Reynaldo López has been arguably the most reliable bullpen arm for Pedro Grifol and the White Sox to start the season.
In six appearances and 5.2 innings pitched, Lopez has allowed six runs coming into the first of three bouts at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The numbers may not look great but he's taking over games in crucial spots.
He closed twice in the White Sox' opening series against the Houston Astros, earning a save in each game against the defending World Series champions. During his debut, he whipped seven fastballs clocking in over 100 miles per hour – he threw four all of last season in 2022.
Certainly, he has a higher priority on the bullpen speed dial list for the Sox closer needs. But Grifol uses López in crucial innings, not just in the ninth. On Friday, the seventh inning was that key moment for the White Sox to maintain a lead over the Orioles.
López entered the game after Jake Diekman in the seventh inning. Diekman left López a bit of a mess to clean. He inhaled two base runners and one out. After capturing a flyout to notch two down, the floodgates ripped open for the Orioles. Vavra reached on an infield single, loading the bases. López walked in a run for the Orioles, then Rutschmann cleared the bases with a 3-run double.
López got out of the inning one batter later, not without coming back down to Earth first. Overall, in 0.2 innings, he allowed two earned runs on 19 pitches, bumping his ERA to 8.53 on the season. He incurred the pitching loss on the mound, too.
He offered his best after the game, saying the situation he was placed in isn't a good enough excuse for his performance.
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"Doesn't matter the situation they call me in. I come in and try to do my best," López said.
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The Sox have barely enough arms to stay afloat in the bullpen. Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet, Joe Kelly and Matt Foster are all spending time on the injured list. The South Side traded Jose Ruiz to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They've been forced to bring up the likes of Kenyan Middleton and Tanner Banks and sign former closer Alex Colomé.
The innings López provides the Sox are massively important. His position on the team and in the bullpen has become the most important of his career, as the Sox await reinforcements from their nursing bullpen arms.
On a positive note, as López construed to The Athletic's James Fegan, he's been enjoying his usage in critical moments for the Sox. Hopefully, he can provide more appearances unlike that of Friday's against the Orioles.
“(Grifol) came to me like ‘Hey, you enjoying this s—?’ and I was like ‘Yeah,’” laughed López. “And he was like ‘Yeah, you love that situation,’ and I was like ‘Yeah.’ I think it’s just that I get excited. If you do great, you save the game. If not, you lose the game. So you’ve got to be focused and do your best.”