The Chicago White Sox have lost seven of 10 games on the heels of a season-high five-game winning streak.
First-year manager Pedro Grifol says it’s a matter of his team rekindling its momentum, beginning with Monday’s series opener against the visiting Texas Rangers.
“I have confidence in these guys,” Grifol said. “We’ve just got to continue to work. We’ve got to work. There’s no other remedy for that. We’ve got to get back to work.”
If the White Sox need an example of diligence, they need only to look across to the visitor’s clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field this week.
On Sunday, American League West-leading Texas trailed Toronto 6-0 entering the bottom of the third before rallying for an 11-7 victory.
“Just a great job by the club,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “I mean, they battled back. That’s one of our better wins, I’ll say since Opening Day. That’s just a tremendous job they did. … The patience they showed at the plate, they stuck with a game plan, and this was more of a club that we saw in the first six or seven weeks.”
Corey Seager and Ezequiel Duran contributed four hits apiece for the Rangers, while Leody Taveras had three hits and three RBIs.
Duran and Taveras, the eighth- and ninth-place hitters, helped set the tone as the Rangers secured a series victory.
“Now you get two guys that are setting the table for the heart of the order. That’s what works for us, and that’s why we’ve been scoring runs,” Bochy said. “It’s good to see them do what they did today. That’s what has to happen the rest of the season. We need everybody doing something to help us score runs.”
The White Sox are coming off a 2-4 road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners in which Chicago was outscored 25-20.
Chicago pitched well in a majority of the games but often struggled to come up with clutch hits.
During Sunday’s 5-1 loss in Seattle, Chicago starter Lance Lynn tied the franchise record for strikeouts in a game, getting 16 in seven-plus innings. Trouble was, the White Sox’s hitters couldn’t solve Mariners rookie Bryce Miller.
“It’s definitely frustrating for us as an offense, seeing Lance give it his all,” Chicago’s Jake Burger said. “He has their hitters off balance all day, and it’s disappointing we couldn’t score more runs for him.”
Chicago had not named a starting pitcher for Monday’s game as of the morning. The team needs to replace the rotation spot of right-hander Mike Clevinger, who is on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right biceps.
Left-hander Andrew Heaney (4-4, 4.05 ERA) will start for the Rangers. He is seeking his first win in four starts this month. He took a no-decision in Wednesday’s home start against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing one run and five hits in 3 2/3 innings. With four walks and five strikeouts, his pitch count ballooned to 95 before he was removed.
Heaney is 3-1 with a 5.45 ERA in seven career starts against the White Sox.
–Field Level Media
