advertisement

Rongey: Pitching numbers can be so deceiving

On Monday night, two of the best pitchers in the game will oppose one another in Chicago.

With the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field, Chris Sale faces Max Scherzer, and while both starters have had terrific seasons, their teams are on absolute opposite ends of the success spectrum.

Detroit holds a firm grasp on the American League Central lead and a spot in the postseason, while the White Sox are securely in last place.

Yes, when the schedule was released oh so many months ago, this was supposed to be the biggest series of the year. At least to date.

As it turns out, the series means very little for the Sox, while the Tigers are just hoping to earn as much homefield advantage as they can for the playoffs.

What's intriguing about this particular pitching matchup is that it provides a startling contrast to what Sale and Scherzer have been able to enjoy this year. Both have had comparable seasons, with Scherzer edging Sale in most statistical categories but just barely.

Only 0.09 separates the two in ERA, while Sale has just 10 fewer strikeouts on the entire season, and both have thrown around 190 innings. Sale has 4 complete games to Scherzer's zero and has a better walk rate.

Yet, look at the records: Max Scherzer 19-2. Chris Sale 10-12. Wow.

How does that happen? Well, the answer is simple. The Sox stink, and the Tigers don't. Not to mention Scherzer gets better run support than anyone.

Now, what we also know is that there's an excellent chance Scherzer wins the Cy Young Award this year. In fact, he's probably the favorite, based on the habits of more traditional voters.

I'm not arguing that Sale should win the Cy Young, nor am I saying he deserves it this year. But were he playing on a better team with a better record, Sale himself would have a better record and would at least be in the conversation.

Ultimately, Yu Darvish — or even Felix Hernandez— might be most worthy of the honor as you could argue they have each performed better as individuals, but there is no doubt the quality of the teams they play for factor into the voting process.

This is not Sale's year, but I think there's every chance his time will come. It certainly wouldn't hurt if the Sox became a competitive club sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, enjoy that matchup Monday night for what it is, two of this year's bests going head to head. Though the make-believe side of me can't help but think of how much more fun a September game like this would be if the Sox were, you know, in it.

Ugh.

Get well, Dr. Cooper:Having to miss the last few games of the road trip because of an illness, pitching coach Don Cooper will be back at home this week.If he's grouchy with me when we conduct our first regular pregame segment of the homestand, I'll know he's back to 100 percent.So I hope Cooper is grouchy next time we speak.#376;Chris Rongey is the host of the White Sox pregame and postgame shows on WSCR 670-AM The Score. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRongey and at chrisrongey.com. Subscriber Total Access members can email him questions each week via our online link.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.