BALTIMORE — Never has a 12-game losing streak looked less hideous.
When you have a 21-game losing streak, a 14-game skein and a 3-22 start to a season in the gutter, it’s not that big a deal.
Losing is what the White Sox do.
It was refreshing to halt this streak, however, and the Sox finally laid the 12-gamer to rest Wednesday with an 8-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
After losing the first two games of the series by a combined 22-3 total, dare we say this wasn’t even close? It wasn’t, and the Sox reward is an off day Thursday. Just when things were going good.
Producing a formula not seen in weeks – three homers, a strong effort from the starting pitcher, scoreless relief pitching and a pair of excellent defensive plays – the Sox improved to 5-38 since the All-Star break. At 32-109, they need to finish 11-10 in the last 21 games against the Red Sox, Guardians, Athletics, Angels, Padres and Tigers to avoid the 1962 Mets record of 120 losses.
The Sox are 32-109.
Jonathan Cannon, who earned a save when the 14-game streak was stopped against the Red Sox on June 7 and the win when the American League record tying 21-game streak was halted against the Athletics Aug. 6, pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to get the win in this one. Cannon (3-9, 4.53 ERA) struck out four, walked one and gave up five hits over 95 pitches.
Left-hander Fraser Ellard replaced Cannon and got pinch hitter Eloy Jimenez to pop out with two runners on, then tacked on a scoreless seventh. Gus Varland struck out the side in the eighth, sending Orioles fans to the exits, a rare accomplishment for the Sox who are 14-54 on the road.
Justin Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth.
Nicky Lopez, Dominic Fletcher and Andrew Vaughn supplied the power, Lopez (three hits) leading off the game with a homer against Albert Suarez. Fletcher and Lopez homered for the first time, Lopez for the first time in 134 games and 466 plate appearances.
The long ball, like almost every other element of winning baseball, had been absent for some time. Before Wednesday, the Sox had three homers in their last 17 games.
Luis Robert doubled twice before leaving with a tight hamstring in the sixth, Lenyn Sosa had three hits and Gavin Sheets two hits of the Sox’ 15, their highest since getting 18 in a 12-2 win against the Yankees on Aug. 12.
A night after playing one of their sloppiest defensive games, Robert caught a Cedric Mullins drive at the top of the wall in center and Fletcher threw Mullins out at third from right field to complete a double play.
The losses have weighed heavy, so this win was more than welcome.
“It’s all hard I guess, there’s no easy thing about managing,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said of taking this team to the finish line. “You’re trying to put your guys in positions to succeed every night, and you try to come up with a game plan and just get the best out of your players. So every night it could be something different, but I think it’s just trying to stay ahead of the game, trying to stay a couple innings ahead is a challenge.”