Lance Lynn forgets to throw a shutout; White Sox lose in Toronto

Lance Lynn

Before Monday's game between the White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays, I texted friends and said, "I hope Lance Lynn remembers to throw a shutout. He'll have to if he wants to win this game."

Well, Lynn forgot to throw a shutout. Oh, he was very good, providing seven innings of one-run ball against a tough Toronto lineup. Unfortunately, the Sox offense was once again a near no-show, and the Craig Kimbrel trade continues to look like a terrible move. 

The Blue Jays scored the go-ahead run on a Kimbrel wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning and beat the Sox, 2-1.

However, the big story continues to be the lack of offense from the Sox, especially in the past three games while Tim Anderson has been sidelined by "leg soreness."

I'm starting to get concerned about Anderson, because he hasn't played in four of the past five Sox games. It's not a coincidence that the Sox only win in those five games came the one time when Anderson was in the lineup.

They've been held to five runs combined in their past three games, all losses. During Monday's broadcast, it was noted that the Sox average 2.38 runs in innings where Anderson scores a run, and 0.43 runs in innings where he does not.

In other words, he's in the middle of most of their offense. The Sox are 61-43 when Anderson starts, 11-11 when he does not.

We hear a lot about the Sox allegedly having a "stacked lineup," but often, if Anderson is either not playing or in a slump, the offense goes right in the ditch. It's concerning that so much seems to hinge on one guy for a team with championship aspirations.

The Sox are 72-54 and have a nine-game lead in the AL Central.

But again, as we've stated, they've done little to erase some of the season-long criticisms that have been levied against them. The Sox are 13-20 in one-run games, 7-16 on the road against winning teams. Uninspiring.