The White Sox offense flat-out choked against the Pirates on Wednesday night, squandering scoring opportunities in consecutive innings and going a pathetic 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position as they fell 4-2. Pittsburgh took the series, leaving a real sting, especially considering the AL Central gap is still stuck at two games despite the Guardians doing them a solid by losing to Baltimore.
Bats Go Quiet at the Worst Possible Time
Man, the bats just went silent right when the White Sox needed them most. They wasted chance after chance, and it was brutal to watch. First inning: Benintendi rips a one-out double, a perfect setup, right? Nope, never even made it to third. Then in the second, Braden Montgomery walked and Tristan Peters stays hot with a single. Two on, two out, a real threat building, and old pal Brandon Eisert comes in, promptly fans Teel, leaving both guys stranded. It’s the same story every time. Later, in the bottom of the sixth, Murakami gets hit by a pitch, breaking an awful eight-K streak, then Grichuk singles to put two guys on with two outs. That’s a clutch moment! But Colson Montgomery steps up and punches out, just extinguishing the fire. You gotta wonder if he’s even seeing the strike zone. And talk about brutal: in the seventh, after Braden walked, Meidroth battled for a 10-pitch infield single, and Teel drew a six-pitch walk to load the bases with only one out. The Good Guys had *packed the sacks*! What’s the result? Antonacci blasts a 103 mph grounder right to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Unbelievable. These are the moments you live for, and they keep coming up empty.
Pitching Fights, But Can’t Do It Alone
It’s beyond frustrating because the pitching actually gave them chances, you know? Davis Martin came out struggling, walking the first two batters in a 16-pitch first inning. You could almost feel the groan from the crowd. But Zach Bove, the pitching coach, went out there, and whatever he said, it worked! Martin battled back, got Bryan Reynolds on a fly ball, then induced a huge inning-ending double play from Nick Gonzales. He even got a lucky bounce in the second with a .960 xBA liner right to Sam Antonacci who turned it into a double play to erase a threat. Martin really settled in after that, retiring the Pirates in order on just nine pitches in the third and stranding Brandon Lowe in the fourth. Yeah, Valdez launched a leadoff solo homer off him in the fifth, but Martin still finished five innings, giving up just one run on four hits and two walks with a strikeout. That’s a line you can absolutely win with. Then Sean Newcomb comes in for the sixth and immediately gets himself into a jam, but boom, another double play gets him out of it. The guys on the mound were battling! But Newcomb’s luck ran out in the seventh. Valdez walked, a swinging bunt, another single, a stolen base, and then Konnor Griffin ripped a two-run single that blew the game open to 4-0. Chris Murphy came in and finally stopped the bleeding, striking out Lowe and getting Reynolds on a grounder, but by then, the damage was done. The offense just left them hanging out to dry.
So what now? The White Sox are stuck, losing the series and knowing they squandered so many chances. That 1-for-8 with RISP isn’t just a bad stat, it’s a symptom of a deeper problem that cost them a series they could have had. With the AL Central gap still stubbornly at two games, these kinds of missed opportunities aren’t just frustrating, they’re season-defining. They need to figure out how to drive in runs, and fast, or this season is going to slip away.
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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