Depending on your point of view, the Chicago White Sox are a historically bad team playing out the string or just a bad team that’s playing well despite all the losses piling up.
Count manager Grady Sizemore in the glass-half-full crowd.
The day after Wednesday’s heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, Sizemore said “it’s been the theme of just coming up a little short, being right there and an inch or two away from a victory and just having it taken away.”
The Sox proceeded to lose 2-1 to the Rangers on Thursday before an announced crowd of 10,402 for their 104th loss, getting swept for the 21st time in 2024.
Rookie Nick Nastrini pitched well in his first start for the Sox since June 8 in Boston, allowing one run on three hits over six innings. But Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi shut out the Sox on one hit over seven innings, striking out 10.
The thematic motif of the season remains the same: A loss follows another loss, and a series loss follows another series loss.
The Sox have dropped seven straight games, falling a franchise worst 73 games under .500 at 31-104. They’re two games from tying the franchise record for most losses in a season, set in 1970, and are 4-33 in the second half, a mind-boggling .108 winning percentage.
Andrew Benintendi’s solo home run off closer Kirby Yates spoiled the shutout with one out in the ninth, but that was it for the Sox, who wound up with three hits.
“We didn’t get the hits, but there were some good at-bats there,” Sizemore said. “We just weren’t really able to find a hole. … We got the homer there late, but, again, just coming up short.”
Nastrini’s outing was a positive for the Sox, who will rely on their young starting pitching talent in 2025 while hoping to add to the offense.
“It’s huge to go out there and have an outing like that,” Nastrini said. “But mentally things can’t change. You have to be a strong-minded person regardless of if you are down in the dumps pitching poorly or playing poorly or if you’re pitching really well. You can’t really ride the wave. That’s how the waves get really big or really, really high.”
There have been no high waves for the Sox to ride, and the final month will test their mental strength as they continue to reach new lows in team history and possibly major-league history.
The Sox begin a three-game series against the New York Mets on Friday hoping to avoid tying the franchise record of 106 losses. Their 18-51 record at home includes an 8-35 stretch since May 23.
Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sunday, with a maximum of 14 pitchers. Before the rules changed, the Sox would’ve called up several prospects for the final month to see what they have for next year.
“We’re focused on looking at our minor-league system, bringing up guys when we feel like his time is right,” general manager Chris Getz said. “When the time is right for us might be different than perhaps how other organizations would view it.
“We’re going to take advantage of the opportunity while we can to get these guys some runway at the major league level and surround them with guys that understand the big picture. … But it would be fun to get even more up here and let them get acclimated to this level.”
