Time and time once more, the 2024 White Sox have confirmed to be superb losers, and in probably the most literal sense. Not solely do they lose extra video games than another workforce in Main League Baseball, however they typically decide probably the most convoluted, ridiculous, self-parodying kind to perform the shortage of accomplishment.
The White Sox had an opportunity to brush the Marlins in Miami, however as an alternative have been denied even a mere street collection victory, which might solely be their second of the season. They held a 4-1 lead by means of six due to an efficient begin by Jonathan Cannon, solely to look at it crumble into the ocean over the ultimate few innings.
Tanner Banks gave up a pair of runs within the seventh, however in a standard sense. He issued a leadoff stroll, adopted by an RBI double and a pair of productive outs. That form of sequence occurs on a regular basis, and the White Sox nonetheless held a one-run lead, which John Brebbia preserved within the eighth.
In got here Michael Kopech, and when you can see from the ultimate rating that he gave up 4 runs within the backside of the ninth, and also you’d know that it’d should contain a homer for the Marlins to win by a couple of, you’d don’t have any actual sense of the journey.
The leadoff stroll to Vidal Bruján, positive. Banks simply did the identical factor two innings earlier, besides it was adopted by a sac bunt this time.
However what if I instructed you it was a two-base sacrifice bunt as a result of Korey Lee didn’t cowl third, and Bruján saved operating? And Bruján was nearly capable of pull an A.J. Pierzynski, however Gavin Sheets received house simply as he noticed Bruján’s psychological wheels turning. Kopech received Jazz Chisholm Jr. to fly out to too-shallow left on the primary pitch, which practically undermined Bruján’s derring-do.
Josh Bell then strode to the plate because the final man standing, and he bore an 0-for-24 hitless streak on his shoulders. Besides Kopech fell behind 3-0 on excessive fastballs, earlier than loading the rely on two extra fastballs. A sixth fastball was up and simply off the plate, however Bell was ready to take it in that course and launched a 101-mph drive towards left discipline. Tommy Pham raced after it and leaped on the wall …
… however too early. The ball cleared his glove as Pham was on the way in which down, then received hung up between the wall and Pham’s individual, creating the phantasm of a catch till the ball fell to the warning observe. Bruján scored, Bell took second along with his hunch now studying “1-for-25.” Further innings beckoned.
Till they didn’t. Kopech by no means truly recorded the third out. He fell behind 2-1 to Jesus Sánchez earlier than Pedro Grifol known as for the intentional stroll to convey previous pal Jake Burger to the plate. Burger swung by means of one fastball on the prime of the zone, then then took a borderline fastball on the knees known as a ball.
The third pitch was delayed, as a result of within the strategy of his first try, he caught a spike and misplaced his stability for the second time in per week, leading to a balk that put two runners in scoring place. That created the potential of a walk-off single, however Burger made it moot, for when Kopech threw a 3rd fastball, this one again to the highest of the zone, Burger crushed a no-doubt, 431-foot blast out to left middle for the walk-off homer as an alternative.
The White Sox and Marlins depart the collection in the identical approach they discovered it. The White Sox are nonetheless the worst workforce, and the Marlins are the second-worst workforce, trailing the Rockies by a half-game. The one distinction is that the White Sox have been six video games worse than Miami, and now they’re seven.
As for the way the White Sox managed to guide this sport, that, too, was slightly bit mystifying. Danny Mendick launched a two-run homer off Edward Cabrera within the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead, which solely made all people marvel why he bunted with runners on the corners and two outs towards Cabrera two innings earlier (he popped out, snuffing the rally).
Cannon gave up half of the lead when he walked two batters for the second consecutive inning and paid for it on a Bruján RBI double, however that was the one injury he incurred over six. By the point his day was carried out, the White Sox enhanced their lead with two runs within the sixth. Korey Lee tripled into the proper discipline nook to attain Mendick, after which got here house on a dramatic Andrew Vaughn sac fly. Nick Gordon made an unbelievable diving catch, although the ball practically broke by means of the webbing of his glove. The White Sox challenged the decision, placing the primary of two losses on Grifol’s tab.
Bullet factors:
*Grifol is simply 2-for-12 on challenges this yr. He has extra ejections than overturned calls.
*Kopech now has as many losses as saves. He’s 8-for-13 within the latter class.
Report: 26-66 | Field rating | Statcast