Full Transcript for Sox Machine Live: Offensive explosion in Kansas City puts White Sox closer to postseason

that's our first topic that we'll be talking about. The Chicago White Sox, Courtney, getting to 81 wins. So on every step for successful teams, as you know, and if you haven't gotten a chance, you definitely need to listen to Courtney's episodes. Part of the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast network. Pitch and Moan, fantastic show. She does a great job of interviewing not just players, but managers as well. And Courtney, like in your interviews, I have learned that managers do have that checklist of all the things that they want to accomplish in the season. And for every team to have a successful season, it seems like bullet point number one is we got to get to 81 wins. When we get to 81 wins, then we have a chance of a winning season. If we have a chance to have a winning season, we can make it to the postseason. If we are a team good enough to make the postseason, maybe we can win the division. And then it's like home field advantage. The White Sox getting to 81 wins this year is a huge feat. It is the most wins that any team has ever had after a 100 plus loss season. And where they have came from just two years ago, is certainly impressive and it's gained everyone's attention around baseball. How are you feeling with the White Sox finally reaching 81 wins the first time since 2022? 00:04:19 Speaker 3: You know, it's funny that you mentioned about managers and that checklist, because like you said, you know, I have talked to many managers across baseball and one of my favorite people to talk to is, of course, Terry Francona, right? He's amazing. He's a future Hall of Famer. And he actually had a quote recently with the Reds playing the Cubs when he said, you know, man, I actually miss scoreboard watching. You know, I see the Cubs on the other side and, you know, they're, they're scoreboard watching and I miss that feeling. So, you know, this does affect these guys. They want that checklist. 00:04:50 Speaker 6: They want to mark off, okay, we're in the middle of it. 00:04:53 Speaker 3: And the White Sox find themselves in this incredible position now where not only are they going to have an official winning season after, you know, four years, But they're very close to a postseason clincher. And like, again, you and I had a podcast back in March where we talked about this team, okay, 72-73 wins, that would be successful. The fact that we're talking now about not only the playoffs, but a winning season is unheard of for what I thought this team would accomplish. So I feel really, again, I've supported Will all year and I'm going to continue to support him. 00:05:29 Speaker 6: I think he's done a fantastic job with this young team. 00:05:31 Speaker 3: The fact that he's gotten him over this hurdle is an incredible accomplishment. And, you know, I don't know if he'll win manager of the year with Chad Tracy doing what he's done out in Boston. But, man, he should get some votes because this has been an incredible turnaround. 00:05:47 Speaker 5: I think it's going to be a tight race for that award manager of the year. You can make a great case for both Chad Tracy and Will Venable. Tracy ended up getting that three-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox. So he'll be sticking around. in Boston for a while, I think well-deserved to help right that ship. But a 21-plus win improvement. I mean, the White Sox have a chance to increase their win total by 25 or more games from last year. That's crazy to say, Courtney, on just the tremendous progress we've seen from the White Sox. I think maybe this got taken a little for granted, though, like in August when the White Sox had a pretty healthy lead. And this September swoon kind of put everything into perspective that maybe they're not a true World Series contender. And maybe they are closer to being a 500 team. But man, Courtney, it is so much easier to watch a 500 team play baseball than a 121 loss team that we all had to endure two years ago. 00:06:42 Speaker 3: Well, again, we were sweating this offseason and into spring training. OK, let's just not let's not lose 100 games this year. Let's see some legitimate improvement. And the fact that they have done this, like you said, a 20 win difference is incredible. And to your point, I do think like White Sox fans were like, OK, let's win this division. I'm still hoping that this team can win the division. But the fact that we actually have meaningful baseball being played on the south side is the last week of the season is something none of us ever thought was possible with this team this year. So yes, the September swoon, I think hit everybody kind. 00:07:19 Speaker 6: Of hard, but at the same time, you know. 00:07:22 Speaker 3: I do have what I like to think of winning mentality and I don't want to just settle for a wild card spot. I want them to win the division, but man, the fact that they're even in this position is an incredible feat for them. And I'm, and I'm proud, I'm proud of the season that they put together. 00:07:36 Speaker 5: Well, if you missed last night's game, we're going to be talking about it here. Again, the White Sox won 14 to 11. Noah Schultz picked up the win. Noah Schultz was maybe the only pitcher the White Sox had that threw well last night. The last two innings were just an absolute disaster. We'll talk about that later. In the podcast, but Randall Gritchick and Chase, Chase Mytroth had a home run and had five RBIs. Gritchick had a home run at three RBIs. Munitaka Murakami hit a home run. Brent Doyle hit a home run. And it really feels like the offense is coming back alive, Courtney, that they are playing up to the level and regaining the purpose and their standing that they have been leading the American league in run production for For a large part of this season, and I think to a lot of people's surprise around Major League Baseball, in their last eight games, the White Sox are averaging six and a half runs. In five of those eight games, they have scored six or more

