Diamondbacks 10, White Sox 5: Sinking back below .500
I had the opportunity to watch this White Sox game from the bottom of the second inning onward, but for the third time this week, they grabbed a first-inning lead with a multi-run homer, only to lose that lead in the next half-inning. This time, it was Gavin Sheets reaching double digits with a three-run blast off Merrill Kelly.
Once I saw the White Sox trailing 5-3, I waited to see if they could pull me back in with a rally. They didn’t, so I waited until after the game to catch up on what I needed to see.
Here’s a bullet-point recap for the rest:
*How the White Sox lost that lead was new, and the battery of Davis Martin and Carlos Pérez was at the center of it. The leadoff walk was Martin’s fault. The catcher interference was Pérez’s fault. The bases-loading single, the bases-loaded walk, and the two-run single on an ineffective two-seamer that tied the game were on Martin. The high slider that clipped off Pérez’s mitt and to the screen for a run-scoring passed ball was obviously attributable to the catcher.
*The Diamondbacks scored a fifth run on a fielder’s choice, and while another wild pitch bounced in front of him, off his shoulder and over the backstop, Josh Rojas had to hold up at third.
*Pérez’s struggles carried into the third, when Daulton Varsho’s pop-up in front of home plate landed harmlessly about 25 feet in front of home plate. Pérez didn’t have the strongest read on it, and he received no help from the infield, because Leury García was the lone infielder on the left side and playing a deep shortstop, more or less. It was scored a double.
*As disastrous as the second was, Martin and Vince Velasquez managed to keep the game within reach over the middle innings. A sixth run scored in the fourth when Velasquez issued a two-out walk and it came around to score on a ball on a single deep to the right-center gap on a 3-2 count, but the game remained within three runs for six innings where the Sox came to the plate.
*Martin featured a pitch that Statcast called a changeup, but it averaged 90 mph, which is 3-4 mph faster than what it had been in either the majors or minors this season. It looked more like a two-seamer relative to his fastball, and the Diamondbacks had no problems hitting it. He didn’t get a whiff on five swings, and he gave up two singles on it.
*The Sox responded with two whole singles off Merrill Kelly during that time. At least one of them was Pérez’s first hit, so there’s that.
*Jake Diekman allowed a seventh Arizona run in the eighth inning. He lost the leadoff battle against lefty Jake McCarthy when Elvis Andrus couldn’t get in throwing position quick enough after flagging down a chopper on the right side of second. He then allowed a stolen base to McCarthy, walked Carson Kelly, then gave up an RBI single to ninth-hitting Geraldo Perdomo.
*The White Sox offense finally awoke when Kelly started the eighth, with Romy González delivering an RBI double to the right-center gap and José Abreu singling him home. But much like the first inning, the Sox were worse for the wear just a half-inning later.
*Joe Kelly’s inning started similarly to Diekman’s, with an infield single that José Abreu’s diving effort knocked down but couldn’t contain. It ended worse. He walked Varsho, then took a McCarthy liner off the inside of his left knee for a bases-loading infield single.
*Reynaldo López inherited that situation, and all three runners came around to score — two on a Carson Kelly single, and one on a sac fly. Kelly’s ERA is now 7.00, Diekman has allowed 20 baserunners over 8⅓ innings in a White Sox uniform, and they’re on the books for $12.5 million between them in 2023.
*AJ Pollock was nearly beaned by a Luis Frias fastball on the first pitch of his ninth-inning at-bat. Tony La Russa glared into the Diamondbacks’ dugout while Pollock capped off an 0-for-4 night with his second strikeout. Lovullo didn’t seem especially fazed.
*The Guardians and Twins both won, so the White Sox are now five games back of Cleveland and two back of Minnesota.
*White Sox fans have set their sights higher than merely firing the manager.
Record: 63-64 | Box score | Statcast
One “positive” in all of this is that the fans are showing their frustration and directing where it should be directed.
Nevertheless the dour that is ingrained in me says that the big off-season shakeup will be to put KW back in charge.
This is why this season while frustrating doesn’t make me as angry as others have been here. Cause ive already resigned myself to “Its never going to be serious till Jerry is gone”. Of course knowing our luck the guy who replaces him will want to move the team or have some Madoff situation happen to them.
That would be very White Sox.
