Angels 9, White Sox 2: Anaheim as usual

Angel Stadium has been an underrated house of horrors for the White Sox, perhaps because of fond residual memories from 2005, as well as the lack of important games played there since.

By losing three of four, the White Sox finished the decade 12-26 in Anaheim. That’s bad enough already, but it looks even worse considering the Sox started the decade with a sweep at the Big A, and they’ve been just 9-26 since.

This was the least competitive game of the four, as Griffin Canning issued a Griffin caning of the White Sox. The rookie held the Sox to one run on five hits and a walk over seven innings, and the run should’ve been unearned because Brian Goodwin lost Eloy Jiménez’s warning-track drive to center in the sun. Instead of the third out of the inning, he was credited with his first career triple that drove in James McCann and cut the lead to 3-1.

Jiménez accounted for both RBIs, as he homered to the opposite field with one out in the ninth. By then, the score was even worse.

Dylan Cease once again struggled with the early crooked number, and his fastball seemed to have a thin margin of error. He gave up a three-run homer to Matt Thaiss in the second inning on an inside-corner pitch that wasn’t terrible, but also wasn’t elevated the way McCann wanted. It was a fastball count, and Thaiss was ready for it.

Two innings later, Kole Calhoun mashed a thigh-high fastball for a solo shot. I don’t think Cease demonstrated strong enough command of his breaking stuff, and he only threw three changeups all game, so the Angels could focus on his fastball, and that they did.

Ross Detwiler served a purpose as the only reliever Rick Renteria needed, even if he gave up four runs over his three innings. At least he had the courtesy to give up the homer to Shohei Ohtani, which was kinda cool to see.

Bullet points:

*The White Sox played errorless ball, but the corner outfield defense was lacking. Eloy Jiménez came up short on a drive to the left-field corner, and Jon Jay couldn’t close on a line drive to the gap that seemed within reach. Matt Skole also bobbled a hot shot by Ohtani that Ohtani beat out because he has no right to be as fast as he is.

*Tim Anderson was picked off second after a leadoff double in the fifth to short-circuit one of the few legit threats they had.

*Players and umpires took lumps in this game. Jose Abreu and McCann were both drilled on the bony parts of arms with pitches, Cease plunked Luis Rengifo, and home plate umpire Chris Segal took a foul tip to the kneecap.

*The Sox didn’t give final guest analyst Mike O’Brien a whole lot of moments to get up for, so his contributions mostly ended up being fandom-fueled one-liners that required close listening. He beat himself up over thinking Jay caught the liner, he said he wanted Jose Abreu to remain a White Sox for life because he ate his passport to get to the states, and you probably won’t hear a sneaky foot fetish joke the rest of the season.

His style wasn’t as close to TV-polished as Mike Schur, but it was fine for a day. Jimmy Pardo also stepped in to take over the proceedings for an inning and a half.

Record: 55-68 | Box score | Highlights

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iowasox1971

Didn’t see the game, but it sounds like one of those providing further evidence of how far away this rebuild is from succeeding. Angels are below .500, rest Trout, and still beat us by seven runs in a game started by our top healthy pitching prospect.

Also, I read on another site that Jimenez should have had an in-the-park homer when his fly ball was lost in the sun, but only ended up on third base. Yet, he was not pulled from the game, even though we are constantly told “Ricky’s Boys don’t quit” and that a lack of hustle is not tolerated, etc. By the way, a winning organization, the Braves, on Sunday pulled one of their star players for loafing. Apparently, Atlanta has standards for its players; we do not.

If you’re going to have a crappy team with a crappier-looking future than you’ve been telling us, then don’t have crappy enforcement of the type of rules that winning organizations need to have.

I don’t care that Jimenez hit a garbage-time homer later. While that meaningless blast might thrill the advanced-stats worshipers, an opportunity to send a clear message that lazy play will not be tolerated was lost.

HallofFrank

You might as well point to a victory in the Astros series (that included a well pitched game by our top healthy pitching prospect) as evidence for how close this team is. 

As for the Jiménez triple, the ball he hit is either an out or a home run 99.5% (or higher) of the time. Goodwin just lost it in the sun and it bounced on the ground. I hope the White Sox play hard, but I’m not interested in the 100% hustle 100% of the time philosophy. I just think of Adam Eaton, who is hurt almost as much as he’s healthy. I’m fine if the Sox occasionally (i.e. very rarely) fail to take the extra base in exchange for a more healthy roster. 

GoGoSoxFan

This comment makes my head hurt. “Didn’t see the game. . . read on another site…” Really dude? You’re going to go on a rant based on something you have no first hand knowledge of?

