Reds vs. White Sox: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

How did the Redlegs fare last week? As Larry David likes to say in Curb Your Enthusiasm, “pretty, pretty, pretty good.” On the heels of a seven-game skid, the Cincinnati Reds (13-14) bounced back, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

It was another week of feast or famine for the Cincinnati offense. In their four victories, the Reds crossed the plate an astounding 32 times while scoring just a combined two runs in as many defeats.

The Cincinnati Reds welcome an excellent Chicago White Sox club to town.

Opening play this evening, the Reds find themselves in third place, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Eleven of the Redlegs next 14 games will be played against foes outside the division, and following Thursday’s off-day, the club will play 16 consecutive days.

The Reds will need all the reinforcements they can muster for a busy May, and one integral piece should be returning to the active roster any moment. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama, recovering from a hamstring injury,  has played in a couple games at the Reds alternate site in Louisville over the past week, and his return appears imminent.

Talk about your unexpected reunion tours. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has lamented that firing Tony La Russa as manager in 1986 was his greatest regret during his ownership tenure. Fast forward thirty-five years and Reinsdorf is determined to exorcise his demons.

To put this in perspective, La Russa was first hired to run the club in 1979. I was nine years old. I’m now 50, and guess what? La Russa is again making out the lineup card for the South Siders. It’s mind-boggling.

Let’s be honest La Russa wouldn’t return to the field after a decade away to manage the Colorado Rockies. This White Sox team is loaded with talent and can compete with any team the American League has to offer.

Coming off a postseason appearance last year, the Chicago White Sox (15-12), winners of seven of their last 10 games, look every part of a contender for the 2021 season. Make no mistake about it, the South Side Hitmen are stacked, and the Reds will have their hands full the next two days.

Whether it’s hitting or pitching, the White Sox do it well.

This Chicago team is seemingly void of weaknesses. The offense enters play today, leading the American League with a .340 on-base percentage and their .257 batting average places them third among junior circuit clubs.

Seven of the White Sox nine regulars in the lineup sport an OBP of .321 or higher. Designated hitter Yermin Mercedes is off to a tremendous start. Slashing .395/.435/.628 with five homers and 16 RBIs, the 28-year-old right-handed-slugger is pacing an offense that includes Tim Anderson and the 2020 AL MVP Jose Abreau.

Unfortunately for Chicago, they received devastating news yesterday when it was determined 23-year-old centerfield Luis Robert would miss the next 12-16 weeks due to a right hip flexor tear. Robert is one of the bright young stars of today’s game, and his absence will be disappointing for all baseball fans.

Who could replace Robert in centerfield? Don’t be surprised to see old friend Billy Hamilton receive more playing time than he or the Sox could have anticipated. The former Cincinnati speedster is having a typical Billy-like season at the plate, slashing .176/.263/.176 in 17 at-bats, but his electric defense will at least provide some value to the club.

When it comes to the pitching mound, White Sox hurlers have equaled their dynamic offense. Their four shutouts are tied for the league’s top stop, and their 3.62 team ERA is the third-best in the AL. Luckily for the Reds, they will miss arguably the hottest pitcher on the planet.

Southpaw Carlos Rodon has clearly tossed his name into the early Cy Young conversation. Undefeated in four decisions, he’s allowed just seven hits in 25 innings while recording an intimidating 36 punchouts. Cincinnati will gladly let the Kansas City Royals deal with him on Thursday.

If there’s one area where the White Sox are vulnerable, it’s their bullpen. Tossing 87.2 innings, Chicago relievers have surrendered 13 gophers balls and produced a less than sparkling 1.300 WHIP. Closer Liam Hendricks has been taken deep four times in only 11.1 frames.

Reds’ slugger Eugenio Suarez is showing signs of life.

A strong argument can be made that shortstop Eugenio Suarez was not only the Reds worst player in April, but maybe in all of baseball. Let’s hope this is the last time we have to reference numbers like this.

Through the first month of the season, Geno slashed an embarrassing .130/.229/.304 with 40 strikeouts in 90 at-bats. His -1.0 bWAR is the worst in the National League. It’s almost unfathomable to think a player of his caliber could be so bad, but here we are.

Hopefully, this past weekend was a harbinger of things to come.  Throughout his career, the sight of Chicago Cubs pitching has brought out the best in Eugenio Suarez and this weekend was no different.

The Cincinnati slugger went 4-for-14 with two homers and four runs knocked home. Here’s hoping another Chicago pitching staff will induce a similar outburst for a player the Reds must have at his best in order to contend.

Prediction: Reds vs White Sox

Outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox are probably the best team the Cincinnati Reds have faced during the young 2021 season. I would not be surprised in the least to see those two teams (Dodgers and White Sox) facing each other in late October.

After Wednesday, the Reds and Sox won’t see each other again until the final week of the season in the Windy City. Once the Reds hit the south side in late September, they will be looking to break the stalemate as the two squads will split the series in Cincinnati.