At the moment, there appears to be no end in sight for the Chicago White Sox’s descent into unprecedented putridity. They continue to plunge into new depths, and on Thursday night, the White Sox find themselves ever closer to rock bottom following a 14-2 defeat at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. Fittingly, in allowing 14 runs in their latest defeat, the White Sox suffered their 14th straight loss, sending them skidding towards their worst losing streak in franchise history, per ESPN
The longest losing skid in White Sox history, covering only one season, would have to be traced back to a century ago. The White Sox can at least convince themselves that they’re creating history and that the franchise will live on in 2024, even if it’s not for the exact reasons they would like to be remembered.The White Sox still have the worst outlook in all of Major League Baseball, which is a heartbreaking development, especially considering that this team was just a few short months ago victorious in 93 games. Their pitching is no better, and their lineup is full of batters that are replacement-level or below.
Starting pitcher Jake Woodford gave up seven runs on ten hits in four innings of work during their historic loss to the Red Sox.
As though things couldn’t get much worse for the White Sox, who let up a season-high 24 hits to the Red Sox on Thursday. Their 12-run deficit was also the largest of the whole season. They currently stand 15–48 for the year, and things might only get worse from here, particularly if they turn out to be significant sellers in the days before the trade deadline.
There was hope for the South Siders in the Windy City during the White Sox’s two-game series against their rival Chicago Cubs across town. In Tuesday’s game against the Cubs, the White Sox led 5-0 after the fourth inning. They did let the Cubs tie the game at the end of the sixth inning, but a powerful home run by the returning Luis Robert Jr. gave them the lead again in the top of the seventh.
But the golden days were short-lived. Ian Happ’s double in the bottom of the eighth inning helped the Cubs score two more, and the heartbreaking loss marked the White Sox’s 12th straight game against the Boston Red Sox.
But in a sign of strength, the White Sox came out on Wednesday with the same will to win that they showed on Tuesday. They faltered late in the game, but lightning doesn’t strike the same spot twice, doesn’t it? Alas, the White Sox’s misfortune this season is walking the fine line between hilarity and tragedy.
The White Sox took a 5-1 lead during the fourth inning, allowed the Cubs to take a one-run lead by the seventh inning, but tied up the game in the eighth thanks to a Paul Dejong solo shot. And then in perhaps the most predictable walk-off home run of the season, Mike Tauchman homered off of failed starter Michael Kopech to send fans in Wrigley Field home happy.
However, the White Sox shown strength on Wednesday as they played with the same determination to win as they did on Tuesday. They made a mistake in the latter stages of the game, but lightning never strikes the same place twice, does it? Unfortunately, the White Sox’s misfortune this season is veering dangerously close to catastrophe.
The White Sox led 5-1 in the fourth inning, gave up a one-run lead to the Cubs by the seventh, and then a single home run by Paul Dejong in the eighth inning leveled the score. And then, Mike Tauchman hit a walk-off home run off of unsuccessful starter Michael Kopech, possibly the most predictable walk-off home run of the season, sending Wrigley Field supporters home triumphant.
The White Sox were about to pull off a stunning triumph when the most excruciating twisting of all occurs to the knife in their stomach. The White Sox organization is likely to be quite depressed as they go through the most difficult period of their 124-season history, and those two defeats to the Cubs just made things worse.
When the trade deadline draws near, the White Sox have a few players that might be of interest to teams in contention. They have a fantastic chance to restock a farm system that is in the lower third of the MLB.
Two of the team’s few bright lights, Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet, may be moving; they may stay under team control for a few more years, but it would only increase the amount of money the White Sox could potentially obtain in a deal.
In the meantime, Erick Fedde has had a turnaround in his career, and teams looking for a cheap starting pitcher in the middle of the rotation may find him interesting. Tommy Pham is almost a lock to be dealt to a team that needs more offensive punch in the outfield. Paul Dejong might strengthen a team’s middle infield if they want to make the playoffs.
