advertisement

Will one more stinker start knock Shields out of White Sox's rotation?

Is strike four going to be the one that knocks James Shields out of the White Sox's starting rotation.

The answer is coming, soon.

Maybe Shields takes the mound against the Boston Red Sox this afternoon at Fenway Park and delivers a quality start.

Maybe the 34-year-old veteran, who ranks fifth among active pitchers with 22 complete games and 9 shutouts, will finally show why the White Sox made a $27 million investment through the 2018 season when acquiring Shields in a June 4 trade from the San Diego Padres.

But … based on his first 3 outings with the White Sox, Shields is already dangerously close to pitching himself out of the starting five.

“We believe the issues are fixable,” general manage Rick Hahn told reporters. “We believe they're more mechanics-based than they are the unprecedented evaporation of talent in a premier starter.

“We believe in James, and this coaching staff to solve the issues we've seen. It needs to get solved, and it needs to get solved quickly, but we believe this is fixable.”

Believe this — there is a lot to fix. Shields has logged just 8⅔ total innings in 3 starts with the Sox, allowing 22 runs (21 earned) on 24 hits (5 homers) and 9 walks.

The right-hander is 0-2 with a 21.81 ERA since coming over from San Diego.

Health does not appear to be an issue, and Shields says he feels good.

Mechanics appear to be the major problem, and Shields has not been able to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes. That's allowed opposing hitters to feast on his fastball, which has lost some noticeable zip.

Earlier this season, Shields was savvy enough to have a 3.06 ERA through 10 starts with San Diego, and that's why the White Sox aren't totally freaking out.

But the Sox are also trying to scratch and claw their way back into contention, and they have an extremely small margin for error.

If Shields puts them in another big early hole today, look for the White Sox to pull him from the rotation and figure out another starting option. For now, the Sox are still trying to get Shields straightened out.

“We're working on him using his legs, riding and staying behind and over the ball,” pitching coach Don Cooper told reporters.

“Staying on his pitches to drive the ball, get out front a little bit more, get more extension. That's the difference we saw in the last film session, and that's the only thing that's there. But the meat and potatoes goes back to strikes, and we're just not throwing enough.”

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.