2024 White Sox become 7th team to lose 20 games in a row

The White Sox lost their 20th game in a row Sunday, as the Minnesota Twins scored eight runs in the first two innings and went on to beat the South Siders, 13-7.

Perhaps it was fitting that 20 runs were scored in the 20th consecutive loss, and the final out was made by No. 20 on the Sox roster -- newly acquired Miguel Vargas.

Here is the list of teams to accomplish this dubious feat:

• 1961 Philadelphia Phillies -- 23 straight losses
• 1988 Baltimore Orioles -- 21 straight losses
• 2024 White Sox -- 20 straight losses (and counting!)
• 1969 Montreal Expos -- 20 straight losses
• 1943 Philadelphia Athletics -- 20 straight losses
• 1916 Philadelphia Athletics -- 20 straight losses
• 1906 Boston Americans -- 20 straight losses
  

With this defeat, the Sox finish the season series against Minnesota with a record of 1-12. They also went 1-12 against the Kansas City Royals.

Overall against the "weak" American League Central Division, the Sox are 8-34.

The Sox are 60 games below .500 at 27-87. They are the first team to be 60 games below .500 on Aug. 4 since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who were 15-75 on Aug. 1 of that season -- and 16-78 on Aug. 4.

Yes, this is the worst team since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.

The Sox are 0-16 since the All-Star break. They have been swept in six consecutive series. They are 0-65 when trailing after seven innings, and 0-71 when trailing after eight innings.

Pedro Grifol's managerial record is now 100 games below .500 at 88-188, yet he's traveling with the team to Oakland for this week's series against the Athletics. How many in a row must Grifol lose in order to get fired? 

My sister is the head coach of my nephew's youth baseball team. She's coaching 11- and 12-year-old boys, but I'm pretty sure if she lost 20 games in a row, she'd be pushed aside and replaced by a different coach.

Somehow, that doesn't happen with the White Sox, who are supposed to be playing Major League Baseball, where you're judged on wins and losses.

Alas, there is no accountability here. There is also no hope.

My favorite Earl Weaver ejection of all time

Just because I haven't watched it in a few months, I decided today to take a break from complaining about White Sox management to watch Earl Weaver go ballistic over a balk call during a 1980 game between the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers.

The umpire involved is Joliet, Ill., native Bill Haller, who passed away just a couple of years ago.

What's especially funny to me is, if you look at the scoreboard out in left field, there's one out in the top of the first inning in a scoreless game. The action has barely started, and Weaver is getting launched by the umpiring crew. Quick ejection, not that he didn't earn it.

Warning, this is not suitable for work, but enjoy:

Former Cy Young winner LaMarr Hoyt dies at 66

LaMarr Hoyt

Some sad news to report: Former White Sox pitcher LaMarr Hoyt died of cancer Monday at age 66.

I always think of Hoyt as the ace of the first Sox team I remember -- the 1983 American League West Division champions. That team won 99 games, and Hoyt won the Cy Young award that season, going 24-10 with a 3.66 ERA in 36 starts.

(I was 7 years old in 1983). 

The Sox won only one game in the American League Championship Series that year, and it was Hoyt's 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Unfortunately, the Orioles won the next three games and went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1983 World Series.

I always wonder what would have happened if the Sox had won Game 4 of the ALCS at old Comiskey Park -- they lost that game in 10 innings. Had they won it, Hoyt was lined up to pitch Game 5, and at that point in time, you always liked your chances when Hoyt was on the mound.

In total, Hoyt pitched six seasons (1979-84) with the Sox and went 74-49 with a 3.92 ERA in 178 games (116 starts). He was traded to the San Diego Padres in December 1984, as part of a seven-player deal that brought longtime shortstop and future manager Ozzie Guillen to the Sox.

Hoyt had one good season in San Diego. He won 16 games in 1985, made the All-Star team and was the winning pitcher in the midsummer classic.

But substance abuse problems derailed his career, and after a poor season in 1986, he never pitched in the majors again.

Nevertheless, Hoyt created fond memories for Sox fans of a certain age. He was the best of the bunch in a strong starting rotation that included Richard Dotson and Floyd Bannister in 1983, and that's the way we'll remember him.

Adam Engel has as many home runs as Yoan Moncada

Adam Engel

White Sox outfielder Adam Engel has played in 13 games in 2021. Hamstring injuries have limited him to only 42 at-bats through the first 89 games of the season. 

Nevertheless, Engel has homered five times in those 42 at-bats. That's the same number of home runs third baseman Yoan Moncada has in 272 at-bats. Doubt anyone expected that.

But Engel's fifth home run came at an opportune time Sunday. It was a 3-run shot in the top of the 10th inning that lifted the Sox to a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

With the victory, the Sox are 7-0 this season against the AL-worst Orioles. They will go into the All-Star break with a five-game winning streak, a 54-35 record and an eight-game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

Sunday's game should have been a tidy 4-2 win. Closer Liam Hendriks got two easy outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and appeared poised to secure a victory for Sox starter Dylan Cease. Instead, Hendriks got sloppy. He gave up a single to Ryan McKenna on a first-pitch, get-me-over slider, which is about the only pitch the .185-hitting McKenna can sting. 

