Before Sunday’s comeback win over the Rays, hitting coach Jose Castro discussed the White Sox’ woeful start at the plate. He talked about the drills the players go through, the iPitch machine the team uses that simulates the stuff of opposing pitchers and the scouting reports everybody reads.
“They’re all in, it’s just that things are not working out,” Castro said. “They’re trying to do a little bit more than they can. Just be yourself, take what they give you and trust your teammate behind you that’s going to get the job done. It’s easier said than done, but it’s what we need to be.”
Later that day, the Sox saw how useful that approach can be.
Trailing by four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Sox lineup was patient when it needed to be and aggressive when the time was right. There were hitters going with pitches and serving the ball where fielders weren’t, setting up Andrew Vaughn’s three-run walk-off home run that ended a 10-game losing streak and ended a dreadful month on a surprisingly positive note.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play,” Vaughn said. “We had great at-bats that inning, guys were getting on base, we were scoring runs and my sole purpose up there was to keep the line rolling.”
What the Sox showed in the series finale against Tampa Bay will need to continue in order to salvage a season that’s already teetering off a cliff. Through Sunday, the Sox were 28th in baseball in walks with 73, 25th in hard-hit rate (35.2%) and leading the sport in groundball percentage (48.1%). In other words, the Sox are not working counts, hitting the ball hard or getting it into the air, three keys to offensive production and a reason the Sox ended Sunday 22nd in baseball in runs with 118.
Reversing those statistics will take disciplined aggression, something the Sox haven’t yet mastered. Getting a good pitch to hit won’t be easy because other teams know the Sox will swing at deliveries outside of the zone.
The goal for the Sox hitters is to still be themselves at the plate, but limit some of the over-aggression. Breaking the cycle the Sox have built won’t be simple or quick, but it will be necessary.
“Aggressive hitters that we have, and you have to be aggressive to be able to do anything at the big-league level or any baseball you’re playing at,” Castro said, “but at the same time it’s knowing that you need a good pitch to take a swing at and not be afraid to fail. It’s one of those things. It’s a hard combination, patiently-aggressive-type thing, it’s a hard combo. But I’m bringing what every hitting coach wants to bring to the table. Get a good pitch to hit and do some damage with it.”
On Sunday, and especially in the ninth, the Sox looked capable of doing that damage. They went 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and struck out only six times all day. The ninth-inning rally was built on hits with two strikes, as that’s when Adam Haseley tied the game with a run-scoring single, Lenyn Sosa and Elvis Andrus singled, and Jake Burger doubled.
“That’s what it takes. You [have to] put the ball in play,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “You can’t strike out 15, 17 times and expect to win. Over the long haul you aren’t going to win too many. [Sunday] showed when you raise your level of focus and you create a little urgency for yourself and you concentrate on putting the ball in play, things can happen.”
TWINS VS. WHITE SOX
Tuesday: Joe Ryan (5-0, 2.81 ERA) vs. Michael Kopech (0-3, 7.01), 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Wednesday: TBD vs. Dylan Cease (2-1, 4.15), 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Thursday: Pablo Lopez (2-2, 4.00) vs. Lucas Giolito (1-2, 4.15), 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH 1000-AM
