Is White Sox future sunny or cloudy, plus Cubs solo act flops again

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Even when things look bright for the White Sox, clouds seem to obscure the sunshine, both literally and figuratively.  Michael Kopech took the mound for his first start in a White Sox uniform.  The bad news?  His first start lasted two innings.  The good news, it lasted only two innings due to a rain delay. 

It was anti-climatic but...

As for the rest of the game, the Twins defeated the White Sox 5-2.  The Sox bullpen, in general was okay, but Luis Avilan was touched up for two runs.  The game was tied going into the ninth.  The Twins then got to Dylan Covey and Jace Fry for three runs.  The Sox offense consisted of solo homers by Nicky Delmonico and Yoan Moncada.  Offense could be an issue for the Sox because…. 

Well, that's disappointing

The Sox were hit by a barrage of injuries.  Jose Abreu will be out two weeks after outpatient surgery on his groin area.  Sounds like ouchpatient surgery.  Leury Garcia has a Grade 2 hamstring injury.  It seems like Leury just can’t stay on the field.  This injury could end hi season.

Where's the rest of the band?

The Cubs solo act has really gotten old. For the fifth straight game the Cubs offense consisted of only one solo home run.  Tuesday night it was Anthony Rizzo’s turn.  By the time Rizzo homered in the sixth, the Cubs were down 2-0 to the Tigers and Jordan Zimmermann.  For a team that supposedly has a collection of good hitters, the Cubs sure haven’t scored much.

A nice lesson from The Professor but..

As for the Cubs pitching, Kyle Hendricks gave them a quality start, going seven innings and allowing two runs.  Kyle gave up 10 hits while striking out only three, but should have gotten a win.  Jesse Chavez pitched a scoreless eighth.  The Cubs desperately need offense.  And they took a big step to get it.

Hopefully this move doesn't turn out to be Murphy's Law

The Cubs traded for Nationals second baseman and Cubs killer, Daniel Murphy.  Murphy has been swinging a hot stick since the All-Star Game.  I’d look for Javy Baez to play more shortstop and Murphy to play a lot of second base.  According to Joe Maddon, Addison Russell has been playing through an injury.  Russell’s role will almost certainly be diminished.

Leave it off your resume

The nationals have been an immensely underperforming team.  How can a team with Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and a bunch of other talented guys be under .500?  This is not going to look good on first year manager, Dave Martinez’s resume.