Grant Taylor’s opening number: Power reliever solid in third outing ahead of White Sox starters

Second-year fireballer Grant Taylor wanted to start for the White Sox this season, but general manager Chris Getz and the front office liked his 99 mph heater too much coming out of the bullpen.

Taylor now leads the Sox with three starts — just not the way he would have liked.

Manager Will Venable has put him on the mound as the opener in three of the last four games, a testament to the organization’s faith in Taylor’s stuff as much as the starters’ early-season jitters. A brutal first run through the rotation ballooned the Sox’ team ERA to the highest in baseball the first week.

Taylor was nearly flawless opening the home opener against the Blue Jays last Friday, setting down the top of the defending American League champions’ lineup in order — and setting the tone for the rebuilding Sox to earn a little swagger with a series sweep. It took just nine pitches for Taylor to mow down the first three Jays, and another nine pitches Saturday.

“It’s been as good as I’ve seen Grant,” Venable said before Taylor’s opening appearance Monday against the Orioles, which made him just the fifth MLB pitcher since 1924 to start three times in four days and the first since Sox legend Wilbur Wood in 1973.

Taylor served up a leadoff double to open the three-game set but secured a strikeout and two fly outs to set the stage for Erick Fedde, who settled in for six innings of two-run ball in a 2-1 loss as the Sox’ rally in the ninth inning fell short.

“That first one against the Blue Jays was maybe as good as I’ve seen any pitcher,” Venable said of Taylor. “He finds a little more juice in there, especially if he knows what the parameters of the start are going to be.”

Communication is key as the Sox try to balance the routines and psyches of a young pitching staff with the need to start winning more games.

Opening returns from Taylor, who also opened two games his rookie year, have been promising.

“It’s almost like a slow burn, because you kind of feel it the entire time you’re getting ready, versus if you’re throwing the ninth, it’s flip of a switch and it’s there,” Taylor said.

Starter Sean Burke, touched up for seven hits and four runs in his first start of the year in Milwaukee, settled in nicely after Taylor in the home opener, throwing six innings of one-run ball in the bulk role. Burke posted a 5.73 ERA in the first innings of his games last season, but it sank below 3.00 in the second and third innings. That’s why the Sox are going back to the opening well.

“We’ve done it in the past, just to get them out of the first inning and let them settle in and go deeper into games for us,” Getz said.

Burke’s rotation mate Anthony Kay gave up two runs, three hits and four walks in 4⅔ innings against the Brewers in his first start and didn’t fare much better after a Taylor table-setting against the Jays: two runs, three hits and two walks in 4⅓ innings.

“Obviously, you want to start the game. It just adds a little element to it,” Kay said, acknowledging the strategy “punches the team in the mouth a little bit.”

But Fedde didn’t sound enthusiastic about the arrangement, either.

“I’m trying to treat it as just an afterthought, like, nothing to be concerned about,” he said.

Venable said there was no secret plan to open with Taylor three times in four days — the matchups simply made sense, and the Sox will consider the strategy on a series-by-series basis.

“Giving them a voice in this, too, and autonomy to speak up for what they believe in and what’s important to them, it doesn’t feel like we’re really selling anybody on anything,” Venable said. “We’re just all putting our heads together to do the best thing to try to win.”