the inaugural J.D. Power rankings. The National Hockey League Blackhawks were third with 790 points. That victory for Major League Baseball made Chicago the only one of the 11 markets tracked in the 2017 J.D. Power Fan Experience Study in which an MLS or NHL team did not finish first. National Football League franchises wound up consistently at the bottom everywhere, however. After the Sox, Fire and Hawks, the National Basketball Association’s Bulls were fourth at 783, followed by the World Series champion Cubs (767) and Bears (751). J.D. Power said the rankings were based on seven factors that go along with attending a game or match. They were, in order of importance: seating area and game experience; security and ushers; leaving the game; arriving at the game; food and beverage; ticket purchase; and souvenirs and merchandise. “We know teams with winning records generally do not have problems filling seats, but this study is about finding out which teams are giving their fans the best experience for their dollar,” said Greg Truex, J.D. Power’s senior director of sports research at J.D. Power, in a statement. “Whether a team is a perennial champion, a contender or is accumulating draft picks to build for the future, they all need to find ways to get people through the turnstiles.” But if the White Sox had more people going through the turnstiles, it’s possible arrivals might not have been as smooth, departures might have been slower and it also might have more difficult to buy tickets. Those were three of the four categories in which they outscored all Chicago teams. The other was in food and drinks, an area J.D. Power said the Cubs were found particularly wanting. Bringing up the rear in every category was the Bears. “These results have to make NFL teams sit up and take notice,” Truex said. J.D. Power only evaluated Chicago and Houston, as well as the greater New York and Los Angeles areas, in its original 2016 survey. Added this year were greater Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, South Florida, Philadelphia, Northern California’s Bay Area and Washington, D.C. Los Angeles, meanwhile, was expanded to include all of Southern California. The White Sox's 809 points tied the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as baseball's top-ranked team across the 11 markets. The only teams to score higher overall were soccer’s New York Red Bulls (819), Los Angeles Galaxy (815) and Houston Dynamo (814), along with pro hockey’s New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers, who racked up 813 points. Ranked by average fan experience score for all its franchises, Chicago was fourth with 776. That’s behind Houston (793), South Florida (790) and Dallas-Fort Worth (788) but ahead of Denver (769), Boston and New York (with 766 each), Washington, D.C. (765), Southern California (763), Bay Area (757) and Philadelphia (752).

Yoan Moncada's son takes 'cute' to a new level By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune | August 16, 2017 Major League Baseball loves to highlight its players' kids, Yoan Moncada's toddler son takes it to another level. In the latest of several Robinson Moncada posts to go viral, MLB tweeted several photos Tuesday of Robinson wearing dad's No. 10 White Sox, swinging a bat and throwing baseballs. The caption added, "Mini Moncada is ready to #PlayBall."

MLB's Cut4 declared in a headline, "Yoan Moncada's son may be the cutest baseball player ever." Robinson has had a Twitter account since February and an Instagram page that lists an email for media inquiries. Yes, media inquiries. But Yoan's son has been batting a thousand on the popularity front. MLB Pipeline, the league's official prospects site, tweeted, "Robinson Moncada tops our 2035 Top Prospects list on the strength of his 80-grade cuteness." He waves his hands as his older brother holds him up and yells, "Walk off, Papi" when Yoan hit a walk-off single against the Astros on Aug. 10. Videos of Robinson's bat-flipping went viral. He impersonated Hawk Harrelson's signature call when Yoan hit is first major league home run on July 26. "Put it on the board -- yes!" Probably one of the most adorable clips has been one of the most overlooked. In a July 11 tweet, Robinson says, "I hit a bomb," as video a home run plays in the background. A woman in the background, perhaps his mother, asks, "You hit a bomb? Or Robinson Cano hit a bomb?" Undeterred, he says, "I hit a bomb."

Miguel Gonzalez’s unforgettable week: Birth of son, first start at Dodger Stadium By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | August 16, 2017 Before this week, Miguel Gonzalez’s greatest memories at Dodger Stadium were sitting in the upper deck or in the bleachers watching the Dodgers teams of the ‘90s. The White Sox right-hander topped that Tuesday night when he took the mound at the ballpark for the first time as a major-league pitcher. Gonzalez, 33, was born in Mexico, but he moved to the Los Angeles area when he was a child and grew up a Dodgers fan. A six-year MLB veteran, he had pitched at 21 other major-league ballparks before his first start at Dodger Stadium, and he had his parents, uncles and cousins in attendance as he threw six innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 Sox loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday. “There were a lot of emotions,” Gonzalez said. “I had my family here, my friends. When I was stretching in the outfield right before I started warming up, everyone was there supporting me. They were pretty pumped about it, and it just got me going, right off the get-go. I had a lot of memories here growing up, and it was fun.” Gonzalez, who said he never would have imagined he would be pitching there as a child, held the Dodgers scoreless over the first five innings. But he gave up a run in the sixth after loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. With one out, Logan Forsythe then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to allow the tying run to score, but the Sox caught Yasmani Grandal off second to end the inning. Gonzalez allowed only that run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts over six innings. It was Gonzalez’s fifth quality start in his last six outings and his second straight start where he has allowed just one run. The Sox relief corps couldn’t hold the Dodgers down, however, giving up five eighth-inning runs for the loss. “It was just a lot going on out there when I was on the mound,” Gonzalez said. “I was thinking about my family and my friends out there, supporting me every pitch. It’s definitely a game I will never forget.” It has actually been an unforgettable four days for Gonzalez. His wife, Lucia, gave birth to their second child, a son named Mateo, on Saturday. The timing meant that Lucia, daughter Leah and Mateo couldn’t attend Gonzalez’s start, but he said they were watching from home in Chicago. “It’s been a long week,” Gonzalez said, “but it has been fun for sure.”

