Lynn takes first step toward returning to White Sox rotation
Throwing for the first time since having right knee surgery just over a week ago, Lance Lynn's session was cut short by the heavy rains that hit Guaranteed Rate Field Wednesday afternoon.
Still, briefly playing catch was an encouraging first step for one of the White Sox's best starting pitchers.
"I'm ahead of schedule," Lynn said. "But we'll see how that goes because there's still a lot of work left to do. We've got some time until I get on the mound. Everything's good right now and we just need to make sure we stay on that pace."
Lynn injured his knee during an April 2 spring training game. He's expected to miss two months.
"I think the big thing's going to be the mound," said Lynn, who dealt with a right knee issue during the second half of last season while going 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA. "When it comes to mound time, that's going to tell us everything we need to know. Anything you do, stress-wise, on flat ground is not near as much as it is on the mound.
"So we'll see, when it comes to that time, how we feel. And then after that, it's building that pitch count and that takes a minute."
Seeing double:
The White Sox and Mariners had to wait out a 47-minute rain delay before playing Wednesday night's game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It could have been worse.
If the game was rained out, Thursday would have been a doubleheader since this is Seattle's only trip into Chicago this season.
Even worse, both games would have been the standard 9 innings instead of the 7-inning doubleheaders played the last two seasons. Coming out of a shortened spring training, 9 innings is too much for Sox manager Tony La Russa.
"It's hard for me to understand," La Russa said. "We are already pushing pitchers, especially to a place that's dangerous. When you are playing a lot of innings, the bullpen gets tired. Guys are getting hurt.
"I don't care what organization it is, nobody is deep enough. Seven (innings) would be, I know MLB is always tracking what's happening. I'm hoping they switch it."