Then the Orioles used Trey Mancini, their best player, to pinch hit. Mancini drove a 1-1 fastball, which was middle-middle, over the short porch in right field to tie the game at 4.

Hendriks struck out Pedro Severino easily to force the game to the 10th inning. Frankly, there was nothing wrong with Hendriks' stuff. All three of his outs came by strikeouts -- he just appeared to lose focus after getting the first two batters out so easily.

The Sox were in jeopardy of not scoring in the top of the 10th. Tim Anderson was placed on second as the ghost runner, and Moncada walked to set up a RBI opportunity for Jose Abreu. Alas, Abreu struck out, and Brian Goodwin flew out deep to center, advancing Anderson to third.

Baltimore reliever Tyler Wells (2-1) had a chance to get out of the inning with no damage, but he fell behind 3-1 to Engel, then served up a center-cut fastball that Engel hit out for a 7-4 Sox lead.

Jose Ruiz had problems in the bottom of the 10th. After a single, a sacrifice fly that scored the ghost runner and a walk, Baltimore pulled within 7-5 and had two men on with one out.

Matt Foster relieved and got the last two outs for his first career save. The last out was a 408-foot fly off the bat of DJ Stewart, but hey, it's 410 feet to center field at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Engel caught the ball just in front of the wall to secure the win for the Sox. They don't ask how; they just ask how many.

Carlos Rodon's elbow injury the latest blow to White Sox rebuild

Carlos Rodon

As an anti-ownership, anti-Rick Hahn, anti-rebuild White Sox fan, I should probably be taking more delight in the continuing collapse of this ill-fated "rebuilding plan."

There's a part of me that wants to say, "See, I told you they wouldn't be good in 2019, or 2020, or 2021, either," but now that it's coming to pass, I'm more angry than anything else.

I'm sick of the losing. I'm sick of the excuses, and I'm sick of being told to be patient. And there's was another reason for anger Thursday, as the Sox announced that Carlos Rodon is headed for a lengthy stay on the injured list.

Rodon has left elbow inflammation, which Hahn described more specifically as edema in the flexor mass, or blood in the muscle. Both Hahn and Rodon conceded that Tommy John surgery is a possibility.

Over his past two starts, Rodon has been terrible by any standard. He gave up eight runs in three-plus innings against the Detroit Tigers on April 27, and he failed to get through the fourth inning Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, despite being handed an early 4-0 lead.

The Sox ended up losing, 5-4, although they recovered to win the second game of the doubleheader, 7-6.

I'm guessing we've seen the last of Rodon for 2019, and possibly a good chunk of 2020, as well. The worst-case scenario tends to find the Sox. It's the residue of bad design.

Speaking of bad design, guess who is back in the Sox starting rotation? Yep, it's Dylan Covey!

It's feeling like 2018 all over again, and with Boston, Cleveland, Houston and Minnesota looming on the May schedule, the Sox's record likely will look like it's 2018 all over again.

After all, you don't get to play Kansas City, Detroit and Baltimore every day.

P.S.: How long until they sign James Shields to plug the gap in the rotation?

Thyago Vieira, Aaron Bummer and Dylan Covey, oh my!

I mentioned the Eloy Jimenez injury in my previous blog post. The White Sox's rookie left fielder has a high ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

What I didn't mention: Nate Jones and Ryan Burr also have been sent to the injured list. Jones has elbow inflammation; Burr has shoulder inflammation.

The Sox's bullpen wasn't very good with Jones and Burr in it, so imagine it now.

Who is taking these three roster spots, you ask? Well, Thyago Vieira, Aaron Bummer and Dylan Covey, of course. Three pitchers who have received opportunities in the past and didn't do much with them.

All three are available as the Sox open a series against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

This 2019 roster is starting to remind me a little too much of the 2018 roster, you know?

As a season ticket holder, I'm putting the White Sox on the clock

The White Sox lost the last two games of their three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, the same Baltimore team than went 47-115 last season.

When this season started, many pointed to the stretch of 16 games the Sox are in the middle of now as reason for optimism. Three with Kansas City, four with Detroit, three with Baltimore, three more with Detroit and three more with Baltimore.

Hey, that's a long stretch of games against rebuilding teams -- and teams that happen to be a year behind the Sox in terms of starting the rebuilding process. Some believed this would be an opportunity to have a winning month of April, even if the long-term prognosis for the 2019 season wasn't the most promising.

Turns out the Sox can't do much more than tread water against these three teams, which combined to lose 317 games between them in 2018.

We are 10 games into that 16-game stretch, and the Sox are 4-5 with one rainout. What can you really say? This is a terrible baseball team for the third straight season, and it will be a losing baseball team for the seventh straight season.

As a "valued season ticket holder," I've had just about enough of not being entertained by something that is supposed to be entertaining. I'll give the Sox the rest of this season and next to get this right.

You figure, next year Michael Kopech will be back from injury. Dylan Cease will be on the team, maybe Zack Collins, too. There will be another year of experience for Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.