White Sox reinstate pitcher Dylan Covey from DL

The White Sox have reinstated right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey from the 10-day disabled list. By Elan Kane / Chicago Sun-Times | August 15, 2017 The White Sox have reinstated right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey from the 10-day disabled list. Covey will take the place of right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, who was traded to the Astros Sunday. Covey, 26, was put on the disabled list on May 26 with a strained left oblique suffered during his last start on May 23 at Arizona. He made three starts with the Arizona League White Sox and two relief appearances with Class AAA-Charlotte during a rehabilitation assignment. Covey is 0-4 with a 8.12 ERA in eight starts (37 2/3 innings) this season. He was selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft last December.

Willie Harris sees ‘superstar’ potential in Eloy Jimenez Outfielder Eloy Jimenez and catcher Zack Collins were promoted by the White Sox to Class AA Birmingham Tuesday. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | August 15, 2017 Willie Harris knows first-hand what it’s like to win a championship in Chicago. As he gets an up-close look at the direction the rebuilding White Sox are headed, he sees groundwork being laid for it possibly happening again. “The South Side of Chicago has a lot to be excited about in the next couple years, man — so be ready,’’ said Harris, who scored the game-winning run in the Sox’ Game 4 World Series clincher against the Astros in 2005. “There are a ton of young kids in the system who can really play, and some pitchers who can pitch. Guys who can really get after at.’’ One is Eloy Jimenez. In his first year as manager at the Sox’ advanced Class A team at Winston-Salem after serving as hitting coach at Advanced Rookie Great Falls in 2016, Harris has had a bird’s eye view of the 20-year-old outfielder and 22-year-old catcher Zack Collins, who were promoted to AA Birmingham Tuesday. And he likes what’s seen of Jimenez, the No. 5-ranked prospect in the game per Baseball America who came to the Sox with right-hander Dylan Cease (No. 83) and two other prospects in the Jose Quintana trade July 13, and of Collins, the Sox’ No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 draft. While batting .302/.375/.570 in 71 games with 16 homers, 17 doubles, three triples, 30 walks and 58 RBI between the Cubs and Sox advanced Class A teams, Jimenez’ explosive bat played to rave reviews and left the Sox feeling pretty good about the trade. He capped off his time with the Dash by being named Carolina League Player of the Week. “We had high marks in terms of makeup on Eloy but I think he has even surpassed those in the last few weeks,’’ general manager Rick Hahn said last week. Here’s Harris Tuesday: “The way he carries himself on and off the field, in the clubhouse, the way he interacts with his teammates — this guy is special. And I’m not just saying he’s [going to be] a mediocre major league baseball player. I’m talking superstar. I’m talking big time baseball player.’’ Jimenez, who played right field for the Dash, is far from a finished product. He needs to improve on things like positioning in the field and reads on the bases, Harris said, “but keep in mind he’s 20 years old.’’ “He has fun when he plays,’’ Harris said. “It might look like he hot dogs a little when he plays defense but that’s who he is, you don’t want to take that away from him.’’ But his bat looks polished. Against a pitcher who come out of the bullpen and threw 97 mph for a first-pitch called strike, Jimenez didn’t blink. “The next pitch he throws 98 and it want about 440 feet,’’ Harris said. “It was unbelievable how he made the adjustment in just two pitches. “He makes adjustments during his at-bats. He does everything you want a major league player to do things and he’s doing it at the age of 20.’’ Collins batted .223/.365/.443 with 17 homers, 18 doubles and 48 RBI while stepping up his game behind the plate for the Dash. He finished strong, hitting .343/.500/.686 in August.

“The average wasn’t where he wanted it to be, but if you watched the kid work and the way he carried himself you wouldn’t know he was hitting .225,’’ Harris said. “He takes walks, is a really good catch and throw guy behind the plate. I know there was talk about him possibly not being able to play catcher but this guy made some strides this year and can lead a pitching staff. “He’s going to get a lot better.’’ NOTES: To replace traded right-hander Tyler Clippard on the 25-man roster, the Sox returned right-hander Dylan Covey (left oblique strain) from the disabled list Tuesday before their game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Covey (0-4, 8.12 over eight starts), a Rule 5 draft pick, has been on the DL since May 23. *Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez will make his second start for the Sox when they open a four-game series Thursday in Texas against the Rangers. *Jason Benetti and Aaron Rowand are handling the TV broadcast for the two-game series at Dodger Stadium. Rowand is the Sox’ baserunning and outfield coordinator.

Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf still in it to win it Longest-tenured owner in baseball says he wants to see the White Sox win another World Series before he leaves.

