Wednesday night was one of those games that makes you want to throw your remote through the TV, with the White Sox subjecting us to a master class in missed opportunities against Houston. Chicago managed to go a pathetic 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, handing the Astros the only two runs they needed in a maddening 2-0 defeat. Seriously, it was frustrating as heck. The only, and I mean *only*, silver lining was that Cleveland also took a loss, so the Sox somehow kept their three-game lead in the AL Central. How, I don’t know, but they did.
Davis Martin Deserved So Much Better
Let’s talk about Davis Martin for a second. This dude was considerably sharper in his return from the injured list, making his first start since August 13 after dealing with a blister. He breezed through a perfect first inning, needing just nine pitches and even getting some help from Colson Montgomery, who made an outstanding play at shortstop for the third out. Martin surrendered a single and a stolen base in the second, but then promptly struck out the next two batters on six pitches. His four-seamer was looking nasty early on.
He needed only six pitches to retire the Astros in order in the third. Houston finally made him work in the fourth, getting a double from Yordan Alvarez and a single from Isaac Paredes to put runners on the corners with nobody out. This is where most guys fold, right? Not Martin. He induced a pop-up, struck out Varsho, and got a fly ball to escape without allowing a run. He maneuvered around more traffic in the fifth too, preserving that scoreless tie. Martin was excellent in his return, scattering five hits and one walk over 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out three. Manager Will Venable pulled him at 80 pitches for Sean Newcomb, who ended the inning. Martin gave the White Sox everything they could have asked for. The offense? They gave him absolutely nothing.
The Bats Are Seriously Lost, Y’all
The White Sox offense was busy doing absolutely nothing for Davis Martin. Their first “gift” in the second inning saw Andrew Benintendi reach on a missed-catch error. Braden Montgomery then smoked a 106.8 mph liner, but it was right at Jose Altuve. Colson Montgomery got plunked to put two aboard, and then Chase Meidroth grounded into a strange inning-ending double play. Talk about a wasted chance.
The third inning was more of the same. Tristan Peters singled, but Drew Romo struck out without advancing him. Antonacci worked a walk to put two on with one out. Then Munetaka Murakami’s struggles continued with a ground out, and Vargas popped up to strand both runners. After that, Wesneski retired nine consecutive batters from the fourth through the sixth, needing only 33 pitches to complete those three frames. That’s efficiency, but it also screams how toothless the Sox bats were. Braden Montgomery drew a walk in the seventh, but guess what? The Sox couldn’t advance him. It’s just brutal to watch.
This kind of offensive showing is simply not going to cut it, especially this late in the season. The White Sox have to find a way to score runs, or that three-game lead in the AL Central could vanish faster than a Seattle summer day. They’ve got to figure it out, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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