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White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 12, 2026
More than two seasons after the White Sox traded for him, and after 24 appearances with the organization including nine in Chicago, Drew Thorpe made his Charlotte debut in Rochester on Aug. 13. Thorpe took the direct route to the White Sox from Birmingham back in 2024, and fared decently until one elbow problem cut… The post White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 12, 2026 appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox 5, Reds 0: Pitching proofs of concept
For Luis Castillo, perhaps it really was as simple as emphasizing the changeup . Making his second start for the White Sox, Castillo blasted past his season high in strikeouts with a heaping helping of offspeed pitches. He opened his evening by striking out Elly De La Cruz on consecutive changeups, and he closed it by tripling up on them to strike out Michael Toglia. The post White Sox 5, Reds 0: Pitching proofs of concept appeared first on Sox Machine .
Pregame notes: Nearing the home stretch
Editor’s note: We regret to inform you that this is the penultimate game James is covering for Sox Machine. We’ll announce where he’s going in the coming days, but he will still be covering the White Sox in short order, so you won’t have to mourn his absence like the last time. It does mark the end of being able to influence his coverage toward your areas of interest or obsession with the clout of your subscription, and truly is a sad day for us all. Anyways! With that out of the way, Miguel...
Newly acquired Luis Castillo is embracing change with the White Sox, but can it turn around his season?
The White Sox don't call games from the dugout like some organizations have begun to in recent years. But after their biggest acquisition from last month's trade deadline, Luis Castillo, got touched up for five earned runs in four innings during his White Sox debut in Boston last week, input on his pitch usage is coming from pretty high places in the organization. "I felt he could have gone to the changeup a little bit more," said general manager Chris Getz. "When he did, it was effective, a...
White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 11, 2026
In terms of wins and losses, the Winston-Salem Dash are well ahead of where they were last season, improving to 59-49 with an 8-6 win over Greensboro on Tuesday. That’s three more victories than they notched all of last season, when they ended up the year 56-74, and with two more wins, they’ll have posted… The post White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 11, 2026 appeared first on Sox Machine .
Reds 5, White Sox 4 (10 innings): Pope hats aren’t rally caps
A capacity crowd of 38,113 that came to Rate Field for the Pope Hat giveaway ended up having an evening that tested their faith. What looked like a relatively straightforward victory turned into an extra-inning defeat on a dime, as Bryan Hudson and Grant Taylor combined to blow a 4-1 lead in the eighth after seven impressive innings from Sean Burke, while six Cincinnati pitchers combined to hold the White Sox scoreless after the fourth inning. When Sean Newcomb allowed the Manfred Man to sco...
Pregame notes: The Pope hat game
If you're of the opinion that it's amazing to have the literal Pope of the Roman Catholic Church be a White Sox fan from the south suburbs, but the MLB team's efforts to capitalize on it have run their course...oh boy, this is going to be a rough night for you. Chief revenue officer Brooks Boyer said that over 40,000 tickets have been distributed for Tuesday night's game in light of their Pope Hat giveaway, which was originally conceived of as a small, special ticket promotion, but expanded ...
How Ryan Galanie’s major league potential has come into focus
The headline and photo above this paragraph spoil the answer, but if you're reading this article on your phone next to a White Sox fan who knows ball, ask them who's the active leader in the the White Sox minor leagues in OPS since the start of June. After the trade for Luis Castillo that sent Boston Smith to Seattle's Double-A affiliate , the answer is now Ryan Galanie, and with a little bit of room to spare. The post How Ryan Galanie’s major league potential has come into focus appeared ...
White Sox pitching notes: Grant Taylor’s ‘unicorn’ curveball
Based on run values per 100 pitches, or wOBA, Grant Taylor has either the third or fourth-most valuable curveball in the sport, at least among pitchers who have thrown over 200 of them. "It’s a unicorn pitch," said pitching coach Zach Bove. "I would layer on the ability to throw it in the zone, too. He can dump that thing in and get it below for the strike. Guys have to honor that, plus 98-99 mph. You have to pick one and obviously a lot of guys are in between on him." The post White Sox p...
Podcast: Chicago White Sox extend division lead as the Cincinnati Reds visit
Episode Summary Josh Nelson and Jim Margalus analyze the Chicago White Sox series win over Cleveland, Anthony Kay's growing value, Colson Montgomery's issue against RHP, and preview the upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds The post Podcast: Chicago White Sox extend division lead as the Cincinnati Reds visit appeared first on Sox Machine .
Tim Anderson retires after 10 MLB seasons
Former White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is retiring from baseball, he announced Monday in a Zoom call with Chicago-area media. “I still love the game, but it’s just brought too much pain to me, so going back to play is probably not for me,” Anderson said, in an emotional session with reporters. “Definitely were great… The post Tim Anderson retires after 10 MLB seasons appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 9, 2026
After the White Sox acquired Luis Castillo for three players, I briefly mourned the absence of Boston Smith in the Minor Keys, as his ability to produce explosive performances on a consistent basis despite a rather problematic contact rate made him an utterly baffling prospect to follow (compliment). Following up on my vow to keep… The post White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 9, 2026 appeared first on Sox Machine .
