When rookie left-hander Hagen Smith faced Cubs’ center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong Monday night to open the 10th inning of their eventual 7-5 walk-off loss, White Sox win probability had dwindled to 19.2%, per FanGraphs.com.
But if TV analyst Steve Stone invoking the “Man in the Arena” passage from president Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech at the Sorbonne in Paris is any indication, those odds did but so much to soften the blowback to manager Will Venable’s decision to pitch to a National League MVP candidate with first base open.
“All these decisions are tough,” Venable said. “But I trust the information that we have, that’s been part of our process this entire year.”
The Sox’ information said Smith, a low-slot lefty tabbed to pitch with relievers Grant Taylor and Sean Newcomb unavailable, profiled better against fellow southpaws Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch, and should intentionally walk Seiya Suzuki and his .976 OPS against left-handed pitching between them. Factors like Crow-Armstrong sitting at 3-for-4 with a homer and a walk on the night, or the idea of not letting the opposition’s best player beat you, were given less weight.
Despite the White Sox overperforming preseason expectations to lead their division in August, Venable’s adherence to platoon matchups over gut feel decision-making has been a flashpoint.
Ironically, Venable playing the matchups also produced the high point of the Sox’ Monday night. Entering the eighth, Randal Grichuk’s fourth inning three-run blast had accounted for all of their scoring. Nevertheless, Venable pinch-hit for Grichuk with lefty Andrew Benintendi against right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn, and was rewarded with a go-ahead two-run homer.
For the Sox, this brand of mixing and matching has become an accepted norm.
“We’ve got it pretty down now,” Benintendi told the Sun-Times. “Watch the game, watch the situations, and whoever’s in the pen throwing, if it’s a big spot, he’s gonna come in for me, or I’m going to come in for him.”
Teel takes step forward in recovery
White Sox catcher Kyle Teel inched closer to a rehab assignment for the left ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the past month. The 24-year-old completed running drills, and took batting practice on the field for the second-straight day on Tuesday, and added that he’s able to skip without pain in his left foot.
“Today was really the first day I was able to run in a curve, like rounding bases, and not feel anything, so really, really happy about that,” Teel said.
Sox GM Chris Getz said earlier in the month that Teel could return by Sept. 1. Teel has been limited to just 19 games by hamstring, knee and ankle injuries, but remains the long-term starting catcher in the view of the front office.
This and that
• After leading the White Sox with 22 homers last year, Lenyn Sosa isn’t on a 40-man roster after the Blue Jays outrighted the 26-year-old infielder to Triple-A Buffalo. The Sox traded Sosa to Toronto in April for minor league outfielder Jordan Rich, who hit .233/.340/.256 for the Sox’ ACL affiliate.
• Sometimes it’s really that simple: asked about his pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning on Monday night, Benintendi didn’t hide the ball. “I’m not gonna lie,” he said, “I was trying to hit a homer.”