By Bob Nightengale / USA Today | August 15, 2017 Jerry Reinsdorf pulls out a cigar from his humidor, sits back in his office chair, takes a puff and slowly exhales, with a cloud of smoke billowing in the air. He’s 81 years old and has owned the White Sox for nearly half his life. He purchased the franchise for $19 million in 1981, making him the longest-tenured owner in baseball. Now, with all the owners convening in Chicago for their quarterly business meetings — with the Marlins’ potential sale to Derek Jeter’s investment group dominating the conversations — Reinsdorf has news to share. While most of his closest friends and confidants in ownership circles have come and gone, with few owners even capable of sharing baseball trivia with him, Reinsdorf plans to keep sticking around. Reinsdorf certainly wouldn’t be subjecting himself to all of this pain and misery of losing in the inaugural year of the Sox’ rebuild, he says, if he had any plans to depart soon. He wants to be around long enough to see his team become a perennial power, perhaps even win a matching World Series ring for his other hand. It will take time. The Sox have traded 10 veterans for 19 prospects in the last nine months. Their hope is to be a contender for the American League Central title by 2019 and certainly no later than 2020. By that time, Reinsdorf hopes to be having so much fun, why would he want to leave? ‘‘Come on, I don’t know what else to do,’’ Reinsdorf told USA Today. ‘‘I don’t play golf. My only other outside interest is smoking cigars and telling jokes. ‘‘This gives me a chance to hang around with younger people. That’s one of the nice things about sports: You get to hang around people who are young, so you feel young.’’ Reinsdorf, who acts closer to 51 than 81, concedes that all of the losing this season has been rough on his soul. Sure, he knows the Sox are supposed to lose. You don’t trade away your nucleus, including Cy Young candidate Chris Sale, and have any notion you’re going to be any better than lousy. The Sox entered their road game Tuesday against the Dodgers with a 45-70 record, the worst in the AL. They swept the Astros last week but still are on pace to finish with their worst record in 47 years, when they went 56-106 in 1970. Reinsdorf keeps reminding himself that everything is going according to plan, with vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn tearing a team down to its studs and building a farm system that now is ranked as the best in baseball. Still, it doesn’t make the losses any easier to take.

‘‘It’s tough, very tough,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘What made it hard for me was my age. I’m 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? So why would I want to go for a full rebuild at my age? ‘‘The decision I made was that I can’t be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what’s right for the fans. The real owner of a team is the fans; the owner is a custodian. I will be gone one day, but fans will sti ll be there. So you’ve got to run the team what’s right for the fans and not even think about how old I am. ‘‘I do, however, intend to live for a while longer.’’ Reinsdorf laughs and takes a puff of his stogie, knowing he lived long enough to see the Cubs win a World Series for the first time in 108 years. He hopes not to live long enough to see them win their second one this century. Yes, it will be painful, he concedes, if he watches Jose Quintana pitching in the World Series for the Cubs. In the first significant trade between the franchises since 1992, the Sox traded him at the All-Star break for prized prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, along with Matt Rose and Bryan Flete. ‘‘I think a lot of people thought we wouldn’t do anything to help the Cubs,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘White Sox fans have such an intense dislike for the Cubs. But I have an obligation to help the White Sox. ‘‘I know the White Sox fans will be upset if Quintana pitches [the Cubs] to the World Series, but I also know we got their two best prospects.’’ Besides, the way Reinsdorf looks at it, the Cubs already did the Sox a favor. They fired manager Rick Renteria when Joe Maddon became available after the 2014 season. Renteria became the Sox’ bench coach last season and now is their wildly popular manager. ‘‘It’s hard to suffer through the losses, but it’s not quite as bad because of Renteria,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘We play hard every game. Everybody runs hard. They never quit. We have some games that guys do some stupid things, but by and large we’re playing the game properly. We’re just losing because we’re short on talent, and that’s a tribute to Renteria. ‘‘This guy is such a gentlemen. Even after he was fired, he never said anything about the Cubs. Not one time. He just won’t do it.’’ The Cubs showed their respect to Renteria by quietly giving him a World Series ring, Reinsdorf revealed. They also gave one to former GM Jim Hendry and former manager Dale Sveum. ‘‘I thought it was pretty classy of them,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘And I thought giving one to [Steve] Bartman was nice, too. Bartman got a bad rap. I’ve seen the video over and over again. There were three or four other guys reaching for that ball, too. He happened to be the poor soul who touched it. ‘‘It wouldn’t have mattered if Alex Gonzalez hadn’t botched a double-play ball right afterwards. Gonzalez got a free pass, and everybody blamed it on Bartman. The poor guy.’’ Reinsdorf, widely regarded as the most loyal executive in baseball, recently signed Williams and Hahn to long-term contract extensions. He has had only four managers in the last 20 years. The last manager the Sox fired was Jerry Manuel in 2003, with Ozzie Guillen departing for a bigger paycheck with the Marlins and Robin Ventura resigning after last season. And despite the fans’ widespread criticism of Ventura, Reinsdorf insists it was solely Ventura’s decision to leave. ‘‘It wasn’t Robin’s fault we were losing, not Robin’s fault at all,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘Robin would still be the manager if he didn’t decide he wanted to step away.’’ And the moment Ventura wants to return to the organization, Reinsdorf said there will be a job awaiting him. Reinsdorf hopes Guillen will have another managing job, too, or least be on a major-league coaching staff. He’s too good of a baseball man to still be out of the game since being fired by the Marlins in 2012. ‘‘I feel very badly for him,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘Ozzie is a good manager. I’ve recommended Ozzie for several managerial positions that opened up, but his experience in Miami was costly.

