The Chicago White Sox left Fenway Park on Thursday with a 12-11 loss to the Boston Red Sox, and the result came with a strange little footnote: for the first time ever, Chicago will finish 0-for-the-season against Boston.
That alone would be enough to make the night feel brutal. But the bigger question hanging over the game is the one that follows losses like this around all season: does it actually mean anything?
There’s a case for reading plenty into it, because Boston is doing something extreme right now. The Red Sox have won 31 of their last 36 since June 25th, and before sweeping Chicago in Boston they had already swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in L.A. That’s the same Dodgers team widely viewed as the favorite to win it all this season.
And yet, the White Sox didn’t exactly show up looking like a team that belonged in a different class from Boston. Chicago had trouble scoring against the Red Sox pitching in the first series in Chicago, and then Davis Martin and Sean Burke both had rough outings in the first two games of this set, including a 14-2 Boston blowout. On Thursday, though, the Sox did at least get the offense moving against a team that has been nearly impossible to pin down lately.
That’s what makes the whole thing hard to file away neatly. The White Sox are young and, by the feel of it, probably overachieving a bit.
Boston, meanwhile, has ripped through the schedule so violently that it’s fair to wonder whether this is real or just a stretch no one can keep up forever. The Red Sox were written off earlier in the year, and even with this surge they’re still third in a loaded American League East.
Chicago has some context of its own, too. This is the same club that battled back for a split against the New York Yankees last week and took two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays before heading to Boston, with the lone loss coming in a 1-0 pitchers’ duel. The Yankees and Rays were the measuring sticks in the AL before Boston caught fire, and both sit ahead of the Red Sox in the standings as of this writing.
So what exactly are we supposed to make of Thursday? That’s the tricky part. Was this a sweep by a team that could be back in October, or just a collision with a club riding an absurd heater?
Even the emotions from the loss are hard to sort through. Luis Castillo coughed up the lead, but he also looked good early.
The bats finally woke up, but the Sox also wasted chances to add insurance runs they clearly needed. Huascar Brazoban appeared to handle his work well in an effort to secure a four-out save, but he gave up the tying run on a two-strike base hit.
Maybe that one gets softened a bit because Wilyer Abreu chased a pitch out of the zone and still found a way to put it in play.
Still, there were two moments that really stand out. Chris Murphy threw a wild pitch that helped Jarren Duran score the tying run in the bottom of the 12th, and that’s the kind of mistake that can’t happen.
Then, in the top half of that inning, a poor send led to Braden Montgomery being thrown out at home. If he scores, the White Sox probably have a strong chance to stack on more insurance.
In extra innings, with the ghost runner starting on second, one-run leads are never safe for long.
Afterward, Will Venable said the right things, acknowledging the self-inflicted damage and the need to clean it up. That’s the part Chicago has to turn into action. Sloppiness is the kind of thing that gets exposed fast when the games get bigger.
There were a few silver linings. The White Sox gained ground on the Cleveland Guardians before the two clubs meet this weekend in Chicago.
The offense also showed life again. And if you were going to lose a game like this, it does feel a little easier to stomach when the other team is on a historic run.
But it still leaves the same basic message: the White Sox have enough talent, and the trade deadline additions probably made them better. Now they have to stop beating themselves.
Fewer walks. Better at-bats.
Smarter baserunning. Cleaner decisions from the runners and the third-base coach.
No more wild pitches with men on second.
If they can tighten up the parts that are in their control, they’ll give themselves a much better shot against the Bostons of the world.
In Other News...
White Sox Fans Got Hit With Another Brutal Letdown Late Friday
Late Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field, White Sox fans were already digesting an 8-2 loss to the Guardians when another disappointment landed in the ninth inning. The club used its official channels to let fans know the scheduled postgame concert had been called off, turning what had been set up as a little extra entertainment into an abrupt end to the night.
The cancellation left ticket holders waiting for the teams next move, and the Sox were quick to say compensation was coming. Fans with game tickets are being offered complimentary tickets to a future game, while those who bought field passes for the concert will get refunds, a small gesture after a rough night that offered the home crowd very little to celebrate. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Turn To Two Young Arms For Crucial August Push
Amid a rotation that has been thinned by injuries and uneven performances, the White Sox are leaning harder on their young pitching depth as August gets underway. Noah Schultz remains part of the mix despite a high ERA, while other arms such as David Sandlin and Jonathan Cannon have already gotten brief or inconsistent looks in the majors, leaving the front office to keep searching for answers that can help stabilize the staff.
Two names now moving into the spotlight are Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal, both of whom have pitched well in Triple-A relief work and are expected to give Chicago another look in the bullpen during the playoff race. The move underscores how quickly the Sox are trying to sort through their prospect crop, and it also adds a layer of roster maneuvering around Smith as the club prepares to make room for him. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Turn To Top Pitching Prospects As Rotation Questions Grow
With the rotation still under strain, the White Sox are reaching deeper into the upper end of their pitching pipeline and giving two more arms a look on the major league roster. Manager Will Venable is balancing those pitching challenges with the realities of roster management, and the latest move underscores how quickly Chicago is leaning on its prospects to help cover innings.
Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith are on the way up, adding more intrigue to a staff that has been searching for stability. The corresponding moves clear the necessary space and send two other young pitchers back to Charlotte, a reminder of how fluid this stretch has become as the White Sox try to sort out who can stick and who still needs more time. [Read more 🡒]