You’ve seen it earlier than and certain will see it once more.
If the Chicago White Sox have proved one factor in 2022, it’s that they’re constant.
The Sox’s 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday in a uncommon one-game sequence had all of the staples of the prototypical Sox recreation.
Here’s how the seven levels of Sox grief performed out, from the tough harm to a key participant to the defensive postgame posture of supervisor Tony La Russa.
1. The debilitating harm
Michael Kopech didn’t even get by his pregame warm-up earlier than the coach was summoned to the mound. Kopech was allowed to proceed however was eliminated after 4 batters with what the Sox referred to as left knee soreness.
He walked off the mound yelling into his glove, and each Sox fan watching at dwelling on TV in all probability was saying the identical factor. If Kopech can’t go, the Sox rotation is in dire straits for the stretch run.
2. The unfortunate bounce
Luis Robert’s two-out, opposite-field double within the sixth regarded like it could convey dwelling AJ Pollock with the tying run. Instead, the ball bounced over the right-field wall, forcing Robert to accept a groundrule double and sending Pollock again to 3rd.
Eloy Jiménez adopted with a grounder to brief, ending the inning. The Sox aren’t actually the unluckiest staff in baseball, however it positive appears that means.
3. The belated rally falling brief
The Sox trailed 4-0 after one inning solely to tie it at 4-4 within the seventh. You may cue up La Russa’s “heart and guts” speech for the postgame present.
But that was it. They stranded 11 runners and proceed to be considered one of baseball’s worst-hitting groups with runners on third.
“I don’t want to get into it,” La Russa instructed reporters Sunday in Cleveland. “We know exactly how we can fix it better and they work on it.” But it nonetheless wasn’t fastened.
The Royals, in the meantime, got here in having misplaced six of seven with a .167 common in that span. They had solely six hits, together with one which Sox second baseman Josh Harrison booted however didn’t get charged with an error.
But 10 Royals reached base on a stroll (six) or hit-by-pitch (4). The Sox handed them the sport.
4. The absence of a house run
Another recreation during which the Sox did not homer. Who knew? They’ve hit one of their final seven video games, by Yoán Moncada within the 21-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday.
There’s no good excuse. They started the day tied for third-worst within the majors with 102 dwelling runs. Last season they completed with 190.
5. The late-inning meltdown
Joe Kelly, pitching for less than the second time in 11 days after his bout with “lightheadedness,” hit the primary two batters within the eighth, suggesting he didn’t have his management. A single loaded the bases with no outs earlier than a forceout on the plate.
Kelly then walked rookie Drew Waters for the go-ahead run earlier than being eliminated for Jose Ruiz, who gave up a sacrifice fly. Closer Liam Hendriks was the one reliever left.
The Sox bullpen entered the day with a 5.38 ERA because the All-Star break, second-worst within the majors. It was imagined to be considered one of their strengths.
6. The crushing double play
José Abreu’s leadoff single within the ninth introduced the tying run to the plate. Another Sox comeback within the making?
Nope. Andrew Vaughn grounded right into a double play on a first-pitch slider, the third double play the Sox hit into. They misplaced for the fourth time in 5 video games and fell three video games behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians as they head to Baltimore for a three-game sequence with the Orioles.
Last week’s five-game profitable streak looks like a lifetime in the past.
7. The supervisor’s postgame overreaction
A reporter requested La Russa about having to empty the bullpen due to Kopech leaving early.
“It’s a frustrating loss,” La Russa instructed the reporter. “We were down 4-0. We came back to tie it. It’s the same club. We lost 6-4. You want to say we’re lousy? Say we’re lousy. We came back 4-0. The frustrating part, we had what? Ten or 11 hits?”
The reporter didn’t say the Sox have been “lousy” and even counsel it. But La Russa tried to show it into an us-against-them scenario.
On Friday in Cleveland he issued one other intentional stroll on a 1-2 rely and watched it work.
“We’ve been through this before, the most ridiculous thing in this season has been the 1-2 walk,” he mentioned. “I mean that’s the most ridiculous. That’s what I say.”
Actually, watching the identical issues occur again and again is far more ridiculous.
And nonetheless the Sox stay within the race for the division title or a wild-card spot.
That would be the most ridiculous factor of all.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com