Twins 10, White Sox 5: Minnesota clubbed their way to another sweep
Bad defense and a horrific bullpen were the death knell as Chicago continues to crash and burn
Veterans Robbie Grossman and Tommy Pham tried their best to be the heroes we needed in this getaway day contest. And yet, another poor showing by the bullpen and more sloppy defense from the Sox ruined a decent enough performance by starter Chris Flexen.
The South Siders pounced first, giving us false hope. They scored two tallies in the bottom of the first thanks to back-to-back doubles by the dynamic duo of Grossman and Pham and a single by Andrew Vaughn. A tiny bit of optimism is that AV has been swinging the bat better as of late, slashing .267/.258/.333 with four RBIs over the last seven games. While the power is still MIA, he’s putting a few more balls in play.
Pham, trying to carry this darn team on his shoulders, also slugged his first solo jack in the bottom of the third, giving Chicago a short-lived 3-1 lead, while Grossman drove in another run on a double in the fifth, making it 4-2. Shining star Korey Lee scored the team’s final run today on a one-run dinger in the bottom of the seventh.
The defense started off sharp this afternoon — but that didn’t last — as the Pale Hose pulled off a dazzling strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play in the top of the second. With Byron Buxton on first, Trevor Larnach was called out on strikes, and Lee nabbed Buxton at second. Buxton pulled up slowly, coming out of the play and left the game.
Of course, it’s one step forward and two steps back with this team, as Paul DeJong booted an easy ground ball in the top of the sixth, which led to two unearned runs and knotted the score at 4-4.
Flexen wasn’t fantastic today, but he pitched well enough to give this team a chance to win. Over five innings, he gave up only two runs on four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 4.85 and earned a no-decision.
The telling tale of this Minnesota Twins victory was an absolutely dreadful execution by the South Side bullpen. Dominic Leone, Tanner Banks, and John Brebbia contributed two runs each to the final score. Currently, Jared Shuster and Jordan Leasure are the only arm barn pitchers with ERAs south of 3.25. Chicago will lose a lot of games if the pen continues to bleed out runs like it’s a gaping, open wound.
The White Sox have an offday tomorrow, then hit the road for six games: three in St. Louis and three in Tampa Bay. Hey, don’t be too sad. Maybe we can win a few against the Rays. They seem to be the only team we can beat.
Futility Watch
White Sox 2024 Record 6-25, worst 31-game start in White Sox history
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -84, on pace for a 37-125 season
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 31-131 (.191)
Race to the Worst-Ever White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 31 1⁄2 games ahead
Race to the Most-Ever White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 25 games ahead
Race to the Worst-Ever American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 7 games ahead
Race to the Worst-Ever MLB Record (1899 Spiders, 21-141*) 10 games behind
*record adjusted to a 162-game season