Chicago's starting pitching remains a major concern, but a deep bullpen and an all hands on deck approach could provide the formula for closing out the AL Central race.
Friday night's victory in Minnesota provided a blueprint for how the Chicago White Sox will need to win games moving forward.
The starting pitching remains a concern. Luis Castillo got through just four innings on Friday night, allowing eight hits and four earned runs while recording only one strikeout on 75 pitches. His ERA with the White Sox now sits at 6.45, and in his five starts with Chicago, he's made it through five innings just once.
Then there's Sean Burke, who had been one of the best pitchers in the American League in the second half but is now at a new career high with 149 innings pitched and could be wearing down a bit. His last three starts have left something to be desired.
Erick Fedde and Jose Urquidy are essentially long relief pitchers at this point, and it's a mystery what the White Sox might get from Davis Martin the rest of the way in 2026. Martin had struggled to get through even one or two innings in most of his outings before landing on the IL with a blister. He's set to rejoin the team next week and start a game against the Houston Astros.
Chicago's starting pitching has been a concern for a while now, and in my estimation, the trade deadline is proving to be a failure given how little the White Sox added to address the issue. But that's beside the point now. The trade deadline is in the past, and with 28 games remaining in the regular season, the White Sox have a 3.5 game lead in the AL Central.
The starting pitching might not get better. It may be a problem that can't be fixed this year. But there's still a blueprint for how this team can win games, and it comes back to keeping the bullpen arms fresh.
The White Sox offense did the job on Friday night. They took an early lead, then retook it after Luis Castillo surrendered four runs in the first two innings. Leading 6 to 4 when Castillo departed the game, the White Sox turned to Hagen Smith, Grant Taylor, and Bryan Hudson, who delivered five scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and one walk. Taylor was particularly impressive, recording eight outs on only 27 pitches.
The talent in this bullpen is undeniable. Beyond those three arms, there's Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, and Huascar Brazoban if he can rediscover his pre trade deadline form once he returns from the IL.
The point is, there are enough arms in this bullpen for the White Sox to win close games when the unit is fresh. But how much success this team has down the stretch might depend almost entirely on that group.
During some of Chicago's recent struggles and stretches of poor play, including series losses to the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, you can look back at the bullpen failing to hold late leads as the difference in several of those games.
Then look at the sweep of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Look at Friday night's win over the Twins. It's the offense showing up to produce a lead and an all hands on deck approach from the bullpen to preserve it. And it might require the relievers to cover four or five innings on any given night.
Is that sustainable? I'm not sure. But I'm also not sure it has to be with only 28 games left to play.
There's a reason the White Sox continue to shuffle their roster and make moves with the pitching staff. Playing musical chairs with pitchers and continually adding fresh arms is how the White Sox can maintain a bullpen capable of compensating for the lack of reliable starting pitching.
When the calendar flips to September, we could see Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, Luis Castillo, Davis Martin, and someone like Drew Thorpe occupying the starting rotation spots. From there, you lean on Grant Taylor in the biggest moments of every ballgame. You try to stretch Sean Newcomb for two or three innings whenever he takes the mound and get the most out of Erick Fedde in a relief role.
Maybe it's Hudson closing out a game. Maybe it's Hicks. Maybe it's Taylor himself. But if the White Sox treat these next 28 games with a sense of urgency and do everything they can to keep the bullpen fresh, they have a blueprint for what it will take to win these hard fought games and run away with the AL Central title.
