Astros 5, White Sox 3: The Bullpen Strikes Again

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before ...

There are few things more enjoyable than watching the Astros lose to your team, and for an inning or two it felt like we might be able to enjoy one of this season’s few pleasures by taking two of three from Houston. Unfortunately, that was not the case this afternoon as the Pale Hose lost the lead late, losing both the game and the series.

If you tuned in today, you were treated to more boring and bad baseball, with brief moments feigning towards competence, or whatever passes as such on the South Side. The White Sox lost their 56th game this afternoon, on the 20th of June in the year of 2024; 56 losses on June 20!

Chris Flexen held the Astros bats at bay for six solid innings of one-run baseball before the abysmal bullpen gave away another winnable game in the late innings. If you think you’ve heard that story before, you probably have, as the South Siders lost for the 15th time after leading in the seventh inning or later. Fifteen losses after holding the lead in the seventh inning or later. It boggles the mind how bad this team is, yet they seem to reach new lows with every loss ...

You are, of course, totally welcome to read about another loss by the one worst franchises in baseball, who seem completely immune to embarrassment at this point. But wouldn’t you rather read a more uplifting piece by Melissa Sage-Bollenbach instead? I promise you’ll feel better after reading that than you will this recap ...

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Oh, hi, you’re still here I see? OK then.

For those of you still paying attention to this historically-bad team, let’s get to the game action, because we must.

It didn’t take long for Houston to get to Flexen, scoring on a solo homer six pitches into the ballgame. Flexen retired his first two Astros quickly, but Yordan Álvarez crushed the second pitch he saw 439 feet to right center field for his 15th home run of the year.

I can’t imagine what it feels like to take the field as a ballplayer and know there’s a greater chance you’ll lose the game than win. One might be tempted to check out mentally and simply go through the motions. Players are human after all, and who doesn’t fall for that temptation when your job feels pointless, mundane, and meaningless?

Exhibit A:

Luis Robert Jr.’s error was indicative of yet another lackluster effort from the Pale Hose on both sides of the diamond.

Speaking of lackluster, who could possibly imagine this collection of detritus would not feature a single position player accumulating one single WAR in late June ...

A reminder here, 0.0 WAR is replacement-level, i.e. a Triple-A player could do the same job, while a 2.0 WAR indicates an average MLB starter. At this point, roughly doubling WAR to project a season total, the White Sox will not have a single hitter coming anywhere close to average MLB starter WAR level.

Here’s looking at you, Chris Getz.

Spencer Arrighetti looked good early, or was it the White Sox bats making a mediocre arem look like an ace?

Gavin Sheets broke an 0-for-20 streak in the bottom of the third with an infield dribbler that went for a single. One of only two hits for the Pale Hose through the first four innings.

The sleepy White Sox bats finally broke through in the fifth when Martín Maldonado reached on a should-be error by 2B José Altuve that was graciously scored a hit, and scored on Robert’s third double of the season. Tommy Pham, who walked, scored on an Andrew Vaughn line drive to center, and an Andrew Benintendi sacrifice fly made it 3-1.

Pale Hose bats spotted Flexen three runs in the bottom of the fifth, putting him in line for a rare win. Too bad the relief core didn’t hold up its end, yet again ...

In the top of the seventh, the Astros remembered that they were once good, recently even, and the White Sox are very very bad, and proceeded to put the game away.

Houston scored three runs off of Steven Wilson, and a throwing error by Lenyn Sosa was the final nail in the White Sox coffin. The Pale Hose couldn’t muster a threat in the final two innings, falling to the Astros, 5-3.

The White Sox fall to 20-56 on the season.

Yikes.

Be proud, Jerry & Co. Be very proud ...

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Futility Watch

White Sox 2024 Record 20-56, worst 76-game start in White Sox history (5 games ahead of the next-worst, 1934 White Sox) and a season-worst 36 games worse than .500
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -158, tied for the 27th-worst 76-game start in history and a season-worst mark
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 43-119 (.263)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) TIED
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 2 games behind
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 13 games ahead
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 9 1⁄2 games ahead
Race to the Worst American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 5 games behind
*record adjusted to a 162-game season

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