Fans seeing headlines with two other teams for sale is probably driving some of that. Still, it is an interesting twist
Second game in a row that I haven’t watched, and again, very glad about it. Although, seeing the “Sell the Team” signs would have been the highlight of the game…
Scott Gregor posted an article saying that the Sox should take a mulligan on this season, and my first thought was “that’s not how this works…” The flip of it is, what’s actually going to change. I’m starting to resign myself that a mulligan is exactly what they’re going to try to do.
Replace Tony with Miguel Cairo or Joe McEwing and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
One paragraph seems promising (assuming Hahn is even around), the other not so much
An not enthused at the thought the same perennially injuried players, one year older, will find health
https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20220827/why-sox-will-take-a-mulligan-on-disappointing-season-hope-for-better-results-in-2023
So Rick knows the what.
Now he just needs to figure out the why.
Sounds vaguely familiar.
“If” they get to that point then they’ll start trying to figure out why?
It is happening, it has been happening, and Rick either knows why and doesn’t care, knows why and can’t do anything about it, or doesn’t know and therefore should be replaced by someone more competent.
If the answer is that he knows but can’t do anything about it then he should just quit. Some other front office would find a role for a smart experienced GM with the confidence and moral compass required to do the right thing.
You forgot, Knows why but doesn’t know how to fix it.
😂
They can punt next year as well if the plan is to wait for Colas to be their answer in RF. As promising as he is, he’s a minor leaguer. Maybe he will be good, he might not. He can’t be the answer in 2023.
There is no reason to watch this team next year unless they sign a real RF. And really, the only candidate this offseason would be Aaron Judge, because all the guys who could possibly have filled that role for a more reasonable salary were FA’s the prior two winters.
We could go on and on, this team is close to hopeless, for more reasons than I can count on one hand. Jerry, Hahn, Tony, RF, 2b, league worst defense, hitting vs RHP. How likely is it that ANY of those issues will be fixed prior to opening day?
The “major-league-ready” defense of Carlos Perez was not as advertised. I’ll chock some of the miscues up to nerves in his first start in the bigs, but I would describe his receiving technique as “surprised by most pitches.”
I regret that I live out of state and cannot bring “SELL THE TEAM” signs to the rest of the home games, but I would be willing to contribute money to ensuring local fans can continue the campaign at the stadium with the most accurate corporate logo in sports.
That would be the only reason to go to a game. But not if you have to pay for a ticket. I think empty seats and revenue loss are a much better way to communicate something Jerry cares about. He’s probably unaware of any signs the fans carry, if he is even at any of the games himself.
“Fire Tony”, “Sell the team”. Great sentiment, neither is likely, in the end. Empty seats… that might nudge them to do something. There is no reason this team should have more than 5K fans at any games next year. Or this year for that matter.
Jerry wins either way. Unless the terms of the GRF lease have changed recently, Jerry benefits if not too many people show up to Sox games. From 2016, the last time the organization’s building of a roster failed:
He’s carefully developed a way to make money without having a popular team.
“Diekman has allowed 20 baserunners over 8⅓ innings in a White Sox uniform.”
This is the guy we “traded from our catching depth” to acquire.
As for that catching depth, it was a rough night behind the dish. Guys who can play that position defensively are rare. Hopefully Perez is someone who can, but tonight would indicate otherwise and that we will be looking for catching depth this off-season.
Sox picked up a couple guys this offseason in Read and Ciuffo who could probaby at least look more like catchers for a few games. That is the kind of depth they can pick up. But now Perez is also occupying a roster spot if they want to keep him in the system.
Diekman. What could go wrong with a reliever with the highest walk rate. They are on the hook for 3.5M next year as well. They would have been better off keeping McGuire. Releasing him for nothing would have been better than hooking themselves for Diekman.
Diekman 3.5, Kelly 8.5, Garcia 5, Pollock 10. That’s 27M, more than what Springer is making, for 4 players who almost undoubtedly will contribute nothing next year. Certainly very little, maybe Kelly doesn’t blow next year. Whatever. Which is why I don’t give a damn about what their payroll rank is. And there is Tony. The way they run things is an insult to the intelligence and loyalty of the whole fan base. I don’t see how anybody with any self esteem whatsoever would pay money for a ticket to see this. To take your kids? Find something better to do, that doesn’t line the pockets of greedy and dishonest old men that don’t care one iota about anybody who comes to the park to watch this shit.
