Rangers 11, White Sox 9 (10 innings): Lucas Giolito squanders cushion, Tony La Russa booed
Through four innings, the White Sox led 5-0 with Lucas Giolito overcoming early turbulence with a reasonable pitch count.
It ended with the crowd calling for Tony La Russa’s firing as his fourth reliever of the game got rocked for four runs in the 10th inning of an 11-9 loss.
While La Russa received the brunt of fan frustration, Giolito was chiefly to blame at an individual game level, as he responded to a three-run fourth by giving up four runs over the course of the first five batters he faced in the fifth.
He’s mostly labored since coming back from the COVID-19 list, especially in the middle innings. He entered the game giving up a .357/.378/.691 line against hitters the third time through, and that’s set to rise at the end of this one.
But while the problems started with him, it turned out to be a team effort.
The offense scored seven runs in regulation, sure, but all of them were off starter Martin Perez. Over the final four innings, they managed just a hit and a walk while striking out 11 times. Yasmani Grandal was the only starter to avoid a K, but that’s because he left after a 2-for-2 performance with a hamstring injury suffered while “running” down the first base line.
The defense committed a pair of errors, and while Kyle Crick was able to make up for hie errant pickoff throw at first by picking off Brad Miller at second, Andrew Vaughn’s errant throw back into the infield on Kole Calhoun’s double allowed Calhoun to take third with one out, and he came home on a sac fly to score the tying run.
As for La Russa, he used five relievers, but none of them were his high-leverage guys. Crick, Sousa and Jimmy Lambert handled the four innings before extras, with Lambert delivering a miracle with 2⅔ high-leverage innings that closed out the seventh, eighth and ninth.
Around him was disaster. Crick gave back a run in the sixth, and Sousa once again faltered against a lefty, giving up the RBI double to Calhoun in the seventh. In the 10th, Matt Foster immediately yielded an RBI double, folowed by a single, walk and single. A Reese McGuire passed ball also allowed a run, but it probably would’ve scored anyway, because José Ruiz also gave up an run-scoring hit to his first batter. He lucked out because Corey Seager followed by flying into a 7-3 double play.
The White Sox finally got back on the board in the bottom of the 10th with an assistance from the Manfred Man. Danny Mendick singled home a run, took second on defensive indifference, third on an AJ Pollock infield single and scored on a Vaughn sac fly that was the White Sox’s best attempt at tying the game. Luis Robert popped out and José Abreu flied out, and the remainder of the 30,000 fans who showed up on Hawaiian Shirt Day went home thoroughly displeased.
It could’ve been better, because the White Sox offense once again proved to be a bear for a left-handed starter. Martin Perez entered this one with a league-leading 1.56 ERA, but the White Sox tagged him for seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits and two walks over five innings.
Jake Burger tagged him for only his second homer allowed this year, but the other five runs scored via steady pressure, as well as a couple of misplays. The left side of the Rangers infield left afforded the Sox two extra outs — Ezequiel Duran trying to turn a 5-3 double play when 5-4-3 was the simple way to go, Corey Seager whiffing on a grounder because he saw a play at the plate — and the Sox capitalized with an array of well-placed hits.
Alas, the Sox have scored, seven, eight and nine runs this week, and they have a 1-2 record, a +1 run differential and an apparently gassed back end of the bullpen to show for it.
Record: 27-30 | Box score | Statcast
What’s left to say, other than sell the team, you prick!
From what I saw reported, the high leverage guys were unavailable. Can’t get by with just a few useful relievers. Some of the other guys have gone south since looking good earlier. That won’t get it done.
Aaron Bummer last threw 1/3rd of an inning on the 7th.
We don’t necessarily know what is going on behind the scenes.
https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/tony-la-russa-white-sox-discuss-chants-from-home-fans
TLR has long lost any benefit of the doubt.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but using Bennett Sousa 3 times in 4 days while Aaron Bummer hasn’t pitched once begs a bit more of an explanation than “he was unavailable.”
Why is Sousa here at all? I have one of those left arms, too.
So could be something bothering Bummer
His pitching bothers me!!
In that case, you are not paying attention.
You think I’m wrong every time he comes in starts nibbling at corners walking batters he got great stuff but can’t control it
I believe that his last 12 appearances, he has walked one guy and given up no runs.
blister, hangnail… could be anythng that sidelines a pitcher for a couple days
lat strain
I don’t mind booing Tony and I wish he was long gone, but he didn’t lose Saturday’s game.
Didn’t win it either!!
The note about Giolito third time through is great insight. Seems like something the coaching staff would have picked up on too and would be monitoring as he ramps back up.
Bummer hasn’t pitched since Tuesday. Is he injured? If so, put him on the IL.
Graveman had two days off before pitching yesterday. He can’t pitch back-to-back days now? Ditto for Hendriks. Or was that because you cannot use a closer without a lead.
Would the job of coaching this team be a lot easier if certain players were playing better? Absolutely. But the moves that are being made and the rationalizations are completely divorced from reality.
The restraint it must take for Jim to not have every game write-up simply read “F**k Tony La Russa” is the stuff of heroes.
With headlines on the ESPN baseball page the past two days, with “Was La Russa’s intentional walk the worst in MLB history” and ” ‘Fire Tony’ chants as White Sox blow lead in loss”, I think the chances of TLR actually getting fired are a lot better than they were a week ago.
Even assclown Reinsdorf can’t ignore all the national attention this embarrassment is getting. I hope the chants continue every home game until this tragedy is over. Or that the Sox attendance drops to that of the Rays, one of the two.
