White Sox's Michael Kopech: Strikes out nine Sunday
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Kopech allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Tigers on Sunday.
After a bumpy 10-strikeout effort versus the Angels on Monday, Kopech was back on track with a strong start. He limited the damage to a Spencer Torkelson two-run home run in the fourth inning. This was the third time in his last four starts that Kopech went at least seven innings, and he's had at least nine strikeouts in all of those efforts. For the season, he's at a 4.33 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 79:32 K:BB through 68.2 innings. The right-hander's 4.2 BB/9 is still concerning, but he's shown enough strikeout potential, especially recently, to garner fantasy interest. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the Marlins.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Fans 10 in loss
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Kopech dropped to 3-5 after striking out 10 while allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.1 innings in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Angels.
Kopech gave up four runs on two homers in the first inning but was able to dance around trouble for the rest of the outing. He struck out 10 batters but needed 102 pitches to get through just 4.1 frames. The 27-year-old also matched his season high by forcing 17 swinging strikes. Kopech has compiled a filthy 29:3 K:BB over his last three starts but his ERA jumped back up to 4.52 after Monday's shaky performance. He's projected to start at home against the Tigers this weekend.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Dominant again Wednesday
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Kopech (3-4) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings against the Guardians. He struck out nine.
Kopech has now thrown 15 scoreless innings over his last two starts, allowing just three hits while striking out 19 in that span. It's been quite a turnaround for the 27-year-old right-hander, who posted a 5.97 ERA in his first three starts. Kopech lowered his ERA to 4.24 with a 1.22 WHIP and 60:29 K:BB across 10 starts (57.1 innings) this season. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, currently lined up for next week at home against the Angels.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Though he delivered a 3.54 ERA last year, the consensus among Fantasy Baseball analysts was that Kopech was trending in the wrong direction. The biggest concern was the stuff itself. His fastball had lost some velocity with his move out of the bullpen, and his slider didn't have the same bite either. But so far this year, the fastball at least is looking like a weapon again. Its velocity is back up a bit, and he's been leaning on it more, throwing it 70 percent of the time in Friday's gem against the Royals, in which he allowed one hit in eight innings. He also walked none, and that's likely the key for him moving forward. He's still at 5.0 BB/9 for the year, but he's showing enough bat-missing ability again to justify a speculative add.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Spectacular in win
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Kopech (2-4) allowed one hit and struck out 10 over eight shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Royals.
Kopech's lone blemish was a single to Michael Massey in the sixth inning, and Jackie Bradley promptly grounded into a double play to erase the mistake. This was arguably the best start of Kopech's career as he flirted with history while throwing 65 of 98 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old trimmed his ERA to 4.83 with a 1.33 WHIP and 51:28 K:BB across 50.1 innings through nine starts this season. He'll look to build off of this successful outing when he takes the mound next week in a projected road start in Cleveland.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Next start coming Friday
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Kopech is scheduled to make his next start Friday against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Kopech had been lined up to start Thursday's series finale with the Guardians in Chicago, but manager Pedro Grifol will instead use Monday's off day to reorder the rotation. Staff ace Dylan Cease will be moved up a day and flip spots in the order with Kopech, who will now take the hill for the series opener with Kansas City.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Struggles with command
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Kopech (1-4) allowed two runs on one hit and six walks over 4.2 innings Friday, striking out five and taking a loss against Houston.
Kopech worked through three shutout frames before the Astros got on the board in the fourth. The 27-year-old righty failed to complete five innings for the first time since his season debut April 3. His command has been shaky all year, but Friday's outing set a new season high with six walks. For the year, Kopech is sporting a 41:28 K:BB and 5.74 ERA through 42.1 innings. He's currently scheduled to face the Guardians at home next week.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Snags first win
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Kopech (1-3) allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out two and earning a win over the Reds.
It wasn't the cleanest outing but Kopech cruised to victory with a whopping 17 runs of support from his offense. Unsurprisingly, he struggled with the long ball in Cincinnati, serving up four solo homers, including Jonathan India's leadoff shot in the first inning. Kopech had allowed just three home runs over his previous five starts after coughing up five in his season debut. The 27-year-old now owns a 5.97 ERA and a 36:22 K:BB across 37.2 innings. Kopech is projected for a tough home matchup against the Astros next week.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Falls to 0-3
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Kopech (0-3) took the loss Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
It was another disappointing outing for Kopech, who allowed four runs while matching a season low with four strikeouts. In five starts this year, Kopech has made it through six innings once. His ERA rises to an unsightly 7.01 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP and 27:16 K:BB. He'll look to get on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against the Twins.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Fans nine in no-decision
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Kopech didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Rays, surrendering five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out a season-high nine.