This year is going to be awful. I've accepted it. But three years of tanking for draft position in a major market is enough, don't you think?

Dear White Sox: Improve by the end of 2020, or I won't be a season ticket holder in 2021. I've been with you as one of your best customers since 2004, but everyone has their limits.

I've reached mine.

Jose Abreu (finally) has a big game for White Sox

Jose Abreu

I don't know that Jose Abreu is necessarily a slow starter. His career March/April slash line is .258/.326/.486, and he has 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in 141 career games during the first month of the season.

That's respectable.

He is, however, a notorious warm-weather hitter. Look at his August career slash line (.331/.391/.575) and his July career slash line (.300/.366/.510). Abreu's pattern is characterized by a mediocre or less-than-mediocre first half, followed by a torrid second half.

This April has been slower than most for Abreu. He came into Monday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles with a .192/.273/.372 slash, which is uncharacteristically cold for such an accomplished hitter. The usual caveats apply about small sample sizes, and you had to believe Abreu was about due for a breakout.

Porous Baltimore pitching seemed to be the cure for what ails Abreu, and the Sox in general. The first baseman went 3 for 6 with a home run and five RBIs in Monday's 12-2 Sox win over the Orioles.

The Sox posted three four-run innings -- four in the fifth, four in the seventh and four in the eighth. Abreu contributed an RBI single in the fourth, a two-run homer in the seventh and a two-run single in the eighth.

He now has four home runs and 17 RBIs through the first 21 games, and with one good performance, he's basically back on the run production pace you'd like to see from him.

Obviously, most of the focus for the Sox is on the younger guys. Who will be part of the future and who will play their way out of the plans? Abreu is one of the veterans who may or may not be here next year and beyond, but for now, the team needs him to be the same stabilizing force he has been in the past.

That's especially true because he bats third, right behind Yoan Moncada. If Abreu is hitting well, and pitchers are worried about him, that means more fastballs to hit for Moncada.

Anything that makes Moncada better is good for the Sox's future.

The Sox are now 9-12 for the season and 2-2 on the current six-game road trip, after dropping two out of three over the weekend in Detroit. There are two games left in Baltimore before the South Siders come home to start a 10-game homestand.

The offseason's most lopsided trades

Wade Davis

Wade Davis is 32 for 32 in save opportunities for the Cubs this season, and that got me thinking about some of the most lopsided trades of the past offseason.

I'm came up with three of them, and two of them benefited NL Central contenders. I'm not talking about veterans-for-prospects trades here. Most baseball trades these days fall into that category, and it will be three or four years before we can fully understand who "won" those deals.

No, I'm talking about the "good, old-fashioned baseball trades" that involve major leaguers changing teams.

I uncovered three such deals, and two in particular, that were horribly one-sided.

1. Boston Red Sox trade 3B Travis Shaw to the Milwaukee Brewers for RP Tyler Thornburg

Milwaukee has been perhaps the biggest surprise in the National League this season, if not all of baseball. Did you think the Brewers would be only one game out of the second NL wild card spot on Sept. 20? Did you think the Brewers would be only 3.5 games back of the Cubs in the NL Central at this stage of the season?

Me neither.

And all Shaw has done is hit .275/.349/.523 with 30 home runs, 32 doubles and 96 RBIs. Milwaukee's rebuilding effort has been accelerated by Shaw's breakout season in the middle of its lineup.

Thornburg? Well, he hasn't thrown a pitch for the Red Sox this season. He's out for the year after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

The Red Sox are leading their division despite this lopsided trade, but if they are being honest with themselves, they'd have to admit they missed Shaw for much of the season. Third base was a black hole in Boston until prospect Rafael Devers was called up from the minors to man the position.

Boston's three-game lead in the AL East might be a little bigger right now if it had kept Shaw as its third baseman to start the year.

2. Kansas City Royals trade RP Wade Davis to the Cubs for OF Jorge Soler

Simply put, the Cubs would not be in first place by 3.5 games had they not acquired Davis in the offseason. He has been outstanding, and he is the reason the Cubs are 73-1 when they take a lead into the ninth inning. You can't do better than 32 for 32, right?

The only game the Cubs lost when leading after eight wasn't Davis' fault -- Hector Rondon blew that one.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Royals thought Kelvin Herrera could close games. They were wrong. Herrera has a 4.56 ERA, almost two runs higher than his career norms, and he's blown five saves and lost his job as closer here in September.

The Royals are 73-77 and have faded from playoff contention.

Soler? Injuries have limited him to 32 games, in which he has hit .151/.255/.269 with two home runs and six RBIs. Good job, good effort.

What a steal for the Cubs and what a disaster for the Royals.

3. Seattle Mariners trade OF Seth Smith to Baltimore Orioles for SP Yovani Gallardo

It isn't even that Smith is any good. He's his usual mediocre self -- .257/.341/.434 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs in 108 games.

But it's insanity for anyone to think trading for Gallardo is a good idea. The washed-up right-hander has been a predictable disaster for the Mariners, going 5-10 with a 5.72 ERA. Mercifully, he's been removed from the Seattle rotation after a performance similar to that of James Shields throughout the year.

