ANAHEIM — Much has been made about Chicago’s June 13 trade that sent former first-round Draft pick Andrew Vaughn to the Brewers in exchange for starting pitcher Aaron Civale.
Vaughn has been tearing the cover off the ball since joining Milwaukee’s Major League roster on July 7, posting a slash line of .371/.431/.726 in 18 games. His 1.157 OPS in that time is the fourth-best mark among qualified hitters.
While it’s true that Vaughn has been one of baseball’s best hitters over the last month, it’s also true that Civale has been one of the top starters since the All-Star break. Civale dazzled yet again on Saturday night in a 1-0 win over the Angels, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out eight batters and allowing just three runners to reach base at Angel Stadium.
“He was so good overall. He made my job really easy,” said catcher Kyle Teel, who drove in the only run of the game. “He had a lot of conviction on the mound. I could have been blindfolded. He was hitting his spots.”
Civale has been nothing short of unbelievable in his three starts since the All-Star break: 17 1/3 innings, no earned runs, 20 strikeouts, seven hits allowed and three walks. Since the second half began, Civale is just one of two starters who have thrown at least 15 innings without allowing an earned run. (Cubs rookie Cade Horton is the other.)
What went right in Civale’s latest outing?
“I thought a handful of different things,” he said. “I had a good game plan going in. Just chatting before the game with coaches and catchers. What Q [Edgar Quero] saw yesterday and what Teel brought today. I thought we just did a good job of game-planning and adjusting as need be or sticking to what we were targeting going in.”
Civale’s three-game stretch of dominance puts him in rarified air amongst White Sox pitchers. Since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913, Civale is the first White Sox pitcher to not allow an earned run in a three-game stretch while striking out at least 20 batters and not allowing more than 10 runners to reach base.
“I mean, give Civale some of the credit,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “Obviously, he’s pretty good. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been doing it for a long time. We only mustered up the one infield hit and didn’t really threaten, either.”
It has been a heck of an improvement for the White Sox, especially since the All-Star break. The White Sox moved to 10-4 in the second half, tied with the Marlins and the Brewers for the best record in that time.