runs. And as you know, Courtney, if your offense can put up six runs, you should win a vast majority of those games. Now, the question is, is this offense back or is this a hot streak? How are you feeling about the White Sox offense in the last week? 00:08:53 Speaker 3: So I'm I'm optimistic, but I'm cautiously optimistic, as I like to say, because I still see some some holes in the lineup. Right. 00:09:01 Speaker 6: I still see Colson Montgomery striking out significantly. 00:09:05 Speaker 3: And, you know, I feel like because they did score 14 runs yesterday that that was sort of buried, which which is good, good for Colson. 00:09:12 Speaker 2: But. 00:09:13 Speaker 3: Man, he's he I don't think there's any possible way he's going to avoid the most strikeouts in a season. 00:09:19 Speaker 1: Right. 00:09:19 Speaker 6: I mean, he is going to hit that mark. And that's a shame. 00:09:21 Speaker 3: That's a shame for him because you know what? His power numbers are there. But, you know, he's just striking out way too much still. Now, one thing that I am going to be paying attention to, as we've seen. So the White Sox scored 14 runs last night. Now, we have seen that at times after a big run explosion, they go cold the next game. So I will be curious to see how they respond tonight because we have seen this in the past where they have a great offensive game and then they get, you know, two hits the night before the night, the next night. So I will not, I will be cautiously optimistic about the offense because I do see that things are slowly turning around they're getting hits with runners in scoring position their home run power is coming back but i will be curious how they respond tonight because that has been sort of an achilles heel after a large um offensive explosion in the past. 00:10:14 Speaker 5: That's a good point because even in Detroit, they won that series. Big offensive output, three runs. Big offensive output, three runs. Is tonight going to be another three-run output for the Chicago White Sox offense? We'll talk about that later as we preview tonight's game and how the pitching plan is going to work for the White Sox and who our picks to click against Seth Lugo, who is the scheduled starter for the Kansas City Royals. But when it comes to the offense, the reason I have a little bit more confidence that this is going to stick around, Courtney, well, one, we talked about in our previous episode, Miguel Vargas, winning player of the week for the American League. They needed one of those three guys to snap out of it. Vargas has it a big way. Murakami seems to be regaining some of his timing. I think his home run was a good sign. And then having that game against the Tigers where he hit that homer. and hit that triple. I feel like he's starting to get caught up with the timing. Yeah, Colson, right now we're watching Adam Dunn. It's going to be a home run or a four-strikeout. It could be a home run and a four-strikeout game. 100%. But the

three that's giving me hope and extending this lineup, especially from the right-hand side, Cordy, because we've talked about this, the way that Chase Maidroth, Randall Gritchick, And Bren Doyle, Bren Doyle has been very productive for the White Sox offensively in the last eight games. 00:11:40 Speaker 6: But I'm actually starting to like him, Josh. 00:11:43 Speaker 3: Is that possible? Do I, can I, am I actually starting to like Brenton Doyle? Cause I was a little weird about that trade when it happened, not because of who they gave up, but just because it's like, okay, am I supposed to be excited by a guy that struggled at Coors Field? You know, I don't know, but I'm starting to kind of like him. He's faster than hell, which I think is awesome. Plays a great defense. And his emergence at the plate has been a really nice little surprise for the Sox in this tough stretch. 00:12:11 Speaker 5: He's a great fourth outfielder. Like winning teams, the Dodgers would have a Bren Doyle. They would take Bren Doyle on a heartbeat, I feel like. 00:12:19 Speaker 3: You're right. 00:12:20 Speaker 5: Because you can use that platoon advantage where, Tristan, you're going to start the game on the bench because we want to give Bren a couple at-bats against a left-handed pitcher. Bren make the most of it. Now he doesn't walk. So I don't know. what his staying power is in everyday player Courtney. But if he's just going to go up there and act like a pinch hitter, it's clear he can do some serious damage against left-handed pitching, which the White Sox need help with that. So yeah, Brent Doyle doing a great job. But I want to start with Chase Mydroth. Courtney Finnecombe, did you have Chase Mydroth, American League's most valuable second baseman in 2026? 