What do you think? Am I missing any trades that were woefully one-sided?

Here's why David Robertson has plenty of trade value

David Robertson

For all the trade talk swirling around White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana, it's possible closer David Robertson will be more coveted by pennant contenders when we hit July's trading deadline.

Robertson, 32, is having a good season that will mostly go unnoticed because he pitches for a losing team. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA, with 11 saves in 12 opportunities, a 0.868 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

A closer look at Robertson's numbers reveals that he's been at his best in save situations this year. Check out his splits for save situations and non-save situations:

Save situations: 1-0, 1.35 ERA, 21 Ks, 4 BBs, 13.1 IP, opponents slash of .091/.167/.182
Non-save situations: 2-2, 5.25 ERA, 16 Ks, 2 BBs, 12.0 IP, opponents slash of .217/.294/.391

The cliches about closers being much better in save situations seem to apply with Robertson this year. This thought occurred to me when I considered the two appearances Robertson has made in the past week.

He pitched Thursday in a 5-2 Sox win over the Baltimore Orioles, and he was not sharp. He entered with a 5-1 lead in the ninth -- a non-save situation -- gave up a solo home run to Welington Castillo and needed 31 pitches to navigate a laborious inning. Even though Baltimore never got the tying run to the plate, it was somewhat irritating to watch.

Contrast that with Robertson's performance Saturday, when he closed out a 5-2 Sox win over the Toronto Blue Jays. This was a save situation. Toronto's 3-4-5 hitters were due, and Robertson carved them up on 14 pitches. He got Jose Bautista to fly out, struck out Kendrys Morales swinging and struck out Justin Smoak looking.

The Blue Jays had no chance.

I realize that by writing this blog entry, I have likely ensured that Robertson will blow a save the next time he steps on the mound. But in the bigger picture, Robertson has proven this season that he can still shut the door on the opposition in high-leverage spots.

Some team out there has to want a reliever who is holding opponents to an .091 batting average in save situations, right?

White Sox prospect Yoan Moncada named International League Batter of the Week

Does anybody feel like breaking down the three-game series sweep the White Sox suffered in Baltimore over the weekend?

Me neither. That was a pitiful performance by a below-average team at the end of a 10-game road trip. So why make a Monday even gloomier by reliving it?

Instead, let's talk about White Sox prospect Yoan Moncada, who finished a triple short of the cycle Sunday in Charlotte's 7-1 victory over Gwinnett.

Moncada went 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, a walk and a stolen base. For the week of May 1 to 7, the second baseman hit .500 with two home runs and four RBIs. For his efforts, he has been named International League Batter of the Week.

That performance is an extension of a longer-term tear that Moncada has been on. Over his past 15 games, he is hitting .400/.464/.617 with 16 runs scored, three homers and seven RBIs in 69 plate appearances.

For those concerned about Moncada's strikeout rate, yes, he has struck out 26.7 percent of the time in his 124 plate appearances this season. But, that number is starting to come down. His K rate over the past 15 games? It's 21.7 percent. Still a little high, but a clear improvement. For the season, he's hitting .352 with six home runs and 11 RBIs.

When you're watching the Sox get shut out and go 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position -- as they did Sunday -- it's hard not to look forward to the day when Moncada gets called up. It won't happen until at least May 15. If the Sox want to keep Moncada for a seventh year of control -- and they do -- they can't call him up until then.

I'm not going to be the guy who calls for Moncada to be promoted as quickly as possible. He's ready whenever he's ready, and I can be patient. At the same time, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see what he can do against major league pitching.

And, also, Carson Fulmer is progressing at Triple-A Charlotte. He got the win in the aforementioned game against Gwinnett. He went six innings and allowed only four base runners (three hits, one walk) and one run. His season ERA is down to 2.88. He has held the opposition to two runs or less in five of his first six starts.

Amid all the hype about prospects who were acquired over the offseason, the best pitcher at Triple-A has been a guy who was in the organization last year -- that's Fulmer.

'You don't use your closer in a non-save situation'? Nonsense

Buck Showalter (left) and Terry Collins

Biggest takeaway from the wild-card playoff games this week: One manager lost because he failed to use his closer in a non-save situation; another manager lost because he did use his closer in a non-save situation.

Countless times through the years, I've heard fans and even some media members remark that you're not supposed to use your closer in non-save situations. The argument for this is the idea that closers are successful only because of the adrenaline rush that goes along with a save situation, so they can't pitch effectively if that carrot isn't dangling in front of them.

Nonsense.

I'm of the school of thought that it's never a bad play to bring your closer, who is presumably your best or second-best reliever, into a tie game. Does it make sense to save your closer for a save situation that might never present itself? I don't believe so.

That means I will join the chorus of people who have criticized Baltimore manager Buck Showalter for bringing in Ubaldo Jimenez to face the top of the Toronto batting order with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning in a 2-2 tie Tuesday in the AL wild-card game.

Jimenez, he of the 5.44 ERA, needed just five pitches to blow the Orioles' season. Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson singled for Toronto, setting the table for Edwin Encarnacion to hit a three-run homer and send the Blue Jays to the ALDS with a 5-2 win.

