Young White Sox players getting their chance
Before 25-man rosters expanded Sept. 1, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said any and all newcomers were going to get shots at making good impressions.
"I think when you don't see guys, you hear about them and you see the (minor-league) stats and everything, but you always want to see what it is and how it plays up here," Ventura said. "So whenever that happens, I don't necessarily want guys up here that are just going to come up and take room on the bench and just watch.
"I want them to be able to play and see what they can do up here and make some decisions in the off-season with how you go forward.
"In September, guys that come up, it's their chance. I don't think they gain anything - they gain something - but I don't think they gain enough of coming up here and just sitting on the bench and watching."
So far, it hasn't been so good for most of the Sox' September additions.
Chris Bassitt was solid in his start against the Oakland last week at U.S. Cellular Field, allowing 1 run on 5 hits in 6 innings.
The 25-year-old pitcher was back on the mound Tuesday night at Kansas City, and Bassitt labored through 3⅔ innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks while throwing 94 pitches.
A night after blowing a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning and losing 4-3, the White Sox rallied to beat the Royals 7-5 in a 4-hour, 16-minute game that saw K.C. use a team-record nine pitchers.
Third baseman Conor Gillaspie had the key hit, a bases-loaded triple off reliever Wade Davis in the seventh inning. Davis was working on a 32-inning scoreless streak that dated to June 25.
The White Sox need starting help from the right side in next season's rotation, but Bassitt (5.29 ERA) already looks like he's ticketed for Class AAA Charlotte in 2015 after jumping to the majors from AA Birmingham this year.
As for some of the other call-ups, Andy Wilkins has looked completely overmatched since joining the Sox on Aug. 31 after Adam Dunn was traded to Oakland. Wilkins is 3-for-33 with 19 strikeouts after a breakout season with Charlotte, where he batted .293 and led the International League with 30 home runs.
Catcher Josh Phegley (1-for-14) also has struggled, and White Sox pitchers have an ERA approaching 6.00 when he has been behind the plate.
Marcus Semien is going to be an interesting topic of conversation for general manager Rick Hahn and his staff this off-season.
Semien is a versatile infielder, although he did make 3 errors at third base against the Athletics last week.
The .226/.284/.342 hitting line is substandard, but Semien consistently came through in the clutch earlier in the season when he was playing second base in place of the injured Gordon Beckham.
Semien came through again Thursday against Oakland with a solo home run that was the difference in the Sox' 1-0 win.
"The game's just faster up here, so you want to see that adjustment come back," Ventura said of Semien. "Early on he showed signs of having that and then having to shuffle the roster and do things, he goes back down (to Charlotte) and now he's back up.
"You want to see what kind of adjustments from the first time around meant and how he adjusted and now he's back up and playing."
sgregor@dailyherald.com