White Sox Keep Paying the Price for Stubborn Pitching Strategy

The Chicago White Sox have an issue with their pitching staff. It's not a lack of talent as much as it is a lack of arms. And they'd be the first ones to admit it.

At the moment, the White Sox only have three starting pitchers on the active roster: Luis Castillo, Sean Burke, and Anthony Kay, after a recent move sent Erick Fedde to the bullpen. And it's been that way now for a full trip around the starting rotation.

The lack of arms, combined with the lack of off days on the White Sox schedule, with their next one not coming until August 27, has left their bullpen depleted this week during a Crosstown Classic series with the Chicago Cubs.

White Sox manager Will Venable has acknowledged that after each game, saying that the White Sox are "thin" in the bullpen right now and maintaining that it will be an "all hands on deck" approach for the staff.

Just one issue...The White Sox could very easily get themselves the help they need. But they're choosing not to.

On Monday night, the White Sox led the Cubs, 5-4, heading into the bottom of the ninth. Rather than send out their best relief pitcher in Grant Taylor with an opportunity to win the game, considering the fact that Taylor did not pitch on Sunday and had thrown just 11 pitches on Saturday night, the White Sox rolled with Jordan Hicks and eventually Hagen Smith before he gave up a walk-off home run to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The White Sox could have even used Bryan Hudson, but instead they were saving Hudson so that he could pitch the first inning on Tuesday as the opener. He did so and surrendered two solo home runs.

Again on Tuesday, the White Sox had a chance to win the game. They led 3-2 in the seventh inning, but blew the lead and eventually got walked off once again. Taylor did pitch in the ballgame but was removed after a long rain delay. And despite faring better against right-handed hitters this season, the White Sox warmed up Sean Newcomb, did not pitch him in the ballgame, and saved him so that he could be the opener on Wednesday while they watched another game slip through their fingers.

It's becoming a habit for Will Venable and the White Sox recently to give away wins in the name of saving a pitcher for tomorrow.

And to make matters worse, the simple roster move would solve a lot of these White Sox problems.

They've run into this issue because their bullpen arms are tired. Venable acknowledged that. So naturally, they've gone with the sensible option of rolling out a bullpen game on back-to-back days.

All it would take is recalling a starting pitcher for one day to give your bullpen a proper rest. Drew Thorpe is scheduled to make another start for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on Wednesday, as the White Sox prepare to use another bullpen game with Newcomb as the opener and Jose Urquidy following as the bulk inning relief pitcher.

The White Sox understand they might not have enough arms to get through the game, and it may cost them yet another win in a pennant race. And yet, Thorpe sits in the minor leagues.

A seemingly stubborn approach from the organization has cost them greatly over the last few days, and it could continue to cost them the rest of the way in 2026. The White Sox are by no means a lock to make the playoffs or win the AL Central. The odds will be stacked against them at Wrigley Field once again on Wednesday afternoon, and there's no off day coming to provide relief for the bullpen.

Sometimes in the game of baseball, you reap what you sow, and right now the White Sox are watching their decision to prioritize tomorrow over today come back to bite them.