Fortunately, that’s who’s next on the schedule!
The 2024 edition of the Chicago White Sox set a record for futility, their 41-121 overall record possessing the most losses of any MLB team in a single season. While that’s a record that the current Colorado Rockies might blow right past, it still serves as a reminder for just how deep and dark the South Siders’ current rebuild truly is.
Speaking of which, Baseball Reference lists the top two players on that 121 loss club from last year as pitchers Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet, respectively. Fedde, you may recall, was shipped out to the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline last year, while Crochet went to Boston this past offseason in his own blockbuster deal. Their rebuild, shall we say, is in full force.
So, it probably should come as zero surprise that they roll into Great American Ball Park this week to face the Cincinnati Reds while sporting an overall 12-29 record that has them parked in last place in the AL Central. That’s where they aimed to be, and that’s where they are. Their collective 76 wRC+ is worsted only by those Rockies (66) so far this season, while their 4.61 collective FIP ranks as 26th overall.
By design, this is not a club that’s supposed to come into your home ball park and beat you in a series. This much the Cincinnati Reds already know by heart, the only question being whether their own battered and bruised lineup can muster what it takes to put the screws to the White Sox meatballs all series long and get their record back over the .500 mark.
The Reds, for the record, have slipped back to mediocrity once again, their recent offensive funk (and loss of Hunter Greene to the IL) seeing them slide to 20-22 overall and in a tie for 3rd place in the NL Central – a full 4.0 games back of a Chicago Cubs club that looks like it may well be going places. We’re now well aware of their inept woes offensively at home – their collective wRC+ of 75 in home games is the lowest of any club in the game – and the time could never be better than now to rectify that.
What I’m saying, of course, is that this is precisely the kind of series where the Reds should excel, and anything short of that is merely further indictment that there are issues with this roster that need addressing sooner rather than later.
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, May 13th (6:40 PM ET): RHP Jonathan Cannon vs. LHP Andrew Abbott
Wednesday, May 14th (7:14 PM ET): RHP Davis Martin vs. LHP Nick Lodolo
Thursday, May 15th (12:40 PM ET): RHP Bryse Wilson vs. RHP Nick Martinez
How to Watch
All three of these games will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network. You can watch FDSN in-market through cable packages, though it’s also available to be streamed in-market with no blackout restrictions even without a cable subscription. You can check the link in the above sidebar (which I’ve re-linked right here) for more information on how you can do just that.
Per usual, you can view these games from outside the Reds TV market by catching the FDSN stream through MLB.tv.