00:13:01 Speaker 3: I gotta tell you, I did not. And I always liked Chase Mydross. I thought he brought a different sort of flair to this lineup that was very home run heavy. But all of a sudden, he's hitting home runs. He hit his 16th home run last night, which I never had on my bingo card for 2026. And playing a great, great defense as well. Like, he is the kind of guy, when he is up with runners in scoring position, I actually have very strong faith that he will come through. He's a contact hitter. He's been fantastic, like I said, in the field. Really nice surprise. Nice surprise to see those power numbers growing. I never thought I would see him potentially dangle a 20 home run season, which it's going to be tight for him to do that with five games left or four games left but it is a possibility and actually somebody tweeted me yesterday which I kind of like this comparison they called him a Dustin Pedroia like player which I thought was kind of an interesting comparison because he's a grinder type player he does all the little things right um. 00:14:10 Speaker 6: His emergence this year has been really nice to see Yes. 00:14:13 Speaker 3: Really nice to see. 00:14:14 Speaker 5: And I didn't have it either. There's times I think when he was having his swoon in the middle of the season, it's like, man, I wonder if Sam Antonacci would be better off as the everyday second baseman. Because with Chase, chasing for power, his swing just, I just didn't like anything about his approach. And he was struggling at the beginning of the year with runners in scoring position. That was the thing that we're harping on. But to your point, the way that Chase has been performing now, It's been so much better that he's been able to boost his numbers to an almost an 800 OPS with runners in scoring position. He's batting 271, which at the beginning of the year is definitely in the 100s, if not below 100 to start the season. So Chase has definitely made those adjustments. There's a great article too on Fangraphs.com about Chase Midroth's swing and how it's unique where everybody's chasing bat speed. Chase has slowed down his bat speed, but he's swinging it with more authority. Usually guys swing faster to generate more power. Chase is swinging slower to generate more power. It's very fascinating how my draw is pulling off this really neat trick. But don't stop, Chase. It's been very helpful for the White Sox. Now, Randall Gritchick. So before I get on my... soapbox about Randall Gritchick. There was a couple of comments he made after last night's win, Courtney, that I want to chat with you about. And he said about the White Sox clubhouse and their recent eight game stretch. Gritchick said, quote, things were a little tight there. The locker room wasn't the normal locker room that we experienced for the full season. And I feel like, honestly, when we got back to Cleveland, it felt like things turned. And Gritchick also said, quote, I feel like, honestly, we're kind of getting back to our old selves. We are relaxed, making jokes, keeping things light, but yet still playing the game hard between the lines. And I agree with Randall Gritchick. So there's one thing about adding a veteran into the clubhouse that can have these motivational quotes to help keep guys focused on the task at hand, because it's a marathon of a season, Courtney. It's another thing when Randall Gritchick has just been unconscious at the plate for the last 30 days, as we go to the foul territory dashboard. I mean, He has an OPS well over 1,000 in his last 30 games, Courtney. And I'm sorry, I get the platoon event. He's batting. 356, Courtney. In his last 30 games, he's batting. 356. He went four for five. He almost hit for the triple. Last night. And I understand, being an analytics guy, that a lot of success that Randall Gritchick is experiencing is because of the platoon advantage. But I'm also noticing that he's taking a lot better swings against right-handers as well. And I just feel like at this stage of the season, Courtney, you have to ride the hot hand. I know Seth Lugo's starting today, and I'm sure Andrew Benatini will be the lineup over Randall Gritchick. But man, I would try to find a way to

have Gritchick in the lineup. 00:17:24 Speaker 3: I could not agree more with you. And as somebody that is not as analytically driven as you are, I am all for Randall Gritchick playing every single day, at least into this very important part of the season. Because not only is he hitting amazingly, and let's back up for a second. Let's actually talk about how Randall Gritchick came to the White Sox, which is incredible. I mean, horrible, horrible time with the Yankees. And when the White Sox acquired him, I'm thinking, wow. this is not going to go anywhere. Like this will be just a random guy that we, you know, joke about three years from now. 00:17:56 Speaker 6: Remember when grand Randall Gritchick was, you know, part of. 00:17:58 Speaker 3: The white socks, but truly, I mean, how many guys do we have that? 00:18:02 Speaker 2: Right. 