Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde reinvented himself last season while starring for the NC Dinos of the KBO.
This season, Fedde (2-0, 2.60 ERA) has struck out 20 batters and walked none in his last two starts. His major league comeback continues Saturday when he faces the Cardinals in the middle game of a three-game set in St. Louis.
The Cardinals blanked the White Sox 3-0 Friday while holding them to three hits.
The new-and-improved Fedde has been one of the few bright spots for the White Sox, who have lost four straight games and 11 of their last 14.
During his 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, he allowed two runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 innings. He worked into the ninth inning for the first time in the major leagues.
“Looking back a couple of years ago, if you told me I was striking out close to double digits and going deep in games, I would probably chuckle a little,” Fedde told MLB.com. “It’s what I’ve dreamed to do, it’s what I wanted to do and now it’s just, keep going.”
After playing parts of six seasons with the Washington Nationals, Fedde went to Korea last year and turned his career around. He went 20-6 with 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts and just 35 walks in 180 1/3 innings for the Dinos.
“There’s always thoughts in the back of your head of, ‘Is it still going to play here? Is it still going to work out?'” Fedde said. “But I think it’s just proof of such a different player I am now.”
In two career starts against the Cardinals, Fedde has no wins or losses and a 4.66 ERA.
St. Louis snapped its two-game losing streak on Friday, thanks in large part to Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. Arenado had two doubles and three RBIs, and Willson Contreras went 3-for-3 with a double, walk, stolen base and two runs.
Starter Sonny Gray and relievers JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley combined on a three-hitter.
“You look at that game as a whole, we pitched well, we played really good defense,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “That was clean baseball right there.”
The Cardinals will counter Fedde with Lance Lynn (1-0, 2.64). Lynn and fellow newcomers Gray and Kyle Gibson have stabilized the Cardinals’ rotation after signing as free agents.
“You don’t want to be the guy that is not pulling his own weight,” Lynn told Bally Sports Midwest. “In every great rotation I’ve been on, you want to make sure you’re right along step and step with the rest of the boys.”
St. Louis lost Lynn’s previous start to the New York Mets 4-2 in 11 innings. He allowed one run on five hits in five innings while walking three and striking out three.
Lynn is 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA in nine career starts against the White Sox, one of his former teams.
The Cardinals made a roster move ahead of the series, adding right-handed reliever Kyle Leahy on Friday after putting lefty starter Steven Matz on the 15-day injured list with a back strain.
–Field Level Media