White Sox taking day-to-day approach with City Series pitching

Davis Martin is on the injured list. Noah Schultz is in Triple A.

What options do the White Sox have to provide length on Tuesday and Wednesday during the City Series?

“It’ll be day by day here,” manager Will Venable said before Monday’s game at Wrigley Field. “We’re going to figure out where we’re at after (Monday’s game). We have some availability limitations in our bullpen that can impact some things. So we’ll kind of see where we’re at, do some inventory and then make a decision for (Tuesday) after (Monday’s) game, and we’ll probably do the same thing for (Wednesday) after (Tuesday’s) game, we’ll be able to make that decision.”

The starters for Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cubs were listed as “to be announced.” Right-handers Erick Fedde and José Urquidy could be used in some fashion during the series.

Fedde shifted to a bullpen role after the Sox acquired Luis Castillo — Monday’s starter — on Aug. 1 from the Seattle Mariners. In four relief outings since then, Fedde has a 9.82 ERA — allowing eight earned runs and 11 hits in 7 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and four walks. That included a stretch of pitching in three out of four days against the Boston Red Sox (Aug. 4 and Aug. 6) and Cleveland Guardians (Aug. 7).

“It’s been a crazy two weeks,” Fedde said before Monday’s game. “I feel like, unfortunately, we’ve had some madness just with the Boston series and then the (Cincinnati) series (pitching on Aug. 13 after Martin was ejected). So it’s been kind of a weird couple weeks for me. But, yeah, doing my best to adjust, and help the guys out however I can.”

Overall, Fedde is 6-8 with a 4.51 ERA in 26 appearances (12 starts).

“I know it’s not easy,” Venable said of the transition for Fedde. “I’m sure, well I don’t want to assume frustration, but I know it’s not easy when you have instability or kind of not certain of what your role is going to be on a given day. From Day 1, Fedde has been so open to the different ways that we’ve used him. He’s been such a pro about it.

“As much as he is a pro, it’s not easy for him. It’s a new challenge now, being used in the bullpen sporadically and randomly. No certainty in how we are going to use him next. That’s what makes him special. He can do a lot of different things for you, he’s open to doing a lot of different things for you, and just wants to do everything he can to help the team win even though it might be tough for him personally.”

Urquidy made his Sox debut on Friday at Detroit after joining the team from Triple-A Charlotte before that game. He allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings and recorded the victory in the 9-5 win.

“I was waiting for this chance for a long time,” Urquidy said after the outing. “I’m here right now and enjoying it with this team.”

One reason Fedde and Urquidy are in a position to potentially help is the boost that Sean Newcomb provided over the weekend.

The left-hander served as the opener in the game Urquidy won on Friday, striking out two and walking one in 1 1/3 hitless innings. And with Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson unavailable after pitching Friday and Saturday, Newcomb pitched the final 2 1/3 innings of Sunday’s 7-5 win. He struck out two and walked one while not allowing a hit.

“Everyone kind of picked each other up,” Newcomb told the Tribune on Monday. “The offense, too, the offense was great. Facing some good pitching. All the way around, it was good games.”

Venable added: “It was really cool what (Newcomb) did, to open up the series there and then finish it. And to have everything that happened in between was awesome, too. Really from everyone that took the mound for us, contributed in a really big way. (Newcomb) led the way there, which is some really big innings and some really big spots. One of those guys that wants the moment.”

Which pitcher steps in for that next moment remains to be seen.

“We really are day-to-day here with this,” Venable said, “just because of the usage we have had over this last series and then just not having really starters.”