Rockies 14, White Sox 1: Keep the first pitch, lose the rest
That score is even funnier when you realize that Elvis Andrus homered on the game’s first pitch.
While this mess was unfurling, I was watching the Lenyn Sosa-less Charlotte Knights play here in Nashville to grab some photos and see a couple of the players the White Sox acquired in their deadline trades.
I first checked the score as they wrapped up the first. The Rockies led 5-1, and it’s because Michael Kopech lost all of the three true outcomes. His line showed three walks, two homers and zero strikeouts. Both teams grabbed the lead as fast as they possibly could — Kopech opened with a walk and a homer — but the Rockies kept piling on.
The White Sox, conversely, were limited to just three singles over the final eight innings. Andrus had two of them, Vaughn (who drew the Sox’s lone walk in the first inning) had the other, and the rest of the lineup went 0-for-23 against Jimmy Lambert’s brother and two relievers. The Sox did not get one runner into scoring position, whereas the Rockies went 6-for-18.
A few more bullet points. As always, fill in any details I might’ve missed, because I don’t think there’s a point in going back and watching it closely.
*No White Sox pitcher escaped unscathed. Brett Honeywell dodged trouble in the fifth, but gave up a run-scoring triple to Brendan Rodgers that would’ve been a homer in 25 of 30 parks, followed by an RBI single in the sixth. Declan Cronin gave up a leadoff double that scored on a couple of productive outs, and Bryan Shaw allowed three consecutive batters to reach with one out in the eighth.
*White Sox pitchers walked eight against four strikeouts, while their hitters drew just one walk against five K’s.
*Andrus’ homer was No. 100 for his career.
*Both of Andrus’ singles were erased by Andrew Benintendi double plays. After the second of those sequences to open the sixth, Rockies pitchers retired the last 11 battes they faced to end the game.
*Lenyn Sosa smoked a couple of lineouts in his return to the White Sox lineup, and even his groundout counted as a hard-hit ball (96.8 mph).
Record: 48-74 | Box score | Statcast
I was there tonight, wishing I had one of those brown bags. I seriously hate this team/org as a whole right now. It’s beyond dislike now for the 22-23 White Sox. Pedro sucks any remaining hopes of fun out of everything too. Shoulda put Jimmy Lambert in in the first with Kopech getting crushed. The only thing he polices in the clubhouse is fun/joy. Why didn’t he? Lambert brothers squaring off? Wish him the best as a Royals 3rd base coach or whatever. If my family and I can show up in our Sox jerseys on a night like this and stay till the bitter last out, then Rick Friggin Hahn et all can hold and show up to Sox Fest.
Can’t show up to something that doesn’t exist.
I know there is some real talent there somewhere, but after all the protecting, is Kopech even going to wind up being an average mlb starting pitcher?
You gotta wonder if he’ll wind up back in the pen as soon as next year. Leading mlb in walks isn’t good, things sure are not looking good for him.
Big hill white sox > Prairie Sox
I was surprised more than 35,000 people showed up to the game. I do know one hardcore, long-suffering Rockies fan here in the West, but they strike me as overall a rather causal bunch who just enjoy being at the park. They got treated to a lopsided laugher. Nothing funny about Kopech’s season though.
Gotta hand it to the boys– going 27 consecutive outs in Colorado without scoring is not easy.
What happened to Kopech’s stuff? Even in June he was hitting 96-98 and was able to get whiffs on his slider. Now he’s sitting 93 and his slider turned into a BP fastball. Are they letting him pitch hurt again?
Probably.
I’m enthralled to watch the development of players like, Trayce Thompson, Elvis Andrus, Yoan Moncada, Gavin Sheets and Yasmani Grandal.
It makes for such edge of my seat viewing.
Going by what’s happening in Charlotte and Birmingham, it ain’t getting any better beyond those guys.
I get it, cupboards are nearly bare, but none of the players I mentioned do anything for the Sox future, so what’s the point in playing or watching them? At least guys like Ramos, Quero, Lee, Montgomery, etc, would be interesting.
And before anyone jumps on me, I completely understand the value of the minors and development and not exposing young players prematurely to expose weaknesses and ruin confidence. However, giving the players a taste now, for the last 8 weeks of the season, negatively impacts those concerns.
At some juncture, the FO should be asking, what’s the point? when making lineup and roster decisions.
Wouldn’t let me edit to say…
….does not negatively impact those concerns.
Might wanna take another look at Birmingham. They are pretty much stacked with legit top prospects and a lot of guys with demonstrable upside. If they’re gonna create a new wave of talent while sweeping out the old, Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos, Jose Rodriguez, Edgar Quero, Wilfred Veras, Terrell Tatum, Tim Elko, Christian Mena, Matthew Thompson, Jonathan Cannon, Nick Nastrini, Ky Bush, and Jake Eder is a pretty good group to be building around.
At least we can watch the development of Jake Burger…oh wait
Burger, a rare Sox draft pick that might actually pan out. I know Eder was considered good value to get for him, but I hope Burger kills it in Florida and has himself a great career as a 3b. He’s off to a really nice start, Marlins fans must be loving him.
He’s got really good energy, and can hit, which are qualities very few of his former teammates have.
If the Marlins get five more years of what Jake Burger has been doing since the trade, Jake Eder would need to be in CYA contention until he reaches free agency to make that trade anything but a disaster.
The team wanted to take game out of the closers hands last night…..I believe they aren’t sure of the concept
The Sox are just 1 game ahead of the Rockies, for turd worst record in baseball. Don’t stop now boys!
Watch Andrus’ hit in the 6th where the 2b crosses over the bag to field the ball on a routine play, bobbles it, and they rule it a hit. Not anywhere in baseball history would this be ruled a hit, nowhere. MLB may try and justify it by saying he might have beaten the throw but that doesn’t change the fact that this would have been an error in every year of MLB except this one.
That’s just fucked up.