When you put it that way, it seems really silly to not have signed Springer or Harper. And if they had, they could trade Colas or Eloy for something fabulous.
Sadly, although Harper’s contract is admittedly long, the AAV on it is only $25 mil, same as Springer. That’s really not that much.
I continue to believe that the decision not to sign Springer was a turning point. He was an obvious answer. An athletic outfielder with the tools to be used anywhere in the outfield and the bat to lengthen any lineup at a price well below Harper/Machado.
For me, optimism/enthusiasm re the rebuild took a huge hit when it became clear that the team was too cheap to shop at the George Springer level on the free agent market.
As somebody said, how did they go from being in on Machado and Wheeler, to this shit?
Don’t give them too much credit!
Remember, being “in on” Machado meant offering him well below market and hoping that the signing of Yonder Alonso and John Jay would lure him here anyway.
And Wheeler wasn’t interested even if the Sox were the top bidders.
I don’t think either of those fact patterns paint a flattering picture of the Sox.
That “friends and family” episode was cringeworthy embarrassing
Diekman looks a little like a formula. Last season both Hernandez and Kimbrel had options. Like Hahn wanted to get something that could be more than a rental and looked like it could payoff the following season. Though they decided against bringing back Hernandez and Kimbrel’s payoff was to be in the form of another trade.
“I’ve watched him long enough.”
Finally someone who understands our struggles.
Offseason plan project people are going to have to shift their thinking when KW announces a $100mil payroll and rebuild for ’23.
Yeah, but “Project Birmingham”…aren’t you excited about the coming wave of talent that is percolating up through one of the worst farm systems in baseball?
For some reason, the decades of data pointing to the harm done to prospects when promoted to levels for which they are not yet skilled enough to handle has tempered my enthusiasm on that front.
How about these signs:
“What to do? Ask Paxson!”
“Ask Paxson – He Knows!”
“Hahn = Paxson”
“You Axed Pax. Kick Rick”
You get the idea.
Hahn will be fine in a different role, don’t shed any tears.
As everyone well knows, the White Sox are completely dysfunctional. I do not even know how you sort out the mess without a total change — getting rid of everyone: Jerry, KW, Hahn, La Russia McEwing, everyone. What is remarkable about this quagmire is that after acting and insisting his was a small market team that could not spend like NY & LA, Jerry did allow a payroll of $190 million. That has to be credited to him.
Then Hahn, apparently with no authority to say No to Tony, screws it up by giving Tony want he wants (Kelly, Leury, etc) and then doing the extension game to try to beat free agent prices. Horrible strategy. In baseball, you must either be the Yankees/Dodgers/Mets or the Cardinals/Rays. The White Sox Way is a failure. The Data is in.
Having come from a dysfunctional family, I know one when I see one. This is a team that doesn’t just suffer from poor baseball roster construction. The entire organization is dysfunctional. It is what it is.
$190 Million for this year and maybe close to that next year.
After that what are their commitments?
50 mil, maybe?
“Loyalty to this team, misplaced it is.” — Yoda
So frustrating. Had high hopes for an exciting year and i it has been one of the most dissapointing Ica ever remember.
I had almost no hope when the year started, with the offseason they had. And Tony still at the helm. Tony has been worse than I thought, but their team has performed exactly the same as the prior two years, predictably, because they did nothing to address any of their weaknesses, while other teams got better.
I want to claim credit for inspiring the Sell the Team sign. In the recap after the Baltimore debacle, I made this comment linked below.
My son was at the game. I texted him that I hoped he’d start a “Sell the Team!” chant. I don’t think he did, but I expect to hear it at all the remaining home games.
Sell the Team!
Even the most die hard optimists have to see the futility in rooting for this team by now. No more arguments will be made that they might win a World Series because the Braves did last year without a juggernaut roster. The Braves were good defensively, and no team with close to league worst defense has won a title for at least the past 20 years. Which makes sense, because pitching, hitting, and defense win games, and the Sox are mediocre at the first two and awful at the last one. This team is never going to make noise in October until they get a different manager, roster, and probably owner.
But they sold 59K tickets the last 2 days…
The very definition of being told to, “Go to hell” and have them stand in line for the tickets.