Field Level Media
28 Jul 2021, 16:49 GMT+10
As the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals prepare for the third contest in their four-game series Wednesday night, both managers fully embrace the analytical aspect of the game, as long as they also can employ the human element.
The Royals will try to shift momentum after squandering a latelead Tuesday. Brad Keller turned in the team's sixth quality start in the past seven games, but Eloy Jimenez's three-run homer in the eighth inning gave the White Sox a 5-3 victory.
Chicago right-hander Lucas Giolito (8-7, 3.78 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Kansas City left-hander Kris Bubic (3-4, 4.72) on Wednesday.
Giolito lost three straight decisions early in the season before winning three consecutive starts to conclude May. He hasn't had a streak of more than two straight similar decisions since.
Giolito enjoyed one of his best starts by throwing his first complete game of the season on July 17. He permitted one run on three hits and struck out eight in a 10-1 victory over the Houston Astros.
Giolito is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts against Kansas City in 2021. He is 8-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 career starts vs. the Royals.
Bubic has been mercurial as well, though his differentiation has been more in line with starting vs. entering the game in relief.
On Friday, Bubic allowed one run on six hits in six innings of a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Before that start, he owned a 6.34 ERA (27 earned runs in 38 1/3 innings) in his eight previous starts and a 2.96 ERA (eight earned runs in 24 1/3 innings) in eight relief appearances.
Bubic has allowed one hit in 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the White Sox this year. He made his debut last season and is 0-2 with a 2.45 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the White Sox.
Chicago's Tony La Russa, who debuted as a manager in 1979, has been on the cutting edge of defensive positioning for a while.
"Our teams were at the forefront of defensive positioning," La Russa said before Tuesday's game. "Pitching coach Dave Duncan was a pioneer of charting. He charted how the hitters hit certain pitches, but he also charted defensive position. We were ahead of the curve."
But La Russa says it's not a matter of relying solely on the numbers.
"The statistical is the starting point -- where does the guy hit the ball," he said. "But then you have to evaluate (the pitchers). Giolito is different from (Lance) Lynn, who is different from (Dylan) Cease, who is different from the left-handers. The healthiest part of this is that day's starter reviewing what our defensive positioning is. He has a plan on how to pitch to that day's lineup."
La Russa's counterpart, Kansas City's Mike Matheny, played under La Russa with the St. Louis Cardinals. Not surprisingly, he agrees with his mentor on the importance of the human element.
"It's broken down per pitcher, per hitter, per time through the order, per count," Matheny said. "With that in mind, we're always going to give the pitcher the last word. They're going to know where we're playing guys, from pitch one through two strikes. If they don't want them in that spot, we'll move them."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Chicago Chronicle news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Chicago Chronicle.
More InformationBENGALURU, India: A major regulatory breakthrough in India could mark a turning point for Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet...
NEW YORK, New York - Renewed fears about inflation, and U.S. Donald Trump's trade policies say American markets take a deep dive Friday....
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Segway is recalling about 220,000 scooters in the U.S. because of a safety issue that can cause riders to...
BEIJING, China: As global tech firms navigate rising geopolitical tensions, China has extended a warm signal to Apple, one of its most...
NEW YORK, New York - Shares in automakers fell sharply Thursday after U.S.President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Federal safety regulators have launched a new investigation into Ford's best-selling F-150 pickup trucks after receiving...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: New York State's highest court has struck down a law this week that would have allowed over 800,000 legal...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Mookie Betts hit two home runs, including a game-ending, three-run blast in the 10th inning...
(Photo credit: David Banks-Imagn Images) Fresh off a memorable buzzer-beating win, Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls host the Dallas...
(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) Following a rough stretch of basketball for most of March, the Miami Heat are starting to...
(Photo credit: Dave Nelson-Imagn Images) Joe Ryan could make a big difference in the Minnesota Twins' starting rotation this season,...
(Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images) Already with three victories this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be out for more...