Ostrowski: What happened to White Sox?
It takes about 50 to 60 games before you know what kind of team you have. One-third of the season is a fair sample size. Baseball analysts and general managers say it all the time.
We're there and you aren't a bad White Sox fan if you aren't sure what this team is yet. We might look back on April and May and point out that the Sox were at their best and worst in the first two months of the season.
After May 9th, the Sox had a six-game lead in the AL Central with a 23-10 record. What happened next was the worst possible scenario outside of a Chris Sale injury.
The Sox lost their next six series, including a 3-7 homestand. The last time that happened was nearly a decade ago in 2007 when they lost eight consecutive series. A lineup that included Tadahito Iguchi, Jerry Owens, and Rob Mackowiak.
So what happened?
The needs are pretty much the same as the start of the year. Back of the rotation and left handed bat to start. Add shortstop and catcher if you're looking to build a team without many holes.
In recent weeks, the basics have given Sox fans flashbacks to the night sweats they dealt with a year ago. The defense and base running hasn't looked as sharp as it did in the first five weeks. That's when many were in shock of how they were back to being a professional baseball team.
Chris Sale and Jose Quintana have shown they are in fact, human. Their 2.22 and 2.26 ERAs are good for 2nd and 3rd best in the American League.
Sale gave up 6 earned runs in 3.1 innings to Cleveland. It took seven previous starts and over 54 innings for Sale to allow 6 earned runs prior to that outing.
The Sox have lost Jose Quintana's last 3 starts. None of the three were really Quintana's fault, since two of the performances were quality starts. The offense scoring just one run in two of those three games was the issue.
In the bullpen, Matt Albers shined before things took a bad turn. Through May 9th, Albers had a 0.57 ERA and .189 BAA in 15 appearances. In the reliever's last 7 trips to the mound, 4.2 IP, 17.36 ERA, .435 BAA, and a whopping 1.418 OPS.
Many have pointed to the Sox offense. When they were 23-10, they averaged 4.2 runs per game. In their next 16 games, their scoring only dipped to 3.9 runs per game. Their runs allowed went from 3.1 to 4.8.
Most of the lineup's offensive numbers are right in line with what they were when the Sox were winning consistently. The production that dropped off was in the bottom of the order with Brett Lawrie and Avisail Garcia. The timely hitting late in games has also been missing.
Scot Gregor suggested that it might be time to call up shortstop Tim Anderson. After struggling with a .170 average in his first 12 games, the prospect has bounced back with a .381 avg and .415 OBP in his last 30 games.
June won't get any easier with a schedule packed with first place teams and division opponents. We might be back on Robin watch.
• 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.