Rangers vs. White Sox: Rocker vs. Urquidy & Playoff Implications
Kumar Rocker takes on the White Sox as the Rangers falter in the wild-card chase. Jose Urquidy's return stirs mixed feelings. Can White Sox leverage this?
Video Transcript
We're gonna get ready for two teams that are very much in the wild card and/or post-season picture, and that's the Rangers at the White Sox.
Kumar Rocker on the mound for the Rangers.
Your quitting on the mound for the White Sox here, and, it feels like the White Sox are heading the wrong way.
The Rangers offense I can trust, Tom.
I don't kn- this could go one of a few different ways here.
I talk about two teams I do not trust, and two pitchers I do not trust here.
Where, where's the angle?
Runs?
Oh, I, I don't know.
This, the Rangers have been absolutely infuriating to me this season.
Oh.
As someone that's holding a, a ticket on them to make the playoffs at plus 120 since, you know, before the season started, which I bet back in March, I have been sweating this out really for weeks at this point.
You win two, you lose two.
You win three, you lose three.
You win You're the They are just the epitome of a 500 team.
But when it comes to this match up, I want to say, okay, Kumar Rocker, I know who he is at this point.
He just, he hasn't been great.
He looks good at times.
He can't string together long starts.
But Jos Urquidy has not been in the majors for a couple of years.
He gets called up from triple A, and he gets signed.
He has a couple good outings.
If there's any time for the Rangers offense to get things going, it should be against Jos Urquidy, and I just don't know if I can trust the Rangers offense to do so.
I wanna bank on runs, and I wanna bank on the, the, the Rangers money line, but it is a tough sell.
It, it really is.
I mean, and I, I don't know, what do you think about maybe White Sox first five, White Sox maybe team total over?
It- Sure it just feels like Rocker on the road is going I, I have more faith in the White Sox offense, than I do the, the Rangers at the moment here.
So it feels like, I think the White Sox can get to Rocker.
I, I even though he hasn't, you know, he hasn't been here in how long, but do we really trust that offense to take advantage of that?
I don't know that I can, Tom.
That's the problem.
I can't either.
Rocker hasn't been good, to your point, over the last 30 days.
We're looking at a 5.76 ERA.
He's allowing 1.8 home runs per nine.
His ground ball rate's only 36%, like he is struggling.
And, yeah, Urquidy has 9.2 innings pitched just because he just got called up, and he's actually looked somewhat decent.
But man, the White Sox, they better be able to get to Kumar Rocker, like this is the type of match up that- That's what I'm thinking since they've been, you know The White Sox have been okay-ish over the last few weeks, like this is the kind of match up that they should be ready for.
They're at home.
They had a nice walk off against the Mets.
He can't pitch to lefties, right?
Let's get the offense going.
What do they got, s-seven of them they can throw against them?
So tonight they're gonna be rolling out- It's p- what is it?
One, two, three, four, five, six.
They have seven lefties in their lineup tonight, the White Sox do.
That's right.
Give me runs.
It, like give me- Yeah White Sox team total or if they can't get to Rocker early, maybe even a first five over.
But expecting the Rangers offensively to do good things has not been a recipe for success, Tom.
Every time I try to back them, they just can't score against some of the worst pitchers.
But I do think that's not a bad look here, going in that direction.
Little team total over with the White Sox at home.
Too many power bats there to be able to get something done.
