First Pitch: White Sox vs. Dodgers

Guaranteed Rate Field from center field

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Lineups:

Take a second to support Sox Machine on Patreon
76 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Foulkelore

Before the year started, I couldn’t possibly fathom a scenario where I would be defending/rooting for Danny Mendick as lead-off hitter, yet here we are.

Denman

This line-up shows that TLR knows how to put together an order based on current OPS/OBP. So, when he does otherwise—WHY?

metasox

Making out a lineup against lefties from this roster is easy

Denman

Yeah, you’re right about that. With no Eloy, Moncada shakey, Yas showing he belongs on the IL, and switch non-hitter Leury, I can see why TLR gets “creative” when the team faces any kind of “tough” right-hander.

Foulkelore

How many PAs would it take for Tyler Anderson to walk Tim Anderson?

soxygen

AJ has struggled versus left handed change ups this year, but I’d love to see him find a way to get on base in the 2nd.

Joliet Orange Sox

Who woke up this morning thinking they’d hear Stone telling a story about needing a coin for a scratch-off lottery ticket he’d received for his broadcast anniversary and Jason lending him a euro coin? I, for one, did not.

soxygen

Big test here: runner on 3rd nobody out.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
soxfan

They passed. 3 groundouts, one of which scored the run, might be a D but it’s passing.

a-t

nooooo don’t take out the lefty

Joliet Orange Sox

Anderson threw 81 pitches facing 16 batters. Good job by the Sox letting his poor control cost him. They’ve let some pitchers off the hook this year by swinging at balls.

Last edited 1 year ago by Joliet Orange Sox
Foulkelore

Ugh, Burger. That could have ended the inning.

metasox

Maybe late in the game he comes out for defense, but only the fifth

Foulkelore

Sure, I don’t want to pull him. It’s just too bad he made that error.

metasox

He also didn’t charge a ball that could have been the third out

ForsterFTOG

Yet another decent hitting nice guy first baseman DH type Rick Hahn is responsible for.

metasox

I would say it is their achilles heel but don’t want to suggest more injuries

Foulkelore

Maybe the White Sox never score many runs on purpose, because when they get a big lead, bad things happen.

As Cirensica

Cease might need to be taken out of the game

soxygen

The stuff is amazing, but he throws sooooo many pitches that you really can’t count on him to get us more than 5…and he may not make it out of the 5th today.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
As Cirensica

I can’t emphasize this enough

soxygen

If Tony LaRussa were a pirate he would be Captain Slow Hook

As Cirensica

No shit. I know that Burger’s error was very costly, but leaving Cease there to finish this inning “NOT MATTER WHAT” is bad managing.

ForsterFTOG

If he were a Roman Emperor he would be Nero.

digger0910

Dylan I-do-my-own-Ceasearch can’t inoculate himself from this potent Dodgers offense. Never even had a shot.

/I’ll show myself out

ForsterFTOG

Harsh but fair.

Foulkelore

I don’t understand the contradiction between Vaughn needing a day off after 1 game to keep him fresh while letting Cease throw 110+ pitches in early June.

soxygen

This

As Cirensica

3D chess shit

Shingos Cheeseburgers

The Sox weaknesses are always so obvious and they always completely fail in trying to overcome them. For constantly failing they rarely fail in unexpected ways.

digger0910

This…isn’t fun anymore.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

The fact that it’s possible (if not probable) that the emotional high water mark of the rebuild was a Leury Garcia HR in a series in which they were otherwise embarrassed is…not something I’ve come to terms with yet

OldMMJ87

At the end of the day, this organization is going to be mired in mediocrity until Jerry Reinsdorf is no longer the owner.

Foulkelore

I’m going to rearrange your sentence to make me feel better:

This organization is going to be mired in mediocrity until Jerry Reinsdorf is no longer the owner, at the end of the day.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

He’s a garbage ass owner no doubt but there is no guarantee whomever comes after him is any better. If it’s a Steve Cohen type super fan type, great! If it’s a faceless investment group that just needs to diversify its holdings, like the Marlins, yuck.

GrinnellSteve

And just like that the internet is yours.

metasox

Burger giveth and taketh ..Still some more giveth needed

OldMMJ87

There are some very clear limitations to this roster, that’s clear, but Tony consistently puts guys in a poor spot to succeed and then you see the same kind of mistakes over and over with this team and I think that really reflects on the coaching staff. Unfortunately this organization doesn’t believe in accountability.

OldMMJ87

Another double play that can’t be turned leads to another run.

Joliet Orange Sox

I think turning two would’ve been tough with Betts running to first. A better third baseman would’ve gotten the lead runner though. I think we’re spoiled because we take Moncada’s excellent defense for granted.

Foulkelore

What the hell? An intentional walk on a 1-2 count in the 6th after first base just opened due to a wild pitch?

Last edited 1 year ago by Foulkelore
Foulkelore

That worked well. FFS, Tony.