00:18:03 Speaker 3: How many guys do we have like that? I really thought that he was going to be that, but my God, not only has he stepped up at the plate, but he's starting to make some great defensive plays in the outfield. Can we talk about that for a second? I mean, that Detroit series was he single-handedly saved that game with his plays in the outfield. His catch, you know, in the first inning, bailed out Anthony Kaye. I mean, he's been throwing the leather around. And I actually liked his quote about, you know what, give me some time in the outfield. Like, I can show you guys something. So, yeah, to your point, I would absolutely be sticking him in the lineup as much as possible. Give him as many at-bats as possible. Nobody in that lineup is seeing the ball better than Randall Grishuk right now. Absolutely, he should be playing every single game. 00:18:48 Speaker 5: Yeah, we'll see when he gets insert in. Again, I know that Venable will continue to stay with this process. I'm sure it'll be Andrew Benatendi to start in the lineup and use the Gritch bullet when a lefty reliever comes into the game. It's been very successful for the White Sox. But, I mean, Randall has been hitting really well. And he's taken a lot better swings against right-handed pitching as of late. I would have him in the light out because when you have a veteran that recognizes those things and helps steer the ship back on course and is on the field and producing those big moments, that's huge. Like you're getting pretty close to what David Ross was able to do for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. I like that. 00:19:32 Speaker 3: You're right. 00:19:32 Speaker 5: And maybe Gritcha can have those types of moments as well as the White Sox inch closer. to clinching a postseason spot. So, very fun game last night on the offense. Not so great on the pitching side. Courtney and I do have to talk about that next on the Sox Machine Podcast after a quick word. from our sponsors. 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Howard, my dad was T-boned by a utility vehicle and is in surgery now. 00:20:56 Speaker 3: What should I do? 00:20:57 Speaker 2: I'm sorry to hear about that. 00:20:59 Speaker 7: It's really great that you're getting him the medical care and treatment that he needs right now. These are three important things that I think you need to know. Injuries are unexpected and turn lives upside down. I'm Howard Aitken, and I'm here to help. If you or a loved one have been hurt at work, or in a car, truck, or ride share accident, call 312-6-MILLION. Injury law made personal. That's Aitken Law. 00:21:21 Speaker 5: Welcome back to the Sox Machine Podcast. Last night's pitching effort by the Chicago White Sox, clearly, if you just look at the final score, not great. Anthony Kaye was all right. He did give up four runs in his start, but... Once again, and we talked about this at a couple of podcast episodes when we were previewing this series, Courtney, like I was pushing for Anthony Decay to be pushed, like have him face an order a third time through the lineup. And unfortunately, like Bobby Wood Jr. hit this absolute rocket, 106 mile per hour grounder right at Colson Montgomery. And it went right through the five hole. And I feel like if Montgomery is able to make that play, Anthony Decay gets through five. But with the cushion that he had, I was conflicted, Courtney, when the White Sox pulled him for Noah Schultz. Let's start there. What did you think about that managerial decision to pull Anthony Kaye? 00:22:19 Speaker 3: You know, I'm mixed on it because Anthony K really from the start was showing, you know, it wasn't the best outing for him. I think he, you know, had traffic on the bases right away. He had traffic every single inning that he pitched. So I think that to Will's point, you know, they're trying to, they're trying to win here. Right. 00:22:37 Speaker 6: I mean, we talked about that in the last podcast. 00:22:39 Speaker 3: When it comes to Anthony K and maybe potentially moving to the bullpen, you know, they're trying to win. So to me, I'm a little mixed on the quick hook, but my biggest issue last night was how quickly they pulled Noah Schultz, which I think we're going to talk about.

That, to me, is a guy that, A, he should be stretched out a little bit more to pitch more innings than just what he pitched last night. And to not overuse an already quite overused bullpen, like you called up Noah Schultz for a reason to be that, I guess, long relief guy in this exact position. And he was pitching extremely well as he has since being called up. That to me is the biggest issue than pulling Anthony Kaye early was pulling Noah Schultz early. 00:23:22 Speaker 6: To me, he should have at least had another inning. 00:23:25 Speaker 3: And that's why I feel like maybe this game got as crazy as it did. Because then you bring in Trevor Richards and things kind of went haywire after that. So to me, the biggest mismanagement of pitching last night was the quick Noah Schultz hook. 00:23:40 Speaker 5: I just don't know what the White Sox think of Anthony Kaye at this stage of the season. And does this impact how they view him going to next season? Because there seems to be a big reluctance of him facing an order for a third time. And even Will Venable starting to chime in his postgame comments, Courtney, about How his stuff takes a drop after pitch 50, after pitch 60. Well, is he also running out of gas? I mean, it's been a long season. This is his first season back in the major leagues. The difficulty has been definitely turned up for him. I think he's been pitching well as a No. 4, No. 00:24:13 Speaker 2: 5 starter. 00:24:15 Speaker 5: For any team in Major League Baseball, whether you're a winning team or a last place team. So I still feel like Anthony Kaye has value and he's had good months for the White Sox. I just felt like with that big of a cushion, it's like I have more confidence in Anthony Kaye right now than Luis Castillo or Trevor Richards. I wasn't expecting Noah Schultz to be the first guy to come out of the bullpen. 