MINNEAPOLIS -- Any manager would tell you he¡¯d love to send his starting pitcher to the mound and then sit back and watch him deal for nine innings.
But most managers don¡¯t have that luxury. That¡¯s why handling relievers is such a big part of the game. And Will Venable got a crash course in bullpen management on Wednesday as the White Sox fell to the Twins, 6-3.
Thanks to a schedule that gives the White Sox just one day off in a 27-day span, Venable gave his starters an extra day of rest on Wednesday. That led to a big night for the bullpen, beginning with Bryse Wilson, who had started 52 games in his eight-year Major League career but hadn¡¯t filled that role since June 20, 2024.
Wilson battled for 2 2/3 innings and allowed one run before he was pulled with two outs in the third. He flirted with disaster in each of those innings, but he ended up limiting the damage with some timely outs. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the first, but Carlos Correa lined into a double play. Wilson faced a bases-loaded situation with two outs in the second but struck out White Sox killer Byron Buxton (more on him later) to escape unscathed.
The third inning began with two walks, but another Correa double play left Wilson a pitch away from getting out of the jam. Instead, Ty France singled home a run, and after Ryan Jeffers singled, Wilson¡¯s day was done.
Wilson credited his experience as a reliever for helping him get through those tense moments.
¡°Remaining calm -- I think that¡¯s part of the bullpen experience. It kinda comes back to help me a little bit,¡± Wilson said. ¡°Bases loaded, one out -- let¡¯s try to turn a double play or get a strikeout and get the [next] guy out. I think it¡¯s just staying calm and not letting it speed up too much on me.¡±
Venable brought in six more pitchers throughout the night, calling on nearly every available reliever to help carry the load. Some were more effective than others, while some performances were a mixed bag. For instance, Brandon Eisert escaped the jam Wilson left him, but the next inning, he allowed a leadoff double and Trevor Larnach¡¯s two-out RBI single. And Penn Murfee stranded his one inherited runner, then allowed a walk and two singles before being pulled in the fifth.
Steven Wilson and Jared Shuster were the only two White Sox pitchers who didn¡¯t allow a run. Wilson inherited a two-on, no-out situation from Murfee and retired the next three hitters. And Shuster put down the last four Twins in order, though they¡¯d already fallen behind 6-3 after Larnach homered for the second straight night, this time off Jordan Leasure in the sixth, and Cam Booser gave up a two-run shot to Buxton in the seventh.
Larnach¡¯s homer broke a 3-3 tie, but just barely. He turned on an inside fastball and yanked it down the right-field line. Before it could hook foul, the ball barely cleared the top of the 23-foot fence in right field.
¡°I thought it might go foul. I thought it might hit off the wall,¡± Leasure said. ¡°But it looks like the wind kind of pushed it out a little bit. That¡¯s baseball.¡±
Overall, despite losing the game, Venable and his coaching staff accomplished what they set out to do.
¡°We knew we were going to have to cover some innings and push some of those guys -- Leasure and Cam -- up there to try to give us a chance to keep it close and keep us in the ballgame there,¡± Venable said. ¡°We did the best we could without putting us in danger of not having coverage tomorrow at the same time.¡±