GOODYEAR, Ariz. – For a team that, on paper, does not really look stronger than the one that lost a modern-day record 121 games last season, the value and need for a closer can be debated.
The White Sox’ penchant for blowing leads in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings wore out an already beaten-down clubhouse as the they tumbled toward the 1962 Mets’ mark, and this newer group, with a new manager in Will Venable, would do well to avoid as many draining losses as they can.
The Sox were charged with 37 blown saves last season.
That’s a lot of draining “hang with-ems” as former broadcaster Ken Harrelson might say.
A new use for Big Hurt(s) if you will.
Perhaps Mike Clevinger can help.
“We want to go out there and win every game,” manager Will Venable said Sunday, “and certainly have to be creative on what the path to that victory looks like on a given day. Hope you put the right pieces together to turn wins into wins, you want to win games that you’re ahead late so we’ll be creative in whatever that looks like for us.”
That could look like Clevinger taking the ball if he shows well in the next couple of weeks. If he looks as good as he did in his Cactus League debut Sunday, throwing a perfect inning with two strikeouts and a ground ball to first base, Venable might have his guy.
“I mean, there’s a possibility for anything at this point. We’re still very much evaluating,” Venable said a few hours before watching Clevinger, who has been a starter his entire career but is getting a chance to be a closer at age 34, took the mound against his former team in the fourth inning.
“It was exciting,” Clevinger said. “It’s been a while since I was in game competition [May 23 of last season].”
Coming off disc replacement surgery on his neck that has left him feeling new, Clevinger had only thrown bullpens since.
“Just trying to iron out the routine [of a relief pitcher],’ he said. “It wasn’t as alien as I thought it was going to be. I like the idea of just airing it out for an inning … it’s been a fun, exciting new challenge.”
Seventeen days after the Sox signed him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, Clevinger struck out Bo Naylor and Jhonkensy Noel with his sweeper and got Daniel Schneeman to bounce a ground ball to first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who threw to Clevinger covering first to complete a clean 11 pitch (seven strikes) inning. Clevinger, who has enough pitches in his arsenal for two closers to share, used his two-seam and four-seam fastballs, sweeper, slider and changeup.
“The sweeper was really good,” he said.
When Clevinger was signed for the first time by the Sox, he brought a career 3.39 ERA with him and went 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 games in 2023, all but one as a starter. In 2023, he was the Sox’ best starter on a staff that included Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease, per Baseball Reference War, going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA.
But he was limited to four starts last season.
“This surgery really cleaned up a lot of stuff I’ve been dealing with the last couple years,” he said. “I was pressing on that nerve path down my arm, it was a lot just building up, and the herniated disc was starting a while ago. It finally got to the point where I couldn’t even sleep. That cleared up a lot.”
General manager Chris Getz is intrigued by having a healthier Clevinger work at the back end of the bullpen.
“He’s someone that wants a look, and we are willing to give him one,” Getz said.
Said Venable: “We’re going to see where he’s at and he’s got to make the club, right? With him, we’re just in evaluation mode and certainly would hope if everything works out that he would be somebody we could use at the back end.”