Tigers 10, White Sox 0: One batter over the minimum
By the time I was able to sit down and watch this game, the White Sox trailed 8-0. To the extent that such a score could surprise for a 2023 White Sox team whose bosses are already talking about the season in the past tense, it was only because Mike Clevinger started. He’d been the White Sox’s best starter, even if every team just passed on the opportunity to pay him the remaining $5.33 million owed to him on waivers.
The Tigers shellacked Clevinger for eight runs on 12 hits over four innings, including a four-run first after Clevinger retired the first two batters, and that set the tone for the evening. The White Sox offense, conversely, totaled only four singles, and all four were erased by double plays.
The White Sox lineup didn’t draw a walk off Reese Olson and two Tigers relievers, nor did they attract a plunking. The only reason the Sox managed to get a 28th batter to the plate was because Andre Lipcius committed an error on an Andrew Vaughn grounder with two outs in the bottom of the first, making a double play an impossibility.
Here are the bullet points for the rest of the game:
*Korey Lee, defended by Pedro Grifol before the game, was benched by Grifol for not leaving the batter’s box on a pop-up that Spencer Torkelson caught in fair territory with one out in the third inning. Lee’s reaction suggested he assumed the ball was 15 rows behind the first-base dugout. After the game, he said he couldn’t locate it, and said it would never happen again.
*Visibility seemed to be an issue for both teams. Javier Báez also didn’t run out of the box, looking up and away on a bouncer to first base. Andrew Benintendi and Oscar Colás both had iffy reads in the outfield, but that’s not necessarily out of the ordinary.
*Clevinger didn’t make any team regret letting him go unclaimed on the waiver wire, but his defense didn’t help him out. He should’ve been able to get out of the first inning with one run allowed, but Andrew Benintendi broke the wrong way on Kerry Carpenter’s opposite-field fly, allowing MIguel Cabrera to score all the way from second. That turned into a three-run mistake, because Lipcius notched his first MLB hit with his first MLB homer.
*Clevinger also gave up a pair of two-out runs in the second, but poor defense again contributed to his issues. Akil Baddoo was able to score from first because Lenyn Sosa held onto the ball after receiving Colás’ throw from the outfield. Benintendi and Tim Anderson combined for a perfect relay on Spencer Torkelson’s double off the wall that should’ve had Zach McKinstry out at the plate by plenty, but McKinstry’s dive into home knocked the ball out of Lee’s glove.
*Luis Patiño made his White Sox debut and fulfilled his promise of ugly long relief. He pitched four innings, allowing a pair of runs on five hits and three walks. One of those runs was unearned because he threw away a potential 1-4-3 double play ball in the sixth.
*Miguel Cabrera collected four hits for the first since 2021. His last hit was a bouncer up the middle that caromed off second base before Sosa could get to it.
*Patiño did make a behind-the-back snag on a comebacker, so there’s that.
*Trayce Thompson relieved Colás in center field and threw out a runner at third base to stop the bleeding in the eighth inning.
*Colás played center because Robert was scratched from the lineup with a quad cramp.
Record: 53-83 | Box score | Statcast
30 games under. Let’s go for 50.
Don’t stop now, boys!
Pedro’s boys don’t quit
The Window!
.500 the rest of the way gives them 96 losses. They should come close to 100. They have not lost more than 100 since 1970.
Their current record is with Gio, Burger, and 1/2 their pitching staff for most of the year. I don’t think is an exaggeration that this current turd roster might be the worst Sox team I’ve seen in my lifetime.
I have no doubts this team will lose more than 100 games this year.
There’s always KC. I could see them go 8-6 over the next 14, I could also see 6-8 just as clearly. Either way it’d be tough to reach 100 losses. I’m going with 64-98 which would put them on par with the 1969 Sox though I think the ’69 Sox were a little better hitting team and definitely a better pitching team. Btw, the 1970 Sox lost 104 games and fired 2 managers(and a GM) before settling on Chuck Tanner.
I think you maybe underestimate how much “quit” there is in this team. It’s not just lack of talent and a now AAA pitching staff, but nobody wants to be here. Or play for Grifol.
They’ve got it all!
They are playing like death is watching from the dugout.
(Waits for LaRussa joke. )
well the score and the recap look miserable. Getz is off to a hot start. Sounds like the message is getting through and we should see this solid foundation of players take off next year because they are going to be policed with White Sox offseason stuff, like playing hard and culture. Bright days ahead.
Look, the Royals may be 42-95 and 2-8 in their last 10, but they are building something there. I’m glad this Sox organization and decided it needs to pay attention to what other teams are doing. Eventually we’ll have a culture like that in Chicago. Pedro’s boys just need to tighten a few things up… Now, let’s see here…does turning this thing counterclockwise tighten things up?