As Cirensica

That is 5D chess level

OldMMJ87

See, without the runner on first Muncy only would have hit a two-run homer. Now he could hit a three-run homer!

soxygen

Also, Max Muncy>Bennet Sousa. Tony should not have so much confidence in Sousa that he is intentionally walking anyone with two strikes in order to face Max Muncy. Ever.

OldMMJ87

What the hell are we doing?!

soxygen

Losing

ForsterFTOG

Playing Wiley Coyote to the Dodgers Road Runner.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

Enjoying the ride?

madridsox

FIRE THIS FUCKING IDIOT ALREADY. WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY WAITING FOR

madridsox

They shouldn’t even wait until after the game. Hahn should go down to the dugout and fire him on the spot.

madridsox

I was shouting fucking idiot, fucking idiot, fucking idiot in my patio in Madrid as the idiot was walking Turner at 10:50 pm. That’s probably what my neighbors are thinking of me.

calcetinesblancos

It can be like that Who concert where Keith Moon passed out and they had to grab someone from the audience to play drums; fire Tony and then grab someone from the stands and let them try managing.

Foulkelore

Muncy, of course, to those paying attention, has never been bothered by LHPs. He has a career 132 wRC+ vs. LHPs and 125 vs. RHPs. You don’t walk a hitter with a 1-2 count to get to a lefty-lefty matchup with him.

Joliet Orange Sox

I don’t. You don’t. TLR did.

As Cirensica

I have this nagging feeling this game could have been managed better and actually won. It is a nagging feeling that visits often.

Denman

Wow, what looked like an inspiring series-winning victory against the much-vaulted Dodgers two innings ago sure looks different now. 6 unearned runs and then the “stacked” bullpen collapses–This is hard to take.

soxygen

Yeah, this one is a real gut punch.

BenwithVen

I’m glad I cancelled my mlb.tv sub. I’m beyond over this team right now. And the thing that absolutely sucks, is that no actual change will be made.

Last edited 1 year ago by BenwithVen
calcetinesblancos

The most hilarious part about the Tony the Russa saga is that it’s so much worse than I could have ever imagined. Initially I was most worried about TA having to deal with that idiot; I never dreamed the guy could ruin the will of the entire team.

Foulkelore

The offense has done enough to overcome the Burger error. Now, can they continue and overcome the intentional walk decision?

Foulkelore

Apparently not. I broke the number one rule to being a Sox fan. I expressed the slightest bit of optimism, and then they proceeded to not score any more runs with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs.

a-t

Sox team wRC+ vs RHP: 79, 28th in the league

Sox team wRC+ vs LHP: 133 (!), 1st in the league

Incredible stuff, really

Last edited 1 year ago by a-t
Foulkelore

Some people bemoan the Rodon decision and the Pilkington trade, but maybe the Sox are just trying to pollinate an entire league of lefty pitchers as the easiest path to their offense becoming good.

Denman

Why didn’t Moncada pinch hit for Harrison with one out and the tying run at the plate?

GrinnellSteve

Yours is not to question why.

OldMMJ87

Honestly, I’m not sure I want Moncada at the plate in a critical situation right now

soxygen

Here’s what I would have liked to see today: a coup d’ baseball. Grandal refuses to signal for the intentional walk. Then the guys on the bench bodily remove Tony from the dugout and support Grandal as player-manager. He’d be the highest paid manager in the league, but at least his knees could handle it.

Last edited 1 year ago by soxygen
Foulkelore

Grandal as manager would probably help the team walk rate too.

Foulkelore

Wait, first base is open. Why is Roberts not intentionally walking Pollock to put the tying run on?

Last edited 1 year ago by Foulkelore
As Cirensica

Pollock didn’t have 2 strikes on his count so it didn’t make sense. Aren’t you paying attention?

Foulkelore

Oh, right, duh.

soxygen

Gavin Sheets to pinch hit…and Leury is still available to pinch hit if the game gets that far…we have this in the bag, right?

asinwreck

Genius + IBB = Loss is my least favorite Ray Charles album.

a-t

Hahn by now has a very clear Christmas-in-July wishlist/tasklist:

#1: Jerry letting him fire Tony. bring back Ricky or Ozzie for all I care
#2 thru #101: See above.
#102: an actual usable 2B please god
#103: left-handed thump, via a) Moncada & Grandal heup and b) getting that elusive LHH RF. Schwarber? Laureano?
#104: One each of credible RHRP and LHRP, esp the latter. the back and middle of the bullpen is pretty good now, they’re losing slugfests because their crappiest relievers (Ruiz, Sousa, Banks, Burr) are just *too* crappy

Foulkelore

The problem is he had the whole offseason to try to address 102 and 103 and did not. The fact that they are issues is not surprising. Kelly coming back would help 104, kind of both parts, since he’s generally good against lefties.