‘‘I hope he ends up somewhere. He can help somebody. He just can’t come back here. He burned some bridges when he left here.’’ Still, time has a way of healing wounds. Michael Jordan used to have public spats with the Bulls’ front office during their dynasty, but it didn’t stop him from writing a letter to support Reinsdorf’s Hall of Fame candidacy. Reinsdorf was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame last year and one day will wind up in Cooperstown, too. Reinsdorf not only has been one of the most powerful owners in baseball for more than three decades, but he also helped to come up with the idea of MLB Advanced Media, with equal revenue sharing. It was a stroke of genius. Disney has purchased a majority of the company for $2.58 billion, and each team is scheduled to receive $50 million checks soon. The financial windfall is terrific, but Reinsdorf gladly would hand his check over to the Cubs and wave a ‘‘W’’ flag from his house if he could win another World Series. While the Cubs remain the Sox’ bitter rivals, it’s their own success from their massive rebuild that reinforces the idea the Sox are employing the right strategy. ‘‘Still, it’s different for us,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘You look at [Cubs owner Tom] Ricketts. He had a bad team to start with, and he was new. Nobody was going to blame him for anything. The same thing with [Jim] Crane and the Astros. They had the luxury of coming into situations that were bad, and nobody expected them to make their teams better instantly. They had a honeymoon. ‘‘With us, we were the guys who made the team bad. We were the ones who took us from a World Series winner to a non-contender. We’re fortunate our fans have really been forgiving and have bought into what we’re trying to do.’’ One day, Reinsdorf promises, those fans finally will be repaid. ‘‘If we had kept our team together this year, maybe we could have been a wild-card team,’’ Reinsdorf said. ‘‘But I have no regrets. If half of these prospects turn out to be what they’re supposed to be, we’ll be able to contend for quite a while. If they all turn out to be what they’re supposed to be, we’ll have a super team. ‘‘I would love to win another World Series. But what I really want is that when it’s time for me to leave, I want this team to be perennial contenders. That’s what I really want.’’

Sox allow five runs in eighth inning, lose to Dodgers 6-1 Reliever Jake Petricka hit Joc Pederson with a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to break a tie and open the floodgates for the decisive rally. By Associated Press | August 16, 2017 LOS ANGELES — Fifty over .500. The Dodgers hit that mark for the first time since September 1953 with a come-from-behind 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. It’s just the fourth time in franchise history they’ve been that many games over. “Our focus isn’t on being 50, 60 games over .500,” Los Angeles third baseman Justin Turner said. “We’re trying to figure out how to win the World Series.” That hasn’t happened since 1988. “We just want to win,” starting pitcher Alex Wood said. “We’re not really thinking about how much we’ve won.” Joc Pederson got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run in a five-run eighth inning for the Dodgers (84-34). Pederson was hit in the upper right thigh by a pitch from Jake Petricka, forcing home Yasmani Grandal with two outs and opening the floodgates for a Dodgers offense that had been stifled most of the game. By the end of the inning, Los Angeles had batted around in taking a 6-1 lead. Pinch-hitter Austin Barnes and Corey Seager each added a two-run single.

“When the game is close, we have a good chance to win it,” manager Dave Roberts said. Petricka relieved Aaron Bummer with the bases loaded. Cody Bellinger grounded into a fielder’s choice and stole second before Bummer issued consecutive walks to Grandal and Yasiel Puig. “For the most part I got ground balls, but they found holes,” Petricka said. “I always think attack. After I hit Pederson I just focused on the next batter.” Brandon Morrow (5-0) got the win with an inning of scoreless relief. Juan Minaya (1-1) took the loss. The Dodgers tied the game 1-all in the sixth on Logan Forsythe’s sacrifice fly. Chicago led 1-0 after Tim Anderson hit his 14th homer on the first pitch of the game from Wood, who remained 14-1. The left-hander retired 14 of 15 batters after giving up a single in the second, but didn’t figure in the decision. He was trying to join injured teammate Clayton Kershaw as a 15-game winner. Wood allowed one run and six hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one. “I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff,” Wood said. “I just had to hold us in there until we had that offensive explosion.” The White Sox, who had won four of six, have lost six straight road games and 10 of their last 11. Before their recent surge at home, the last-place White Sox were 3-19 in their previous 22 games. Chicago starter Miguel Gonzalez gave up one run and five hits over six innings, striking out four and walking three.

White Sox — not Cubs — have most satisfied fan base in Chicago By John Silver / Chicago Sun-Times | August 16, 2017 Winning the World Series apparently doesn’t equal fan satisfaction. The White Sox — not the fans of the World Series champion Cubs — have the most satisfied fans in Chicago, according to the 2017 J.D. Power Fan Experience Study. The team’s performance on the field, in addition to fan loyalty and image, did not factor in the ranking, which helps the bottom-dwelling Sox and hurts the reigning champion Cubs. The Sox scored the highest in four of seven factors, and came in first overall in fan satisfaction followed by the Fire, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and finally the Bears. The study rates the overall fan satisfaction on seven factors: seating area and game experience, security and ushers, leaving the game, arriving at the game, food and beverage, ticket purchase and souvenirs and merchandise. The Sox knocked off the Fire, who had the most satisfied fans in 2016.

