Sox Scoops 45.031: Bullpen Excellence Carries Sox To Win Streak

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Sox Scoops 45.031: Bullpen Excellence Carries Sox To Win Streak

Post by HoosierVic » Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:40 pm

By Mike Talley
Black Sox Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online


A 10-game winning streak has Chicago Black Sox fans giddy about the success, wary about when it will all come crashing down, and wondering “what in the name of the baseball gods is happening?”

We understand the joy and the suspicion and share in it (especially that second emotion).

As for that ultimate question, we think we can shed some light on that.

There are three components to Chicago’s winning streak: the quality of the competition, the offense (and we’re using the term loosely) heating up, and the BBA’s best bullpen locking down the middle and late innings.

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Gilberto Sosa
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Mitchell Purssell
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Francisco Salgado
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Gilberto Cordero
First, the competition: during the streak, Chicago has victimized Valencia (22-39, .361); Des Moines (25-36, .410); Madison (28-31, .475); and Vancouver (30-30, .500).

Although Madison and Vancouver certainly aren’t cellar-dwellers, they’re also teams that Chicago should be able to at least hold their own against. Des Moines started out the season playing some strong baseball, but has now fallen into an 0-10 losing streak. And Valencia is, to put it charitably, struggling.

All of which means the Sox ain’t exactly playing the crème de la crème of the BBA here.

Still, you can only play the schedule that’s in front of you, and it can be argued that Chicago has done what it’s supposed to do: beat the teams they should, by all rights, beat.

What about that much-maligned offense?

Well, although they have earned the raspberries they’ve received so far this season, Chicago’s bats have shown some signs of life. Consider that, in April, the Sox ranked 16th in the Frick for batting average (.209); on-base percentage (.289) and runs scored (88). They were 15th in slugging percentage (.374) and a heady 9th in home runs (31).

So, how about today?

As of June 8, Chicago has soared like an eagle all the way up to, um, 14th in batting average (.241) and OBP (.310). It has moved into a tie for 12th (!) in runs scored (259); risen to 10th (!!) in slugging (.424); and slipped to 10th in homers (77).

And during the most recent victory streak, Chicago has scored 66 runs, for an average of 6.6 per game – a figure that should win you a fair number of games. Especially when you combine that with the 26 runs allowed during that same 10-game span.

Which brings us to the most significant reason that Sox are anywhere even near break-even, much less 17 games over .500: the pitching.

And, yes, yes, the starting rotation has been solid. It currently ranks 2nd in the Frick for ERA, at 3.80. During the winning streak, though, the starters have been responsible for 24 of the 26 runs scored against the Sox, for a 4.23 ERA.

That’s respectable, sure, but hardly eye-popping.

For that, you need to turn your attention to the Chicago bullpen, which pitched 39 innings over 10 games and allowed 2 earned runs, both by Mitchell Purssell in the 4-3 win over Madison on June 4.

(Purssell, it should be noted, was fined $100 by the players’ Kangaroo Court, and forced to listen to 39 minutes of Mikki Manning “Unplugged” – an ordeal that a shaken Purssell said he hopes never to repeat.)

But back to that bullpen performance. If you do the math, that stretch of pitching by the bullpen comes to a 0.46 ERA for those 39 innings.

“Let’s face it,” said Malcolm Wilkes, the Heartland beat writer for BBA Weekly, “without that bullpen – and, more specifically, without the so-called Four Horsemen of the Calumet, this team ain’t much. But with them … well, they can make the most out of decent-but-unspectacular starting pitching and putrid offense. Whether that’s enough to carry them into the playoffs or much beyond a first round exit, who knows?”

The Four Horsemen, for those who don’t follow Chicago closely, are the four so-called “stoppers” on the staff: pitchers who are called to come in during “high leverage” situations where the game is on the line, and to come in from the 7th inning onward when the Sox are ahead and lock down the victory.

They are Gilberto Sosa (1.67 ERA); Purssell (1.90 ERA); Francisco Salgado (2.51 ERA) and Gilberto Cordero (2.66 ERA). Those four have been supplemented by long relievers Frits Brinson (3.79 ERA); Brian Smith (1.32 ERA); and two-way player Paul Kemp (4.30 ERA).

Brinson, Smith and Kemp largely pitch in situations where the team is either trailing or leading by a wide margin.

The Four Horsemen, though, wade into the breach when the Sox need them most, and time after time they’ve come through.

“That’s why you play,” said Purssell. “To come in when things are on the line, and do what you do best. It’s the most rewarding part of baseball – and when you do it well, you don’t have to listen to Mikki Manning, which is a major perk!”

So, whether the streak continues or ends tonight, one thing is certain:

If the Black Sox are to stay alive in the pennant chase and make the post-season for a fourth consecutive year, they’ll need the Four Horsemen to ride, ride and ride some more.

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Re: Sox Scoops 45.031: Bullpen Excellence Carries Sox To Win Streak

Post by RichY » Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:10 pm

10-0, nice. Ride on four horsemen.
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Re: Sox Scoops 45.031: Bullpen Excellence Carries Sox To Win Streak

Post by RonCo » Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:36 pm

Chicago is a dangerous team, especially with that swill they sell at the park. Illnesses for all.
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