Regular Season, Week 23: Sept. 1-7
Last Week’s Results
9/1: Chicago Black Sox @ Hawaii Tropics - Loss, 1-5.
Victory Takes Tropics to 73-64
W: J. González (13-8) L: A. Moelling (10-10) .
HR - CHI: J. Figueroa (14) HAW: M. Aguilar, Jr. (27), E. McBride (46)
9/2: Seattle Storm @ Chicago Black Sox - Win, 1-7.
Storm Lose to Black Sox, 7-1
W: P. Jaramillo (12-11) L: K. Walter (7-16) S: Á. Díaz (1).
HR - CHI: G. Lee (20), J. Figueroa (15), H. Hang (22), S. Fradesso (20)
9/3: Seattle Storm @ Chicago Black Sox - Loss, 6-2.
Storm Deal Black Sox 6-2 Defeat
W: H. Márquez (8-11) L: D. Bates (13-9) S: J. Perkins (9).
HR - SEA: G. Wright (10)
9/4: Seattle Storm @ Chicago Black Sox - Win, 5-6.
Black Sox Edge Storm, 6-5
W: P. Kemp (8-4) L: G. Graves (2-2) S: G. Sosa (31).
HR - SEA: J. Bolen (6) CHI: G. Lee (21), R. Wattson 2 (26)
9/6: Chicago Black Sox @ Louisville Sluggers - Win, 7-0.
Chicago Beats Louisville, 7-0
W: A. Moelling (11-10) L: R. Hobbs (4-5) .
HR - CHI: D. Dave (27), T. Durán (16), R. Wattson (27), H. Hang (23)
9/7: Chicago Black Sox @ Louisville Sluggers - Win, 4-3.
Lee Rips 2 Home Runs in 4-3 Black Sox Triumph
W: J. Nicto (11-7) L: J. Pinto (4-3) S: G. Sosa (32).
HR - CHI: G. Lee 2 (23) LOU: T. Bourges (30), S. Kwakou (47)
Heroes of the Week
Tomás Durán, 3B: 18 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.328 OPS
Grant Lee, OF: 20 AB, 6 H, 4 HR, 6 RBI, .300 AVG, 1.291 OPS
José Figueroa, OF: 18 AB, 5 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .278 AVG, 1.128 OPS
Zeroes of the Week
David Bates, SP: 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 1 L, 5 HA, 5 ER, 7 BB, 3 K, 11.25 ERA
Paul Kemp, RP: 3 G, 1 W, 6.1 IP, 10 HA, 7 R, 4 BB, 3 K, 9.95 ERA
Aarnoud Budding, DH: 5 AB, 0 H, 0 R, RBI, .000 AVG, .167 OPS
Record as of Sept. 7
W-L Record for Week 23: 4-2, .667
Overall Record: 77-66, .538
Position in Standings: In 3rd place in the Frick Heartland Division, 19.5 games behind Yellow Springs.
Position in Wildcard Standings: In 3rd place, 2.5 games ahead of Nashville.
StatsPlus Playoff Odds: 61.5 percent
Hot Take
Yeah, yeah: 4-2 last week. Maybe they’ll make the playoffs and get bounced in the first round, maybe not. Ho hum.
But here’s an interesting question.
Will SP Juan Nicto decide not to play the final year of his contract after this season and, instead, opt for free agency? At the start of the season, the answer would have been “are you drunk?” Now, though, we’re not so sure.
Yes, he’s due to make $19.4 million in 2044, the final year of his deal. And, yes, he’s not the pitcher he used to be when he was younger.
But.
Despite declining skill grades (6/6; 7/7; 5/5) and a disastrous (6-11, 5.03 2041 campaign), Nicto has now put together back-to-back bounce-back seasons. Last year, he was 10-9 with a 4.27 ERA in 26 starts and 3 bullpen appearances, while this year (so far) he’s 11-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 26 starts.
A little birdie told us that General Manager Bennie Vitale (out of pure curiosity) broached the possibility of an extension with Nicto’s agent, and he shut discussions down by saying the 31-year-old right-hander doesn’t like playing for Sox manager Julian Negrete.
So, is it possible Nicto might walk away from a guaranteed $19.4 million in search of a multi-year free agency deal while his stock is reasonably high? Or will he bet on himself, figuring he can pocket the $19.4 million, stomach playing for Negrete one last year, and put together another decent season to keep his market value high?
The Sox, no doubt, would love to see Nicto walk, given that some of their young talent is getting more expensive by the day. But, he also would be a useful 5th starter next season, which assumes both Romeu Tameiro (20-5, 2.68 in AAA) and John McClain (16-6, 2.78 in AA) join the rotation. This, of course, also assumes that current 3rd starter Pepe Jaramillo (14-12, 3.92 ERA) opts out of his contract, which dips from $5.4 million to $4.4 million next year.
If the dominoes fall, Chicago’s starting rotation in 2044 could be Amayas Moelling; David Bates; Tameiro; McClain; and then either Nicto, two-way player Paul Kemp (8-4, 3.38 ERA in a split SP/RP/LF/DH role this season), or a new addition.
Some intriguing musical chairs, eh?
Told ya that was more interesting than whatever pennant race nonsense the Sox are deluding themselves with in this season’s final weeks.
The Week Ahead
1 Game at Louisville
3 Games at Nashville
2 Games vs. Twin Cities at Chicago