Chicago White Sox promote Jimenez, Collins to Class AA By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | August 16, 2017 Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn didn't want to move Jose Quintana, but he sized up the crosstown Chicago Cubs as a potential trade partner, he knew the two sides matched up. "To (Cubs president) Theo (Epstein's) credit, the entire Cub organization, in the end I think they saw what we saw from a logic standpoint, from a baseball standpoint," Hahn said. "This deal just made too much sense for both sides and neither side let any non-baseball factors interfere with the decision to move forward and do what is best for each of the two clubs based upon where each of us are in our respective success cycles." The Cubs are the defending World Series champions, and they had a glaring need for a front-end starting pitcher like Quintana. On the verge of missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season, the White Sox needed high-end young talent. They needed a prospect like Eloy Jimenez.

"This deal, there's nothing for us to talk about with the Cubs without Jimenez being part of it," Hann said. On July 13, the two sides did make a deal, with Quintana going to the Cubs and Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Matt Rose and Bryant Flete coming to the Sox. Baseball America's No. 5 overall prospect, Jimenez was promoted from high Class A Winston-Salem to AA Birmingham on Tuesday, as was catcher Zack Collins, the White Sox's first-round draft pick in 2016. The 20-year-old Jimenez played in 29 games with Winston-Salem after the trade and batted .345 with 8 home runs and 26 RBI. "We view him as similar to Moncada, where Yoan was in his development the year before we acquired him," Hahn said. "(Jimenez) has the potential to grow into a potent offensive force. One of the more exciting prospects in baseball with a diverse skill set that can impact the game multiple ways." Collins, 22, batted .223 with 17 home runs and 48 RBI in 101 games with Winston-Salem. While his defensive skills were questioned when he was drafted out of the University of Miami, Collins threw out 41 percent (45 of 111) base stealers this season. There was a major-league roster move before the White Sox played the Los Angeles Dodgers late Tuesday night. Right-hander Dylan Cease was reinstated from the disabled list after missing nearly three months with a left-oblique strain. Cease takes the roster spot of relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, who was traded to Houston on Sunday night.

The White Sox are shifting more than ever, even if you can't prove it's working By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 15, 2017 Back in early June, before the start of his first home series with his new team, Alen Hanson had a large, stapled stack of spray charts sitting on the chair of his new locker. There was one for every hitter in Baltimore’s lineup, broken down by handedness, full of data for every ground ball they had hit all season, and analyzed for how they responded to different pitch types in different locations. “Do you know how to read that?” asked Daryl Boston, the White Sox first base coach whose many tasks include signaling defensive alignments from the dugout and blowing a whistle to coax players into place. Hanson had just come over from Pittsburgh, an organization as shift-happy as any in baseball, but Boston didn’t wait for an answer, grabbing his packet, pulling out a chair and going through the charts with his newest infielder. Knowing where to line up is no small detail of the work of White Sox infielders, who receive the same stack of charts Hanson did before the start of every series. Per FanGraphs, the Sox have lined up in some sort of shift against 1,233 batters this season so far. That’s both the fifth-highest total in baseball, and in alignment with the explosion of shift usage in the game, would have been the highest full-season total as recently as 2013. In 2014, it would have been second. Bench coach Joe McEwing would point out that the definition most aggregators use for shifts has expanded to recognize more subtle changes in alignment, even if it’s still missing some of the small movements Joe Maddon uses on the North Side, contributing to the spike in totals. But that alone does not account for the Sox vaulting from dead-last in baseball in Robin Ventura's first year as manager to where they are now. The effectiveness of the measure is a bit harder to pin down. Like many things with the White Sox these days, it's more of a “trust the process” type of situation. Opposing hitters have a .281 batting average against Sox batters in the shift (remember that homers, doubles blasted to the wall and strikeouts aren't incidents you would count here), which is the 10th lowest in baseball. That's compared to a .297 opposing batting average without the shift. But that's an inherently false comparison, because it's a different set of players who are being shifted against or not, or players are doing different things in their approach during different at-bats. “[Mike] Moustakas was a shift guy,” McEwing said. “Then last year, two years ago he started adjusting, started going the other way. So we adjusted with it. Now he’s back to shifting again. So you just try to stay with it.” Maybe it's because of this — and the fact that players like Moustakas will flip their approach in response to defenses shifting on them and un-shifting — that Rick Renteria rejected the over-analysis of shift results.