As Cirensica

Pretty much this…can’t be said any better

iowasox1971

South Side Sox is a respected website, as is this one. In the South Side Sox game recap, the writer, a source who I trust and has written at least one published book on the White Sox, described Jimenez’s glaring lack of hustle. This lack of hustle occurred on the same day when the first-place Braves pulled Acuna from a game for not hustling, even though that move occurred on a day when Atlanta had a short bench. The Braves still happened to rally to beat the Dodgers, while our uninspired play resulted in a 9-2 loss to a team with a losing record that was resting its best player.

You’re bothered by my post, and not by the difference in how the Braves and White Sox are handling similar situations? Really, dude?

NDSox12

I really didn’t notice Jimenez’s effort level on that particular play. What I did notice is that he didn’t exactly bust it out of the box on his home run, which just barely cleared the yellow line. That could have been an embarrassing single if it had come up just a bit shorter.

GoGoSoxFan

If having a book published makes a writer “respected”, you must love Al Yellon. As far as the rest of your rebuttal, you’re just adding more unfounded BS to your original post.

burning-phoneix

“Ricky’s Boy’s Don’t Quit”= “Ricky is an outdated manager that prioritizes meaningless “hustle” that can get players injured in garbage time regular season games”

White Sox player doesn’t score an inside the park home run= “WTF is this lazy ass team”

??????

roke1960

All right Rick, now is the time to do something. Are you really going to keep Luis Robert in Charlotte until May? Robert, Moncada and Collins should all be in the lineup tonight against the Twins. This is getting ridiculous.

5742mail

Don’t forget Mercedes, he’s been one of the most consistent bat this season.

gibby32

I didn’t much like O’Brien. A guest analyst should provide something more than what I can hear from meat heads in the row ahead of or behind me when I am at the games. However, his appearance was made almost worthwhile by identifying Betty White as the worst host on SNL, and then doubling down on it. Betty White! It’s not that I dislike Betty White, but I appreciate the counter-intuitive comment.

TCBullfrog

He was a little reserved, I think. I thought Pardo joining the crew really livened things up. It might have been rough if he hadn’t come in for awhile.

Trooper Galactus

At this point in the rebuild you expect to see as much progress towards the future as possible and it just feels like Hahn is willfully preventing it. For all the people who think keeping Robert down because 2026 is somehow of paramount importance, this is becoming silly. Not only are they wasting control years of their current core, but Cease, Jimenez, Giolito, and Lopez have all provided object lessons in why you need to give even elite prospects time to adjust to the majors.

roke1960

100 percent correct, Trooper. He needs to be in the lineup vs the Twins tonight.

mikeyb

For me, Cease might be the one guy that actually should have stayed down longer. His control has been a disaster for a long time, and it would probably be a little easier for him to work on it if he didn’t have to worry about facing MLB quality hitters every outing. When George Springer is sending your 98 mph fastballs out of the park on the first pitch of the game, it’s gotta get in your head.

roke1960

But he is getting valuable experience on how to get major league pitching out- it will definitely help him next year. I agree that it would get in his head, but better now than next year. Same goes for Robert and Collins.

zerobs

I’m inclined to agree but there might be something to be said for discovering how the minor league pitchers perform with the major league ball in a bandbox. Jordan Guerrero really got a rude awakening.

mikeyb

The International League is only allowing .3 more runs per game than the American League. Charlotte is pretty crazy, but he wouldn’t have to pitch every game at home. The environment is pretty crazy anywhere that is using the new ball.

Trooper Galactus

.3 more runs per game is pretty significant if your sample size is an entire league.

Trooper Galactus

So he’s supposed to learn how to face MLB quality hitters by facing non-MLB quality hitters?

roke1960

Yeah, so what if he can get a AAAA hitter out. He needs to figure out how to get the George Springers out, and he will not learn that at Charlotte.

mikeyb

No, he’s supposed to learn how to throw the ball anywhere near where his catcher wants it.

Trooper Galactus

I love hearing people give so much credit to James McCann for helping Lucas Giolito break out and simultaneously suggesting that guys like Cease would be better off in Charlotte throwing to guys like Collins and Zavala. Get him familiar with working with big league batters and an understanding of what it’s like to throw to a veteran catcher who isn’t bound for 1B/DH.

mikeyb

Ok, well then in that case, just never put a pitcher in the minors. The moment they’re drafted, just call them up to the big leagues.

lil jimmy

The problem for Cease at AAA is the park is a bandbox. Popups flying out everywhere. Maybe Birmingham but not Charlotte.