If the Chicago White Sox indeed rally in the standings to make the 2022 MLB postseason, they could well be a team that none of their American League counterparts will want to face in the opening round.
Entering Wednesday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Chicago White Sox had captured five of their last six games and 10 of their last 13 to pull within three games of the Cleveland Guardians in the race for the AL Central. FanGraphs lists their odds of making the postseason at 23.5 percent, up from the 13.3 percent that the Southsiders held at the start of September.
While the odds are still not in Chicago’s favor, there is no question that the White Sox are making a late push. That September momentum could well carry over into October, making the White Sox a potentially dangerous team in October.
White Sox: 3 reasons Chicago will be a dangerous out if they make the postseason
Reason 1: Reignited pitching
First, let’s start with the man at the front of the rotation. Dylan Cease is making his case for the American League Cy Young Award, leading all MLB pitchers, heading into Wednesday’s action, in opponent batting average (.184), while ranking second in ERA (2.06), third in strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched (11.44), and fourth in strikeouts (206).
Cease has been part of what has been a solid Chicago rotation in September. Since the start of the month, Chicago starting pitching has posted an overall 2.78 ERA and 1.036 WHIP, their lowest marks of the entire season.
Also, don’t overlook what Lance Lynn has been doing in recent starts. In his last seven starts, the veteran right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA.
“He’s been pitching really well,” acting manager Miguel Cairo said of Lynn on Tuesday. “Everyone has been pitching good lately.”
That’s a very promising sign for a team trying to keep the momentum going toward the postseason.
Reason 2: A strong middle of the order
While Chicago’s pitching has been clicking as of late, Eloy Jiménez and José Abreu are providing a back-to-back punch in the middle of the order.
Since the All-Star break, Jiménez has slashed .366/.436/.610 with seven doubles, 11 home runs and 32 RBI. He has also 17 games with multiple hits out of the 48 second-half contests the White Sox have played.
Abreu, meanwhile, was slashing .312/.386/.457 heading into Wednesday, leading the American League with 167 hits. His .312 batting average is the third-highest in the AL and, after leading all AL hitters in total hits in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he’s looking to become the first White Sox player since Nellie Fox to be the league leader in hits in multiple seasons.
With the duo back-to-back in the order, it’s hard for opposing pitchers to work too much around them. And it’s very possible that the White Sox batting order is going to get much deeper in the coming days, which leads us to our third reason to keep an eye on the Sox as October approaches.
Reason 3: Getting healthy
After suffering a hand injury in early August and being forced to the injured list, All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson could potentially be back with the White Sox next week. Chicago’s recent hot streak has come with Elvis Andrus filling in for Anderson, and the White Sox will need to find a way to have the two shortstops coexist on the same team as Andrus has been praised for the veteran leadership he has brought to the squad.
At the time of his injury, Anderson was slashing .301/.339/.395, joining Jiménez, Abreu, and Andrus as the only White Sox players with a batting average above .300. There is no question Anderson has been missed at the plate and, while Andrus has filled in more than capably at shortstop, the return of Anderson’s athleticism in the field will be a plus as well.
Anderson has batted in the leadoff role in each of his games this season, while Andrus has settled into that role since his arrival with the team after signing on as a free agent on August 19. However, Andrus has experience this season hitting in the two-hole as well. Could he slide into the two spot, giving the White Sox four .300 hitters at the top of the order?
Getting an All-Star back for the stretch run could be just what the White Sox to help make their dreams of another postseason berth a reality, as well as strengthen their lineup for any October matchups.