“Outcomes are outcomes. They’re already actions that have taken place,” Renteria said. “We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve and ahead of the action. So it takes looking at what guys do. You have to put your eyes on what they’re doing, how their swings are evolving. What they’re trying to do against certain guys in particular situations. There’s a lot of shifts. There are defensive adjustments to those shifts in certain situations.” Staying ahead of the curve sounds like a long process, one where the Sox coaching staff builds an entire framework of how every hitter in the league acts and how they should be defended, and then reworks it, every couple of weeks. McEwing says they begin by watching on video every ground ball every hitter on the team they're facing for the next series has hit all season, and then drilling down for how their contact is affected by velocity and different types of pitches. “Majority of what you learn over time is there are pitches, types of pitches that create the ground ball to the pull side,” McEwing said. “A lot of it is sinker, curveball, change, split, is going to create ground ball to the pull side. Anything harder, slider, cutter, anything elevated where a hitter has to change his path, is going to create a ground ball to the opposite side. A lot of it depends on the makeup of your club as far as pitching staff and things of that nature.” For the most part, that development happens with the pitching staff blissfully unaware and uninvolved. The Sox coaching staff wants pitchers and catchers to prepare a game plan tailored to their strengths and weaknesses, and how they match up with opposing hitters, while simply putting their defenders in the spots that those encounters are likely to result in. “I don’t really worry so much about the shift, I worry about making my pitch,” said Derek Holland, who reiterated that he's not part of the development process for the shifts. “If I make my pitch, they’re going to field the ball, unless they find the hole, in which case, give them credit.” Both Miguel Gonzalez and Holland indicated that they're cognizant of where the infield is before they delivers the ball, even if they are supposed to be responding to the pitcher's tendencies and results more than vice versa. “If they play everybody one side,” Holland said. “I’m going to pitch to try to get the ball to them.” While the Sox pitching staff seemed largely compliant to what has become a common practice in baseball, they naturally worry about getting burned, since their results could adjust before the shift research does. Zach Duke, who often played around with different arm angles that might affect the results of the batted balls he generated, told the coaching staff last year he thought left-handers were staying back on his breaking balls more in response to the extreme shifts to the right. So the Sox accommodated Duke's wishes and stopped shifting. Generally, pitcher-catcher preparation involves trying to avoid fitting into a predictable pattern of attack that would result in similar issues, rather than selling out for where the shift is going to be positioned. “If I see a drastic shift on a guy, it might be more conducive to pitch him in, or pitch him away if he has a hook swing,” Kevan Smith said. “We’re throwing a lot of soft away, we’re pounding way up in on his hands. Just trying to strategize to what pitch he does that the most on. But on the other side, if you focus on soft away, the majority of these hitters are pretty good at just putting the bat on the ball the other way.” Smith referenced a back-breaking 10th inning single Alex Gordon poked into left during a July series in Kansas City as the sort of result that keeps them wary. The Sox have mechanisms for reacting to this — they recalibrate their expectations for every hitter before every series, not just at the start of the season, and acknowledge that in two-strike counts, hitters become more defensive and willing to abandon their plans of driving the ball for the lesser prize of poking it through the shift, and react accordingly. “That’s why you’ll see Matty [Davidson], he’ll scoot in until a guy gets two strikes just to prevent that from happening but once a guy gets two strikes, he’ll maybe move back,” Smith said. “It’s just all playing the odds, I feel like sometimes we’re playing blackjack out there.” The infield might quibble with such a description, as they wind up with the most varied and complicated workload out of this deal, but guard against the possibility of false precision in their alignment. They take ground balls in different alignments throughout practice and focus on getting acclimated to the range of their counterparts to figure out which balls everyone will be able to get to. (For example, Tim Anderson ranging over to short hoppers to the right while Yoan Moncada is playing in the shallow outfield.) And as much as they don't like to hash out every scenario in the middle of an inning, they communicate base and double play assignments as they shift, especially since an extreme alignment to the right could call on the pitcher to cover third if necessary.

“When you’re out there, you’re anticipating those things the whole time. You’re not anticipating the fungo, lazy ground ball hit at you. That’s the routine ball,” Tyler Saladino said. “You’re anticipating the one that’s going to take some good, quick , decision-making. In the course of an at-bat like that, there’s a lot of pitches thrown, and not every pitch is going to be perfect, and sometimes as hitters we call audibles when we’re at the plate.” The jump in shift usage is also responsive to personnel, not necessarily a philosophical change by the organization. Swapping out one of the hardest-throwing, heavy slider pitchers in baseball in Chris Sale, and losing Carlos Rodon for nearly half of a season, gave the Sox an older staff with less velocity that boasted one of the highest curveball rates in baseball. James Shields, Derek Holland, Mike Pelfrey and Miguel Gonzalez all upped their curve usage this season, some to career-highs. Combined with the organization's well-established love for two-seamers and sinkers, they understandably became a lot more aggressive with shifting. McEwing acknowledged that if in two years, the rotation is headed up by 400 innings of big fastballs and big sliders from Rodon and Michael Kopech, their shift rates could look very different. Still, it looks like the shift is likely here to stay in some form. Renteria has emphasized positional fluidity for nearly everyone not on the cornerstone status Anderson and Moncada have enjoyed, allowing Saladino, Hanson, Leury Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez a long look at the responsibilities of every position. And even with Moncada rooted at second base, the Sox had him well-prepared for their ways. “That’s something we also did in the minors,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “That’s why it’s not something new for me. I feel comfortable. It’s not something where we have to change the way you have to do your fielding. It’s part of the game. You practice for that.” The White Sox have a .690 defensive efficiency this year — above-average somewhat, but mostly middle of the pack — for what it's worth. Which is again, probably not much. As Renteria would note, it's in the past, and it represents the work of personnel that is largely gone or still developing. How the Sox will shift in reaction to an influx of new infielders and pitchers remains to be seen. But if there's any promise, it's that they'll be watching closely and poring over the data to make those adjustments.

