Second-year fireballer Grant Taylor wanted to start for the White Sox this season, but general manager Chris Getz & Co. liked his 99-mph heater too much coming out of the bullpen.
Early this season, Taylor leads the Sox with three starts, just not the way he would’ve liked.
Manager Will Venable put him on the mound as the opener for Sox starters in three of their last four games, a testament to the organization’s faith in Taylor’s stuff as much as their starters’ early-season jitters. A brutal first run through the rotation ballooned the Sox’ team ERA to the highest in baseball in the first week of the year.
Taylor was near flawless as the opener for the home opener against the Blue Jays, setting down the top of the defending American League champions in order — and setting the tone for the rebuilding Sox to earn a little swagger with their home series sweep. It took just nine pitches for Taylor to mow down the first three Jays Friday and another nine pitches Saturday.
“It’s been as good as I’ve seen Grant,” Venable said before Taylor’s opening appearance Monday, which made him just the fifth MLB pitcher since 1924 to start three times in four days, and the first since legendary Sox hurler Wilbur Wood did in 1973.
Taylor served up a leadoff double to open the Sox’ three-game set with Baltimore, but he secured a strikeout and two flyouts to set the stage for bulk pitcher Erick Fedde. He settled in for six innings of two-run ball in the Sox’ 2-1 loss as a ninth-inning rally fell short.
“That first one against the Blue Jays was maybe as good as I’ve seen any pitcher,” Venable said of Taylor. “He finds a little more juice in there, especially if he knows what the parameters of the start are going to be.”
Communication is key as the Sox try to balance the routines and psyches of a young pitching staff with the need to finally start winning more games. Opening returns have been promising from Taylor, who also opened two games his rookie year.
Starter Sean Burke, touched up for seven hits and four runs in his first start of the year at Milwaukee, settled in nicely after Taylor in the home opener, throwing six innings of one-run ball in the bulk role.
Burke posted a 5.73 ERA in the first innings of his games last season, but it sank below 3.00 in the second and third innings. That’s why the Sox are going back to the opening well.
“We’ve done it in the past, just to get them out of the first inning and let them settle in and go deeper into games for us,” Getz said.
Rotation mate Anthony Kay gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in 4 ⅔ innings against the Brewers in his first start, and he didn’t fare much better after a Taylor table-setting against the Jays: two runs on three hits and two walks 4 ⅓ innings.
“Obviously, you want to start the game. It just adds a little element to it,” Kay said. “But going out there, you try and do the same stuff that you’ve been doing your whole career in trying to treat it like a start.”
But Kay said throwing Taylor in the first inning “punches the team in the mouth a little bit and can get them off balance a little bit.”
Venable said there was no secret plan to open with Taylor three times in four days; the match-ups simply made sense, and they’ll consider the strategy on a series-by-series basis.
“We’re all working together here to accomplish the same thing. So I think just that approach alone, and giving them a voice in this too, and autonomy to speak up for what they believe in and what’s important to them — it doesn’t feel like we’re really selling anybody on anything,” Venable said. “We’re just all putting our heads together to do the best thing to try to win.”
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
