White Sox hot streak continues, crush A’s 4-3
Woo hoo! We’ve won two!
If you’re desperate to win a couple of games in a row and to take a series for the first time since Wilbur Wood was doing the pitching, it pays to pick your opponents. Last time the White Sox were successful at such things, the team doing the losing was the Rockies. This time, it’s the A’s. ’Nuff said.
This game was pretty well settled in the first inning, thanks to Oakland being the second-worst defensive team in the majors (we won’t mention who’s last). After Luis Robert Jr. walked, he took off too early on a steal attempt and was going to be picked off by 20 feet, so he made the smart move and headed to second. A halfway decent throw would have had him out by about 25 feet. Instead, Oakland first baseman Tyler Soderstrom decided to bounce the throw off of Robert’s shoulder and into left field, so Luis took third. Then, with two outs, Andrew Vaughn had a nice, nine-pitch at-bat and hit a mighty, 65 mph pop-up, which gave the A’s a chance to show more ineptitude.
That made it 1-0, and kept things alive for Gavin Sheets. A’s D-lessness can’t be blamed for what happened next:
Meanwhile, Sean Burke cruised through the first four innings of his first major league start, helped by the hapless A’s going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position (they’d end the game 0-for-8). Burke left in line for the win, with the only scoring blemish a Brent Rooker two-run shot in the fifth.
Bryan Ramos, who’s making the most of his latest trip to the bigs, picked a good time for his second White Sox homer:
That 397-foot shot in the sixth made it 4-2 and was a critical insurance run, because Shane Langeliers pinch-hit a solo dinger off of Fraser Ellard in the ninth.
Voilá! First major league win for Burke.
The victory held off Loss 116 for the second time, with 12 games to go. The competition level stays reasonable for the next three games, as the Sox head west to Disneyland to face the Angels, though after that the Padres up the opposition.
Futility Watch
White Sox 2024 Record 35-115, worst 150-game start in White Sox history (14 games worse than the 1932 White Sox), second-worst MLB start all-time (a 1 1⁄2 games better than the 1916 A’s) and 80 games below .500
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -311, tied for ninth-worst 150-game start in MLB history
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 38-124 (.233)
All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2024) 9,588-9,606 (.4995)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) 5 games worse; need to finish 9-3 to end season 44-118
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 3 games worse; need to finish 6-6 to end season 41-121
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) new record set (115 and counting)
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) CLINCHED, now 12 games worse than the 1932 team’s final record
Race to the Worst Post-1899 Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) EVEN; need to finish season 4-8 to finish 39-123
*record adjusted to a 162-game season