Podcast: Chicago White Sox Festive Weekend
Episode Summary It was a very festive weekend for the Chicago White Sox as Ozzie Guillen had his #13 jersey retired and the White Sox won another key series against the Cleveland Guardians. The post Podcast: Chicago White Sox Festive Weekend appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox 5, Guardians 3: Water, walks, and a win
As a young White Sox blogger, I found watching post-shoulder capsule surgery John Danks strangely liberating. For one turn in the rotation, it wasn't necessary to analyze how a starter's stuff was performing, if they were missing bats or barely escaping waves of hard contact. If Danks got through a quality start, it was a coup. If he was shelled, nothing was uncovered that wasn't already known. The 2026 White Sox fighting for first place against the Guardians doesn't feel similar, but at the...
Pregame notes: Who has the better lineup here?
The White Sox feel that Davis Martin has largely addressed the pitch-tipping that plagued him during his first inning against the Red Sox, so now he can take on more of an age-old challenge. "When the fastball command is there, it's good," said pitching coach Zach Bove. "It kind of sets up everything, it gives them something they’ve got to honor rather than just the spin. We feel good about the four-seam specifically, if he’s throwing it to the good spots, then I think that helps his whole a...
At last, Ozzie Guillén’s essential spot in White Sox history is immortalized
Besuited with the flag of his native Venezuela proudly displayed on his lapel, Ozzie Guillén walked hand-in-hand with his wife Ibis into Rate Field’s conference and learning center for a media availability about the greatest honor of his career. Immediately, he cracked a joke. “A lot of bad things happen in this room.” It killed.… The post At last, Ozzie Guillén’s essential spot in White Sox history is immortalized appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 8, 2026
Roch Cholowsky and the Winston-Salem Dash keep getting rained out, so in order to pull more first impressions from the beginning of his pro career, you can go back to his ramp-up period in Arizona, which Jason Pennini covered from a pro scouting perspective at Baseball America. He writes that Cholowsky had all five tools… The post White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 8, 2026 appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox 6, Guardians 3: Avoiding a five-game skid with a five-run sixth
For five innings of one-hit ball, Guardians starter Gavin Williams backing up 100 mph heat with knee-buckling curveballs looked like the sort of neat trick that would dominate the night. And in the era where Ozzie Guillén managed, maybe it would have, at least for another out or so. Through 5 2/3 innings, the only mark against Williams was Munetaka Murakami getting the barrel around just in time on a 100 mph sinker to dink it off the left field foul pole for a solo shot. But the real point a...
Pregame notes: Ozzie Guillén Day
There will be time to ruminate on the legacy of the only White Sox manager to win a World Series title, or heck, multiple division titles, in our lifetimes. Before then: roster moves! Optioned to Triple-A: Noah Schultz, David Sandlin Called up from Triple-A: Hagen Smith, Tanner McDougal Designated for Assignment to clear a 40-man spot for Smith: Wikelman González Replacing Schultz in the rotation: Unclear! Maybe Erick Fedde The post Pregame notes: Ozzie Guillén Day appeared first...
Sporcle Saturday: Rookie-ish hitters with 5+ RBI in a game
Good morning! When Munetaka Murakami went off for 6 RBI against Houston on his bobblehead day , he cemented a franchise first: four separate players, in their first 140 games, to log at least five RBI in a game in the same season. Are there a few qualifiers in there to make it a first? Sure. At the same time, though, only two other iterations managed three instances: 1991 (the same player each time), and 1921 (three different players). This has been a fun season thus far, likely continues to...
White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 7, 2026
Since James already covered the impending MLB debuts of Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal whenever their promotions are made official later today, let’s cover a couple of decidedly more minor transactions. At the top of the minor league system, the White Sox signed Joey Wiemer to a minor league deal, according to Brooke Fletcher. Wiemer,… The post White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 7, 2026 appeared first on Sox Machine .
White Sox to call up prospect pitchers Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith
With all the top-end, hard-throwing prospect pitching talent set to be in the Triple-A Charlotte rotation at the start of the season, in spring it was feasible to envision the White Sox pulling off a sort of midseason line change if their major league rotation faltered. Instead, injuries and underperformance (often driven by injury) have… The post White Sox to call up prospect pitchers Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith appeared first on Sox Machine .
Guardians 8, White Sox 2: An embarrassing mistake leads to an embarrassing night
Will Venable has made mistakes before, and certainly deployed strategies that seemed questionable on their face to many. But the advancement of the White Sox organizational process is such that 276 games into his managerial tenure, he had yet to make an error of the instantly viral, casual fans watching at home pointing aghast at the TV , national baseball podcasts devoting a segment to unpack it variety. That, and Noah Schultz's night ended one out into Friday night's blowout loss to the Gu...
Pregame notes: White Sox catching situation ‘fluid’ as Joey Bart will miss over a month with left hand fracture
Catchers famously use their hands a great deal, so as it turns out, Joey Bart fracturing the fifth metacarpal in his left hand does not have a happy ending. Basically, Kyle Teel (roughly on track to return by Sept. 1) is a decent be to beat Bart back to action, when Bart was acquired as a stopgap in response to Teel's injury. The post Pregame notes: White Sox catching situation ‘fluid’ as Joey Bart will miss over a month with left hand fracture appeared first on Sox Machine .
Sam Antonacci is working on solving left-handed pitching, even while getting platooned
Luisangel Acuña made his first career start in left field on Thursday night. It's because he's right-handed, after all , so when Red Sox left-handed starter Ranger Suarez only lasted three innings, so did Acuña before being replaced by Sam Antonacci, who still managed to have a three-hit night. But with southpaws Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo scheduled to throw this weekend for the Guardians, it's an alignment that could pop up again quite soon. The post Sam Antonacci is working on solv...
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