The White Sox keep hitting negative benchmarks en route to what would be the worst season in modern major-league history, including dropping their club-record 107th game on Sunday afternoon.
But there is still a future to consider, as far off as it seems at the moment.
That’s why left-hander Garrett Crochet remains on a tight leash even as he shows no signs of slowing down in his first year as a starter.
Crochet tied the American League record for strikeouts to start a game when he whiffed the Mets’ first seven hitters. But he gave up a leadoff home run to Francisco Lindor in the fourth inning and was out of the game three batters later after getting cleanup hitter Pete Alonso for his eighth strikeout.
The Sox had only two hits against Mets lefty Sean Manaea and two relievers, losing 2-0 before an announced crowd of 16,887 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Besides replacing the 56-106 team from 1970 in the record book, the Sox (31-107) lost their 10th consecutive game, were shut out for the 15th time and were swept for the 22nd time, including the last 17 series.
Reporters are running out of ways to ask about the milestone losses, while interim manager Grady Sizemore and the players are running out of ways to answer those questions.
“There’s no sense in harping over the record right now,” Sizemore said before the game. “We’re trying to just improve upon every day and get better as each series goes on. My message has been the same since I got here. And it’s not about the record; it’s not about wins. It’s just about competing and playing together as a team.”
It’s also very much about getting Crochet (6-10) to the finish line healthy. So far, so good
He extended his career-best innings total to 132, lowered his ERA to 3.61 and pushed his strikeout total to 188.
It has become a running joke that Crochet doesn’t want to hear Sizemore tell him his day is done, and Sizemore doesn’t want to deliver the news, either. But they acknowledge it’s the only path that makes sense in this dismal season.
“Yeah, he didn’t want to come out,” Sizemore said after the game. “It’s just the competitor in him. He’s pretty frustrated when I come out there, but . . . he knows the situation and what we’re trying to do.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Crochet said. “I know he doesn’t want to [take me out]. We’ve had chats about it. That’s just kind of where we’re at, which is tough. But it is what it is. It’s one of the things [I] have to take in stride and make sure I get my work in up until that point.”
How many more starts Crochet will get in the last 24 games of the season is not a question Sizemore can answer. But as Crochet keeps looking sharp, he seemingly buys himself more time in the rotation.
“Not shocking at all,” he said of pitching into September. “But it’s definitely encouraging. The work I’ve put in with [pitching coach] Ethan [Katz] and . . . just fixing my tempo — I felt like I kind of lost that after the All-Star break. I feel like I’m in a really good rhythm.”
“Right now the plan is to keep him hitting every start on just a limited basis,” Sizemore said. “If I hear anything about shutting him down, I’ll let you [reporters] know. But I wouldn’t anticipate it until closer to the end of the season, and maybe the last start or two.”