Back-to-back-to-back. White Sox rookie Drew Thorpe allowed three consecutive homers to put the game out of reach for the Sox in Friday’s 10-0 loss to the Mariners, extending the Sox’ losing streak to 12 and putting them at 52 games below .500.
Entering Friday’s game, the Mariners had scored the third-fewest runs in the majors (381) and had the lowest batting average (.216). The game was essentially over before the Sox took an at-bat.
Add Friday’s game to the list of crushing losses the Sox have suffered this season. The Sox continue to test how low they can reach this season. Thorpe allowed eight runs, three homers and six hits in two-thirds of an inning.
“You can’t let it snowball like that,” Thorpe said. “One or two or three or four is fine. Just got to be able to get out of the first inning and try and give some length to save the bullpen. It’s frustrating.”
Friday’s disastrous loss hurt on two fronts: It extended the Sox’ losing streak and Thorpe — one of their promising young pitchers — was shelled. Thorpe didn’t even last an inning before manager Pedro Grifol elected to bring in reliever Jared Shuster.
If the rest of the season is devoted to player development, Friday’s game was an example of the type of performance that is possible as the young players go through their growing pains. That Thorpe was shelled by a Mariners team that is looking to add offense is concerning, but the second half is about the young player’s development.
“Bad games are going to happen,” Thorpe said. “It’s probably not going to be the last one of my career.”
Friday’s loss allowed the Sox to become the seventh team in MLB history to lose 79-plus times in the first 106 games of a season, the first since the 1962 Mets, who have the record for the most losses in a season in MLB history.
With each game, the Sox’ ineptitude becomes more glaring.
“Everyone here wants to win, and we’re trying to win,” Thorpe said. “It just hasn’t come on our side yet.”
Offensive struggles continue
Entering Friday’s game, the Sox had scored the second-fewest runs since the All-Star break. The Sox’ offense continued to produce uninspiring results after Friday’s shutout, their 13th of the season.
During the 12-game losing streak, the Sox have scored 20 runs.
“All we can do is continue to put the work in, continue to look at video, dissect what they’re doing,” manager Pedro Grifol said pregame. “Continue to look at where they’re being pitched at, their strengths and weaknesses. Put it all together and then they’ve got to go out and execute.”
The offense lacked any punch Friday. Outside of right fielder Tommy Pham’s three-hit performance, only four other hitters accumulated a hit.
“Tommy Pham was really impressive,” Grifol said. [First baseman Andrew Vaughn] had some good at-bats. Other than that, that was it.”
Vaughn had one hit and one walk.
Extra-base hit
White Sox second baseman Brooks Baldwin got his first extra-base hit Friday in the fifth inning. Drafted in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Baldwin has struggled since being called up to the majors.
Before Friday’s double, Baldwin had just two hits in his first 23 plate appearances.