White Sox rough loss to Cubs was secured long before walk-off due to major flaw

Riding the high of a three-game weekend sweep over the division-rival Tigers, the White Sox headed to Wrigley Field for round two of the Crosstown Classic against the Cubs. White Sox fans hoped to carry the momentum over from the weekend, but Monday’s game ended in heartbreak, with the Cubs coming from behind to win in 10 innings on a walk-off home run by possible NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong. White Sox manager Will Venable’s decision to pitch to PCA with first base open drew wide criticism, but it felt like a moot point after the White Sox decisions earlier in the game and failure to score in the 10th. 

The White Sox have been playing with fire all year with their ABS strategy. Their catchers are currently the second-worst in baseball in ABS success rate at 48%. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates have done worse from behind the plate. On offense, the stats aren’t much better. White Sox hitters have been successful just 47% of the time, ranking 20th in the league. The eye test has backed up those numbers, as it seems like nearly every game the White Sox paint themselves into a corner by wasting challenges early. Monday was no exception. 

Sam Antonacci challenged a 1-0 pitch in the third inning, which had most of the plate, costing the White Sox their first challenge and making the team hesitant to use them for the rest of the game. Then, in the ninth inning with a one-run lead, Jake Rogers failed to challenge a pitch to Alex Bregman that had the whole plate, using the challenge on the next pitch instead, which missed inside. Bregman ended up with a walk, and the White Sox ended up out of luck when a 3-2 offering to Ian Happ landed on the inside corner but wasn’t called by the home plate umpire. The Cubs would go on to tie the game in the ninth and win it in extra innings. 

The White Sox need to re-evaluate their ABS strategy

The ABS system is new to Major League Baseball this season and all 30 teams are still learning how to use it. At this point in the season, however, you’d think most teams would’ve figured out a concrete strategy for how to approach challenges. Using them early in the count, early in the game, with nobody on base seems less-than-optimal, and having a second challenge in that ninth inning very well could’ve won the game for the White Sox. In the heat of a playoff race at the end of August, they simply cannot afford to lose games because of preventable mistakes. 

The White Sox still have an opportunity to win the series at Wrigley Field, but they’ll need to do so with Erick Fedde and Jose Urquidy as the likely bulk arms for the next two games. It’s not going to be an easy task, but the White Sox have shown their resilience all season, and there’s no reason it should stop now. They’ve taken a step forward in several areas this season, but their handling of the ABS challenges leaves them with a clear area for improvement next year. 

Hopefully, the White Sox show up Tuesday night ready to play and can even up the series.

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