Crochet fans 11 in 6 innings vs. guardians
Sox win third in a row, fifth in last seven games
White Sox starter Garrett Crochet let out a scream as he walked off the mound after his career-high 11th strikeout.
Crochet had worked his way into some trouble. After allowing back-to-back singles, there were runners at first and third with two outs. But Crochet kept his resolve and struck out Guardians right fielder Ramon Laureano. It was Harry Potter Night at the ballpark, and Crochet summoned some wizardry to make it out of the sixth inning unscathed.
Crochet was stellar in the Sox’ 6-3 win Friday against the Guardians. In six scoreless innings, he allowed five hits and did not give up a walk.
What stands out about Crochet — other than his electric stuff — is his ability to work out of jams and improve after bad starts. He has allowed three runs in 17 innings in his three starts since his rough patch. Against Cleveland, Crochet threw 97 pitches, the most he has thrown all season.
“It was awesome,” first baseman Andrew Vaughn said. “He’s a special arm out there.”
Crochet started off the season with encouraging performances against the Braves and Tigers, but he hit a tough stretch in the middle of April. In a three-game span, Crochet allowed 17 runs in 11⅔ innings. He was allowing hard contact and wasn’t going deep into games. But Crochet adapted.
Maintaining an aggressive approach in the zone has paid off.
“I know that I’ve got good stuff, and I’ve been feeling really confident with it,’’ he said.
Crochet got Guardians slugger Josh Naylor to swing at a fastball out of the zone in the second inning. Naylor swung so violently that as he whiffed on the pitch, his bat flew out of his hands toward the Guardians’ dugout.
“You can know that a 99 mph fastball is coming, but you still can’t hit it,” catcher Korey Lee said. “That’s the beauty of him having that power and also having the cutter, changeup and slider in his back pocket.
“We’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing and keep on hammering it out between starts and bullpens. We’re going to keep on talking, and we’re going to build off this. It’s a really good starting point.”
Crochet’s average fastball sat at 97.1 mph. For the season, Crochet is in the 92nd percentile for fastball velocity, according to Baseball Savant. He’s 23rd in whiff percentage among qualified pitchers.
As the innings pile up, Crochet’s stuff remains at a high level. He’s nearing his career high in innings for a season (54⅓), but his arm doesn’t look like it’s showing signs of fatigue.
Crochet said he talked with the other starters about how they take care of their body, which has helped him on recovery days.
“We can’t forget that this is his first time starting,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “So what he’s doing is really incredible and a credit to him for the mindset that he had coming in and the work he put in during the offseason to be able to do what he’s doing.”
The Sox are gaining momentum, having won three in a row and five of their last seven games. Crochet said the Sox had to get angry back in April, and the team has played some of its best baseball in May.
“There were a couple of times tonight where they put up a run, and then we came and answered right back,” Crochet said. ‘‘That’s winning baseball right there. To have that edge on the offensive side, now I feel like we’re kind of firing on all cylinders.” ✶