The White Sox lost again Friday night, and the opening sequence carried all the cruel promise of a team about to break its own pattern. Chase Meidroth homered on the first pitch he saw, after a 70-minute rain delay pushed back the start, and Randal Grichuk followed with a double. Six total bases on three pitches. For a fanbase that has spent weeks watching this team trip over itself, it was a dangerous flicker of hope.
Then came a weak ground out and two strikeouts, and the flicker died.
The White Sox gave back a run in the first inning, another in the second, another in the third, another in the fourth. Anthony Kay, the left-hander who took the loss and dropped to 9-9 on the season, allowed five hits and three earned runs across four innings. The "Kiss of Death" label his own supporters have attached to him felt less like a joke and more like a prophecy.
Down 3-2 in the fifth, the White Sox loaded the bases. Tristan Peters pinch-hit for Brenton Doyle and produced nothing, swinging at pitches he had no business chasing. The team is hitting below .200 this month, and the deeper numbers are worse: one sacrifice fly in their last 50 opportunities with runners in scoring position, a stretch that dates back to August 22 against the New York Mets.
The rest of the game followed the script that has defined the last two weeks. Inconsequential hits, immediate failure with runners in scoring position, the opposing team coasting to a win. The same scenario has played out every day, a baseball version of "Groundhog Day" with no happy ending.
Trevor Richards came out of the bullpen and made things worse, allowing five hits and three earned runs in two innings. Colson Montgomery went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Braden Montgomery went 0-for-4. Miguel Vargas went 1-for-5 but chased a missed foul pop with enough effort to suggest some fight remains in the dugout.
The one genuine bright spot was Meidroth, who finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kyle Teel went 2-for-2. Jake Rogers drew two walks. None of it mattered in a game the White Sox found yet another way to lose.
The strangest part is the standings. The White Sox still hold a lead in their division and occupy a playoff spot, a fact that sits in open contradiction with how they have played since the All-Star break. Confidence, as any glance at the team's own game thread confirms, is as low as possible for a team in first place. The Cleveland Guardians mounted a late comeback Friday to escape with another victory, and scoreboard watching in Chicago has become a daily ritual of dread.
The bullpen melted down faster than it has in recent outings, Richards taking the brunt of it. The starting burst of offense was the exception, not the rule. The White Sox are not manufacturing runs, not coming through in clutch spots, not doing any of the small things that separate playoff teams from the rest. One sacrifice fly in 50 chances with runners in scoring position is not a slump. It is a structural failure.
Meidroth's two home runs were the only real offense of the night. Grichuk's double was the only other extra-base hit of note. The rest was a parade of strikeouts and weak contact, the kind of at-bats that turn winnable games into predictable losses.
The team's playoff hopes remain technically alive. They hold a division lead and a playoff spot. But the games keep following the same script, and the confidence keeps draining. At this point, it is fair to ask who they can actually beat to get into the postseason.
Miguel Vargas at least showed some heart, hustling on a missed foul pop in a game full of moments that suggested the opposite. It was a small gesture in a lost night, but it was something. The White Sox need more of those moments, and fewer of the ones that have defined the last two weeks.
They have the weekend ahead of them. Whether that brings anything different remains to be seen.
According to Yahoo Sports.