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Posted at 11:20 AM EST.

2:10 PM EST. Daniel Gossett absolutely has risk. He comes in after two starts with a 7.20 ERA but that’s not accurate at all. Gossett was torched in his first game but rebounded nicely in his second start with 6.2 innings of six hits, two earned runs, no walks and six punch-outs. His fastball sits 92-94 from a high overhead slot, and he can touch higher. He can elevate it up and out of the zone for strikeouts and generally commands it well. The mid-80s change mimics the fastball well out of the hand. He has decent feel for a low 80s curve too. Gossett has a slight build and there is some recoil in the delivery to get the velocity. It’s not enough to damn him to the bullpen, but it can dampen his command profile. That, plus the high slot means he can have issues getting the fastball down in the zone, and it’s hittable when he gets it up and not out of the zone. Still, he possess four above to above average pitches and the South Side own the second worst batting numbers versus righties in MLB.  This isn’t about backing Gossett, however. 

While it didn’t work out for us last night when we faded the Red Sox due to the ceremony angle, we’re applying it again here. White Sox players will be on the field 1½-hours prior to game time (fans are being asked to show up at noon local time) to honour one of the most popular pitchers in White Sox history, Mark Buehrle. Buehrle is one of the more unlikely success stories in baseball (he was a 28th round pick) that won over 200 games, was a five-time All-Star, has a ring to his name, a no-hitter, a perfect game and was also perhaps the quickest working pitcher in history. It was not unusual to see a Buehrle-pitched game be completed in less than two hours. Aside from that, he rarely missed a start in almost 15 years of service and was also one of the more likeable players this game has ever seen. 

Then there’s James Shields. No, make that “Big Game” James Shields, who got that nickname how? Of the thousands of pitchers that have come through the majors, Shields’ is the last guy on the list we’d trust in a big game. He’s also the last guy we’d trust as the chalk. Shields’ has a 2.42 ERA after four starts, which is another example why you CANNOT trust ERA’s unless you’re Buck Martinez. What that ERA doesn’t tell you is that Shields has walked 11 batters in 22 frames. What that ERA doesn’t tell you is that Shields’ strand rate is an off-the-charts 91% in his small sample size this year. His 49% fly-ball rate isn’t likely to play well in this, his first start at home since he pitched there on April 6 on a chilly 43 degree day on the south side of Chicago. Pay more attention to Shields’ 5.59 xERA and 33% groundball rate. Shields’ arrow continues to point downward and in no way are we putting on the brakes in fading him every time he starts.

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