You’re giving way too much credit to Reinsdorf. He can and he will ignore
First, Gio looked like he lost his composure after not getting a couple of pitches. It may be that he’s having 3rd time through or covid related fatigue, but it makes me wonder if he just let his emotions get the better of him this time. That would make more sense, seeing how mad he was at himself after the game. He knew he blew it and was mad at himself for allowing it. Who gets mad at themselves for being fatigued?
Hoping Perez is the callup for Grandal and not the easy way out with Zavala.
It’s Zavala.
It is Zavala so brace yourself
Surprisingly Zavala actually has a higher OPS than Perez, .930 to .793. We can only hope he will be better than last year.
If they thought highly of Perez you would think he would have gotten the call. I don’t really trust their ability to assess who is the better of the two to be honest.
Unlike competent MLB teams, the Sox don’t understand the concept of getting your minor leaguers with MLB potential down the road some seasoning here and there before you need to fully rely on them. Plus it would just be fun and exciting for the fans to see Perez, so of course it won’t happen.
It’s hilarious that one of their most productive hitters (Burger) is only here because injuries forced their hand.
How bad a year is Moncada going to have, geez. I know people suspect that he’s hurt but TLR isn’t one for playing guys who are even a little bit hurt, we know that.
He’s set to make 17M next year and 24 the year after. Surely he is better than this but 2024 at 24M looks like a brutally awful deal for the Sox. He looks like as big an uncertainty and as unreliable as anybody.
I used to think he was the least of their problems but he has been so bad it is impossible to ignore.
Those called strike 3’s were absolutely brutal today. I don’t know how you fix him right now if he’s not injured short of a sports psychiatrist.
Moncads’s power disappeared 2 years ago so his value was limited to defense and OBP. That’s walking on thin ice. An iffy health has eroded his his ability to stay on the field and be on base lregularly leaving him as an overpaid glove first 3B. He is somehow hitting worse tha Leury, and the White Sox cannot afford another Leury at that price tag for 2 more years. He needs to put it together and soon
Bref has Moncada at 17.8, 24.8 and an option of 25 or a 5 mil buyout. If those are correct, assuming the option is bought out, that adds up to 47.6 for 2 yrs. The rebuild assumed these long term deals would be favorable.
Yeah when you consider that Moncada and Eloy both have negative WARs and are two of the four “core” team friendly contracts to go along with TA and Robert, it’s looking more and more like this whole rebuild is going to go down in flames, regardless of La Russa.
Glad we don’t have a millstone contract like that Machado guy.
The 1!Good year he had he was aggressive at the plate. Then he reverted back to taking way to many pitches he hasn’t been aggressive how often you see him swing at the first pitch? The answer is never!!
I have no inside information, but I believe La Russa will have had enough and will retire again by the end of the All-Star break. He has to know by now that the quality of his decision-making has declined. Maybe he will say the reason is that he has become a distraction and it is for the good of the team. Or that he has family matters to attend to. He will not be fired.
Or Riensdorf fires Hahn, hires Hawk as GM, and lets Hawk fire LaRussa
😂
TLR has no capacity to admit his mistakes or shortcomings. Zero. He is a narcissist. During the postgame press conference after the intentional walk he defended the decision, like an arrogant ass.
TLR having a moment of honest self reflection is way less likely than him getting fired, in my opinion. I do have hopes he might be gone pretty damn soon.
I think this week has changed the chances of him getting fired substantially. The national media attention, and more to come as his mistakes will now get even more scrutiny. It might not have seemed likely, but when ESPN writes an article questioning whether his decision was the worst intentional walk ever… even Jerry cannot ignore that. And the “Fire Tony” chants, which I hope continue and intensify. That’s the only reason left to go to a game until they get rid of him.
Crickets 🦗
The strangest aspect of this season in White Sox baseball has been the limited use of the IL for guys who are hurt. I would love to have a better understanding of how the front office is thinking about this. I get that the system lacks depth, but the team is not better for having all of these dead spots on the active roster.
Agreed. The passive approach to roster management is baffling.
There is the matter of putting guys on the IL. And also of keeping them there. Doesn’t it appear guys are coming back too soon?
If you analyze the season, there is an awful lot Tony is responsible for. He shows a loyalty to .180 hitters as though we’re in a Sunday softball league. From poorly written lineups to letting relievers in there to rot when they just don’t have it that day. Everyone could see Lucas was getting pummeled but it was so important for him to pitch the 5th to get the win. Very poor decisions
Someone look this up for me: What is the White Sox record this year when they score 9 runs?
Well, they said on the broadcast that it is 3-6 when they score at least 7 runs.
It is worth keeping in mind that if the issue is that many players just aren’t in good shape this year, a lot of the blame would fall on the owners (like Jerry) who locked them out during spring training.
Supposedly LaRussa said Graveman, Hendricks and Bummer were not available yesterday (before the game). Did someone ask why? The only think that would make sense is if there was a failed Covid 19 test since Hendricks and Graveman pitched a total of 1 inning the previous 3 games. If there is no Covid related issues then I call bullshit on all 3 being unavailable.
As much as I encourage the “Fire Tony” chants, Hahn is equally bad at his job. The last two off-seasons have been train wrecks.
No surprise. Bummer just went on the IL. When you don’t see a guy for a while, there is a reason
With TLR, I think we’ve learned that there does not necessarily have to be a valid reason for anything.
Really not sure consistently having unavailable players taking up space on the 26 man is good roster management.
I wonder how the communication is between the staff and FO.
They DFA’d Yermin to make room on the 40 man for ???, Seby?
For Lance Lynn coming off the 60 day.