Chicago, briefly good, now back to being … themselves
Today, the Chicago White Sox reverted to their familiar, frustrating form, falling 6-1 to the Minnesota Twins. The sleeping giant awoke from its brief slumber, revealing the same offensive ineptitude and pitching woes that plagued them throughout last year’s 121-loss season.
Starter Sean Burke, who impressed in his first outing, simply didn’t have his best stuff. The Twins’ bats, in contrast, were alive and well, delivering a relentless barrage of hits that ultimately chased Burke from the mound. Byron Buxton set the tone early with a two-out solo home run in the first, launching a ball to left center. The real damage, however, came in the fourth.
With a runner on and another plunked, Harrison Bader punished a slider that failed to slide, sending it soaring for a three-run bomb. The Twins’ onslaught continued in the fifth as Carlos Correa doubled, and Buxton drove Burke from the game with an RBI double, giving Minnesota a commanding 5-0 lead.
Burke’s final line was a stark contrast to his Opening Day performance: 4 1⁄3 innings, seven hits, six runs, no walks, and just one strikeout. Adding to the concern, Burke took a comebacker off his leg in the third. While he remained in the game, it’s possible the injury affected his delivery because he just wasn’t as effective after being hit.
Cam Booser entered from the pen, tasked with mop-up duty, and didn’t fare much better, allowing a double to Ty France that scored Buxton, pushing the Twins’ lead to 6-0. However, the bright spot was that the rest of Chicago’s arm barn held Minnesota scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Unfortunately, the offensive side of the equation was as dismal as the pitching. Twins starter Pablo López tossed a seven-inning gem, effectively silencing the White Sox bats. The Good Guys managed a mere three singles off López, courtesy of Matt Thaiss, Travis Jankowski, and Andrew Benintendi, as well as a solo home run by Brooks Baldwin, his first of the season.
Today’s game was a stark reminder that the team still has significant hurdles to overcome. I think the brief joy fans felt after the Opening Day victory has officially disappeared, leaving with it an all too familiar sense of frustration.