00:24:39 Speaker 3: I was not either. I was not either. And that's why I thought they would have a longer leash on him. Like, okay, let's bring in Noah Schultz to pitch three innings here. And that just wasn't the case, right? And he could have easily done it. I mean, he was throwing pretty effortlessly up there, as he has been in this role since he's been called up. I mean, I think his ERA is, I think it's. 00:25:01 Speaker 6: 84 since being called up. 00:25:04 Speaker 3: What is his ERA? It's incredibly low. incredibly low. 00:25:07 Speaker 6: He's been, I think, nine strikeouts in the innings that he's pitched. 00:25:10 Speaker 3: I mean, he's been great out of that bullpen, out of this role. And to me, if you have someone like Noah Schultz coming out of the bullpen, he should be stretched out enough to pitch several innings if need be and give this overtaxed bullpen a much needed break. Yeah. 00:25:26 Speaker 5: To Courtney's point about Noah Schultz at his last five appearances spanning 11 innings, 10 strikeouts, no walks, Courtney. Remember when the walks were a huge issue during his starts? 00:25:35 Speaker 3: Yes. 00:25:36 Speaker 5: Schultz has just been attacking batters. It is a 0.73 whip that Schultz has been carrying in his last five appearances for the White Sox as he pitched two scoreless innings with a strikeout last night. He's just difficult to make contact. Same thing like Hagan Smith. So I think that's kind of where I want to pivot with Noah Schultz, that I'm wondering if the reason they didn't extend Noah Schultz is because they're putting him in the Hagan-Smith role right now in the bullpen. So is it possible, Courtney, that the White Sox view they have two versions of this rookie left-handed pitcher where they have this option now every day for the rest of the regular season and maybe even the postseason where Hagan gives you 30 pitches– on, let's just say, Tuesday. And then Noah Schultz can do that same effort on Wednesday. But because you gave Hagan a day off, then Hagan's available on Thursday. I'm wondering if that's how they're going to be handling it. I don't know. I'm just speculating here. But maybe that's why they're not pushing Noah Schultz, because they want to put him in the same role and same timeline as they currently have Hagan Smith right now. 00:26:47 Speaker 6: That's actually a very good point. And I think that that's actually a fair point. 00:26:50 Speaker 3: And to be honest, both those guys, you know, you mentioned the walks, both those guys have pinpoint control right now. They're not having any issues whatsoever with walks, which both of those, that was the issue with both those guys, you know, Hagen Smith's numbers in Charlotte and the minors, a lot of control issues as we saw that has not been the case with either guy. And to me, that is the most important thing for both those guys is that keeping the walks down, keeping the control down. And they've both been virtually unhittable since coming into these roles. So to your point, I kind of like that point that maybe they are trying to keep these two guys on the same timeline. And again, the, those walks to strikeouts, I mean, that has been the most refreshing thing for me out of these two guys, for sure. 00:27:36 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:27:36 Speaker 5: Just again, Hagan Smith and his last 10 appearances, a 1.04 earn run average and 25 strikeouts to nine walks. I mean, his whip is below one. It's a very handy tool. It's a very handy weapon to have out of the bullpen to be able to go to these options. Courtney, it's just I hate for them to go to the fifth inning for these options. Like these options would be great in the sixth or seventh inning. To shorten the bridge, right? To shorten the gap from a starter to Grant Taylor. So if that's not Anthony Kaye and Davis Martin is dealing with a calf issue right now that impacted his last outing against Detroit, it's like you only have one pitcher that can go six innings. And that's Sean Brown. 00:28:25 Speaker 3: 100%. 00:28:25 Speaker 5: Yep. So that puts a lot on hopefully Sean Newcomb can bounce back and he's been

getting some extra rest. But that might be the other like godsend in this whole situation for the White Sox. Now, just thinking about it out loud, Courtney, is that Noah Schultz, he continues to pitch like this. He buys more rest for Sean Newcomb this week. 00:28:46 Speaker 3: Very good point. 00:28:47 Speaker 5: I didn't think about that before we started streaming. But now just having that enter my mind like, Noah Schultz, thank you. It's been rocky this year, man. The starts weren't promising, but he's been really good out of the bullpen. So hopefully the White Sox have figured something out. Not only help this season, but going to next season, can Hagen and Noah go back to their starting roles and take what they've learned out of the bullpen and apply it as a starting pitcher to go at least five innings. Cause then, well, if you've got two starting pitchers that have whips around one, Courtney, you're doing really well. 00:29:23 Speaker 3: And to my, my original point that I, that I made yesterday is that this is why also this, again, this overtax bullpen, which I've been screaming about for months, fatigue, my favorite word, whenever I come on this podcast, this is why to me, it is so crucial for the white Sox to win the division. because they get that buy. They get that buy. They get the extra rest. Man, I would hate to have to turn around and go right to New York to play the Yankees with this overtaxed bullpen right now. So to me, you got to win the division. That's just another added layer of winning the division is to get that buy, in my opinion. 