Post by Commissioner Erick on Oct 7, 2020 17:40:38 GMT -5
Chicago White Sox (69-55) @ Minnesota Twins (71-53)
CHW: Blake Snell (3-6, 5.89)
MIN: Felix Jorge (8-7, 4.68)
With the season entering the final stretch, the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins both find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Chicago has been a PBA juggernaut with at least 93 wins every year since 2018. Minnesota is the PBA defending champion. It’s likely that the PBA postseason begins without them.
Each club has a sliver of a chance of making the playoffs still, but the schedules the clubs will face to make up ground are brutal, and the odds of catching the Tigers or Rangers for the Wild Card are slim. That makes tonight’s matchup for the two teams extra important as the White Sox and Twins face off in the Game of the Week.
Chicago has had a strong showing since their last Game of the Week, with their 6-3 win over Detroit on August 5 beginning a 9-4 stretch of play. However, three of the wins were in extra innings, and four were against the Angels, so there’s a lot of fortune there. Chicago will need to be better against a strong Twins team to come up with a win.
The key members of the White Sox bullpen have been stepping up. Jimmie Sherfy has three saves and a 4.05 ERA for the month, but has three walks and 12 strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Alex Faedo has a 1.46 ERA, Jeremy Myers has a 1.74 ERA, and Alfredo Medrano has a 3.86 mark. Dilmer Mejia has been nearly untouchable, working against 13 batters in the month, allowing just one hit, and putting up a 0.00 ERA.
The unit will have its work cut out for it against a Minnesota Twins team coming off a World Series title. The team lost some star power after last season’s championship, and as a result, they’re second-to-last in home runs. The rest of the team is playing well, getting on base, hitting for average, stealing bases, and pitching well.
The player who’s elevated the team to a playoff level despite the departures is merely a rookie. Wessel Russchen was the league’s fourth best prospect in the offseason, but may be the league’s best player this year. He leads the AL in WAR, leads in doubles, leads in runs, is third in batting average, third in steals, and second in Center Field Zone Rating. Only 21 and soft-spoken, Russchen nonetheless looks like the PBA’s next superstar.
The trick will be getting the rest of the lineup to produce as the bottom of the Twins offense isn’t very powerful. Michael Busch has taken an offensive step back and is hitting just .249. Dalton Rone’s .567 OPS was so ineffectual that he was replaced with Ricardo de la Torre’s .594 OPS. Gavin Cecchini has just seven homers as a First Baseman, and Edilberto Mendoza’s .220 average is barely above the Mendoza line.
If those players play well, Minnesota will have a good shot to knock off Chicago, but if not, Chicago has the offense to out-slug the Twins to victory.
Questions for the GMs:
For Mike Ball, Jeremy Myers and Alfredo Medrano are both pretty good prospects for you working out of your pen. What have you thought of their seasons so far?
Sharky Acevedo has had a huge year in Triple-A. Will we see him in the majors later this year?
What’s the key to defeating this Twins team?
For Ben Nuzzo, how has the transition from Dalton Rone to Ricardo de la Torre worked out for you?
You let a few key players leave in free agency or via trade after last season. Do you regret not holding on to any of them?
What’s the key for Felix Jorge navigating this White Sox lineup successfully?
TRIVIA: What Twins Primary First Baseman has the fewest home run in a season?
CHW: Blake Snell (3-6, 5.89)
MIN: Felix Jorge (8-7, 4.68)
With the season entering the final stretch, the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins both find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Chicago has been a PBA juggernaut with at least 93 wins every year since 2018. Minnesota is the PBA defending champion. It’s likely that the PBA postseason begins without them.
Each club has a sliver of a chance of making the playoffs still, but the schedules the clubs will face to make up ground are brutal, and the odds of catching the Tigers or Rangers for the Wild Card are slim. That makes tonight’s matchup for the two teams extra important as the White Sox and Twins face off in the Game of the Week.
Chicago has had a strong showing since their last Game of the Week, with their 6-3 win over Detroit on August 5 beginning a 9-4 stretch of play. However, three of the wins were in extra innings, and four were against the Angels, so there’s a lot of fortune there. Chicago will need to be better against a strong Twins team to come up with a win.
The key members of the White Sox bullpen have been stepping up. Jimmie Sherfy has three saves and a 4.05 ERA for the month, but has three walks and 12 strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Alex Faedo has a 1.46 ERA, Jeremy Myers has a 1.74 ERA, and Alfredo Medrano has a 3.86 mark. Dilmer Mejia has been nearly untouchable, working against 13 batters in the month, allowing just one hit, and putting up a 0.00 ERA.
The unit will have its work cut out for it against a Minnesota Twins team coming off a World Series title. The team lost some star power after last season’s championship, and as a result, they’re second-to-last in home runs. The rest of the team is playing well, getting on base, hitting for average, stealing bases, and pitching well.
The player who’s elevated the team to a playoff level despite the departures is merely a rookie. Wessel Russchen was the league’s fourth best prospect in the offseason, but may be the league’s best player this year. He leads the AL in WAR, leads in doubles, leads in runs, is third in batting average, third in steals, and second in Center Field Zone Rating. Only 21 and soft-spoken, Russchen nonetheless looks like the PBA’s next superstar.
The trick will be getting the rest of the lineup to produce as the bottom of the Twins offense isn’t very powerful. Michael Busch has taken an offensive step back and is hitting just .249. Dalton Rone’s .567 OPS was so ineffectual that he was replaced with Ricardo de la Torre’s .594 OPS. Gavin Cecchini has just seven homers as a First Baseman, and Edilberto Mendoza’s .220 average is barely above the Mendoza line.
If those players play well, Minnesota will have a good shot to knock off Chicago, but if not, Chicago has the offense to out-slug the Twins to victory.
Questions for the GMs:
For Mike Ball, Jeremy Myers and Alfredo Medrano are both pretty good prospects for you working out of your pen. What have you thought of their seasons so far?
Sharky Acevedo has had a huge year in Triple-A. Will we see him in the majors later this year?
What’s the key to defeating this Twins team?
For Ben Nuzzo, how has the transition from Dalton Rone to Ricardo de la Torre worked out for you?
You let a few key players leave in free agency or via trade after last season. Do you regret not holding on to any of them?
What’s the key for Felix Jorge navigating this White Sox lineup successfully?
TRIVIA: What Twins Primary First Baseman has the fewest home run in a season?
