CLEVELAND — There Tanner Bibee was in the ninth inning Friday at Progressive Field, still pumping out strikes and overpowering the White Sox’ lineup.
Bibee kept the Sox second-guessing all night and lived in the zone, cruising to a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 victory. It was an example of what the Sox lack — a young, ascending starter who can turn in a dominating performance. The Sox (57-91) didn’t have a hit after the third inning. Bibee (10-11) struck out 10 batters and allowed just two hits.
“He had us in between,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “That was the case last time we faced him, where you’re trying to get him up, eliminate the bottom of the zone, but we had too many takes in the zone. [We] needed to meet his aggression a little better there.”
In the battle of pitchers, Bibee got the better of Sox left-hander Martin Perez (1-5, 3.27 ERA), who allowed three runs and four hits, struck out three and walked two.
After allowing six runs and five hits over four innings against the Tigers in his previous outing last Saturday, Perez was back to his usual precision.
“He’s got a lot of pitches, and he can locate all of them,” said catcher Kyle Teel, who went 0-for-4 at the plate as the Sox’ offense struggled to back Perez up. “Although he’s not overpowering, he likes to go in on guys, and that works to get them off the off-speed stuff.”
Perez has arguably been the Sox’ best starter behind rookie Shane Smith — a testament to Perez’s abilities but also an indictment of the strength of the pitching staff, which has included a number of young pitches who haven’t taken any noticeable steps forward. Jonathan Cannon, for example, was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Aug. 8 after allowing 18 runs over three starts. The Sox recalled him to pitch last Thursday against the Twins. Relieving opener Fraser Ellard, he allowed five runs in 2„ innings before being sent back to Triple-A the next day.
Sean Burke, the Opening Day starter who was sent to the minors in August to work through his issues on the mound, was recalled to face the Rays on Wednesday and allowed three runs before leaving in the fifth inning of a 6-5 win.
Looking toward next season, the Sox currently can only pencil in Smith and right-hander Davis Martin. Perez has a $10 million mutual option for 2026. It’s unlikely the Sox will spend in free agency to acquire a starter, but their top pitching prospects in the farm system also haven’t had the best developmental year. Left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, two of the highest-rated prospects in baseball entering the season, have had rocky seasons at Triple-A and Double-A, respectively. Schultz was left off the Arizona Fall League roster after the team put him on the injured list following a flare-up of tendonitis. Smith has battled elbow injuries.
The Sox’ bats have shown promise at times this season. The pitching staff needs to follow.
“The preparation and the way [the young players] play the game is good,” Perez said. “We just have to finish strong. Like I’ve been telling you guys, next year is going to be a good year for this team.”