White Sox can't sell false hope after getting swept in Minnesota

The White Sox entered this weekend's series against the first-place Minnesota Twins nine games back in the American League Central Division.

The thinking was, if they could sweep, they would be "back in it," only six games out with 61 games to go. Accordingly, they lined up their three best starting pitchers -- Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito -- to pitch the three games against the Twins.

Well, instead of sweeping, they got swept. The Sox leave Minnesota 12 games out of first place, and they can no longer cling to any sort of hope -- false as it was -- in the division race. The 2023 season has been toast for months in my eyes, but after this, nobody can disagree with that assessment anymore.

On Sunday, the Sox took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. Giolito was in line for the win, but Kendall Graveman gave up three runs and blew the whole thing. The Twins went on to win, 5-4, in 12 innings.

The loss leaves the Sox at 41-60. That's really a terrible record for a team that GM Rick Hahn said was "built to go deep into October" at the start of the season. Phooey.

In fact, this year's team isn't much different than the teams Sox fans watched during the three years of intentional losing (2017-19):

• 2017: 39-62 after 101 games
• 2018: 36-65 after 101 games
• 2019: 45-56 after 101 games
• 2023: 41-60 after 101 games 

In other words, the "peak contention window" Sox are not any better than the "tanking for draft position" Sox of past years. That's quite an indictment of the front office and the players alike.

I'm 47 years old. I've been a Sox fan since I attended my first game in 1981. I've seen worse Sox teams than this, but this is probably the worst season I've ever had to endure.

The gap between what the organization says they are and what they actually are has never been more wide. It's a chasm, and that's what makes all this losing so intolerable. They claim that they have what it takes to win, but it's been clear for months that they simply do not.

It's time to clean house, both in the front office and on the field.