QUALITY START, BUT BAD FINISH
Shields settles in; Sox have trouble on basepaths late
BOSTON — When the White Sox traded for James Shields on June 4, 2016, it closed the door on their trademark go- for- it tendencies that often kept them in contention but almost always would leave them with little to show for their efforts.
‘‘ Mired in mediocrity’’ is how general manager Rick Hahn famously described their place, a familiar one, that summer.
The Shields deal cost the Sox right- hander Erik Johnson — no loss there — but also shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., whom they certainly would like to have back. The Sox also would like to recoup the cash spent on Shields, who was owed $ 58 million at the time, of which the Sox are on the hook for $ 10 million this season and next.
Tatis, the No. 58 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is thriving at the Class A level and would have given the Sox nine players on an already- bulging list of top- 100 prospects. But, hey, you can never have enough.
Seven of those came in trades of proven commodities, deals that have brought an avalanche of highly favorable reviews for Hahn from around the baseball industry.
The Shields trade, though, is a head- scratcher to this day — and not just in 20/ 20 hindsight. On the day of the trade, the bloom was already off the rose of a 23- 10 start to the season. Then Chris Sale lost a 7- 4 decision to Mike Pelfrey and the Tigers that afternoon, dropping the Sox to 29- 27, two games behind the first- place Royals.
At 34, Shields wasn’t the pitcher he had been throughout a workhorse career when the Sox traded for him, but the Sox expected much more, even though his strikeout rate was declining and his ERA was at 4.28. Shields would finish with a 5.85 ERA in 2016, go on the disabled list for the first time this season and bring a 6.19 ERA into his start Saturday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Here’s hoping the Sox’ evaluation of that minorleague talent they’re stockpiling pans out better.
In the Sox’ 4- 1 loss, Shields wasn’t bad. He gave up two- run home runs to Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the first two innings, then strung together four scoreless innings, a nice recovery for a rare Sox quality start.
It was somewhat representative of what he has been for the Sox: Shields has allowed a whopping 48 homers and has settled for spurts of quality innings while working with less stuff than he had in his prime.
‘‘ I’ve kind of been messing around with a few things the last couple of starts, a little different delivery,’’ Shields said. ‘‘ Nothing too crazy, but it seemed to be working out the last few innings.’’
Tatis, meanwhile, has developed into a swift power hitter with a strong arm and above- average ability defensively. The Sox had signed him in the international market for $ 700,000 as a 16- yearold the summer before trad- ing him, and the son of a former major- leaguer has blossomed since.
Perhaps shortstop Tim Anderson, the Sox’ firstround pick in 2013, will develop at the major- league level and make no one regret seeing Tatis go. Anderson, who’s struggling in his second season, led off the game against left- hander Drew Pomeranz ( 11- 4) with his 10th homer.
But that was all the Sox, who tumbled to 41- 67 with their 22nd loss in their last 26 games, could muster.
Bad baserunning by Alen Hanson ( easily doubled off first on a short fly to right in the seventh) and Leury Garcia ( picked off first by Craig Kimbrel in the ninth) put a bad finish on their fifth loss in a row.
The Red Sox will go for a four- game sweep Sunday.
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