Fake Crosstown Showdown Deux provides a 2020 preview of sorts
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox are inching closer to starting their 2020 season, hosting their crosstown rival Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field on Monday evening.
Once again, the offense got off to a strong start as the first five hitters reached base against Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Eloy Jiménez had the dagger, hitting a 95 mph Darvish fastball way out to center field and giving his mates a quick 5-0 lead with the grand slam.
The Twitter accounts of the two local clubs are having a friendly back-and-forth during these exhibition contests as well. While the Cubs attempted to mimic a raucous environment with pumped in crowd noise on Sunday night, Monday evening at Guaranteed Rate Field was much different. There was no crowd noise and the eerie sounds of the ballpark mostly emanated from vehicles racing down the Dan Ryan Expressway. At one point early on, it sounded like a helicopter was attempting to land in front of Luis Robert in center field.
The Return of the King
Yoán Moncada is the best player on the White Sox, and the 25-year-old infielder played in an exhibition contest for the first time in his acceleration phase to potentially start at third base on Opening Day. Moncada made some crisp plays at third in his return and he drove in a first-inning run with a hard-shot single to right-center.
Everyone is excited about Luis Robert, and the additions of Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnación should provide some balance for a lineup that could be one of the best in the sport. Moncada played in 132 games in 2019 though and broke out to the tune of a 141 wRC+ and 5.7 fWAR. He remains one of the most important cogs in the wheel.
The chosen one got right into the action as he drove a Darvish pitch to right center field in the first inning, driving in Tim Anderson for the game's first run. Moncada also made a number of sterling defensive plays at the hot corner and appears ready to begin the big-league season on that side of the ball, at least. He finished 1-for-3 at the dish and will likely get some more work against the Milwaukee Brewers when they visit Guaranteed Rake (yes I know it says Rake) Field on Wednesday.
Arkansas Razorback to Diamond Dallas
With the use of a bobblehead doll, White Sox manager Ricky Renteria announced to the local media on Sunday that Lucas Giolito would open the season on Friday vs the Minnesota Twins. The rest of the starting rotation hasn't been announced quite yet, as the skipper likes to keep the public guessing, but Monday evening offered a clue as to who would be in the second slot for the Pale Hose.
To close out the month of December, veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel committed to the White Sox by signing a three year contract worth $55.5 million. The 32-year-old lefthander is expected to take the hill on Saturday for the first time in a game that matters for his new club.
If Monday was any indication of what is to come, infield defense will be at a premium when Diamond Dallas is on the bump. The southpaw went five scoreless frames, allowing just one hit and facing the minimum in that time. Dallas induced 10 ground balls for outs in addition to two strikeouts and three fly outs.
James McCann was behind the plate, and the two former Razorbacks have been reunited once again. It's unclear whether or not McCann will work with Keuchel exclusively, but the pair was stellar in this iteration. The left-handed starter was the Friday night hurler for the Arkansas Razorbacks back in 2009 when McCann was a freshman catcher who earned time down the stretch as they battled their way to the College World Series.
The two are now reunited, and it feels so good. The Cubs loaded the lineup with right-handed hitters and they preceded to go 0-for-11 vs. Keuchel. This is the Keuchel that the White Sox signed, and outings similar to this could go a long way to earn the trust of the faithful.
Typical bullpen usage
In a normal game, in a different season and without these circumstances, Keuchel likely continues his effort into the sixth inning. These aren't normal times, however, and Renteria decided to get his bullpen some early work. Evan Marshall pitched a scoreless sixth on Monday night and that workload could be an early glimpse at how he'll be deployed in season. The 30-year-old righty posted a 2.49 ERA over 55 games with the Sox in 2019 but his 4.67 xFIP suggests some regression to the mean on the horizon.
Jimmy Cordero was summoned for the seventh inning and he came in pumping heat, biceps exposed and all. Kris Bryant led off the inning with a scorching single to left field, and it got worse from there to no fault of Cordero. The 28-year-old fireballer induced multiple ground balls in the inning and shoddy defense led to three unearned runs.
The 27-year-old southpaw Jace Fry took the reins in the eighth inning and retired the side in order on three fly outs. Fry has typically been death to lefties but did struggle overall with a 4.75 ERA in 2019. The strikeout rate was promising, with 11 punch outs per nine innings. The White Sox have five lefty relievers at their alternate site in Schaumburg, and Fry could be on a short leash in this 60-game sprint.
Alex Colomé came on to pitch the ninth inning as the brass continued to treat this exhibition like they would treat a normal Monday in July. Colomé did his normal routine of racking up saves in unspectacular fashion. Hernan Perez struck out to start the ninth and David Bote grounded out to Nick Madrigal at second base.
Local guy Jason Kipnis tried to spoil it all with a two-out double to left field, and infielder Daniel Descalso followed with a single to right field. Steven Souza Jr. ultimately ended the threat with a fly out to right field.
Mis-adventures in infielding
Danny Mendick was a 22nd round pick in 2015 and his presence on the big-league club is a scouting win for the organization. He's versatile and can play multiple positions, serving the team and his career in a big way. He had a rough night in the field, though, with back-to-back errors at shortstop in the seventh inning, causing a three spot to go up on the board for the North Siders.
Mendick will likely serve in a reserve role for the White Sox to begin the season, but he'll need to be pretty sure-handed to stick on the roster once it begins decreasing in size. Nick Madrigal got the start at second base in this game and displayed the advertised defense that got him drafted fourth overall in 2018. The diminutive one did go 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout, however.