00:29:59 Speaker 5: No, I agree with you. And the way that the schedule works as the number two seed, you play on Saturday, you get Sunday off, and then you play on Monday. I think being the two seed is pretty important to have that extra day off to let the bullpen arms to recharge. I think we'll be talking more about that as we get into the postseason. Now, while it's fun to watch Noah Schultz, and while I'm conflicted about watching Anthony Kaye, Courtney... Please do not force me to watch any more Luis Castillo outings. I cannot. I literally cannot with this anymore. Him giving up a grand slam in the ninth inning and making that into a safe situation. And our old friend James Feagin over the Sun-Times texted us that Grant Taylor was hot. Like, Grant Taylor was ready to enter the game. The fact that Grant Taylor had to get up. And that's usage. Like, he didn't enter the game, but that's usage, Courtney. He was getting ready to enter the game. So I don't even know if Grant is, like, ready to go tonight. I'm sure he's a gamer. I'm sure he would do it. But the fact that he had to get hot when they were up by 10. And even... Even Castillo, after he gave up the Grand Slam, those last two outs were very loud outs. They were very dry outs. So I tweeted this out, and it's got a lot of run. I'm hoping that's the last time we see Luis Castillo pitch this season. How do you feel about Castillo's outing last night, and do you agree with me? Is that it? Should that be it for 2026? 00:31:38 Speaker 3: You know, I'm going to reiterate this. I feel like I've reiterated this several times, but God, I wanted this trade to work out. I really, really did. 00:31:46 Speaker 5: I think we all did. 00:31:47 Speaker 3: We all did. 00:31:48 Speaker 6: But like, I actually saw the White Sox vision with this. 00:31:51 Speaker 3: I really, really did. And I don't always see the White Sox vision when it comes to certain things. 00:31:56 Speaker 6: But I actually did here. And, you know, I did my own little research. 00:32:00 Speaker 3: When I was in Boston, when I when I covered the Mariners a couple of weeks ago. And I talked to Luis Castillo's former pitching coach about him. And I said, be honest with me, is this guy just cooked? And I literally said it. And he goes, man, you know, this is a guy that will take the ball every big game. And he is a big game pitcher. And, you know, this is the guy that you want in the clubhouse around the young pitchers and the young players. But at this point, last week of the season, he has become a liability. So to me, to your point, this guy can't pitch again. He can't. 00:32:33 Speaker 6: And obviously he cannot. 00:32:35 Speaker 3: Be on the postseason roster. Like there's no way, there's no chance that I would throw this guy in any big situation. 00:32:41 Speaker 6: I mean, the guy had, what was 14 to five when he got put in? 00:32:45 Speaker 3: 14-7. It was 14-7 when he got in the ninth. 00:32:48 Speaker 2: 14-7. 00:32:53 Speaker 3: Seven run league. You can't even trust him. Like to me, this is it. He's tapped out and. 00:33:00 Speaker 6: He can no longer pitch in 2026. 00:33:02 Speaker 3: I hate to say it. I really do, but he's a liability at this point. 00:33:07 Speaker 2: Nope. 00:33:08 Speaker 3: He can't, he just can't, they can't put him in. Can't do it. 00:33:11 Speaker 5: And for podcast listeners, for those that are watching the stream, they saw, I brought up the dashboard and his last five outings, Luis Castillo has a whip of 2.21. Like, Earned run average is 12. Okay, a 12 ERA. But whip 2.21, allowing at least two base runners per inning? 00:33:34 Speaker 2: Like, no. 00:33:36 Speaker 5: It's not going to work. His outing last night, one inning, three hits allowed, four earned runs allowed, walked one, didn't strike out anyone. So at this stage, if you told me that Luis Castillo is hurt, I believe you. I just think at this stage, you just need to shut him down. 00:33:54 Speaker 3: My question is, is what was, why did he pitch so well against the Reds? 00:34:00 Speaker 6: That first game at Sox Park. 00:34:03 Speaker 3: What, what, what changed between that outing and all the, I mean, what, what was that? Cause he was virtually unhittable against the Reds. So what, what am I missing here? I don't know. 00:34:16 Speaker 5: I don't know either. If you know, please let us know. If you know, please let the White

Sox know. I'm sure they're just as confused. Even Chris Kett says that he admitted that this trade hasn't worked out to plan. I just think at this stage where you are, putting him on the IL, calling up whatever reliever you like best in AAA, you can't have him on the postseason roster. So he can be in the clubhouse. He can be in the dugout. That's fine. It's just he's not going to pitch for you and he needs to focus on getting himself right for the 2027 season. It's that like Luis Robert type season, Courtney, where you're getting paid a lot of money. It's the last year contract. You do this again, you're not going to come anywhere close to sniffing this type of money again. So maybe for just Luis Castillo and the White Sox sake, they just really need to focus on getting him right for the 2027 season. Cause this is not right. Like he is, this is not the Luis Castillo, any version of Luis Castillo. This is way worse than what Seattle was experiencing. 00:35:21 Speaker 3: 100%. 00:35:24 Speaker 2: All right. 