South Side Sox Slackcast 6 — Kopech needlessly crumbles

As we await word on the status of a key rotation piece pushed “ahead” in the rotation rather than back or skipped, here’s our immediate staff reaction

By Brett Ballantini, Tommy Barbee, Chrystal O'Keefe, Dante Jones, Lily Hass, Tyrone Palmer, Luke Smailes, Delia Ritchie, and Darren Black Aug 22, 2022, 4:43pm CDT

/ new

MLB: Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals — UMP: “Did your manager just send and keep you out here knowing your velo was down and something was off?” KOPECH: “Will I get in trouble if I say yes?”

You may be aware, and if you are first finding out by reading this, all apologies, but Michael Kopech left his start on Monday just four batters in. Reports are a bit unclear, but it seems that at most, Kopech was already showing signs of velo drop before taking the mound, and at least was left out to get fried by four batters while pitching on one leg.

It was early for Tony La Russa to be napping, but as we’ve already seen this year, sometimes he naps early.

Anyway, we do these every once in awhile, immediate reaction that is funny or insightful. If nothing else, it throws back the curtain on some of the inner workings.

Given the nature of this slackchat, there is (written) profanity, and if you find that unseemly, just skip to Chrystal’s follow-up postgame on the Kopech situation; theoretically, there will be less swearing.

We were going to be recording a podcast tonight anyhow; now, sadly, we really have something to discuss.