'Putting it together': Lynn, Frazier pave way for sweep
Joey Pollizze
CHICAGO -- When the White Sox ended April with an 8-21 record, the team knew it was better than its record anticipated. May has been a much different month for the South Siders.
In Sunday¡¯s 5-2 win against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field -- behind a key scoring rally started by newcomer Clint Frazier and a solid outing from Lance Lynn -- the White Sox completed their first sweep of the season and moved to 11-8 in May.
This also marked Chicago¡¯s fourth series win of the month after winning zero in March/April.
¡°Everyone knows we got an extremely talented team,¡± Romy Gonz¨¢lez said. ¡°We¡¯re just putting it together. Playing great defense, situational hitting, pitching well, bullpen¡¯s doing great. When we¡¯re clicking, we¡¯re definitely a dangerous team.¡±
The White Sox called up Frazier before Sunday¡¯s series finale, and he made a nice first impression to start a key fifth-inning rally. With the team down 2-1, the right fielder pulled an inside fastball for a single -- his first hit of the season. Then, Gavin Sheets followed with a single before Gonz¨¢lez tripled home both runs.
That¡¯s the type of at-bats the White Sox expect from the 28-year-old.
¡°Frazier is a good addition to our ballclub,¡± manager Pedro Grifol said. ¡°He brings a lot of energy. He played good in the outfield, his at-bats were good, his hands are quick, and he's got a live body. I¡¯m glad he¡¯s here. I¡¯m looking forward to watching him play and just become a part of us.¡±
Frazier signed a Minor League deal with the White Sox at the end of April and found himself on the roster less than a month later, thanks to an impressive showing at Triple-A Charlotte. He slashed an impressive .375/478/.839 with five doubles, seven homers, 13 RBIs, and a 1.317 OPS in 16 games.
The former top-25 prospect in 2017 hasn¡¯t lived up to his potential in the big leagues. He hasn¡¯t played more than 69 games in a season and entered Sunday as a career .238 hitter.
But the talent is there, and the White Sox recognize that.
¡°The bat speed, the way the ball is coming off the bat, his recognition, just the way he plays -- with a lot of energy, plays hard -- and he¡¯s got some talent,¡± Grifol said pregame. ¡°He¡¯s faced some adversity in this game, and he feels like he¡¯s gotten through a lot of that adversity, and he¡¯s in a good place right now.¡±
After Frazier started the scoring rally in the fifth that led to three runs, Chicago added another run in the seventh to back up Lynn¡¯s quality start.
The right-hander¡¯s season hasn¡¯t been perfect, but he has now turned in back-to-back quality starts for the first time in 2023. He allowed just two runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts across six innings on Sunday.
¡°Lance did a heck of a job,¡± Grifol said. ¡°He gave up those runs in the second, and then he just settled in and pitched and does what he does. He keeps us in games, and he just knows how to navigate through a lineup three times. He¡¯s really good at it, [and threw] some really, really good pitches.¡±
His outing marked the sixth straight quality start for White Sox starters. During that span, Chicago¡¯s rotation has allowed just nine earned runs across 39 1/3 innings (2.06 ERA). The team went 5-1 in those games.
¡°The starters as a whole are doing what we¡¯re capable of and that¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to do day in and day out, Lynn said. ¡°If we do what we¡¯re supposed to do, it puts the bullpen in a good spot and I¡¯ve seen them really take off too. And then when we¡¯re throwing the ball well, the defense is making plays and the offense is scoring. So, we just have to keep playing good baseball.¡±
After a rough April for the White Sox, they remained confident in each other and their ability to turn it around. They still have a long way to go -- 10 games under .500 (19-29) -- but things are certainly trending in the right direction.
¡°No mindset that was different earlier in the year,¡± Lynn said. ¡°We¡¯re just having success now. If you stay the course, keep doing what you¡¯re supposed to do, and keep working hard, good things will happen. And right now they are.¡±