00:35:24 Speaker 5: So we did it. We talked about the White Sox. I was pitching from last night, except for, you know, a Schultz. Good job, Noah. Everybody else, get back to the bullpen and start working on some things. But coming up next, Courtney and I will be previewing tonight's game between the White Sox and the Kansas City Royals and take a look around the American League postseason picture after a quick word from our sponsors. 00:35:46 Speaker 2: So, Jay, do you ever find yourself crashing in the afternoon, needing a boost, but not wanting to have caffeine that you know is going to ruin your sleep? 00:35:54 Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, definitely. I found myself on the golf course a lot lately. And sometimes, you know, it can be long days out there. So I reach in my golf bag. I keep the Ultra Focus Pouch right here with me, keep it in my golf bag. And it's part of my golf bag, as I said. 00:36:09 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:36:09 Speaker 2: And so what are some of your favorite effects of the Ultra Pouches? 00:36:14 Speaker 1: Definitely, you know, gives me a little bit of focus, that little bit of energy that I'm looking for. And obviously not having any caffeine in it is always a plus for me. So I enjoy those things. Ultra is the ultimate guilt free pouch, delivering instant focus and mental clarity without nicotine or caffeine. New customers can use code baseball to get 15 percent off at TakeUltra.com. That's TakeUltra.com for 15 percent off with code baseball. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you. 00:36:45 Speaker 8: White Sox fans, catch me, A.J. Pruszynski, on Foul Territory every weekday, 12 to 2 Central Time, after Sox Machine. We'll talk White Sox. We'll talk all the teams. Come here for a fun time the way baseball should be covered on Foul Territory. 00:36:58 Speaker 2: See you there. 00:36:59 Speaker 5: Thanks, AJ. And remember, visit the Foul Territory store

at FoulTerritoryShop.com to pick up your Sam Antonacci, Munataka Murakami, and now a new Tristan Peters shirt. Officially licensed gear from the MOB Players Association. They also have the 2026 All-Star shirts in stock. Again, visit FoulTerritoryShop.com. As the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals continue this series. Two more games left for the White Sox against the Royals. And tonight's pitching matchup, Brian Hudson is going to open for the White Sox. And it'll be Seth Lugo who will be making the start for the Royals. Seth Lugo this year is 7-9 with a 5.06 earned run average. We're going to be talking about Lugo splits in a moment. But whenever there's an opener, I have to ask the biggest fan out of the opener for the Chicago White Sox. And Courtney, I know how much you love the opener. How are you feeling about Brian Hudson opening for Eric Fetty tonight? 00:38:01 Speaker 3: You know, of all people to open for a starting pitcher, or do we have a starting pitcher except Sean Burke at this point or Davis Martin? So I use that term loosely, but of all the guys that are allowed to open, I actually am okay with Brian Hudson being the opening. I know, I know. Now, I will say, Fetty has been a very reliable arm, right? He's actually one of the few guys that has been very reliable. So, to me, kind of lessening his workload heading into the playoffs is not a bad thing to me. You know, again, he's one of the few veterans of this team is Eric Fetty. So, to me, lessening his workload, throwing in Brian Hudson in that role, who's been very good in that role. He's been very good in that role. I actually, believe it or not, support this. I'm okay with it. But again, I do want to reiterate that I never want to hear the word opener in 2027 again, unless we're talking about the home opener, then that's fine. But this needs to be the end of it because, man, it's been It's been tough for me. 00:39:09 Speaker 6: It's been tough for me. But I am actually okay with this setup today. 00:39:12 Speaker 3: I think it's a successful, at least on paper, setup for Eric Fetty. I support it. I actually support it. 00:39:21 Speaker 5: Fetty in his last five outings has a 1.88 earned run average over 24 innings with 15 strikeouts to eight walks. So it's not a lot of strike when you take a look at the strikeout per nine ratio. But in his last outing against Detroit, Fetty did strike out six over four and two-thirds innings, allowing just the one earned run. And his whip in his last five outings is a little more than just one. So Eric Fetty has been doing a terrific job in preventing damage against him. And even though like he is the bulk guy, Feddie might go five. Like with this combination, Hudson goes one clean inning and then Feddie goes five. Well, now you're, you're through the sixth inning and now you're into the seventh inning. Do you go to Sean Newcomb? Do you go back to Huasco Brazoban who has been throwing pretty well? Do you give him a challenge? If you have the type of support that you did from the offense the previous night, you have a multi-run lead. How do you want to play that to get the ball to Grant Taylor? because for the White Sox, on the other side is Seth Lugo. And Seth Lugo this year has pretty drastic splits. Left-handed batters against Seth Lugo, Courtney, are batting. 307 with a. 370 on-base percentage, and they're slugging. 00:40:35 Speaker 2: 502. 00:40:35 Speaker 5: Like, those are all-star numbers against a pitcher. Righties are batting. 