Starting pitcher Erick Fedde of the Chicago White Sox reacts while sitting in the dugout during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 10, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)
Jason Miller/Getty
CLEVELAND – First-year hitting coach Marcus Thames already had his hands full when he inherited a group that, as general manager Chris Getz said Tuesday, left little margin for error.
And then his workforce lost Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez.
“It hasn’t been easy when the offense isn’t doing what it’s capable of,” Thames said. “It’s my job to keep these guys positive, keep grinding, grinding, grinding because eventually this thing will turn around, and it will sooner rather than later.
“And at the same time, letting guys know we have to do better at things. Sometimes you have to hit them between the eyes about what’s going on.”
A night after scoring seven runs to break a five-game losing streak, the Sox got two in the first and three in the third on a home run by Gavin Sheets to build a five-run lead against Tanner Bibee but went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position and lost 7-6 on Bo Naylor’s walk-off single with the bases loaded in the 10th against Bryan Shaw.
Bo’s brother, Josh Naylor, tied it in the 10th with an RBI double off the left-field wall.
Both brothers homered against Erick Fedde in a three-run fourth inning, taking a bite out of a 5-0 deficit. On National Siblings Day, they combined for five RBI.
“In reality, this game’s on me,” Fedde said. “When they give us a 5-0 lead, I can’t let them back in the game.”
Perhaps. But manager Pedro Grifol was hanging it on missed chances to tack on runs.
“Really, really tough loss,” Grifol said. “There were some opportunities we didn’t capitalize on. We have to fight and get better with runners in scoring position.”
On the ninth, pinch hitter Paul De Jong (double against Emmanuel Clase) was on third with Nicky Lopez at first and no outs, but didn’t score on Robbie Grossman’s grounder to drawn-in shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who caught it moving toward second and turned a double play.
“Infield in, can’t make the first out at home,” DeJong said. “It was going to be a see-it-through type situation, kind of hit it right at him. I wasn’t able to get much of a secondary, because I didn’t want to get doubled up at third.”
Lenyn Sosa grounded out to end the threat.
Tanner Banks, Dominic Leone, Deivi Garcia and Steven Wilson were good in relief, but the only reliever available after them was Tim Hill and Shaw. Michael Kopech and Jordan Leasure pitched two innings Tuesday.
The Sox clubhouse was quiet as they packed for home. They are off Thursday before opening a weekend series against the Reds.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for you,” said Thames, whose hitters are 13-for-83 with runners in scoring position. “We lose [three] big boys but we have guys who are capable of being better. And we have to be better.”
“Those guys are hurt, seeing Luis and Yo-Yo go down the way they did, that’s tough,” said Sheets, who gave the Sox a 6-5 lead in the top of the 10th with an RBI double.
“But we don’t plan on laying down. We all know that in this room, everybody’s got to step up and do a little bit more than normal. We’re going to accept the challenge.”
NOTES: Oscar Colas was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take Moncada’s spot on the roster. Colas grounded out as a pinch hitter in the eighth when the Sox wasted Andrew Vaughn’s leadoff double.
*Grifol said Lenyn Sosa, who played third base, will get a lot of time there in Moncada’s absence, but he also has Braden Shewmake, Nicky Lopez.