Will Venable says the White Sox are taking a day-by-day approach in the Cubs series, and that could leave Erick Fedde in line for a role before the week is out. With the bullpen stretched by recent games, Fedde is one of the options the White Sox may lean on as they try to manage the rest of the series.
The need for flexibility has come quickly. The White Sox were coming off a three-game sweep of the Tigers, then lost Monday’s series opener to the Cubs 7-5 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field. Tuesday’s Game 2 will be opened by Bryan Hudson, and Venable has already indicated that Wednesday could be the day Fedde is used as a starter.
Venable: the plan has to stay fluid
Venable was clear that the White Sox are not locking themselves into a fixed script for the rest of the Cubs series.
“It’ll be day by day here,” he said. “We’re going to figure out where we’re at after today. We have some availability limitations in our bullpen that can impact some things.”
That matters because this is not just about one game. The White Sox have been managing a short-handed pitching staff for several days, and the strain on the bullpen is now shaping how they line up the rest of the series.
Venable added that the White Sox have to keep one eye on the future, but the immediate priority is winning each game as it comes. That is why he said decisions on starters for the rest of the series would not be made until after the game.
Where Fedde fits
Fedde was moved to the bullpen about two weeks ago, but that does not mean his role is fixed there. Venable said he could be used in multiple ways, and Wednesday’s game is the clearest point at which he may be asked to step in.
“I really don’t know,” Venable said when asked how Fedde might be used. “We really are day to day here with this, just because of the usage we have had over this last series. So we’ll reserve our plan for after the game.”
That uncertainty reflects the broader picture. The White Sox used a bullpen game on Friday against the Tigers, then got 5 ⅓ innings from Anthony Kay on Saturday and 4 ⅓ innings from Sean Burke on Sunday. Those innings helped, but they also underline why the staff is being handled so carefully now.
What comes next
The White Sox do not have much breathing room. Thursday’s makeup game against the Braves replaces a day off, and the club will not get another day off until Aug. 27. With that schedule, the White Sox have to squeeze as much value as possible from every available arm.
For now, Fedde looks like part of that solution. Whether he starts, relieves, or covers a different role entirely, the White Sox are treating the rest of the Cubs series as a moving target. In Venable’s words, that is simply the reality of a staff that has been used heavily and must now be managed with care.