Meanwhile, Zach Britton sat unused in the Baltimore bullpen. Britton is the best reliever in baseball this year, and he's a legitimate candidate for the AL Cy Young award. He was 47 for 47 in save opportunities, has a ridiculous 0.54 ERA, and has held right-handed batters to a .155 average this season. Travis, Donaldson and Encarnacion are all right-handed.

In the face of these facts, does anyone want to argue that Jimenez was the right choice? Does anyone want to argue that you don't use your closer in a non-save situation? I wouldn't think so.

Incredibly, Showalter's move is now conventional wisdom in the game. MLB Network's Brian Kenny had a useful discussion on the air Wednesday, where his research showed that managers used their closer in situations such as Baltimore's on Tuesday just 27 percent of the time in 2016. We're talking about spots where you're on the road, the game is tied in the ninth inning or later, and you need your pitcher to put a zero up in the bottom of the inning to force an extra inning.

So, 73 percent of the time, managers are using non-closers in those spots. That seems like a very high number, and to me, that's not smart baseball.

In contrast, I cannot blame New York Mets manager Terry Collins for his club's 3-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Wednesday's NL wild-card game.

The situation was a little bit different, of course, because the Mets were playing at home. The game was scoreless into the ninth inning, and there was no chance at that point for a save situation to arise for New York closer Jeurys Familia.

With everything on the line in the ninth, Collins wisely went to his best reliever, Familia, who screwed the pooch. Familia gave up a double to Brandon Crawford, a walk to Joe Panik and a three-run homer to former White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie.

That was all San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner needed, as the left-hander continued his postseason mastery by throwing a complete-game, four-hit shutout.

From the Giants' perspective, credit goes to Bumgarner and Gillaspie, and from the Mets' perspective, Familia is wearing the goat horns. Collins made the right move. It didn't work.

You see, I like to judge a manager's moves on the philosophy and logic behind the decision more than the result. Baseball is a game where the right move still can lead to a bad result, and sometimes a move that makes no sense comes up aces.

Philosophically, from my perspective, it's never wrong to use your best reliever with the game on the line. If that reliever fails, it's on him. However, it is wrong to leave your best reliever sitting in the bullpen while a lesser pitcher flushes your season down the toilet.

White Sox drop two out of three to first-place Orioles

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox threw the back end of their starting rotation against one of the American League's most powerful lineups this weekend at U.S. Cellular Field.

Predictable results ensued, as the hard-hitting Baltimore Orioles maintained their slim lead in the American League East by taking two out of three games from the South Siders.

Let's reflect back on the weekend's action:

Friday, Aug. 5
Orioles 7, White Sox 5: Baltimore never trailed in this game as it jumped on Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez for a run in the second inning and three more in the third to take an early 4-0 lead.

The Sox got two back in the fourth, highlighted by Jose Abreu's 13th home run of the season, and to his credit, Gonzalez (2-6) settled in and kept the score close at 4-2 through six innings.

Unfortunately, attrition has taken its toll on the Sox bullpen, and the unreliable arms now outnumber the reliable ones. That means manager Robin Ventura at times has to roll the dice and hope some lesser relievers can keep games such as this one close in the late innings.

This was one of those times where that completely blew up on the Sox, as Tommy Kahnle allowed three runs on four hits in just one-third of inning. The Orioles increased their lead to 7-2, and wouldn't you know it, the Sox countered with three of their own in the bottom of the inning to make it close again. Too bad Kahnle failed to keep the score at 4-2, huh?

The Sox ran themselves out of the inning in the bottom of the eighth. They scored three runs to make it 7-5, and had runners on second and third with only one out for Adam Eaton. The Sox outfielder grounded out to first for the second out, and Dioner Navarro -- the runner at third -- strayed too far off base and was thrown out trying to get back to bag.

That was a bad baserunning double play, and with it, the Sox squandered their best chance to tie the game. Typical White Sox nonsense.

Saturday, Aug. 6
White Sox 4, Orioles 2: Sox lefty Carlos Rodon got a no-decision in this game, but his performance was the most encouraging part of the win.

Rodon was in big trouble in the top of the first inning with runners on first and third and nobody out -- and a 3-0 count on Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado. Using a fastball that hit 100 mph and a devastating slider, Rodon rallied to strike out Machado. Then, he struck out Mark Trumbo and Steve Pearce to escape the inning with no runs allowed.

Rodon ended up with five consecutive strikeouts after he began the second inning by fanning Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy. He went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He finished with seven strikeouts and walked just two. He left the mound with the score tied at 2.

The Sox hung a rare loss on Baltimore ace Chris Tillman (14-4) by scoring a run in the seventh on an RBI single by rookie catcher Omar Narvaez. Eaton added his ninth home run of the season for an insurance run in the eighth, making a winner of Nate Jones (5-2), who worked 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Closer David Robertson got three outs for his 27th save in 31 opportunities.

Sunday, Aug. 7
Orioles 10, White Sox 2: I had to back off my criticism of the James Shields trade for a little while after he put together six consecutive quality starts. But now that Shields had allowed 14 runs over his last 2.1 innings, I think I can go back to talking about what a stupid decision it was to acquire him.

