Cease hoping to 'pull one out' in first start against former team
Eloy Jimenez has been making his presence felt against the Cubs since last season, hitting .313 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI in his first five games against his former organization.
On Sunday, Dylan Cease gets his first crack at the Cubs.
"At the end of the day, they did a lot for me," Cease said. "But I definitely respect them as a team and it makes me want to pitch as well as I can against them."
In July of 2017, Cease and Jimenez were top tier prospects in the Cubs' system, and they were both sent to the White Sox in the Jose Quintana trade.
Cease gets the start for the Sox in their third and final game at Wrigley Field.
Focused on treating the Cubs as just another opponent and winning his fifth straight game, Cease is looking forward to pitching in the historic North Side venue.
"This is one of the most historic parks around," the White Sox's 24-year-old righty said. "You can almost feel it when you're here. It really is something special, it's pretty mind-blowing that I get to do it. I'm excited for tomorrow and hopefully we can pull one out."
Over his last four starts, Cease is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA.
"I'm really just getting more comfortable with everything that comes with being a major-league pitcher," Cease said. "I did have a lot of experience pitching with runners on in tight situations last year because I didn't execute very well. But right now, I feel calm and things aren't really getting in the way in terms of that stuff. I feel confident out there."
Abreu takes the fifth:
With 2 home runs in Friday night's 10-1 win over the Cubs, Jose Abreu ranked sixth in White Sox history with 186. The first baseman nows stands alone in fifth place after hitting 3 more homers Saturday and moving past Magglio Ordonez.
"That's a good thing to accomplish if I'm able to do it, because that's what you work for," Abreu said through a translator before the game. "You work hard every day to try to do good things, great things. And if something like that happens, then it's worth all the work that you've put in day in and day out.
"If that happens, I don't know for how long that's going to last because we have Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada here. That probably won't last long. But it will definitely be something special."
Doing the job:
As Nick Madrigal gets closer to returning to the starting lineup after separating his left shoulder on Aug. 4, Danny Mendick has done a solid job filling in.
In 16 straight starts at second base heading into Saturday night, Mendick was batting .313 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs and 4 RBI while playing steady defense.
"I think everybody's been very confident about what he's capable of doing," manager Rick Renteria said. "I think he's just being a consistent ballplayer. He goes out there and does little things."
Judson passes away:
Howard K. "Howie" Judson, 95, passed away Tuesday in Lakeland, Fla.
A star athlete at Hebron High School, Judson attended the University of Illinois on a baseball/basketball scholarship before going on to the major leagues.
Judson pitched for the White Sox from 1948-52 and was 12-29 with a 4.25 ERA. He went on to play two more season for the Reds.