White Sox offense continues to disappoint

I didn't want to dump on the White Sox after they swept the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. When your favorite team is 26-35, you have to take the positives when they come, right?

But the fact is the Sox won those three games almost solely on the basis of their pitching. They scored only 11 runs in the series, even though the Detroit pitching staff doesn't have anyone who will be confused with a Cy Young contender.

During those three games, the Sox went 19 for 97 (.196) with 16 singles, two doubles and only one home run. They struck out 31 times against nine walks -- two of which were intentional. Not good.

Fortunately, Sox pitching only gave up three runs total in the three games. But with stronger teams lurking on the June schedule -- the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers, to name a few -- the Sox are going to have to start hitting.

The pitching staff could perform well and still give up four or five runs per game to the aforementioned playoff contenders. If that's the case, the Sox better be able to score five or six runs every now and then. It hasn't happened much, because there are too many guys struggling.

Let's take a look at some of these lineup spots that aren't generating much:

Tim Anderson. The Sox leadoff hitter has yet to homer in 2023, and he has only eight extra-base hits (all doubles). A .633 OPS and a 76 OPS+ isn't going to get it done from a player who has made the All-Star team in past years.

Yasmani Grandal. The slow-footed catcher is 4 for 28 in his past eight games and has no extra-base hits in that span. That's not good, because when Grandal singles, he clogs the bases. The Sox need him to provide some power.

Yoan Moncada. The switch-hitting third baseman is 2 for 22 with no extra-base hits in his past eight games. He has a .684 OPS and a 88 OPS+ for the season. Moncada hit two home runs in the season-opening series against the Houston Astros. He hasn't homered since April 2.

Andrew Benintendi. His next home run in a Sox uniform will be his first. Benintendi is now 231 plate appearances into his career on the South Side, and he's yet to take advantage of the relatively short fence in right field at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has a .686 OPS and a 90 OPS+.

Luis Robert Jr. The team leader in home runs with 13 has not gone deep since May 21. He is 6 for 36 with 16 strikeouts in his past nine games. Robert Jr. has already struck out 70 times this season in 240 plate appearances.

Gavin Sheets. In his past five games, Sheets is 0 for 11 with five strikeouts. That's not going to cut it for a player whose only value comes from being a left-handed bat.

I could go on, but you get the idea. 

If you look at WAR on baseballreference.com, six of the top eight Sox players this season are pitchers. Only Robert Jr. and Jake Burger crack the top eight among position players.

In all of baseball, the Sox rank 21st in batting average (.240), 28th in on-base percentage (.297), 23rd in slugging percentage (.386), 25th in OPS (.683) and 25th in OPS+ (87). Those numbers are entering Monday's play.

So, by almost every metric, the Sox are a bottom-third offense in MLB. I don't think they are going to storm back into contention this way. The bats have to wake up soon, or else the good vibes from this recent series with the Tigers will be short-lived.