Except Grifol, he’s tightening up not thinking about that.
CuLtUrE
Are you trying to say there’s a CLUE in CuLtUrE?
My clue’s pointing over here. Heh heh.
Love that on the same day the Sox had another sleepy shutout Burger hit 2HR to break 30 for the year. But im sure the guy the Sox got for him is totally killing it right now in the minors.
Last i checked, his ERA is near 14
Another great trade for KW and RH to pile on.
On the list of things to hate about this team, the fact that they traded away some of their abundant DH depth is not very high for me.
It’s a problem for me because their other DHs (Jimenez, Vaughn, Sheets) have been average-ish to awful hitters. They also all have fewer control years remaining and are more expensive in the near-term.
It’s even more infuriating the fact that the White Sox got nothing for Burger.
Players that may never be called “stars” like Burger, Remillard, (and Engel/Mendick before them) are important compliments to the four or five core players needed to play winning baseball. Those core players (Moncada, Eloy, TA, Grandal) have underperformed and seem pretty fragile. I very rarely enjoy watching those four ‘perform’.
Though statistically below average, I truly enjoyed watching Burger, Remillard, Engel, Mendick play baseball. Those complimental players got traded.
At least good seats are available, the lines to the concessions and the washrooms are short, and traffic arriving/leaving the ballpark is less congested.
edit: oops, Remillard hasn’t been traded yet…just can’t play here to make room for 35-year old Elvis
Burger has not been statistically below average. He’s closer to an All-Star right now than he is an average player.
Burger may yet be a star. He’s showing that his bat can play. Plus, he was damn fun to root for, both because of his overcoming obstacles and he seems like a genuinely fun guy that likes coming to the park everyday.
This wasn’t just another sleepy shutout, but the first time all season they gave up double-digit runs in a shutout loss. They’d lost 9-0 twice before, but both times to good teams (Atlanta and, more recently, Baltimore). This is the first time they suffered a blowout loss (more than 5 runs) to a team under .500 all season.
Chris Getz, when the Sox are 30 under one year from right now:
“2024? Oh no you misunderstood: we think this team has a chance of being competitive in 20024.”
Clean it up, then tighten it. We have a short turnaround.
Lollygaggers
Chris, you have a lot of work to do!
Dear Jerry, Ken and Rick,
I haven’t enjoyed a baseball game for some time because you made that impossible. Somehow, you even managed to remove all hope for the immediate future.
I tune in now only to justify my disgust for your lack of attention and hope the product you put on the field embarrasses you on a broader platform. If murdering a fanbase isn’t a felony, it should be. Maybe someday, someone will write a murder mystery and give us closure.
Every flop from Clevinger only increases the odds he’ll be back next year.
Rightly so, JR-KW-RH-CG are targeted for the utterly pathetic state of the White Sox organization. But I want to add Grifol and his coaches for the equally pathetic performance on the field. There’s an old saying in this stuation that the players “have given up on the manager” and this may be a textbook case.
A thorough house-cleaning was needed and still is.
You could take anybody with a high school diploma, who has taken a couple statistics classes, and won their fantasy baseball team a couple times. Any such person would be a better manager, and/or GM, than the assclowns this team keeps employing.
Don’t worry guys, Pedro will be back for 2024. -Chris Getz
The culture….we have the beginnings, I see it. We just need to dial a few things in here, iron a few other things there. You know, just clean it up.
No problem.
Without being able to cite any examples, I feel Grifol has let acts of egregious non-hustle or bad baseball judgment slide during the game, not benching some players when it was called for. Therefore, I wondered when Lee was benched if perhaps Getz made it clear that there needed to be some accountability.
Or it could be that Pedro feels he can pick on the kid whose major league career is hanging by a thread and show everyone he really means business this time.
Thoughts?
The latter. Pedro has shown strong bias on “established players” because that’s good managing.
The latter, Grifol already had his F off moment with Getz when he wasn’t going to play the called up Rodriguez, there’s no reason to think things would be different this time. We all know who is who’s bitch in this relationship.
Only speculating, but I think Grifol/Getz are just doing/saying whatever they can to take advantage of a Jerry Reinsdorf owned team. He is out of touch as an owner, and don’t think he should’ve been allowed at his age to make decisions for the White Sox but he did and took the easy road that was comfortable to him. Both White Sox “leaders” Jerry is letting run this team come across as career survivalists because they are nice guys to people in charge. Its a valuable skill in corporate America I guess.