White Sox’ bats stay red-hot, Adrian Houser’s trade value grows in crosstown pummeling of Cubs
It seemed a little overzealous to suggest the suddenly surging White Sox were a vastly different team from the first time they played the Cubs this season, when they were swept out of Wrigley Field.
But fresh off a 5-1 trip to start the second half, the Sox didn’t take their foot off the gas, looking the part of a far better bunch in a 12-5 thumping of the Cubs on Friday at Rate Field.
“It’s nothing but fun,” shortstop Chase Meidroth said. “We were on a mission when we came back from the All-Star break. We’re playing together, and we’re going to play for each other. This has been a long time coming, and it’s been really fun to put it all together the last week.”
Nearly 30 games below .500 and more than 20 games out of first, the Sox still can only dream of having the Cubs’ realistic World Series aspirations.
But in pummeling Cubs ace Shota Imanaga, the Sox showed their offensive success in Pittsburgh and Tampa wasn’t contained to a single road trip against mediocre competition.
The Sox hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in four innings, getting homers from Meidroth, infielder Colson Montgomery and outfielders Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman.
“Going into the first [crosstown series], we were creating belief in ourselves and creating the expectation every day that we’d go out and win,” manager Will Venable said. “Our group has developed since then, and obviously we’ve gotten some good results since the break.
“But even before that, our group had turned the corner, and the belief that we’re going to win is now meeting that expectation. We’re excited about this. We’ve come in feeling good, playing well and confident.”
Though Imanaga didn’t have it against the Sox, he has been excellent, when healthy. He hadn’t allowed more than seven hits in a start before the Sox banged out 12 and chased him after nine outs.
The hit parade mirrored what the Sox did against the Pirates and Rays. They’ve scored 61 runs in their last seven games.
“Everybody’s kind of playing together,” outfielder Brooks Baldwin told the Sun-Times, “not trying to do too much, not trying to be too selfish, just trying to pass at-bats to the next guy and get on base for the guy behind you and hoping they’ll drive you in.
“A lot of it just comes from trusting each other and camaraderie in the clubhouse, how we come together after games, after wins, and kind of enjoy it and getting to know each other a lot more. Being able to trust each other on the field, that comes from pregame here in the clubhouse.”
It’s too early to tell if this is a true turn of the rebuilding corner for the Sox, who are sellers ahead of the trade deadline Thursday.
Right-hander Adrian Houser could prove to be the team’s most valuable trade chip. He was terrific again, holding the Cubs to three runs in 6⅔ innings.
Houser’s 2.10 ERA in 11 starts since joining the Sox figures to make him an in-demand option for pitching-needy contenders. With Luis Robert Jr. in the middle of a woeful season, Houser could fetch general manager Chris Getz the biggest return.
“If a trade happens, it’s out of my control,” Houser said. “Right now, I’m [with the White Sox], and I’m going to keep pitching like that.”
It’s a reminder that Getz’s rebuilding project isn’t nearing the finish line.
But the way these Sox have played out of the All-Star break is at least a glimpse into what Getz hopes his team looks like on a daily basis in the future.
“As an offense, you start to see the guy behind you or the guy in front of you barrel a baseball,’’ Slater said. ‘‘It gives a little confidence to each guy on the team. That’s how it’s been going the last seven games, and hopefully we can keep it going.”