White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon can shape-shift his attack depending on the opponent.
His best trait is keeping hitters uncomfortable because of his command of multiple pitches. In the Sox’ 6-2 loss Sunday to the Cubs, Cannon succeeded by using his arsenal to give hitters different looks.
In the first inning, Cannon allowed a triple to leadoff man Pete Crow-Armstrong on a sharp line drive to center field. After Cannon got Kyle Tucker to ground out, Crow-Armstrong scored on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki. Cannon got Carson Kelly to fly out to right to end the inning.
He then retired 13 consecutive batters before the Sox’ defense let him down in the sixth.
With the game tied at 1 in the sixth, Cannon allowed a leadoff single to Vidal Brujan and a double to Crow-Armstrong. After right fielder Michael A. Taylor threw to second to try to nab Crow-Armstrong, Brujan broke for home and beat shortstop Chase Meidroth’s throw. The call was upheld after a challenge by manager Will Venable.
Then Tucker reached second after left fielder Brooks Baldwin misplayed his fly ball for an error. That was it for Cannon, who was replaced by Steven Wilson.
But the damage continued. Crow-Armstrong scored on Suzuki’s sacrifice fly, and Tucker scored on Michael Busch’s single to make it 4-1. Wilson recovered to strike out Kelly and get Dansby Swanson to pop out to end the inning.
The Sox (14-33) were swept for the fifth time, but Cannon continued his string of consistent performances, throwing five innings and allowing four runs (three earned) and four hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
To be his best self, Cannon had to let go of seeking perfection on each pitch. He has shifted to being more competitive in the zone early in at-bats.
“The best hitters and lineups … one of the things that makes them tough is you think you have to be perfect from the start,” Cannon told the Sun-Times on Saturday. “Once you get ahead, you earn the right to try and go for the strikeout and get some chase. But early, you just got to attack with your best stuff over the plate. It’s tough to be successful in this league out of the zone.”
Cannon walked three or more batters in four of his first six starts because he was throwing uncompetitive pitches outside the zone. But he hasn’t walked anyone in his last four starts, spanning 23 innings.
On Sunday, he leaned heavily on his cutter (34%). But he incorporated his sinker (23%), changeup (18%) and four-seamer (16%), helping him succeed against a Cubs lineup that had scored the second-most runs (197) against right-handers entering the game.
“Going out there and facing lineups like that in this atmosphere in the whole series and the whole hype surrounding it is very good for all of us,” Cannon said after the game.
As the Sox continue their rebuild, they have to identify players worth keeping and investing in. Cannon, with his pitch arsenal and inquisitive nature, is making a case to be one of those players.
“He’s a guy that can beat you in a lot of different ways, and he’s doing a good job of mixing it up,” Venable said.