00:40:41 Speaker 4: 268 with a. 00:40:41 Speaker 5: 313 on-base percentage and slugging. 00:40:43 Speaker 7: 444. 00:40:43 Speaker 5: I have a feeling... that tonight could be a great night for the White Sox left-handed hitters, and I'm expecting five or more runs against the Kansas City Royals. I still think that the offense is going to eat. We did not see Sam Antonacci last night, but if I had a pick to click, that's probably the guy I'm going to pick to click for the White Sox. I'm seeing a multi-hit game from Sam Antonacci to really get this offense going early and often against Seth Lugo. How are you feeling about this pitching matchup? Do you think the White Sox lefty should be able to eat tonight? And do you have a pick to click? 00:41:21 Speaker 3: So I do think that this is a good matchup for the White Sox, for sure. Like you said, the splits with Seth Lugo are very... positive for the White Sox to continue to eat on offense. My pick to click, I am going to go with a guy that we are hoping has turned a corner, and that's Munataka Murakami. 00:41:40 Speaker 6: I am expecting one home run from Mune today. 00:41:44 Speaker 3: I feel confidence. 00:41:47 Speaker 6: I wouldn't bet any money on. 00:41:49 Speaker 3: It because I don't want to be responsible for anybody's anybody's lost bets here, but I'm feeling, I'm feeling a Murakami home run again. You know, he likes to hit them in bunches when he's hot, he's hot. Like I'm going with Murakami as my pick to click tonight. 00:42:04 Speaker 5: And the reason why tonight is so important, because if the White Sox win tonight, the clinching scenario is then we're all paying attention to what happens in Arlington as the New York Mets are playing against the Texas Rangers and If the White Sox win and the Rangers lose, the Chicago White Sox clinch a spot in the postseason. Let me say that again. If the White Sox win and the Rangers lose, Courtney Finnecombe, the White Sox in 2026 will clinch a spot in the postseason. And that's because the White Sox would have reached 82 wins. And take you to look at the American League West standings as the Astros and Rangers are tied at 78-79. That would have meant that if the Rangers lose, they would have lost 80. The best they could do is 82 and 80. And the White Sox own the tiebreaker over the Rangers. And the only way the Rangers can make the playoffs is if they beat the Houston Astros. And the Astros have the tiebreaker over the Rangers. So that would mean that

the Astros' best record would be 81-81 in that scenario. That's how the White Sox clinch. So obviously, White Sox fans are rooting for the Boston Red Sox. So the White Sox could still win the Central. A great night would be White Sox win, Red Sox win, Mets win. Because not only does that clinch a spot for the White Sox in the postseason, Courtney, but it puts them back in first place as they have the tiebreaker over the Cleveland Guardians. This is getting exciting. Last night was exciting to watch baseball. With this scenario tonight, it's going to feel like watching NFL Sundays and Red Zone, having multiple games of multiple monitors, see what is going on. It's so great to have this type of excitement and juice for White Sox fans at this stage of the season. 00:43:53 Speaker 3: Well, and I'm all about keeping the champagne on ice. I mean, I have constant bottles of Prosecco in the fridge at all times. As you personally know, Josh, that is my drink of choice for the most part. So I'm always open and willing to crack one of those bottles. And I think we all deserve to crack a bottle after a these horrible few seasons on the South side, and we're finally going to get back into the post season, no matter what that looks like, we can still say that this team is a playoff team. And I think that's amazing. So strap it down. 00:44:26 Speaker 5: We'll, we'll, we'll use social media that everyone can give each other a cheers. So yes, your beverage of choice. We always have some Prosecco as well in the chiller, in the wine fridge at our house. So maybe I'll join you as well. And, uh, having a glass of Prosecco of the White Sox clinch tonight. That will do it for this episode of the Sox Machine Podcast. Courtney, thank you as always for joining me. I'm so glad, though, you finally got to talk about a White Sox winner. 00:44:53 Speaker 6: I've never felt any better. 00:44:55 Speaker 3: What a great way to start the day and to start a potential playoff clincher tonight. I love it. 00:45:01 Speaker 6: Thank you both for always having me on. 00:45:02 Speaker 5: In the next episode, we're going to be talking about maybe the playoff White Sox. 00:45:08 Speaker 3: What a concept. 00:45:09 Speaker 5: What a concept indeed. And thank you so much for those that watch the live stream of the Sox Machine podcast. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com slash Sox Machine. If you don't get a chance to watch the live stream, we do upload the audio. into our podcast feed, which you can subscribe to the Sox Machine Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts such as Spotify and Apple Music. Follow us on social media or on all the social media platforms at Sox Machine. And if you'd like to help support Sox Machine, you can do so by going to SoxMachine.com slash products and sign up to become a subscriber today. The Sox Machine Podcast is a production of SoxMachine.com. You're on for all things Chicago White Sox baseball and part of the Foul Territory Network. Alongside Courtney Fennecum, I'm Josh Nelson. Thanks for watching and listening.