White Sox Set to Begin Final Series of Season Against Twins
White Sox look to end season with another series victory against worst team in MLB. The White Sox will finish its fourth consecutive season under .500.
The Chicago White Sox will finally be able to end another disastrous season this weekend against the Minnesota Twins. After a loss to the Rays on Thursday, the Sox will finish its fourth consecutive season with a losing record. This will be the first time this has happened since 1989.
The Sox were riding a modest five game winning streak before its loss on Thursday. Despite the loss, the Sox were able to reach 77 victories for the first time since 2012, and improved on their win total from last season. However, this is still disheartening given the fact this team won’t be in the playoffs again.
Although the Sox will finish with a losing record, they can still end the season with some positive momentum towards 2017. The Sox have won two consecutive series, and will attempt to win its third as they face the Twins who own the worst record in MLB. At 57-102, the Twins are the only team with 100 or more losses this season.
The Twins haven’t had a good season as they were coming off a successful 2015 campaign. After nearly reaching the playoffs last season, the Twins haven’t looked like the same team from 2015. Although Brian Dozier is having a fantastic season, the Twins lack of starting pitching and timely hitting has doomed the team this season.
The Sox are 11-5 against the Twins this season, but they split its last series against Minnesota. Although the Sox have a winning record against the Twins, they don’t have a winning record against any other division team. The Sox poor record against the AL Central division has been a contributor to the team missing the postseason again.
With the Sox and Twins closing out the season this weekend, the Sox will have some intriguing storylines over the last three games. Jose Abreu will try to finish his third consecutive season with 100 or more RBI. Abreu is currently hitting .293 with 25 home runs and 98 RBI. It will take an incredible performance from Abreu to hit five home runs over the next three games to reach 30 home runs. However, Abreu still has a shot at 100 RBI on the season. If Abreu can accomplish this, it will be a remarkable end to a season that got off to a very sluggish start.
Another player looking to finish his season strong is Todd Frazier. On Wednesday, Frazier became the first Sox player since Adam Dunn in 2012 to hit 40 home runs in a season. Frazier is currently hitting .227 with 40 home runs and 98 RBI on the season. Although his batting average is relatively low, Frazier can also end his season with 100 or more RBI. With both Frazier and Abreu approaching 100 RBI, it’s a shame neither player will get to continue their year with some postseason games.
Chris Sale, who adamantly has admitted he would like to pitch a meaningful game, will once again miss out on the postseason. Sale tied a career-high in victories with his 17th on Tuesday against the Rays. Sale will be going for his 18th win of the season on Sunday in the Sox finale for 2016. The All-Star pitcher will most likely not win the Cy Young Award in the AL, but if he could reach 18 wins, this season will go still go down as one of his best.
This season for the Sox has been another disaster for the fans. With the final three games approaching, its time for fans to soak in baseball one final time before its gone for the next five months. The Sox will have a lot of decisions to make in the upcoming months, hopefully the franchise begins to head in the right direction.
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