Sean Burke entered his start against the Astros on Wednesday, feeling good. He was fresh off three consecutive quality starts in which he allowed just seven runs on eight hits across 19 innings.
After the game, he told reporters that it was “the best physically I’ve felt in a little bit” after seeing an increase in velocity across the board. However, despite feeling that he had his best stuff, Burke was tagged for seven earned runs and had to be pulled after needing 73 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings.
The problems started in the first inning, when Burke allowed back-to-back doubles to Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve, then later served up a two-run homer to Christian Walker. Troubles in the opening frame have been a recurring issue for Burke this season. In 12 starts, he owns a 6.75 ERA in the first inning.
“There were strikes, but maybe not the command that you need for this lineup, and just usage-wise, it just seemed like it was a lot of spin,” White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters after the game. “Didn’t really establish the fastball. I just thought they were sitting on a spin and hit spin.”
Burke’s performance has been a mixed bag this season. In 14 games, he owns a 4.71 ERA across 70.2 innings, with 54 strikeouts and a 1.443 WHIP. The White Sox have turned to an opener strategy several times this season, and no one has reaped the rewards more than Burke.
In 12 starts overall, he’s posted a 4.85 ERA, averaging just 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings with opponents hitting .257 against him. But when paired with an opener—across two such appearances totaling 11.1 innings—Burke has been noticeably sharper, recording a 3.97 ERA, 8.7 strikeouts per nine, and holding hitters to a .238 average.
Venable pointed to Burke’s struggles with establishing his fastball, noting that when he’s aggressive in the zone with it, good things tend to happen. However, that wasn’t the case on Wednesday, when the right-hander threw 28 curveballs and 17 sliders compared to just 24 four-seam fastballs.
“I think it kind of happens organically when maybe you don’t establish the fastball and use that up front,” Venable explained. “You are searching for answers, and he went with the breaking ball. It wasn’t strategic. There wasn’t anything strategic missing. We weren’t able to use the fastball the right way early.”
Burke was working with catcher Kyle Teel for the first time this season. Until now, the 25-year-old has primarily paired with Matt Thaiss, who was recently traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, and Edgar Quero. Quero has caught six of Burke’s starts, more than any other catcher on the White Sox roster. Coincidentally, Burke has posted his best numbers with Quero behind the plate, recording a 2.75 ERA and holding opponents to a .219 batting average.
With Teel expected to see more time behind the plate, Wednesday's game reflected some of the growing pains typical of a young team.
“Kind of taking the positives of feeling good with the stuff, but obviously working on the results aspect of it,” Burke said. “Try to make better pitches and then sequence guys a little bit better.”