The Sox were trailing 10-0 after three innings, thanks to the latest Shields meltdown. On Sunday, he gave up as many home runs as he recorded outs (four). He lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing eight earned runs on six hits. Not a single one of those hits was cheap.

Machado made a little bit of history by homering three times in three at bats in the first three innings. He drove in seven of Baltimore's 10 runs. The first two homers were off Shields, the last was off Matt Albers.

There were few positives for the Sox, although Abreu homered for the third time in four days. He's up to 14 on the season now.

After three innings, and given the thin nature of the Sox bullpen, I thought this one might end with Baltimore scoring 20-plus runs and the Sox using position players to pitch.

Mercifully, Kahnle, Carson Fulmer and Michael Ynoa combined to throw six innings of garbage-time, scoreless relief.

Don't worry, folks, the Sox will be out from underneath Shields' contract at the end of the 2018 season.

John Danks torpedoes another White Sox winning streak

John Danks is 0-4 in four starts.

From April 9 to 15, the White Sox won five games in a row. John Danks put a stop to that by getting shelled in Tampa Bay on April 16.

The Sox won six games in a row this week. Danks put a stop to that Thursday by getting shelled in Baltimore.

The veteran left-hander was staked to an early 2-0 lead on Todd Frazier's first-inning home run, but it was all downhill from there as the Orioles clobbered the South Siders, 10-2.

Danks lasted five-plus innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out four and walked two, one of which was a four-pitch free pass to Baltimore's No. 9 hitter, Caleb Joseph, in the third inning. That walk started a four-run Orioles rally that featured back-to-back home runs by Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo. By the time the fourth inning rolled around, the Sox were facing a 5-2 deficit.

Baltimore broke it open with five in the sixth. Jake Petricka, providing no relief, gave up a grand slam to Manny Machado, but realistically, the game was lost early when Danks let it get away from him.

The Sox are 16-7 through 23 games, but Danks is 0-4. His ERA has swelled to 7.25. His WHIP sits at an unsightly 1.746.

Danks' woes have created the first crisis for the Sox in this 2016 season. As we've stated before, we can't attribute this slow start to a small sample size, because Danks finished last year on a struggling note. If you combine his final 10 starts of 2015 with his first four starts of this year, you come up with an ugly 1-11 record and a 5.13 ERA.

"It's been a pretty miserable April," Danks said in this MLB.com article. "I'm just not throwing enough strikes, just not throwing enough quality strikes. There's been games where I can full on eliminate a pitch, because it doesn't have a chance."

If you can believe it, Danks' velocity is down from last year. His average fastball velocity is 87.90 mph through four starts this season. That's only six miles an hour quicker than his changeup, which sits at 81.16 on average. They say you want an average variance of 9 to 11 mph between those two pitches, so Danks' reduced velocity is really killing him. It's hard to tell the difference between the fastball and the change. To the hitters' eye, it all looks the same. Danks is easy pickings for a hard-hitting team such as the Orioles right now.

By way of comparison, his fastball velocity in 2015 averaged 89.86. Danks had 15 starts, most of them toward the end of last year, where his fastball averaged 90 mph. If he touches 90 with his four-seamer, that's at least enough to give him a fighting chance with the 81 mph changeup. Right now, those lost three ticks on his fastball have put him in a situation where he needs to be pinpoint with his command, and he has been anything but pinpoint.

The Sox have to be thinking about making a change at the back of the rotation at this point. We've already seen Miguel Gonzalez come up for a spot start. Other viable options from Triple-A Charlotte include Erik Johnson and Jacob Turner.

General manager Rick Hahn has addressed several problems on this team since the end of last season -- a new third baseman, a new catching duo, a new second baseman, a new shortstop, an upgraded outfield defense. The Sox have the look of a contender, and they've come too far to show too much patience with Danks.

I'd be inclined to make a change now, but at most Danks should get no more than two more starts to pull himself together. It's hard to sustain winning streaks when you've got one starting pitcher who is putting you in a three-, four-, or five-run hole in the early innings more often than not.

Orioles add Pedro Alvarez to a lineup that already has a DH

Pedro Alvarez

Former Pittsburgh Pirates 1B/3B Pedro Alvarez agreed Monday to a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

Alvarez was No. 2 on our list of top 5 remaining free agents going into March (posted earlier this week), and he figures to add power to an already-potent Baltimore lineup. Alvarez has clubbed 101 home runs over the past four seasons. Last year, he hit .243/.318/.469 with 27 home runs and 77 RBIs in 150 games with the Pirates. He also struck out 131 times.

Pittsburgh, being a National League team, most likely parted ways with Alvarez because he is a defensive liability at both first base and third base. The Orioles have Chris Davis at first base and Manny Machado at third base, which means they can have Alvarez serve as designated hitter and hide his deficiencies with the glove.

There's just one problem with that: Where does that leave Mark Trumbo? I would have projected Trumbo as Baltimore's DH before this Alvarez move. Now, Trumbo is probably going to play right field, where he's just as big of a defensive problem as Alvarez would be at first base.

