The Chicago White Sox lost a tough game to the Kansas City Royals once again. It was their third loss to them in the four-game series and they are now back down to .500. They are also now a handful of games out of first place in the AL Central Division.
This was a game that one would consider to be frustrating. It would be fine if it only happened just a few times a year but this exact game happens to the White Sox so often that it is becoming infuriating to watch.
There were 14 hits for the White Sox and only three runs were scored as a result. Their approach to the plate is horrendous. That is on the hitting coach but it is also on the manager because nothing is being done about it.
Tony La Russa is so obviously a detriment to this team and this loss to the Royals was a prime example of it. They wasted another magnificent Dylan Cease start because of this horrible managing (and bad offense as a result).
The Chicago White Sox were horrible on Thursday and the manager doesn’t help.
For one, Dylan Cease allowed just three hits, and one of them was a solo shot. When he left the game, they were down 1-0 in the seventh inning because the offense couldn’t score. Cease was handed a loss because of this but his ERA is now down to 1.96.
Instead of using a high leverage reliever when Joe Kelly got hurt (none of them have pitched recently), La Russa brought in Jose Ruiz who is not a good fit for that job. He allowed the Royals to break open the game and the White Sox were unable to come back.
While the game was 1-1, Luis Robert had a play that would have led to a run-scoring but he did not hustle to first. Had he hustled, he so obviously would have beaten it out and the entire complexion of the game would have changed. These things are allowed by the Hall of Fame manager.
Before the game started, La Russa oddly questioned Cueto’s comments about this team’s lack of fire that they play with. Now he might see what Cueto is talking about but we know nothing will be done to address it.
Everything about this team is a failure this season and Tony La Russa deserves most of the blame. The players or the general manager are not clear of blame by any means but this is a really poorly managed team in every way. This loss to Kansas City proves that.