Cease didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-8 loss to the Red Sox, surrendering seven runs on four hits and five walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander tossed only 40 of 71 pitches for strikes in his worst outing of the season, but Cease was taken off the hook for his eighth loss when the White Sox rallied from a 7-2 deficit to tie the score in the fourth inning. Fatigue could be a factor for the 25-year-old, as his 151.1 innings so far in 2021 is a career high and a huge jump from last year's 58.1 IP, but it's only a small increase on his 2019 workload. On the bright side, he did reach 200 strikeouts for the first time with Saturday's performance, and on the year he sports a 4.22 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 202:64 K:BB.