MINNEAPOLIS — There’s rough, and then there is what the Chicago White Sox experienced in July.
The Sox won just three games all month. Their .120 winning percentage (3-22) was the third lowest in MLB history in July, behind the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (2-28, .067) and 2012 Houston Astros (3-23, .111).
The Sox ended the month on a franchise-record 17-game losing streak.
As the losses have stacked up, manager Pedro Grifol has faced questions about his job status.
“I’m going to control the things I can control,” Grifol said before Friday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. “The things I can control is get to the ballpark, work as hard as I can, prepare as hard as I can, make sure our staff is ready to go, make sure we get a good day’s work in and get motivated to win a baseball game.
“When I reflect back on this streak, we’ve had numerous chances to win some games we haven’t. We haven’t been able to close them out. … That’s behind me, I can’t do anything about that. Neither can anybody in this locker room. … There’s no assurances in anything in this game, especially when you’re having the season we’re having. I’m not looking for assurances. I’m here to work. And I’m going to work until they tell me I’m not here any more. Or they tell me I am. I’m going to do my job.
“Even the teams that are winning, there is pressure on the manager. There is pressure on the general. This is the business. I understand the business. I’m going to stay focused on what I can control.”
August got off to a bumpy start before the first game. The Sox placed starter Drew Thorpe on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain, retroactive to Thursday. The right-hander, a key part of the March deal that sent Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, is 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA in nine starts since being called up from Double-A Birmingham on June 11.
“I tried to pitch through it, but it started getting worse,” Thorpe said. “Especially the past two starts, it hasn’t been recovering at all. Thought I’d rather be safe than sorry and get it looked at.
“Images came back pretty good. Not too bad. So, just go on from here, rehab it up and hopefully get back in a couple weeks.”
With the most dismal month of a historically woeful season (27-84 entering Friday) behind them, here are three things to watch in August.
1. Plenty of playoff contenders await.
Grifol didn’t subscribe to the notion that the new month offers an opportunity to turn the page.
“Everybody talks about a new month, new this, new that — I don’t really look at things that way,” he said. “This is a new day for me. Just continue to work. The one thing this group hasn’t stopped doing is working hard. That’s the only thing we can do.”
The Sox will see plenty of teams in the playoff fight, starting with the series against the Twins. Minnesota began Friday in position for the final American League wild-card spot.
The Sox have a home series against the co-leaders in the AL East, the New York Yankees, from Aug. 12-14 and then travel to Houston (Aug. 16-18) to play the Astros, who are battling the Seattle Mariners for first in the AL West.
The Sox close the month (Aug. 30-Sept. 1) against the New York Mets, who are lurking in the National League wild-card race.
2. There’s the opportunity for more City Series drama.
The last 17 games of July didn’t represent the only extended slide for the Sox this season. They lost 14 in a row, at the time a single-season franchise record, from May 22-June 6.
The Sox lost two during the stretch to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, both by scores of 7-6 and in excruciating fashion.
The Sox scored five runs in the fourth inning in the series opener June 4, but by the end of the sixth, the score was knotted at 5. Luis Robert Jr., in his first game back from an extended trip to the injured list, hit a solo home run in the seventh to put the Sox back ahead. But Ian Happ’s two-run double in the eighth turned the tide in favor of the Cubs for good. A pickoff throw ended any ninth-inning momentum for the Sox.
The Sox had a 5-1 lead headed to the fifth the next night. But by the time the game reached ninth, the score was tied at 6. Mike Tauchman hit a walk-off home run against Michael Kopech to end the series filled with drama.
The series highlighted seasonlong issues for the Sox, who have lost 42 games after leading.
The Guaranteed Rate Field portion of the City Series takes place Aug. 9-10.
3. Young players are going to get a look.
The Sox slotted Miguel Vargas, whom they acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of Monday’s three-team trade, in the leadoff spot Friday.
He played third while Brooks Baldwin got his first major-league start at shortstop, Lenyn Sosa, who was recently recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, was at second base.
“This is the time to look at those things,” Grifol said. “Hopefully they’re hungry to make an impression and take advantage of this opportunity. That’s the thing through this adversity that’s consistent is opportunities for guys to play.
“This is a good opportunity for guys to show the organization they’re big-leaguers.”
