DETROIT — Jonathan Cannon issued back-to-back walks with one out during the fourth inning Thursday against the Minnesota Twins.
The Chicago White Sox pitcher then struck out James Outman but allowed consecutive RBI singles to Ryan Fitzgerald and Luke Keaschall.
Another RBI single, which was just out of the reach of leaping first baseman Lenyn Sosa, followed. That was the final batter for Cannon in what he later would call a “pretty frustrating” performance at Target Field in Minneapolis after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day.
“I felt like coming back up all my stuff was in a good spot,” Cannon said. “Felt really confident going into (Thursday), first two innings were good. I just kind of lost the sinker command early.
“Just kind of comes down to got to throw strike one, fell behind in a lot of counts, just makes it tough on yourself. A couple of walks there, a couple of singles and ended up throwing a ton of pitches and kind of put myself in a bad spot.”
Cannon allowed five runs in 2 1/3 relief innings, but the Sox rallied late for an 11-8 win. On Friday, Cannon was optioned to Charlotte — one of four moves the Sox announced before their series opener against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
“Big picture for him, it’s about strike throwing,” manager Will Venable said Friday. “That’s not just throwing strikes, it’s executing different pitches in different parts of the zone, to lefties, to righties. For him, we talked through the sinker and command of the sinker, that really contributed to some of the downfall of last night for him.”
He initially was optioned to Charlotte on Aug. 8 after going 4-9 with a 5.34 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 19 games (17 starts). He made four starts for the Knights, going 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 15 strikeouts.
Cannon surrendered five hits, walked two and struck out two in Thursday’s 57-pitch outing. He entered in the second inning, following opener Fraser Ellard. All five runs he allowed came in the fourth.
“He was open that this isn’t something that he’s really dealt with before, specifically with the sinker,” Venable said. “His ability to command that is something that he’s always had and for whatever reason he’s lost it.
“I thought actually outside of the sinker, he looked all right last night, his stuff looked pretty crisp. It’s just about the command. He’s going to figure it out and we’ll support him to do it. We know it’s in there, we just have to bring it out of him.”
In the corresponding move, the Sox returned reliever Dan Altavilla from his injury rehabilitation assignment with the Knights and reinstated him from the 15-day injured list. The right-hander had been on the IL since Aug. 2 with a right lat strain.
“With where we’re at in our bullpen, I was honest with (Cannon) and said, ‘Hey, man, I don’t know if we can make it to your next time through with our bullpen,’” Venable said. “And had to make a move. With where we were at (Thursday) and having to cover some of those innings behind him, just kind of put us in a tough spot.
“He understands that. He knows that he has stuff to work on and I think we’re all on the same page about what those things are and have a plan for him. Just have to go do it.”
Additionally, the Sox selected the contract of outfielder Dominic Fletcher from Charlotte. First baseman Tim Elko was optioned to Charlotte. Fletcher was in Friday’s lineup, batting ninth and playing center field.
“(Fletcher is) doing a nice job at the plate,” Venable said. “Really (it’s) about defense for him. He’s done a nice job. Trust the guy out there in defense, plus-defense on the corners. Closer to average in center field. Excited that he’s here to help us stabilize in the outfield a little bit.”
Fletcher, 28, has a .260/.317/.453 slash line with 19 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 68 RBIs and 56 runs in 105 games with the Knights. He slashed .206/.252/.256 with eight doubles, one home run and 17 RBIs in 72 games with the Sox in 2024.
“Just staying aggressive, trying to control the zone a little bit more and then just getting my ‘A’ swing off,” Fletcher said of the success with Charlotte. “(I) feel like last year a little bit got caught in between, got caught trying to kind of just shoot some balls the other way and try to get hits. (I’m) just being more aggressive, taking more chances early.”
Fletcher provides outfield depth for the Sox, who did not start right fielder Mike Tauchman for the third straight game.
“Tauchman’s got some soreness going on in a couple of different parts of his body,” Venable said. “We wanted to give him a couple of days to make sure he can recover.
“Truthfully, a lot of our guys are banged up. Probably every team is saying that right now at this point of the year. We’re just trying to give guys what they need to be able to be at their best and be back on the field.”
