The White Sox are back at .500, just as they clawed their way above the mark. Jose Quintana did his job for the most part, allowing just three runs over eight innings, but the Royals completely shut down the Sox offense. Same old, same old.
1. Quintana, per usual, was good. In fact, he didn’t face more than four batters in an inning until the eighth, his last inning of the afternoon. He made exactly three mistakes: two solo home runs to Cheslor Cuthbert (in the third and eighth), and another solo shot to Kendrys Morales in the fifth. In total he allowed just six hits, striking out 10 (!) and walking none (!!). Allowing home runs are never good, obviously, but this loss was not his fault.
2. The offense, as has been the case since the end of their hot stretch, was putrid. Just like there wasn’t much to report on Quintana’s end, there isn’t much to say other than: Danny Duffy was great. He allowed just three hits over six innings, walking three and striking out 10. The Sox actually got a chance to score off of Duffy way back in the first inning, as a lead off walk from Adam Eaton and a subsequent Jose Abreu single put runners on first and second with no one out. Naturally, Robin Ventura had Melky Cabrera sacrifice bunt, and Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie followed that up with a strikeout and line out. Hey, guys: don’t bunt in the first inning — or with your No. 3 hitter. They also put a runner in scoring position in the third with two outs, but Lawrie struck out. They’d get a chance later on, but it’d prove to be too little, and too late.
3. The white flag crew came in the form of Matt Purke and Tyler Danish, and Danish allowed a run on three hits and one walk. It didn’t matter, but that tack-on run against a division rival always irritate.
4. Not only do the tack-on runs irritate, but a last-minute run that doesn’t change the outcome bothers me just as much. It would have been nice to see a run back in the first, thank you very much. The typical Royals relief crew came in — Joakim Soria, Kelvin Herrera, and Wade Davis — and the Sox were able to come away with just a run. Both Soria and Herrera worked a clean seventh and eighth, and then Davis allowed a run on a couple of hits from Frazier and Avisail Garcia. Once again, save that for before garbage time.
5. The White Sox are now back to .500, and that stinks. They have really faltered for this past month and change, and they now find themselves four games back of first place. The real question is: how much longer can they tread water before they make another deal, one of substance, that can stop the bleeding? The Sox will take on the Royals for the final game of the three-game set; Carlos Rodon will face Yordano Ventura at 1:10 p.m. CT.
Team record: 31-31
Lead Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports