DETROIT — White Sox manager Pedro Grifol opened his pregame session with reporters Saturday reiterating that Michael Kopech “is not a reliever,” even though he will be pitching out of the bullpen for perhaps the rest of the season. Kopech, who made his first relief appearance against the Tigers Saturday, will go to spring training in 2024 as a starter, Grifol said.
Kopech “has all the characteristics of being a high leverage, top notch reliever,” Grifol said. “However, he has some characteristics of being a starter. In the world we live in where starters are really hard to find we’re going to exhaust every opportunity we can to make sure he’s a starter.”
Kopech’s rotation turn was taken by Jose Urena Saturday, a day after Grifol announced the move to the pen for the struggling Kopech, who entered Saturday with a 5.16 ERA and major league high 89 walks in 125 2⁄3 innings as a starter.
The relief stint started well enough, with Kopech throwing a strike on the first pitch and then getting Spencer Torkelson on a nubber near the mound before he struck out Kerry Carpenter. But Matt Vierling parked an inside slider to left, the 29th home run allowed by Kopech this season.
2-game win streak snapped
The Sox got four decent innings from Jose Urena in his Sox debut, but fell to 55-87 with a 3-1 loss. Urena allowed four hits and two walks but gave up just one run. He struck out three.
The Sox need to go 7-13 to avoid losing 100 games.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Grifol said when asked if avoiding 100 losses would be important. “Ninety-nine, 100, is that a big difference? I don’t know. I just want to win as many games as possible. I’m not focusing so much on the losses, I’m focusing on the wins.”
Colombian connection
Right-hander Luis Patino enjoys a close bond with former White Sox left-hander and fellow Colombian Jose Quintana.
“He’s like a father for me,” Patino, 23, said. “He was very happy when he heard about the trade. He told me people here will be fair and give me a fair chance. It’s an honor to continue that legacy he started with the White Sox and not just him but with [pregame instructor] Luis Sierra, he’s a fellow Colombian. His parents tutored me when I was a young player back in Colombia. It’s like family.”
Patino, who made his Sox debut with four scoreless innings against the Tigers last Saturday in Chicago, walked three and allowed a hit in one inning of work Saturday but managed to give up just one run. He struck out two.