ANAHEIM, Calif. — Sean Burke took note of fellow Chicago White Sox starter Noah Schultz’s outing against the San Diego Padres on Friday at Petco Park.
“I always joke around (that) he’s so young — if a 22-year-old kid can go do that, I should be able to do that, too,” Burke, 26, said on Saturday.
Schultz tossed six scoreless innings on Friday, helping the Sox to an 8-2 victory. Burke followed that up with six scoreless innings of his own while striking out eight in a 4-0 win on Saturday.
“Schultz has been doing a great job since he’s been out there,” Burke said. “Our game is a little bit different, but watching how he goes about his business and attack this team, it’s nice to see from a stuff perspective how the hitters are handling it and his ability to adapt.”
Schultz is adapting well four starts into his major-league career. The left-hander is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA.
“He’s attacked guys in different ways,” pitching coach Zach Bove said Sunday in San Diego. “One game, it was the changeup, another game, the sweeper. And then the sinker. He hasn’t had a game where his full arsenal has been in play, but he’s pitched really good. The sky’s the limit with that guy, obviously.
“A really good awareness of who he is. The composure has been there, for being a young guy. I think the world of Noah. He’s going to be a big piece of us in the future, but this year I expect really good things out of him.”
Bove is seeing really good things out of the staff as a whole. The starters entered Monday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium with a 3.70 ERA, the sixth-best mark in the majors.
Davis Martin came into Monday’s start seventh in the big leagues with a 1.95 ERA.
“Davis has been awesome,” Bove said. “Shapes are a little different, arsenal is a little different. It helps give him a little more margin for error.
“The big thing is Davis understands who he is. Not trying to do too much. Not trying to do things that, ‘maybe this hitter struggles with this.’ (It’s) I’m going to do what I’m really good at. That’s easy, and then he can execute it. The command has been good, attacking different parts of the zone. It’s awesome to see the success he is having.”
Burke hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14 1/3 innings, a career high. The right-hander has a 2.72 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
“(Burke) has been good,” Bove said. “You just saw the conviction was out there on the mound (on Saturday). He felt really confident in all his stuff. Was able to locate the outer half with the slider, the four seam, it expanded the zone on them. Gave them multiple problems that they had to work through. The stuff was in a really good spot.”
The Sox have found effective spots to utilize left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson. He has a 1.13 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 16 innings during 17 appearances (two starts as an opener).
“(Hudson) has been awesome,” Bove said. “The big thing is we’ve leaned into the four-seam, you’ve seen that, it’s been a really big weapon for him. He’s been throwing strikes with it. The velo has been up. Someone we trust and we’ll continue to trust moving forward.”
Grant Taylor has also made appearances in different roles, from opener to high-leverage relief situations. The right-hander has a 2.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings during 13 outings (four starts as an opener).
“Grant, on the whole, obviously a special arm,” Bove said. “But Grant wants to get better, wants to find ways to get better. Obviously the numbers, he’s great, but if you just talk to him, he’s like, ‘Hey, where’s that little thread I can pull on to continue to get better.'”
Bove said closer Seranthony Domínguez has made an impact off the field working with other pitchers. On the mound, Domínguez came into Monday tied for fifth in the majors with eight saves.
“It’s great having him back there,” Bove said. “We feel very confident, we have the lead going in there, we feel (Domínguez) is going to do a job. Obviously has a great track record, and he’s been great.”
Bove said the staff as a whole has “been throwing it well.”
“I think it’s a better understanding of what they are doing well, how us as coaches can support them,” Bove said. “We are getting some momentum going. We feel good and we’re going to continue to build with it.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to execute here at this level and we feel like we’re starting to see that on the mound.”
