Monday night at Comerica Park, the rising Detroit Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox in the first game of their three-game series (DET 5, CWS 1). It was Detroit’s fourth straight win and, at 9-5, they currently hold the fourth best record in the American League. Nice start for a team that won only 35 of its last 140 games in 2019.
For the White Sox, Monday’s loss was their third straight and fifth in their last six games. The offense has scored no more than four runs in each of its last seven games and six times in those seven games it has scored no more than three runs. The defense also let an inside-the-park run for the second time in five days on Monday night.
Dallas Keuchel allowed three runs in six innings on Monday night, so he was neither great nor terrible, and after the game, he called out his teammates for their subpar game. Here is what he told reporters, including Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago:
“We just came out flat, and I feel like we just stayed flat the whole game,” Dallas Keuchel said. “We have some guys coming out and taking professional at-bats, professionals on the mound and doing whatever it takes to win, and we have some guys going through the motions.”
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“We arrived at 2.30 in the morning. We are playing a tough ball game against the Indians. We will have to defeat that if we are to win this division or we get into the playoffs,” Keuchel said. “It seemed like we were taking a night off. We can not afford that with a young core we have here. We have to get up every day, and even if there are no fans, we have to make sure we are ready. are to go. And if we are not ready to go, we must forge it until we make it. ”
Find the lie. I can not. Keuchel is a respected veteran with a Cy Young and a World Series ring, so he does not get out of line when criticizing his teammates. The White Sox brought him in to support the rotation and also provide accountability. “We have to clean a lot of things. If we want to be in this thing at the end of the season, we’ll have to start doing that now,” Keuchel added.
The postseason field has expanded to 16 teams this season, but over the past seven days, the White Sox have seen their postseason chances drop from 82.9 percent to 63.9 percent, according to FanGraphs. Still pretty good – only six American League teams have better odds after the season – but trending down. Keuchel and the ChiSox want the ship right and fast.
The ChiSox have a young position-player core and growing pain is to be expected. However, they are not fun to sit on, and in a 60-game season, those growing pains can do real damage in a short period of time. Five losses in six days would hardly register as blip during a season 162 game. This year, it’s a case for a veteran to call out his teammates and reinforce a sense of urgency.
