Ostrowski: White Sox need a fast start to shake the past
Chicago White Sox fans are used to their team being in "win now" mode. Now means April and May, in addition to the rest of the 2016 season.
Team officials didn't put a catchy motto on T-shirts this year, but if they did, "urgency" would be printed somewhere. A little Foreigner anyone? Manager Robin Ventura and his bosses have stressed "urgent" to anyone who would listen since SoxFest in January.
The Sox have been below .500 at the end of April and May in each of the past three seasons. At first glance, sitting one to four games under that mark after a couple of months doesn't seem like an insurmountable hill to climb. After all, it's June when the White Sox have come undone.
But the first two months have long hinted at what would follow. The team's lack of fundamentals in every facet of the game was evident in early 2015, and the eye test showed they never had a chance.
There was one day in the middle of May when the White Sox had more wins than losses. One day.
This message of urgency coming out of the gate is the right approach. Since Major League Baseball went to 10 playoff teams in 2012, the teams that make it usually have a solid start.
Over the past four years, only six of the 40 postseason teams have been below .500 at the end of April. It's the same situation after the second month. About 85 percent of playoff teams win at least half of their early games.
The cliché is, "You can't win a division in April, but you can lose it." That's clearly wrong. When your roster lacks quality depth, you end up digging a hole that creates problems.
The schedule makers weren't very kind to a team needing to start off on the right foot. The Sox have the least amount of days off and most road games in April of any AL Central club. One day to rest, while Kansas City and Minnesota get five and four days, respectively.
Las Vegas hasn't budged on the White Sox win total of 80.5 games. Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections have adjusted since the White Sox adjusted their roster.
The initial PECOTA projections gave the Sox 82 victories. It has been bumped up to 84 wins. Adding 2 wins could be explained by the additions of Austin Jackson and Jimmy Rollins, along with Adam LaRoche quitting.
This organization was preaching a quick start long before the strange Drake LaRoche saga. The players have said all the right things since chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told them they're not allowed to talk about it anymore. However, that doesn't mean that every corner of that clubhouse has moved on.
Sox fans can only hope that center fielder Adam Eaton can survive without his leader, Drake. They're going to need someone else on the team to fill Paul Konerko's leadership shoes, which are still empty. Not a child who was being potty trained in a locker room during the 2005 World Series season.
• Joe Ostrowski is a co-host of the "Hit & Run" baseball show from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on WSCR 670-AM The Score with Barry Rozner. Follow him on Twitter@JoeO670.