I wonder if the Orioles will try Davis in right field and have Trumbo play first. I'm not sure that's any better, but I won't be surprised if Baltimore manager Buck Showalter at least experiments with that defensive look during spring ball.

Baltimore is going to score some runs this season. Adam Jones, Davis, Machado, Trumbo, Alvarez, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy; they have a deep lineup with plenty of guys who can hit the ball off the wall and over it.

I question whether the Orioles have enough starting pitching to contend in the AL East. With a projected rotation of Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Yovani Gallardo, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman, there isn't an ace in that group -- unless the 25-year-old Gausman, a former first-round draft pick, takes a giant leap forward.

I think Baltimore is going to need to play good defense behind that questionable rotation, but it looks to me like there are too many weak gloves in its projected lineup. That's going to drive Showalter crazy, as he is known as a manager who values good defense.

If the Orioles are to be a playoff team in 2016, they are going to have to outslug the opposition on most nights.

OK, so Dexter Fowler is actually rejoining the Cubs

What the hell is going on with Baltimore?

Yesterday, it looked like Dexter Fowler was the new Orioles right fielder. Today, he has signed a one-year deal to remain with the Cubs.

Fowler’s deal with the Cubs will guarantee him $13 million and could be worth a total of $17 million if both sides pick up a mutual option for 2017, according to an ESPN report. Fowler will make $8 million this season and has a $5 million buyout if he does not receive the $9 million second-year option.

Earlier reports said Fowler had agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract with Baltimore, but reports indicate talks broke down when the Orioles did not grant Fowler's request for an opt-out clause.

Um, OK.

Meanwhile, the Orioles also restructured an agreement with pitcher Yovani Gallardo. The two sides initially agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal, but concerns about the pitcher's shoulder arose during a medical examination.

Gallardo still is signing with the Orioles, but he's going there on a two-year deal worth $22 million that includes an option for a third year, according to an ESPN report.

Hopefully that sets the record straight. I don't think I'm going to write anything more about the Orioles this week. Wait five minutes and the story could change again.

Orioles put Gallardo deal on hold, agree on terms with Dexter Fowler

Dexter Fowler

Remember what we said about the Baltimore Orioles signing pitcher Yovani Gallardo? Never mind, at least for now. That deal is on hold after questions about the veteran right-hander's health emerged during a team physical.

This isn't the first time Baltimore has uncovered issues with a free-agent pitcher during a medical examination. Remember Grant Balfour? The Orioles spiked a deal they had with him in 2013 over a problem they found during a physical. Balfour ended up signing with Tampa Bay, and never pitched well during his time with the Rays. He ended up being released before the completion of his two-year contract.

With the Gallardo deal possibly unraveling, the Orioles added to their offense on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a three-year, $33 million contract with outfielder Dexter Fowler.

Fowler, 29, hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 156 games with the Cubs last year. He figures to bat leadoff for Orioles, as he did in Chicago, but with Adam Jones anchoring center field in Baltimore, Fowler is destined for a move to a corner outfield spot.

Fowler's free agency didn't seem to generate a lot of interest because of a qualifying offer. The Cubs offered him the one-year, $15.8 million deal, which Fowler declined. As a result, the Orioles now owe the Cubs a draft pick.

Orioles surrender draft pick, sign Yovani Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo

One significant signing from the weekend I neglected to mention: The Baltimore Orioles signed pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a three-year deal worth a reported $35 million.

Gallardo rejected a qualifying offer from his previous club -- the Texas Rangers -- so that means the Orioles had to surrender a draft pick to sign him.

No doubt, that's why Gallardo stayed on the market for this long. Despite a rising WHIP and a declining strikeout rate, Gallardo has made 30 or more starts for seven consecutive seasons. There's value in that. He won 13 games and posted a 3.42 ERA for the Rangers in 2015.

There's no question Baltimore needed to address its starting rotation, which finished next-to-last in ERA and third-to-last in innings pitched last season. The Orioles had one of the weakest starting staffs in the American League by any measure, and then they lost Wei-Yin Chen to the Miami Marlins in free agency.

The Orioles now add Gallardo to a projected rotation that includes Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman.

Is it enough? I say no, because Gallardo represents more of the same. He's a middle-of-the-rotation guy on a staff that's already fill of middle-of-the-rotation guys. Who can the Orioles trust to be the ace? They simply don't have one.

Baltimore has a good offense, and I'm sure that would be the reason for optimism for them and their fans. Problem is, they play in a division that is full of good offenses. The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are certainly going to score a lot of runs. The New York Yankees are likely going to score a lot of runs. Only the Tampa Bay Rays figure to struggle offensively among AL East teams.

The Orioles are going to have to score a lot to overcome their pitching issues, and it's going to be a tall order to outslug lineups such as those in Toronto and Boston.

As for impact on the White Sox, the Orioles surrendering their pick moves the South Siders up from No. 28 to No. 27 in the draft order, so there's that.

Chris Davis gets big bucks from Orioles; Ian Kennedy to Royals

Chris Davis

It pays to be a left-handed slugger. It also pays to have Scott Boras as your agent.

