Two things are true about Mike Clevinger: 1) He's a pariah among White Sox fans. 2) He was the most reliable Sox starting pitcher in 2023. While pitching for a team that was 40 games below .500 last season, Clevinger compiled a respectable 9-9 record with a 3.77 ERA. Still, questions about his off-field character continue to dog him, and he found no takers in free agency over the winter. The Sox, who are severely lacking in credible starting pitchers, signed him to a one-year deal after the season had already started, on April 4. Clevinger completed a monthlong ramp-up in the minor leagues, an ..read more

In a surprise move, the White Sox called up the No. 4-ranked prospect in their farm system, Bryan Ramos, before the start of Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Danny Mendick went on the 10-day injured list with a back strain, and with Yoan Moncada (adductor strain) still months away from a potential return, the Sox found themselves with a hole at third base. Both Lenyn Sosa and Ramos were already on the 40-man roster, and with Sosa having fumbled his previous opportunities in the majors, the Sox decided the time was right to give the 22-year-old Ramos a shot.  This was unexp ..read more

Now for some positive news: The White Sox offense woke up on their most recent homestand. They scored 33 runs in six games. There's nothing wrong with averaging 5.5 runs per game. That's decent production. You'll take it. The problem is, the Sox only went 3-3 because their bullpen collapsed. The Minnesota Twins have now won 10 consecutive games after sweeping the Sox in a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field this week. The Sox had the lead in all three games against the Twins, but they failed to finish any of them. On Tuesday, the Sox had a 4-2 lead going into the seventh inning. They l ..read more

On the morning of Monday, April 22 -- only eight days ago -- the Minnesota Twins were reeling with a 7-13 record. They had lost six of their previous seven games. Then the White Sox showed up in Minneapolis. Since that time, the Twins have won eight consecutive games, including five over the South Siders. The latest Minnesota win came Monday night, a 3-2 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. The score was tied, 2-2, heading into the ninth inning. However, Byron Buxton doubled to lead off the top of the ninth against Sox reliever John Brebbia (0-1) an ..read more

Is the Tommy Pham effect real? The White Sox added the 36-year-old mercurial outfielder to their 26-man roster on Friday, and within 72 hours, they doubled their season win total. The Sox are now 6-22 after a three-game weekend sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. Pham was solid, but not spectacular, going 5 for 14 with five singles and three runs scored in the three victories. Here's a look back at the weekend that was: April 26 White Sox 9, Rays 4: The long-awaited offensive breakout came in the back half of this game as the Sox pounded out 12 hits. They scored seven of their nine runs from the sixt ..read more

The White Sox did not win Jonathan Cannon's first major-league start, but the rookie right-hander can say he did his job. Cannon worked five innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, allowing only one earned run on three hits. He struck out three and walked one, and he left the game with a 2-1 lead. Alas, the Sox bullpen happened, and the Royals rallied for a 4-2 victory. The run Cannon allowed was not his fault. He retired the first two batters in the top of the second inning, including his first career strikeout, which came against Salvador Perez. Alas ..read more

Here's some positive White Sox news for a change: Rookie right-hander Nick Nastrini had an encouraging big-league debut on Monday night. Nastrini retired the first 11 Kansas City Royals batters he saw. He got his first career strikeout out of the way quickly, as he fanned Bobby Witt Jr. for the second out in the top of the first inning. Unfortunately for Nastrini, he gave up a solo home run to Vinnie Pasquantino with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to fall behind 1-0. The game was essentially over at that moment, since the incompetent Sox position players are incapable of scoring runs ..read more

Yoan Moncada (right) During spring training, White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jimenez said his goal was to play 150 games during the 2024 season, alongside teammates Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. That's not looking possible right now. Only 11 games into the season, Jimenez and Robert are already on the injured list, and Moncada is almost certainly heading there after suffering an adductor strain during Tuesday's 7-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Moncada was ... wait for it ... running to first base in the second inning after hitting a grounder to the left side of the infiel ..read more

Things have gotten worse for the White Sox since I last blogged: Luis Robert Jr. is likely out "for months" after straining his right hip flexor running to second base on a double. Eloy Jimenez is on the 10-day injured list because of a strained abductor muscle, sustained while running to first base on Easter Sunday. The Sox managed to get swept in a four-game series in Kansas City, losing 2-1 Friday, 3-0 Saturday and 5-3 Sunday. Don't believe the narrative about the Royals "being improved." Sure, they might be marginally better than the 106-loss team they were in 2023. This series was ridic ..read more

The Kansas City Royals scored eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday night, throttling the White Sox, 10-1, in the first game of a four-game series. But hey, at least the Sox scored one run! Moral victories, I guess, but they should have scored more. The South Siders grounded into double plays in each of the first three innings, had a runner thrown out at home plate on a shallow fly ball in the sixth and finished 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. If my math is correct, the Sox are now 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position through the first six games of the season ..read more