A bad decision to send Gavin Sheets helped flip the momentum against the Royals on Thursday.
The Sox were down 2-0 as they headed into the sixth inning on Thursday when the offense started to put a rally together. Andrew Vaughn got the Sox on the board with an RBI single. Then Braden Shewmake hit a one-out shallow fly to right fielder Hunter Renfroe with Gavin Sheets on third.
A smart ball club would not send a slow player like Sheets home against Renfroe's arm. The Sox have never been known as a smart team in decades.
Hunter Renfroe now has 66 OF assists since the start of 2017, 8 more than anyone else in MLB in that span https://t.co/zgIShUYDbm
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 5, 2024
That poor decision killed the Sox's momentum. According to Sheets, you have to try to score there even if it was practically a suicide decision.
Sometimes you have to take chances?!
— Herb Lawrence (@Ecnerwal23) April 5, 2024
Oh no Gavin. Terrible https://t.co/ISutu1bT4Q
An inning later, the Royals broke out for eight runs.
Poor defense led to a big inning for Kansas City.
A poor decision to throw home instead of to third and Shewmake later making an error helped the Royals destroy the Sox during the seventh inning.
BIG things happening! pic.twitter.com/ap19r1yM3D
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 5, 2024
This was supposed to be a smarter and better defensive team compared to 2023. Well, it looked like more of the same at least on Thursday.
Another soft tissue injury for Luis Robert Jr.
Eloy going on the IL was expected. Robert Jr. seemed to have put his injury problems behind him when he played in 145 games in 2023.
The Sox were going to need a healthy Robert all year if only to have someone worth watching this season.
Then he pulled up rounding first in the ninth on Friday in pain. He was put on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain.
Robert says here that he doesn’t believe the injury will keep him out as long as last time - but they’re still assessing the situation. https://t.co/wVcyko4g0Z
— Ryan McGuffey (@RyanMcGuffey) April 6, 2024
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported the Sox fear Robert Jr. could be out for three to four months. Making things even worse is this injury keeps showing how the Sox training staff just cannot help players avoid soft tissue injuries.
I’m not in the White Sox clubhouse, but the soft tissue and muscle injuries this team has dealt with for the last 4 years is depressing to a point of no return.
— Shane Riordan (@shane_riordan) April 6, 2024
Something has to change. It has to be the fault of someone.
Dominic Fletcher helps the Royals get a home run.
A previous version misidentified Andrew Benintendi as making this foolish play, we apologize for the error.
Off the glove and over the fence for a homer 😳 pic.twitter.com/nRFi6ZrjpK
— MLB (@MLB) April 7, 2024
Grifol thought about challenging the call just in case the ball hit the wall first but did not. This home run happened in the seventh, so it would be worth a try. Instead, the manager continues to show he is in over his head and Fletcher now has a blooper that will be on a Jumbotron near you.