CHICAGO — As I was getting my temperature taken Sunday morning before walking into Guaranteed Rate Field on a scorching July day, I figured I would take the temperature of White Sox fans entering the third game of the 2020 season.
First I wanted to find out how Sox nation felt about Sunday's starting pitcher Reynaldo López. López has been nothing short of an enigma. His range of outcomes have made him look like anything from a frontline starter to someone you wouldn't even trust coming out of the bullpen.
He has a critical role, not only this season, but throughout the potential window of contention the White Sox are starting to open up. I don't think anyone expects him to be an ace, at least not anymore, and I'm not sure they ever have. I also know that there are very few aces in the game, and if you can be a good middle-of-the-rotation starter, or hell, even a good back-end starter, you'll be in this league a long time.
The results of my first confidence check didn't really surprise me. While almost nobody is VERY confident in López, you can see the other responses show a pitcher who has shown us what he and capable of, both in his potential and in his struggles.
The 2020 season will make this same question look very different a year from today, or Opening Day next year, it's confusing, but you get it.
If López looks like he has in seasons past, at least over a full season, that "not confident at all" vote will climb, but if he can break through this year and pitch with consistency — something he has yet to do — Sox fans will be comfortably looking at a vital piece of this core.
I'll call myself cautiously optimistic, which is one of the most boring camps to be in because if he is good, I can say, "See! I was optimistic," but if he's bad I can say, "See! I said cautiously."
My favorite thing about López has nothing to do with stats or analytics, which is generally not a good start, but I adore his intensity. I love the fist pumps after a strikeout to get him out of a troublesome inning.
You can call me Hawk Harrelson if you want to, but I have a gut feeling that when you mix his at-times elite pitch repertoire with that intensity, you might just find something special (also, it took me four tries to spell repertoire).
That equation has not equaled a consistently competent starting pitcher yet. For López to take it to the next level, or even a level warranting a spot in the Sox starting rotation, he will have to make adjustments, and 2020 will show us if he's made those or not.
The only thing that surprised me about this outcome was the fact that there were any votes at all for "not confident at all."
I mean, for the love of god, Leury García hit two home runs in yesterday's game.
There are valid questions about starting pitching and bullpen depth, but one area that the Sox will have absolutely no problems with this season will be with their bats.
This is the most dangerous lineup the Sox have ever put together in my 27 years of life — yes, including 2005.
There was a moment in yesterday's game where I wondered if Edwin Encarnación might be the next in a long line of formerly-successful players the White Sox acquire and then all of a sudden lose their powers.
That moment was right before he ended a poor baseball's life, and deposited a home run into the vacated left-field bleachers.
When the White Sox signed Encarnación in the offseason, it was an excellent example of signing that the Sox didn't *need* to make, but one that greatly improved their roster — which come to think about it, was exactly a move that they needed to make.
Their lineup was dangerous prior to the signing, and Encarnación made it all the more lethal, which is why, pardon the tired cliche, the White Sox will not be out of any game this year.
I rounded out my questions with the *SPICIEST* of them all. I asked White Sox Twitter to let me know how much they trust Ricky Renteria and his lineup construction.
I could say this has only been a hotly-contested topic over the last couple of days since the season started, but we all know that Sox fans haven't exactly agreed on whether or not their manager has put together the most optimal lineups throughout his career on the South Side.
Yesterday, everyone who questioned his lineup had to wipe a bit of egg off their face, after García homered twice and it all worked out.
To be fair, I almost always have a little egg on my face, you know, saving a bit for later!
But I guess the larger question I will attempt to answer throughout the season is this: Does constructing a lineup over time that defies analytical recommendations succeed more often than it fails?
I'm far from Mr. Analytical (Call me Mr. Tibbs) when it comes to basing every roster decision of the numbers, but I have to think that working against what the numbers say over and over might not be the best way to proceed.
I might end up being wrong in my suspicions, and Ricky's occasional throw a dart and see what happens lineups might lead the Sox to a 2020 World Series victory.
If that happens, I will be absolutely thrilled, and say I was wrong. But ... well, let's just see how the season unfolds.
I care about you guys! So I just wanted to do a quick check on your own personal confidence.
The results were a mixed bag. Some of you are very confident, and that's cool! Assuming you're not one of *those* confident people (you know who you are). I liked seeing others say they were somewhat confident, as I think that's where I stand. Some days better than others, and all that jazz.
I was sad to see some say they were not confident at all. I believe in you and your abilities, and that's all that matters.
The next time your parents, siblings, or significant other tells you they don't believe in you, tell them, "SAM BELIEVES IN ME" and when they say, "WHO IS SAM?" just tell them, "HE'S MY FRIEND!"
