Levine: White Sox Tailspin Is Correction In The Marketplace

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- This sudden free fall of the White Sox shouldn't be met with such great wonderment.

Chicago has lost some close games that have been painful, to say the least. Clearly, the 25-man roster performed admirably in April. Going 13 games over .500 and having a five-game division lead was the high point of the season for the White Sox.

Noting that the starting rotation was totally in sync and right-hander Mat Latos had won four games with an ERA under 2.00, you had a feeling watching the White Sox that their early domination of the division was built on a loose foundation carrying a glass house.

The White Sox are neither as bad as they have been  -- losing six straight and 14 of 18 -- nor as good as the team that was playing .675 ball on April 24. Call it a correction in the marketplace, if you will.

"Chicago has some great rotation pitching from their No. 1 and 2 starters," an American League scout said.

"The kid (Carlos) Rodon has really great stuff. Like all young pitchers, he is stuck between arm speed and brain speed. When young pitchers get in a jam, they try to throw too hard. He will be all right. The rest of the rotation is going to drag that bullpen down. (Mat) Latos is a five-and-fly guy. (Miguel) Gonzalez has been good, but that is a (pitching manager Don) Cooper project. The key is getting another real 200-inning-type starter. The bullpen is good enough, but it can't get used like it has been. They need more length from the rotation innings."

Three main bullpen components have had to appear in to many games. Zach Duke is on pace for 83 appearances, Matt Albers for 70 and Nate Jones for 68. Those numbers are based on prorating the next two-thirds of the season off of the first 51 games. These pitchers are good at what they do, but no bullpen can hold up under stressful innings every other game. Pennants aren't won in April and May, but they can be lost in those months.

Manager Robin Ventura has been saddled with a bullpen that lacks a long man. This model won't work for 162 games. The White Sox clearly need a couple of veterans to wear it when Ventura wants to sacrifice a game to save his A pitchers in the bullpen for a winning effort.

The offense will only get right when first baseman Jose Abreu finds his power mojo. Management did a fine job of bringing in some gritty players who like to play ball and grind it out. None of this worthwhile group is a superstar, and maybe only one is an All-Star. That premise leads to the fact that there will be peaks and valleys in offensive production.

Chicago's team defense has been really good. At times, it's been a key component to victory. Adding more pitching (perhaps James Shields) and cutting back on bullpen innings may be the only way to get back to playing .600 baseball.

You can blame Ventura if you would like for insufficient use of his bullpen. You can be upset at the relieers for blowing leads. All of that may indeed be misplaced.

A correction in the marketplace is closer to the reality of the situation. The White Sox have lost eight of their last 10 games. The losses came against the two teams in their division they must beat to make the playoffs. The correction in the marketplace has occurred. Are you buying or selling the White Sox as a commodity?

It's not all lost, butWhite Sox brass may now have to pull the trigger on a deal they hoped to wait until July to make. Getting Shields would be a really great statement to this worthwhile team and win over the hungry fan base.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.