Where White Sox stand in the AL Central

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The White Sox unofficially went from 5 1/2 games back to 3 1/2 back to 4 1/2 back in the American League Central over the course of one hour on Sunday.

It was a snapshot of the entire 2023 season for manager Pedro Grifol’s crew and the division as a whole. Here’s how it all played out.

Minnesota, the leader by 4 1/2 games starting Sunday, held a 6-1 lead over Toronto in the fifth, and the White Sox were being shut down by Miami’s Braxton Garrett via a 1-0 deficit into the sixth in Chicago. But Cavan Biggio’s three-run, eighth-inning homer gave the Blue Jays a 7-6 comeback victory, and the White Sox scored five unanswered runs off the Marlins’ bullpen, punctuated by Luis Robert Jr.’s two-run homer in the seventh.

Gaining a game on the Twins seemed a near certainty, especially with Keynan Middleton (14 straight scoreless games) and Kendall Graveman (16 straight) closing matters. A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to gaining that game, though. The Marlins launched two solo home runs off Middleton in the eighth and scored three in the ninth off Graveman, with Bryan De La Cruz’s double serving as the game-winner.

In reality, the White Sox did nothing wrong short of losing. The bullpen, which as a group has been as good as any in baseball since May 13, had an off day … for a second straight day. It happens.

“But it doesn't change anything. Those guys are beasts,” White Sox starter Lucas Giolito said. “They've been doing it amazingly well all year.”

These losses dropped the White Sox to 29-38, which represents the AL’s fourth-worst record. That ledger doesn’t scream “playoff contender” as of June 13. But they also stand 4 1/2 games behind the .500 division leader from Minnesota.

So once again, I ask a question I’ve posited in numerous newsletters: Who are these White Sox? Pretender or contender? That same question was asked quite frequently during the 2022 campaign, with the answer being “a team mired in mediocrity,” but it took until mid-September to get the final verdict. Trying to figure out this current group becomes more important with the Trade Deadline gradually approaching.

Do the White Sox build off this 21-17 run following a dreadful March/April and keep this crew together? Do they make moves to refresh on the fly, if not necessarily rebuild?

Tuesday in Los Angeles starts a stretch of 16 games at the Dodgers (three), at the Mariners (three), home vs. the Rangers (three) and Red Sox (three) and at the Angels (four). More might be known by the start of July, but if you look back at my old newsletters, I said the same at the start of June.

Someone has to win this division, and the AL Central crown won’t be forfeited if that titlist finishes with 78 or 79 wins. It’s difficult to tell if that honor will go to the White Sox, whose chances change by inning let alone by game, week or month.