I am all of your friends, never forget that.
Anyway, the White Sox played a baseball game today, as they usually do this time of the year, and here's how that went down.
2020 Reynaldo looks like 2019 Reynaldo
I wrote earlier about the importance of López making adjustments and proving his worth in the White Sox rotation.
If the top of the first inning on Sunday was any indication, he might not be in the rotation much longer. He actually retired the first two batters, but followed that up with a walk, a double, another walk, and finally a Jake Cave grand slam and a departure two batters later.
That led to one good thing in the top of the first: Gio González made his LOOOOONG-awaited debut in a White Sox uniform after the team originally drafted him 16 years go.
He relieved López, inheriting a full count and throwing one pitch to strike out out Marwin González.
Well, that's all folks
That one pitch ended up being the only good thing about González's outing on Sunday. He gave up five runs in the second, putting the game out of reach.
When González was trotting out from the bullpen, I wondered if he might be a suitable potential replacement this season if López's struggles continued, and while it was only one bad inning, it was a really bad one. That doesn't mean González won't see the rotation at all this year, but it was an ugly first impression.
Robert Watch
I was worried my daily "Robert Watch" section would be bare, but you know what they say, "Death, taxes, and Luis Robert being remarkably fun to watch," or something like that.
La Pantera made sure fans will remember this game, despite how unlikely that seemed early on, as he hit his first, of what will surely be 1,000 career home runs, off of Twins starter Kenta Maeda.
The ball was hit 419 feet to dead center, and it also happened to extend his hitting streak to three, which happens to be the same number of games he's played in the majors. Will Robert have a hitless game in his career? No, probably not.
He even took his first professional walk after falling behind 0-2 in the at-bat. What CAN'T he do?
Kenta Maeda
I didn't get much of an opportunity to watch Maeda when he donned Dodger blue for the first three seasons of his MLB career.
If today's start is indicative of how he'll perform against the potent White Sox offense moving forward, then the Twins will be more than thrilled with the pitcher they acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason. Maeda went five innings, gave up two earned runs on four hits, punched out six, and only walked one.
Ross Detwiler pitched
Big Ross has now pitched in two of the first three games of the season. He's actually pitched well, but if I told you he pitched in both losses of the series, I don't think you'd be too surprised.
Nelson Cruz is the captain now
Cruz had a monstrous game, and series, for the Twins, as he is wont to do against the White Sox. While Cruz has terrorized many teams throughout his long career, no team has seen his wrath quite like the White Sox.
He went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs on Sunday afternoon.
The Sox might want to walk him every at-bat for the rest of time, at least considering what he's done to them since 2019.
Big yikes!
Don't panic
I can't stand when people tell me not to panic after a team I root for loses a bad game. So while I'm telling you not to panic, don't mistake that for me telling you not to be frustrated. Leave the lack of panicking for the people who get paid to watch this team play.
You're a fan, so you should be frustrated after a loss, especially a loss where your manager didn't give his team the best chance to win on that particular day.
It is also only the third game of the year, a year where we are going to see some things we've never seen before as far as decision-making and roster construction are concerned.
As we discussed yesterday, the games are worth more this year, but there are still plenty to go. You can't start to make a fair evaluation of this team until at least a few spins through the starting rotation.
You can still be looking for early trends, and see how those track throughout the season, but the 2020 season will not be decided by the first series of the season, I can promise you that. The second series of the season? I don't know, you'll have to get back to me.
Daily meditation
I told you I was going to include a daily mediation in each of my game stories, and I was not lying.
Struggle
Life acquires meaning
When we face the conflict
Between our desires
And reality.
Last words
The White Sox lost their first series of 2020, and while there was some bad and ugly, there was also a whole lot of good mixed in.
Robert looked spectacular this weekend, flashing all five of his tools at different points throughout the series. He looked like an old pro in center, assuming that old pro was lighting quick and made every single catch look easy.
I have no concerns about Lucas Giolito's struggles in the opener, he spent an entire 2019 season earning benefit of the doubt. Game two starter Dallas Keuchel looked every bit of the stopper the Sox hoped for when they signed him.
I have three main concerns after the opening series. The first is lineup construction. The second is bullpen depth, and whether they will have the firepower to lock down games when they are close.
The third is López. He looked to be about the same pitcher as he was last season, and that should concern you. If he made offseason adjustments, which I noted earlier he would have to make to take the next step in his career, they weren't apparent on Sunday. In a normal season, the Sox would probably give him a longer leash to try and iron out his issues, but in 2020, I don't think they will be so patient.
The season marches on in Cleveland tomorrow night, where Dylan Cease will make his 2020 debut against Cleveland righty Aaron Civale.
See ya then!
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