CHICAGO -- Paul Skenes has enough going on in his life, being the National League All-Star starter as a rookie with 11 career starts, as one example, without worrying about the success of other starting pitchers in the game.

But the Pittsburgh right-hander certainly has taken notice of Garrett Crochet, the White Sox All-Star who worked two perfect innings to open Friday¡¯s 4-1 loss against the Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field.

¡°I definitely know what Garrett is doing. It¡¯s fun to watch. He¡¯s unlike any other pitcher I¡¯ve ever seen in terms of how he moves,¡± Skenes said prior to the series opener. ¡°I don¡¯t know a whole lot about his repertoire or anything like that, but I know how his body moves and it¡¯s kind of what I pay attention to. It¡¯s interesting.

¡°It¡¯s really fun to watch him do it every outing for six or seven innings and punch out the guys he¡¯s doing with the ERA and all that. The stats speak for themselves but the way his body moves and the limited exposure I¡¯ve gotten to watching him pitch, it¡¯s fun to watch.¡±

That exposure to Crochet was limited Friday to 28 pitches, with 22 going for strikes. He struck out four, giving the southpaw a Major League-high 150 and making him the third pitcher in franchise history to record 150 strikeouts before the All-Star break along with Chris Sale (157 in 2015) and Dylan Cease (150 in 2022).

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol had talked a few times over the past week about making this a short start for Crochet, giving him the best chance possible to pitch in his first All-Star appearance Tuesday in Texas. It also factors in an innings watch for the talented hurler, who entered the 2024 campaign with 73 total over three seasons in relief.

His final first-half numbers check in at 107 1/3 innings pitched, 79 hits, 36 earned runs, 10 home runs, 23 walks, the 150 strikeouts and a 3.02 ERA. That vast mound success only adds to why he¡¯s one of baseball's best ¡®24 stories to date.

¡°Garrett is a special talent. We all know that, and I think he¡¯s starting to understand just how good he is. This is the very beginning for what¡¯s going to be a special career for him,¡± said White Sox reliever Michael Kopech, who has gone from starter to reliever to starter and back to reliever during his White Sox career. ¡°It impresses me more every time I see it, but I wouldn¡¯t say I was surprised. I knew what he could be.

¡°Seeing him do exactly that is incredible. It¡¯s a hard thing to do -- being consistent in this game -- and he¡¯s been about as consistent as you could ask for, no matter what position he¡¯s in. Middle reliever, leverage guy, starter. He¡¯s done exactly what he needs.¡±

Jonathan Cannon replaced Crochet in the third, and the rookie worked six innings. Cannon will return to the rotation after the All-Star break in Kansas City, while Crochet will not pitch until July 23 in Texas as the fifth White Sox starter to pitch after the break. Crochet will remain on the regular starter¡¯s routine, by his choice, even if it¡¯s an outing much like Friday.

¡°If workload management became a thing, would it be skipping a start or would it be kind of staying on routine and shortening starts? And [the latter] was what I voted for,¡± Crochet said. ¡°Just a five-day routine, being able to stay on that and get through the year healthy. That's the goal.¡±

Grifol also would not acknowledge the possibility of Friday being Crochet¡¯s final start for the White Sox. He¡¯s a popular trade target, with two years of arbitration remaining after ¡®24. But he¡¯s equally as valuable if not more so to the White Sox, who will only move Crochet if an understandably massive ask is met.

¡°Executing a deal is really, really hard,¡± Grifol said. ¡°And executing a deal with a potential superstar makes it that much more difficult. I¡¯m not focused on that. Garrett¡¯s not focused on that.¡±

Chicago missed a Skenes/Crochet pitching matchup by one day, with Skenes throwing seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts during a victory at Milwaukee on Thursday. Could that mound meet up happen at Tuesday¡¯s All-Star Game?

They both clearly are deserving.

¡°That would be cool. Out of my control, but yeah, that'd be cool,¡± Crochet said. ¡°Good first half. Not going to pat myself on the back just yet, but I'm happy with where I'm at. Healthy for the first half, that's always a plus. That's about all I'm analyzing right now.¡±

¡°I¡¯m a crossfire righty, crossfire low-slot righty. He¡¯s a crossfire lefty, but he has something like seven feet of extension and also throws 99 to 100,¡± Skenes said. ¡°It¡¯s tough for hitters. It¡¯s a different angle, obviously, than me. But trying to pick stuff off him as I watch him. It¡¯s fun to watch him move.¡±