OAKLAND, Calif. — Let’s run through the particulars of the White Sox’ spectacularly bad road trip, shall we?
They didn’t win any games, losing once to the Twins and three in a row to the Athletics. Before falling 12-11 in 14 innings Wednesday, they were outscored 18-3 in the first two games against the A’s, then blew a 9-4 lead in the finale.
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The Sox lost on Matt Olson’s bases-loaded hit off — who else? — 36-year-old James Shields, who was making only the second relief appearance of his career.
And that — 5 hours, 58 minutes in, the longest Sox game since a 19-inning affair against the Red Sox in 2006 lasted 6:19 — is the note on which the Sox will head back to Guaranteed Rate Field for a six-game homestand.
Somehow, it all makes sick, twisted sense after three straight games against the Twins were postponed in the throes of a wintry storm. The Sox have lost nine of 10 to drop to 4-11, their worst record after 15 games since 1997.
“I will tell you this: I’m not as frustrated as you might think because my guys showed a lot of balls today,” manager Rick Renteria said.
At least the talk of dreadful hitting with runners in scoring position can be shelved for the time being. The Sox came in batting an American League-worst .158 in such situations and were in an epic 5-for-62 slump (.081) in their last eight games. Yet they went 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position Wednesday.
The Sox also got yeoman’s work out of the bullpen from Hector Santiago, Chris Volstad and Bruce Rondon, who allowed one run between them in 8‰ innings. In all, nine men pitched in relief after a debacle from Carson Fulmer, who couldn’t get an out in the second inning.
The game wouldn’t even have made it to extra innings if not for a two-out RBI single by Tim Anderson in the ninth.
“I am more proud of how they continue to play the whole game,” Renteria said. “And you can bleep it, but my [expletive] guys showed a lot of balls in this loss — and they’re going to end up winning more games, because of the way they went about their business today, in the long run than they might imagine.”
Amid all the negative stuff going on with this team, we’ve yet to cover the biggest positive: the sudden, undeniable progress of second baseman Yoan Moncada.
The Sox’ leadoff man started all three games in Oakland by reaching base and stealing second. He homered and doubled in the middle game of the series and followed that up a day later with the first grand slam of his career. His shot to right off A’s starter Andrew Triggs gave the Sox a 6-1 lead.
Moncada scored three runs in all — who says this superstar in the making isn’t a fit at the top of the order? — and made two great plays on defense. The first was a diving stab of Chad Pinder’s bases-loaded grounder with two outs in the ninth. In the 10th, Moncada raced deep into right field to make an over-the-shoulder catch of Jed Lowrie’s fly ball near the foul line.
Is this the Moncada everyone has been waiting for?
“Yes, of course,” he said. “I think I have the right focus and I’ve been working hard, and right now my offense is in the right path to where I want it to be.”
And now it’s back to Chicago, where the first homestand of the season ended in 1-5 disappointment.
“We’re glad to be going home,” Renteria said.
The road couldn’t have been much worse.