Fade the White Sox Who Flew The White Flag Long Ago

Mariners vs. White Sox, 8:10 ET

There really is no hiding it or running from it. I went 0-2 yesterday and the drought of a hot streak continues. I'm not saying it won't happen, but when you go 1-1 consistently, you're hoping for a few days of 2-0. I wasn't disappointed in either play yesterday aside from the outcome. I usually lose Logan Webb bets, so he has officially been moved to the banned list. The other bet was on the Braves and they made a terrible play on a ball which resulted in an extra-inning loss. Things happen, but I'll turn the tide and hopefully it happens here as the Mariners take on the White Sox.

The Mariners made their splash last night as they acquired Randy Arozarena from the Rays. This has the potential to be the best name moved at the deadline. To say they needed this trade would be a drastic understatement. The team has been barely treading water for about a month now. Back on June 18th, the team had a 10-game lead in the division. Now, they are behind Houston in the division and they are 3.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot. To go from that big of a lead to this far of a fall is rather difficult to do. Arozarena won't be the answer to every issue with Seattle, but he will help an offense that has struggled mightily all season. I detailed this in my piece at the All-Star Break, but the Mariners, by certain metrics like average and strikeouts, are the worst offensive team in baseball. Arozarena struggled significantly to start the year, but has been significantly better since the beginning of June. He also had a ridiculously good playoff run when the Rays made it to the World Series. Now the offense should have a little added punch to go with the stellar pitching staff of the Mariners. Tonight, George Kirby takes the bump and looks to shut down a truly terrible team and brutally bad offense, in the White Sox. Kirby is 7-7 with a 3.20 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. His ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts are all top-20 in the league. He is worse on the road, but it shouldn't matter much against Chicago as they are just 4-for-17 against him in the limited experience. 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 07: Luis Robert Jr. #88 of the Chicago White Sox hits a home run in the first inning off Cooper Criswell  of the Boston Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 07, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The biggest question for the White Sox is which prospects will end up in their farm system over the next few days. Essentially the team has put a giant Yard Sale together with their entire roster. Even guys like Luis Robert Jr. who was once looked at as untouchable is likely to be on the block (even though it would take a lot to trade him). Although collectively the White Sox are hot garbage, they do have some nice pieces that a lot of contending teams will be willing to sacrifice for - specifically Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde. Tommy Pham is another name that has floated around the trade circles and is likely to depart the club soon. I'd imagine that Eloy Jimenez could find is way out of Chicago too. Tonight they have Drew Thorpe pitching for them. He is one guy that I'd think is unlikely to leave considering he is controllable and has pitched rather well. In fact he made his debut this year against the Mariners, going five innings and allowing just two runs (one earned). 

Considering that these guys are auditioning for a new club, you'd think that they might put additional effort in. I'm not trying to say they aren't trying, but they've lost 11 straight games, including all seven since the All-Star Break. They also have lost 14 of their last 15 contests. In those 15 games, the White Sox have covered the run line in six of them - which includes one win. Since the break, they've only scored a total of 11 runs in seven games. The Mariners offense may not be great, but they will be winning after five innings. Give me them on the run line after five.