SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and current downtown Chicago correspondent, Will, were just settling in for their first podcast of the regular season when the White Sox announced that Eloy Jiménez is headed to the IL with a theoretically minor hamstring issue. Not good.

On the good side, the praise is for the Cuban contingent, especially Luis Robert Jr.’s incredible fielding and Yoán Moncada’s hot start at the plate, with plenty left over for the start of Oscar Colás’ White Sox career and the (at least temporary) resurgence of Yasmani Grandal’s bat, if not his defense.

Further praise goes to Dylan Cease for his great first start (the podcast was recorded before No. 2), with reserved kudos for the other starting pitchers in Houston, who took a whole lot of pitches to get through a depleted Astros lineup, with FIP showing Lance Lynn and the new guy getting a whole lot of luck and Lucas Giolito getting ill-treated by fortune.

That, of course, doesn’t include whatever happened to Michael Kopech on Monday, which both agreed could not just have been a matter of pitch-tipping.

As for the bullpen and its 9.90 ERA, both agreed the best reliever far and away in the young season has been Hanser Alberto, though Will disagreed that Hanser should be handed the closer’s job, at least until Liam Hendriks is back.

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