Worst-case scenario playing out on South Side?

The White Sox have once again lost four consecutive series, dropping their season record to 32-44. 

Through 76 games, the question is, is the worst-case scenario playing out on the South Side of Chicago? The Sox are without a doubt a poor team, but thanks to the rotten American League Central Division, they remain in the pennant race.

Somehow, the Sox are only six games out of first place heading into a weekend home series against the Boston Red Sox. The Minnesota Twins lead the AL Central, with a 38-38 record. 

There are no winning teams in this division.

Could the poor division convince Sox brass to stay the course the rest of the season, in an attempt to grab a cheap playoff berth? 

The guess here is that if they try that, they will fall short. Given the bottom-third offense that we've highlighted in the past, it's difficult to see this team going on any sort of sustained run.

However, if the Sox remain close, or somewhat close, headed into the July 31 trade deadline, it's not hard to see management "going for it." The worst-case scenario would be going for it with no changes, falling short, accomplishing nothing and the year is lost with no accountability for any of the people in charge. 

I hope that doesn't happen, but doesn't it feel like we might be headed in that direction?