As has been the norm for Kopech to begin the season, he looked dominant at times but also fell victim to one bad inning, in this case a four-run first by Tampa Bay. The right-hander generated 16 swinging strikes on 104 pitches, but his command remains erratic -- he's walked at least three batters in all four of his outings. Harold Ramirez's two-run shot in the opening frame was the eighth homer Kopech has served up in only 20.2 innings. He'll carry a 6.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB into his next start, likely to come next week in Toronto.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Control issues in no-decision
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Kopech didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Orioles, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks over five-plus innings. He struck out four.
The right-hander seemed to be cruising toward a quality start, allowing just one run through the first five innings, but a solo shot by Anthony Santander followed by a walk to Austin Hays to lead off the sixth chased Kopech from the game. It's the second time in three starts the wheels have come off for him in a hurry in a later inning. Kopech will carry a 6.32 ERA and 14:10 K:BB through 15.2 innings into his next outing, likely to come next weekend in Tampa Bay.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Solid effort in second loss
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Kopech (0-2) took the loss Sunday, allowing one earned run on two hits and three walks over six innings as the White Sox fell to the Pirates. He struck out five.
The 26-year-old performed well in his second start, giving up a single run and two hits following his rough season debut. Kopech gave up a sacrifice fly to Jack Suwinski in the first inning, which turned out to be the only run scored in the game. The right-hander looked crisp despite the loss, giving some much-needed hope for a White Sox rotation that has struggled out of the gate. Kopech owns a 6.75 ERA and 10:6 K:BB through 10.2 innings pitched.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Allows five homers in loss
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Kopech took the loss Monday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 4.2 innings of work against the Giants. He struck out five.
Kopech could not keep the ball in the park during Monday's loss, as five San Francisco hitters took him deep before his exit. The right-hander fell behind in counts consistently through his 4.2 frames, as he threw first strikes to hitters just 13 out of 25 attempts. It's a disappointing first outing for Kopech after some high praise for his work this spring, but he'll get a chance to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled for Sunday against the Pirates.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Pitched through illness Thursday
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Kopech said he was pitching through a respiratory issue during his Cactus League start Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The ailment was evident as he sounded hoarse during his post-outing chat with the media, per Van Schouwen. Kopech got knocked around for five earned runs on seven hits and four walks over just three innings of work against the Giants. He said he struggled to find his timing, probably because he wasn't feeling 100 percent. The 26-year-old remains locked into a spot in Chicago's season-opening starting rotation.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Clean spring debut
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Kopech didn't allow a baserunner across three scoreless innings while striking out one in Cactus League action Sunday against the Angels.
The outing was Kopech's debut this spring, as he was brought along slowly while recovering from offseason knee surgery. He showed no ill effects while touching 98 mph with his fastball and requiring only 37 pitches to complete his work. Kopech still has plenty to improve upon in future outings, including throwing his changeup more -- he threw it only once Sunday -- and adjusting to the pitch clock, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Increasing changeup usage
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Kopech is planning to throw his changeup more in 2023, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Kopech has reportedly been working on his changeup this offseason and is hoping the pitch helps boost the effectiveness of the rest of his arsenal, which already includes a fastball, a slider and a curveball. According to Baseball Savant, Kopech threw his changeup only 25 times in 2022 -- primarily using it against left-handed batters.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: No lingering issues
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White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Thursday that Kopech (knee) doesn't have any lingering issues this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Kopech reported early to White Sox camp in Arizona and has already completed a couple of successful bullpen sessions. "He's on pace," said Grifol. "He's in a good spot." The 26-year-old was limited to 119.1 innings (25 starts) last season due to knee and shoulder issues, but he appears to be locked into a regular spot in Chicago's starting rotation heading into 2023.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Avoids arbitration
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Kopech (knee) signed a one-year contract with the White Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Kopech offered a mixed bag in 2022, holding a 3.54 ERA but with a 105:57 K:BB over 119.1 innings before shoulder and knee injuries prematurely ended his season. The hope is that he will be ready for spring training, but he won't be a good bet for a full workload in 2023.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Rehab more gradual than anticipated
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Pitching coach Ethan Katz said Thursday that Kopech's (knee) rehab process has been more gradual than expected, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Kopech missed the end of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury and underwent surgery on his right knee in early October. While he hasn't progressed as quickly as anticipated, the White Sox still expect him to be ready for the start of spring training, and he's expected to be ready to throw 85 pitches over five innings by the time the regular season gets underway.
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White Sox's Michael Kopech: Undergoes knee surgery
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Kopech (shoulder) underwent surgery on his right knee Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Kopech was already likely to miss the rest of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury. That's now official, and he'll end the campaign with a 3.54 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 105:57 K:BB across 119.1 frames. Kopech is expected to overcome both issues in time to pitch without limitations for the beginning of spring training in 2023.
