Part of manager Tony La Russa’s plan for navigating the second half of the season successfully is getting as much rest as possible for his pitchers.
That’s part of the reason Jimmy Lambert was called up from Triple-A to make a spot start Sunday. Rather than committing to a six-man rotation for a while, spot starts and off days can stretch the time between starts for the White Sox rotation.
“The way we figured it, by doing this today, if you think about how we started the second half with Dylan [Cease] pitching,” La Russa said. “He pitches Tuesday, so each guy will have a full week of rest, seven days. The only guy that will be a little different will be Thursday when we play Kansas City. Dallas [Keuchel] will pitch that game.”
This approach applies to the bullpen, too. Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel were brought over from the Cubs to help shoulder the load of high-leverage innings in close games. Tepera has already been used in the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Indians.
Friday’s trade for another closer in Kimbrel was completed in part because La Russa wanted a way to keep from overusing Liam Hendriks.
“We were really concerned, especially since we’ve been winning quite a few games, how much can you do with Liam and still keep him healthy and sharp,” La Russa said, “and to have Craig (Kimbrel) as the guy is a wonderful advantage.”
Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning Saturday with the Sox down a run. La Russa said before the game that whether he used Kimbrel or Hendriks on a given night would depend on availability, so the two closers will probably work in tandem.
More time at second for Vaughn?
The Sox may have added a full-time second baseman in Cesar Hernandez at the trade deadline, but Andrew Vaughn was taking grounders at second before Sunday’s game.
“I think he’s conquered the outfield and third base, so just to keep his interest up,” La Russa said. “The day he worked out at second base in Kansas City, he really looks very natural there. I just think he’s a good athlete. He’s got such a strong mind that it doesn’t hurt to keep building experiences all over the field.”
La Russa has stressed the importance of getting his pitchers extra rest during the final two months of the season, so added defensive flexibility would obviously help provide more time off for his regulars on offense as well.
Hamilton hits IL
Outfielder Billy Hamilton was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday — retroactive to Saturday, July 31 — with a right oblique strain, an injury Hamilton has dealt with at other times this season.
“He’s so active, that once in a while he tweaks it,” La Russa said. “We don’t think it’s anything that’s going to keep him out very long.”
There’s still no exact timetable for when Eloy Jimenez might return. La Russa said Saturday that it was “fingers crossed” for Jimenez to come back for Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals.
Reports from Triple-A Charlotte on Luis Robert have been positive, but La Russa said the team wants him to get more at-bats, and Robert is not expected to be available for the Royals series.
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