Tigers 5, White Sox 3: Playing out the string
A couple of games ago, some ugly defense from Yoรกn Moncada put the White Sox in an early hole. Tonight, another fan favorite helped put the Sox behind with some less-than-stellar efforts late.
A pair of poor throws from Yasmani Grandal on stolen-base attempts helped the Tigers score an unearned go-ahead run in the seventh, followed by an insurance run in the eighth. The White Sox did get Lucas Giolito off the hook after early struggles, but achieved nothing else as they dropped their fourth straight game.
Reynaldo Lรณpez instead got saddled with the loss. He gave up a single to Akil Baddoo, which forced him into a battle to keep him attached to first. He got Ryan Kreidler to fly out to center before Baddoo could find a pitch for running on during Lรณpez’s subsequent battle with Riley Greene.
Baddoo had the base stolen, but Grandal compounded issues by sailing his throw into center field, high and wide of both Elvis Andrus and a Josh Harrison who maxed out his effort trying to back up the play. Baddoo advanced to third, then scored on Greene’s sac fly for a 4-3 Detroit lead.
Jimmy Lambert took over in the eighth, and fresh off his failure in Tuesday’s opener of the homestand, he once again walked the leadoff man by losing Miguel Cabrera after a 1-2 count. Willi Castro pinch-ran for him, and even though the Sox guessed correctly on the pitchout, Grandal’s throw to second was late, and Elvis Andrus couldn’t keep the tag on Castro at the points he was off the bag. He advanced to third on a wild pitch, and while Lambert got a pair of popouts to keep Castro at third, he fell behind 3-0 on Spencer Torkelson, who used the green light to bounce a double over the left-field wall.
The Sox threatened without a hit in the eighth inning, loading the bases with two walks and an HBP to bring Adam Engel to the plate. Miguel Cairo called for Gavin Sheets, which prompted A.J. Hinch to call for lefty Andrew Chafin, which inspired Cairo to call for Romy Gonzรกlez. After al that, Gonzรกlez struck out on four pitches, whiffing on all his swings.
Gregory Soto retired the Sox in order in the ninth for the save.
The Sox’s last heroics came in the sixth, when Eloy Jimรฉnez smoked a liner off the foot of Eduardo Rodriguez for a leadoff single, and AJ Pollock resumed his torment of left-handed pitching with an opposite-field homer on an outside-corner sinker for a game-tying two-run shot.
That erased the 3-0 hole that Lucas Giolito dug early on, in a start that’s representative of his recent form. He struggled early, walking Greene to start the game, then giving up a lined Javier Bรกez double that sliced out of Andrew Vaughn’s reach in right. A Cabrera grounder scored one run, and Eric Haase lined a hanging slider into center field for a 2-0 lead.
Jonathan Schoop opened the second with a solo shot, and while it seemed like Giolito’s night was going to be a short one, he eventually found enough fastball command to make his changeup play up. He struck out the side in the second, setting a course for nine K’s over six innings.
He eventually received some support as the night advanced into the middle innings. In the third, the Sox finally threatened Rodriguez with a pair of singles, and Josรฉ Abreu delivered a third before the close of the inning to make it a 3-1 game. Vaughn couldn’t add to the score, but he kept it where it was in the fifth thanks to the best defensive play of his career. Giolito piped a first-pitch fastball at 91, and while it looked like a two-run shot off the bat, Vaughn kept it in the park with a leaping grab at the wall. The Tigers would eventually score the two more runs they needed, but they had to work a lot harder for them.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox fell to 35-41 at home, officially locking in a losing record where they should be winning. Their tragic number is down to 3.
*Pollock is now tied with Jimรฉnez and Sheets with 14 homers, three back of Andrew Vaughn’s team lead.
*Fun fact from Chris Kamka:
Open Letter to my Past Self of March 2022: I know you will find this hard to believe, but by September the main question you will have about the White Sox is whether Romy Gonzรกlez may be a cromulent option in right field. I don’t have the time or energy to explain to you how we got here.
I didn’t see the game, what did Gonzalez do in RF? He spent a good chunk of his minors career in the OF so should look ok there on occasion
God do they stink.
Twins to retain Baldelli
Hahaha this division is somethingโฆso much incompetence
Can we marshal support for a group of us to buy tickets right at the Sox ondeck circle before the season is over and verbally express how big a pile of ding these guys are? Screw Grandal, DFA that SOB today!!!
Grandal isnโt worthy of being mocked.
The guys knees are failing him rendering him no longer able to play at a high level. There isnโt much he can do about it.
Holding the organization to account doesnโt mean showing up to the stadium and acting like an uncouth meatball fan.
I disagree.
I agree. Watching him run makes MY legs hurt. The dude has made over $80 million in his career according spotrac. I hope he retires after this season. Even the Sox shouldn’t have a spot on the roster for him. Even at DH he still has to run though looking at his BA he won’t have to run much.
It’s one thing to get on a guy for lack of hustle/effort, they are deserving. Just like anybody in any endeavor, players are not responsible for the outcome, only for the effort. If they are providing the effort, as I believe Grandal has/is, they are worthy of basic respect for that and shouldn’t be the subject of scorn or mockery.
Is the bloom off on the rose of Cairo?
Yes, the bloom is off and that makes him a candidate for a 3 year contract.
We lost this game due to poor defense on Grandal’s tab
We lost the other day game due to poor defense on Moncada’s tab
We have lost many games due to poor defense on corner outfield’s {pick your poison) tab
I now wonder how many games have this team lost due to:
These are things a good GM should be able to control effectively. I know we keep blaming the manager (rightfully so), and the players (rightfully so), but there might be a way to quantify how many losses are on Hahn’s tab.
Every time Andrew Vaughn plays in the outfield and costs us a game, that’s not Vaughn’s fault. That’s 100% Hahn’s.
Every time a player fail to perform due to a physical ailment while the player was “rehabbing” at the Major League level, that’s 100% Hahn’s
Every time we had to use unhealthy players because there was not enough depth to allow him to heal, that’s 100% Hahn’s
Jerry, Tony and the players have some blame, but I believe this year’s post season failure was on Hahn’s ineptitude. He might be the worst GM in the Majors right now. I really don’t see who can be worse. Not even the Rockies.
I agree with you 100% on this. The only thing I question, as most of us do, is how much say does Hahn actually have? Is he THE GM or is he a puppet GM? So many levels of people to blame here that we could probably throw a dart at their organizational chart and hit someone to blame. If they were to fire Hahn, who in their right mind would want to work for Jerry while Kenny is still sitting on his lap?
If Hahn is just a stooge with no power, then that’s also on him.
For those who may not have seen it yet, Keith Hernandez of the Mets will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Hernandez is their announcer.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Sox next announcer!
Should’ve never let him announce back to back games.