(670 The Score) The White Sox were a win away from the .500 mark and seemed to be improving as of last Thursday. Then the defending World Series champion Red Sox put crooked numbers all over the scoreboard the rest of the weekend.
Here are the latest trends surrounding the White Sox:
THREE UP
1.) Abreu trending up
White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has been among the hottest hitters in baseball recently. Since April 19, Abreu has posted a slash line of .431/.484/.793, reaching base in each of the last 14 games. Abreu also has five homers and 23 RBIs in that span.
An All-Star starter in 2018, Abreu saw his season numbers dip in the second half of the season, which left concerns as to whether he may be on the decline. He has a weighted-on-base-percentage of .380 and weighted-runs-created-plus of 142 this season, both well above his marks of 2018.
2.) Yo Yo stays up
The early trends for Yoan Moncada remain positive. He has a slash line of .287/.348/.496, which is well above his marks of a year ago. With six homers and 20 RBIs, he's on pace to top his totals in 2018. Additionally, Moncada has a .209 isolated power average, which is another improvement.
Most important for Moncada is his strikeout rate has decreased to a more normal 24.8 percent, down from his league-worst 33.4 rate a year ago. He's seeing the ball better and squaring it up.
3.) Consistent Colome
Amid all the chaos with the White Sox pitching staff, there's reliable veteran reliever Alex Colome. He has been the brightest spot out of the bullpen, posting a 1.98 ERA over 13 2/3 innings and 14 appearances.
THREE DOWN
1.) Pitching woes
After allowing 30 runs over the past three rough games with the Red Sox, the White Sox now have a 5.67 team ERA, the second-worst mark in baseball, behind only the Orioles.
The White Sox starters have produced a 6.74 ERA over 32 starts this season, while the bullpen has a 4.29 mark. Additionally, the White Sox have walked 4.44 batters per nine innings, worst in the big leagues.
2.) Lopez struggles
The 14-strikeout performance by right-hander Reynaldo Lopez on April 28 offered a glimpse at how good he can be, but the rest of the picture for his season has been ugly.
Lopez has a 6.69 ERA in 36 1/3 innings across seven starts. He has allowed 4.95 walks per nine innings and 2.23 homers per nine innings. Last season, Lopez posted a 3.91 ERA over 32 starts. He will need to get hot in order to top those totals.
3.) Rodon injury woes
Left-hander Carlos Rodon had offered some reasons for hope early this season, but he became the latest White Sox starter to land on the injured list. He's suffering from left elbow inflammation that has created serious concern.
Everything is on the table for Rodon, including Tommy John surgery, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters recently. It would be the latest setback in the organization's rebuild.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