Eloy Jimenez, Zack Collins promoted to Double-A Birmingham By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 15, 2017 The act of mercy that the Carolina League has been waiting on for weeks has finally arrived. Eloy Jimenez has been promoted to Double-A Birmingham alongside catcher and 2016 first-round pick Zack Collins, per MLB Pipeline. A pair of 0-for-5 days to end his time in Winston-Salem is the only thing that served to remotely normalize Jimenez's nutty numbers since being dealt from the Cubs. He hit .345/.410/.682 with eight home runs in 29 games with the Dash with a paltry 17.2 percent strikeout rate for someone blasting balls for that much power. Multiple league scouts said he could have gone straight to Double-A Birmingham at the time of the trade, while his teammates think he will be in the major leagues next season. An average hitting ability along with plus in-game power seems like the absolute floor for a player already tapping into so much of his ability at the age of 20. He's very, very good. It's the rebuild that allowed the White Sox to acquire a middle of the lineup terror like Jimenez in the first place, but he's exactly the sort of preternaturally talented and mature player that would have reacted well to their previous model of pushing prospects to contribute to the major league team as fast as they could possibly handle. “If I go, I'm going to do the same. Play hard and stick with my plan. I'm ready for that moment,” Jimenez said on the possibility of being promoted. “It's kind of the same, pitchers are more consistently in the zone. Umpires are good and the zone is smaller, but it's the same game. The pitcher needs to throw a strike and I need to stay straight through and hit it. That's it.” It would be surprising to see Jimenez do anything but hit the ground running in Double-A, but if he doesn't, there's solace in the fact that the typical 20-year-old corner outfield bat prospect is more like Blake Rutherford; holding his own, but not dominating two levels below. Collins moving up is more of a natural, merit-based promotion, and an interesting test of his ability, than an obvious inevitability. He has 137 games at High-A under his belt after spending time there last year after being drafted, and has a handful of defensive breakthroughs to hang his hat on, but saw his offensive numbers stagnate or slide back upon returning to the level this season (.258/.418/.467 went down to .223/.365/.443).

“Obviously I went through a little bit of a slump where I wasn't swinging it too well for a little bit,” Collins said. “But just trying new things out and seeing where it took me.” Much of those new things involved trying to eliminate the hitch in his swing he's had since he was drafted, where he draws his hands down and tilts the bat forward as he's drawing it back. Collins told The Athletic at the beginning of this month that he ultimately decided devoting attention to removing the hitch mid-season wasn't productive, and was going to mostly shelve the effort until the offseason. “I think it's going to stay there,” Collins said. “It's just a natural thing I do. I honestly don't even feel when I do it. Obviously it can catch you off guard on tough pitches to hit.” Since the start of August, an unburdened Collins has responded with his best, and maybe first truly dominant stretch of his season, hitting .343/.500/.686 in 11 games in August with seven extra-base hits, and 11 walks and eight strikeouts in 48 trips to the plate. Double-A will provide a good test to how Collins and his current swing will fare against the best prospect arms in baseball, as that level possesses some of the high-end velocity he will see in the majors. Of interest to us is that Double-A is measured by Baseball Prospectus' pitch-framing statistics. Birmingham's Alfredo Gonzalez is one of the highest-rated framers at the level, and Brett Austin is one of the lowest. Collins is lighting up the stat sheet with a 41 percent caught stealing rate and says he's comfortable throwing and picking guys off from his knees, but even with all of his offseason conditioning and agility work, scouts are skeptical of his pitch-blocking and mobility. Being an above-average framer along with his throwing skill could go a long way toward covering up any other shortcomings. “All catchers know by now how to make a pitch look good,” Collins said. “Jonathan Lucroy said the best frame job is to keep the ball where it's pitched and that's the biggest thing. It's coming in 90-something miles per hour and the glove's going to move a little bit. But if you just keep every single pitch exactly where the pitcher threw it, you're going to have a pretty good chance of getting a strike.” Barring any other significant moves, short-term beneficiaries include catcher Seby Zavala, who's been splitting time with Collins behind the plate and mixing in at DH since being promoted to High-A. He faces as many if not more questions about his ability to stick behind the plate than Collins, but the 23-year-old has hit a startling .321/.389/.522 since being promoted from Low-A, and his presence has helped keep Collins under the 90 games caught cap that was set for him in spring training. Jimenez leaving the Dash outfield also frees up Luis Basabe, Joel Booker and Jameson Fisher to play every day without too much difficulty. Also among the White Sox prospect shuffle is right-hander Dylan Covey, who was reinstated from the disabled list and joins the team in Los Angeles on Tuesday after almost three months out with an oblique strain. He has thrown a pair of three-inning rehab outings for Triple-A Charlotte before being recalled, and effectively fills Tyler Clippard's vacated roster spot. Covey's return, a day after his 26th birthday, is also conveniently timed for the Sox to meet the 90-day minimum for having him on the active roster so they can retain the Rule 5 pick after this season. He put up an 8.12 ERA in just 37 2/3 innings over eight starts, and the prospect of him sitting 95 mph out of the bullpen looks more appealing than throwing him back into the rotation again, especially with Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon and possibly Lucas Giolito soon taking up spots. Despite this, extended outings in Charlotte make the Sox intentions a little unclear.

