Arlington — The Chicago White Sox are trying to turn things around. They’ve shifted Luis Robert Jr. to leadoff. They have changed how they employ their bullpen, not always waiting until the ninth inning to bring in closer Michael Kopech. They’ve openly downplayed the impact of persistent trade talk surrounding numerous players in the clubhouse.
However, the White Sox’s season continues to struggle, as they were defeated 10-2 by the Rangers on Wednesday at Globe Life Field, Chicago’s tenth consecutive loss.
“We’re going through it right now, right?” Manager Pedro Grifol stated. “But we’re going through it with the mindset that we’re coming to the ballpark every day to try to win a baseball game, but we’re also coming to improve, develop, and do the things that we need to do to set ourselves up for the future.
“Again, our top priority is to win baseball games, and we are working hard to do so. We aren’t winning them. We’re not simply coming out here to develop, you know? That is not what we are doing, and I want to make it plain. This isn’t a development league. This is the major leagues. Every day, you come here with the goal of winning baseball games. We’re simply not doing it. We’re trying to figure out how to lose the game. “We just have to keep cleaning it up.”
Nicky Lopez’s RBI single.
Robert blasted a single home run off Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi in the third game, giving the White Sox an early 2-1 lead Wednesday. But Chicago was held scoreless for the remainder of the night, finishing with four hits and 13 strikeouts. It was the sixth consecutive game in which it scored three or fewer runs.
On the pitching front, White Sox starter Chris Flexen had his pitch count rise early on, but he still managed to finish four innings with one run. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, as the Rangers rallied for two runs for a 3-2 lead.
“Just had to grind through it,” Flexen remarked. “Obviously didn’t have the best command, still was able to work through and make some pitches at times, but fell short.”
Breaking down Chris Flexen’s pitches.
In terms of taking the lead in this series, Robert stated that he has felt “normal.” He’s now 5-for-17 (.294) with two home runs, one double, and five RBIs in four games at leadoff.
Robert addressed trade speculation in the same way that starters Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet did the first two nights of this series. Yes, there is buzz as the Trade Deadline approaches in six days, but it is mainly outside of a player’s hands.
Luis Robert Jr.’s home run using bat tracking data.
“I haven’t paid attention to that,” Robert said. “I hear people talking about it and some of the guys have been telling me, but I try not to pay attention to it.”
For the time being, the primary focus is on finding a means to win a game.