The Baltimore Orioles on Saturday agreed with first baseman Chris Davis on a seven-year, $161 million contract. The deal reportedly includes a limited no-trade clause.

I'm shocked Davis got this kind of money, especially in what has been a cool market for free-agent hitters. Sure, Davis hit a league-leading 47 home runs last year and amassed 117 RBIs, but he's also just two years removed from a 2014 season where he hit just .196 and got suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Also, if you look at the 29-year-old's career, he only had two good years in his 20s -- 2013 and 2015. What in the world makes the Orioles believes Davis will be productive for seven years into his 30s? 

It will not happen, and you have to wonder whether Boras got Baltimore to bid against itself in this deal.

This signing could be good news or bad news if you're a White Sox fan, depending on your perspective. First the good news: the Orioles won't be signing Yoenis Cespedes now. As recently as Friday, we heard reports that Baltimore was offering the free-agent outfielder a five-year deal worth $90 million -- an offer the Sox would be unlikely to match or beat. But now that the Orioles have made their move to sign a hitter, that's one less potential landing spot in play for Cespedes or Justin Upton.

Now for the bad news: If Davis is worth seven years and $161 million, then aren't both Cespedes and Upton now in position to demand at least that much money and years, if not more? If that's what the market will bear, then the Sox aren't going to pay. And I'm not sure they should, frankly.

Kansas City signs RHP Kennedy

Speaking of questionable contracts, how about the Royals giving $70 million over five years to Ian Kennedy?

Kennedy was great in 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he's never been able to duplicate that success:

2011: 21-4, 2.88 ERA
2012: 15-12, 4.02 ERA
2013: 7-10, 4.91 ERA
2014: 13-13, 3.63 ERA
2015: 9-15, 4.28 ERA

Kennedy's 4.28 ERA last year came with pitcher-friendly San Diego as his home ballpark, so that doesn't bode well for a smooth transition to the American League.

In fairness, there are a few things that might make this OK for the Royals. First, their outfield defense is much better than San Diego's, and that should benefit a fly-ball pitcher such as Kennedy. Secondly, Kennedy has previously worked with pitching coach Dave Eiland; both were in the New York Yankees system when Kennedy was a young prospect.

Third, the Royals looked similarly foolish when they signed Edinson Volquez, who like Kennedy had his fair share of struggles in the National League. As it turns out, Volquez has turned his career around in Kansas City and been solid under Eiland's tutelage.

Kansas City is obviously banking on a similar improvement from Kennedy.

White Sox vs. Orioles -- no fans allowed; I watched it on TV

I had a chance to watch Wednesday's game between the White Sox and Baltimore Orioles on TV, and as expected, it was a little weird to be watching a game where no fans were in attendance.

The ballpark was closed to the public because of the recent rioting in Baltimore, so nobody saw the Orioles thump the Sox, 8-2, in person except for some scouts and assorted members of the media.

I have to say the game felt extremely odd for the first three or four innings, but after that I got used to it.

For at least the past 30 years, I've been listening to White Sox announcer Ken Harrelson say "Souvenir, right side" every single time a right-handed hitter hits a foul ball over the first-base dugout. Sox first baseman Jose Abreu hit just such a ball in the top of the first inning Wednesday, and Harrelson caught himself in mid-sentence, realizing that foul ball would not be a "souvenir" for anybody on the "right side," because there were no fans in the park. Harrelson instead said, ".... And ... that's a foul ball into the upper deck." For one afternoon, he was forced to drop one of his familiar catchphrases.

A fielding error by Abreu opened the door for the Orioles to have a big inning in the bottom of the first, and have a big inning they did. Baltimore scored six runs off Sox starter Jeff Samardzija to put the game out of reach early, and it was quite bizarre to hear no cheers coming from the crowd while the hometown Orioles were playing well.

Chris Davis launched a 3-run homer well over the right-field fence during that six-run rally. It was the kind of shot that always draws a reaction from the crowd, even if it's hit by a member of the visiting team, but in this case all you heard was the crack of the bat and then silence. It was eerie in a way.

Later, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones made a fine running catch on a drive off the bat of Sox catcher Geovany Soto. Again, the cheers were conspicuous by their absence.

The Orioles enjoyed an 8-2 lead by the time the fifth inning concluded, and with the outcome no longer in doubt, I felt like hitters from both sides started giving away at-bats over the final four innings. I saw a lot of first-pitch swings and a lot of quick outs. The game was played in just one hour, 58 minutes. It seemed like the players were eager for the whole ordeal to be over, and I can hardly blame them for that.

As I watched the late innings, the game started to feel like your usual run-of-the-mill blowout, the kind where the crowd leaves early to beat traffic. There was nothing notable happening in the game, so the lack of cheers, boos or otherwise was less significant.

Any in case, I've never watched a game like this before, because there never has been a game like this before. Hopefully, nothing like this ever happens again. No one wants to see any city burn like Baltimore has the past couple days, and you hope Major League Baseball never has to take safety precautions like this again.

This was a one-of-a-kind game. As far as I'm concerned, it can stay that way.