Sean Burke Restores Confidence in White Sox Playoff Rotation

In a 5-1 win on Tuesday night over the Astros, the Chicago White Sox got a big-time pitching performance from Sean Burke.

The 26-year-old right-hander had struggled in each of his previous three starts, throwing just 13.1 combined innings while surrendering 14 hits, 11 walks, and 10 earned runs. On August 26 against the Texas Rangers, Burke walked eight batters and was removed from the game without recording an out in the fourth inning.

Given the inconsistency of this pitching staff and the serious questions surrounding where the innings will come from, Burke's struggles have been a major point of concern. By now, he's well past his career high in innings pitched, and you never know when a young arm will begin to wear down over the course of a 162-game season.

Burke had been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the All-Star break. Even if he doesn't have his best stuff down the stretch, the White Sox need something closer to that version of Sean Burke if they want to win the AL Central and secure the No. 2 seed in the American League playoff picture. They got it on Tuesday night.

After walking the first two batters he faced, Burke settled in nicely and limited the traffic for the rest of his outing. He threw 104 pitches to get through 5.2 scoreless innings, holding the Astros to just one hit and four walks.

Burke departed with a 3-0 lead. The White Sox added some insurance, and the bullpen took care of things the rest of the way. It was a 5-1 White Sox victory that perfectly fit the blueprint for how this team wants to win games.

If Chicago can grab an early lead and get some innings from its starting pitcher, it's a force to be reckoned with. What we saw from Burke on Tuesday night should instill a lot of confidence in White Sox supporters. Not only did his performance lead Chicago to a critical win and allow the team to maintain its 3.0-game lead in the AL Central, but it also proved that Burke has more left in the tank.

Had Burke's struggles persisted and the White Sox dropped that game in Houston, the Cleveland Guardians would've made up even more ground. It'd also be difficult to see the vision for this pitching staff if Chicago's best starter was rapidly declining.

Thankfully, that's not the case.

With the Astros potentially awaiting the White Sox in the American League Division Series a month from now, Burke showed on Tuesday night why he can still be a dependable Game 1 starter for Chicago in a playoff series.