(670 The Score) The White Sox have little to worry about when it comes to winning the AL Central, as they hold a 10-game lead entering play Wednesday.
The bigger concern for the team is keeping all of its players healthy as the playoffs loom in October.
On Tuesday afternoon, Chicago placed ace Lance Lynn on the 10-day injured list with knee inflammation that's been bothering him in recent starts. Later in the evening, right-hander Lucas Giolito exited his start early with hamstring tightness with one out in the top of the fifth inning.
"I pulled my hammy a bit after the swinging bunt play," Giolito said. "It reminded me of the feeling I had in my hamstring in 2019 when I pulled it. It wasn't as intense, so that is why I wanted to keep going, but it didn't hold strong. So that's why I came out of the game."
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Giolito will be re-evaluated Wednesday. Meanwhile, White Sox manager Tony La Russa called Lynn's trip to the injured list "precautionary," adding the team expects him to miss just one start. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, who has pitched superbly of late after being called back up from Triple-A, will fill Lynn's spot in the rotation.
"It is probably one of those things we could have kept going, but we didn't want to risk putting something in jeopardy where I was going to be worrying about things going down the stretch," Lynn said. "So we will use the off time as a little break here to make sure I am ready to go for the playoff push into October if we get that opportunity."
As Lynn's situation showcases, the White Sox will take a cautious approach down the stretch. Shortstop Tim Anderson has sat out the past two games as both of his hamstring are sore, and he's likely to sit out Wednesday as well before an off day Thursday.
It's all part of the bigger goal of winning the World Series as the White Sox want to be smart about each player's usage. Throughout the season, the White Sox have used the same mindset for star reliever Michael Kopech, who's feeling strong late in the season.
"This is my first time pitching in September since 2017," Kopech said. "So everybody is dealing with this and trying to be as fresh as they can be each day. It has been an adjustment for me, but I think we are on track. It's the same thing we all did the first part of the season, but it's just a little bit more focus work. Everyone has dealt with five months of baseball, so we have to pay attention to little details."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
