Left-hander Garrett Crochet couldn’t sleep after his strong Opening Day outing. He struck out eight with no walks and allowed one run in the White Sox’ 1-0 loss to the Tigers on Thursday.
In six innings, Crochet threw 87 pitches, a lot for a first-time starter but warranted given the type of game he was having. After games — wins or losses — Crochet said he stays awake, replaying them countless times in his head or watching video.
But with Crochet adjusting to life in the rotation, it was always going to be about the day after the start. The recovery was always going to be key.
“I was able to get in here on the day off and take care of my business,” Crochet told the Sun-Times. “Now I’m just getting ready for Tuesday.”
Chris Flexen is the probable starter for the game against the Braves on Monday. Crochet is slated to pitch the second game.
He said he was able to hone his routine during spring training, mainly what to do on his days off.
“I like dry needling and doing mobility, hot tub and cold tub, that sort of thing,” Crochet said. “But really just resting it and doing the normal training-room routine.”
Dry needling is an invasive technique to decrease muscle tightness and improve blood flow.
Crochet was the third American League lefty to have at least eight strikeouts with no walks on Opening Day since 2002.
Mixing and matching
There’s a lot of room for lineup flexibility with the Sox’ roster. Manager Pedro Grifol said his bench players are talented and wants to get them some playing time regularly, not just to keep them warm.
He praised infielder Braden Shewmake, who was acquired from the Braves in November in the Aaron Bummer deal. Shewmake started Saturday at shortstop and had two hits, including a home run. His spring performance resonated with Grifol.
“He played every facet of the game that needed to be played to help us win baseball games,” Grifol said. “He bunted, ran the bases and stole bases. We pushed him a little bit on that front to really be aggressive on the bases, and it played like that. He made contact and played everywhere on the infield. He’s only played second and short, but we played him at third and first, and he looked really good.”
Shewmake had six stolen bases in spring training and had 27 in Triple-A last season.
Grifol said it’s too early to know how often Shewmake would play, but he intends to use the bench depending on matchups.
“I want to keep these guys sharp,” Grifol said of the bench hitters. “It’s not like, ‘OK, get their feet wet and then sit them.’ This is not going to be a little one-time thing just to get them in the game. That’s not part of the plan. The plan is to look for matchups, get these guys in, keep these guys sharp throughout the whole year, and let’s see where it ends up.’’
Colson and Colas
Shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery had his first Triple-A hit, an RBI single in the ninth inning of Charlotte’s 6-5 loss to Memphis on Friday.
Outfielder Oscar Colas went 2-for-3 with a double.