Takeaways from rare Jerry Reinsdorf interview By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 15, 2017 USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale's thesis statement to his latest column — that Jerry Reinsdorf plans to live long enough to see the fruits of the White Sox rebuild — would have a far more dark and shocking tone if it were reversed. The Chairman rarely speaks with media these days, so much of any interview with him is bound to be overtly stating things that we were forced to deduce in his absence. But he still revealed some interesting nuggets to Nightengale. Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams are here to stay: The time to shuffle the leadership of the baseball operations department is typically before they get approval to trade possibly the greatest pitcher in franchise history, not after. By that sense, any speculation that Hahn or Williams or the major framework of the Sox front office would pay with their jobs for being “mired in mediocrity” was expelled on the first day of the Winter Meetings. Reinsdorf revealing that they both have agreed to long-term extension puts some more certainty behind that. Rick Renteria has a World Series ring: One day after turning aside a question about whether he called a safety squeeze, the Sox manager declined to get into details of a line drive that broke his jaw in multiple places during his

playing career. So by comparison, his private and polite approach to his feelings about being ousted from the Cubs managerial job seems rather quaint. He will likely express quiet gratitude if pressed about his response to being recognized for his role in the Cubs' buildup to a World Series title, but it's not something he regularly totes around or has ever talked about either. Ozzie can't come back: When the White Sox had a managerial opening after Robin Ventura “wanted to step away,” and didn't fill it with proven World Series champion Ozzie Guillen last year, it was a pretty clear statement. In the interview, Reinsdorf added that Guillen “burned bridges,” on his way out of Chicago, possibly with some of the people locked up to long-term deals. Guillen would rather the Sox had less reservations about welcoming him back and acknowledging his triumphs, but he was in the park a couple weeks ago and invited back for Mark Buehrle Day. A similar ceremony where his work for the franchise is honored is overdue, but feels inevitable. Reinsdorf doesn't want to interfere with the rebuild: A Sports Illustrated piece about the White Sox's decision to push their chips in an try to compete for the 2015 season painted Reinsdorf as a central figure in advocating they accelerate their timeline. He hasn't become suddenly disengaged, but Reinsdorf tried to make it clear he intends to hold off on any similar campaigning as the rebuild churns through its ugliest portion. Reinsdorf describes himself as a “custodian” of a team that is more answerable to the fans rather than his wishes. Whether that's always been the approach or is a mindset he's adopted in the name of committing fully to the rebuild, is one of those things we can deduce without need him to say it.

By the numbers: Pitchers' duel with the best team in baseball predictably falls apart By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 16, 2017 The box score will not reflect that the White Sox (45-71) played the best team in baseball closely for 7 2/3 innings, and the Sox themselves will certainly not count a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers as some sort of moral victory. It never seemed plausible that Tim Anderson's first-pitch homer to lead off the top of the first inning would stand as the game-winning run, but for a while it looked like it could. Thanks to a quality start from childhood Dodgers fan and new father Miguel Gonzalez, the Sox clung to the 1-0 lead all the way into the bottom of the sixth before things very predictably blew up and the floodgates opened in the eighth. 709: Days since Jake Petricka last hit a batter in a major league game. Injury has mostly kept him from being on the mound enough to rack up more HBPs, but that he broke his streak with the bases loaded in a 1-1 game in the bottom of the eighth inning does seem uniquely cruel. If Kevan Smith could have handled a low throw from Tyler Saladino following a bases-loaded grounder from Logan Forsythe, the Sox would have escaped unscathed. Instead, they allowed five runs. 5 of 6: Gonzalez has five quality starts in six games since returning from the disabled list, and during that stretch he's posted a 3.60 ERA, spiked only by a disastrous 1 2/3-inning outing with seven runs allowed in Boston. His six innings ended in an odd way Tuesday night, with the tying run scoring on a Forsythe sacrifice fly while Yasmani Grandal was caught drifting off second to end the inning, but it fit his modus operandi. Gonzalez has not been statistically impressive, with just 20 strikeouts in 35 innings compared to 13 walks, but he could help someone. 4: Career leadoff home runs for Anderson after he launched the first pitch from Alex Wood deep into the left-field seats. The homer was his 14th of the season and puts him on pace for a surprising 20-home run campaign despite his deep struggles throughout the year. Anderson's five home runs in August are already the most he's hit in any month this season, as are his 10 extra-base hits. 350: In the first four innings, Gonzalez allowed four fly balls that traveled 350 feet or more, all of which somehow collapsed for outs at or near the warning track. Counting on the Dodgers not to hit home runs is not normally an effective strategy, but deep fly balls that have stayed in have defined much of Gonzalez's strong return from the disabled list. 6 of 7: Of the White Sox's paltry eight wins since the All-Star break, seven of them have been against teams with a winning record, so suddenly playing the Dodgers super tight until a nightmare bottom of the eighth is almost f itting. Perhaps this proves that when at their best, the White Sox are a capable team. Or maybe baseball is just insane gibberish. 54.5 percent: Strikeout rate for Yoan Moncada over his last five games after he went down on strikes three more times Tuesday night. Hitting right-handed and dealing with changeups from lefties has been a challenge for him, and he continues to struggle. A massive walk rate means he could post a well-above-average on-base and slugging percentage even if he hit .240, but he needs to put the ball in play more for that to happen.

32.2 percent: If there was a true, proven stud left in the White Sox's bullpen, general manger Rick Hahn would have traded him by now. But Juan Minaya is striking out 32.2 percent of opposing hitters after striking out Chris Taylor and Corey Seager back-to-back in the seventh, so he at least registers as someone worth watching down the stretch.