Central Struggles

By Mike Rifkin

It’s still April, and there is still a lot of Baseball to be played. But there are two teams I am considering pushing the panic button on. 

The White Sox were arguably the biggest disappointment in Baseball last season. They have carried that over into 2023. The White Sox have lost seven consecutive games, including being swept by the Blue Jays this week. The Blue Jays outscored them 20-2 in the three games and 15-0 in the final two. The White Sox team has a slash line of .232/.292/.373. Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson, the team’s top two hitters, have been limited due to injuries; Anderson should be starting a rehab assignment this weekend. As a team, they are averaging four runs per game. The pitching could be better, too. The White Sox are 29th in ERA with a 5.53 ERA; the only team behind them is the Athletics. Last year the White Sox had a 3.92 ERA, and in 2021 they were seventh with a 3.83 ERA. Dylan Cease is the only starter with an ERA under three. Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn, who both needed to have a bounce-back season, currently have ERA’S of 4.50 and 7.52, respectively, and the two have combined for three out of a possible ten quality starts. The White Sox are currently seven games back of the Twins in the AL Central, and upcoming they have a four-game set against the Rays and a three-game set against the Twins; if they can stay afloat, they then have seven games against the Reds, and Royals with potential to make some noise in the standings. 

In the National League, I’m starting to worry about the Cardinals, who will look to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Giants on Thursday. The Cardinals are 9-16 and eight games back of the Pirates in the NL Central, just like everyone suspected. The Cardinals are 3-7 in their last ten games. Last year the Cardinals won the NL Central before losing to the Phillies in the Wild Card series. The Cardinals’ offense is doing its part, averaging 4.50 runs per game. They have a slash line of .267/.341/.425. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have done their job combining for six home runs and 27 RBIs. Nolan Gorman has six home runs and 22 RBI with a slash line of .295/.378/.590. The Cardinals have a team ERA of 4.38. Cardinals starters have four quality starts in the team’s 25 games, three of which belong to Jordan Montgomery. Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz have combined for 32 walks in 53 innings. The rest of the staff has combined for 20 in 77.4 innings pitched. Adam Wainwright is yet to throw a pitch this season, but you can’t expect a 40-year-old pitcher to come to save the entire staff. After Thursday’s game against the Giants, the team will travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers before returning home to play the Angels. 

Yes, it’s early in the baseball season, and both teams can get hot. But if they don’t pick it up soon, they could have a disappointing 2023.