About what you expected: Twins sweep, 5-4

Hey, don’t fault these 2018 Chicago White Sox for resting on their laurels.

Just one game after setting a major league record for strikeouts in a season — a record they extended by a full 15 Ks with Sunday’s effort — there was still some business to take care of.

Namely, attaining what would be only the fourth 100-loss season in team history, and at 62-100, the sixth-worst record for a White Sox club ever.

Mission accomplished, with little drama, as the Sox fell, 5-4, to the Minnesota Twins in the season finale.

Dylan Covey was in line for a quality start, but in the sixth, a Max Kepler two-run shot extended the Minny lead to 5-2 and put him in line for his 14th loss of the season. Covey’s career record, all accomplished with the White Sox in the past two seasons, is an impossible-seeming 5-21. But then, you remember the White Sox of 2017 and 2018 and realize, yep, entirely plausible.

Covey’s erratic work (six hits, five earned, two walks, three Ks, two homers, 36 game score) saw him following out the Carlos Rodón and Lucas Giolito door in his final start, as opposed to the high note of Reynaldo López’s finish. It’s too bad, because Covey had been throwing better after his return to the rotation and was building momentum for a rotation push in 2019. But, like almost everything about next season, seemingly including the arrival date for the hands-down best player in the organization, Eloy Jiménez, Covey’s status for next season is up in the air.

Juan Minaya, Jace Fry and Nate Jones finished the game cleanly for the White Sox, and all three did get to follow López out the door after cleaning out their lockers, because all three earned passing marks for the season. Overall, a beleaguered bullpen had more bright spots than you would have thought on a 62-100 team.

Offensively, well, 15 strikeouts.

Daniel Palka was the only White Sox player with two hits (2-for-4), but also flubbed a fly ball in right. Yoán Moncada actually ended his season on a high note, taking another third strike (this one legit, although the wide strike zone befitting a meaningless season finale dinked Yoán on the first two strikes of the at-bat) to start the game but then completing a fabulous glove-shovel assist to end the second, two walks, and a ninth-inning double.

The loss was the eighth in nine games to end the season, and also dropped the White Sox to a season-worst 38 games under .500. #RBDQ

As for the 100 losses, well, the White Sox could have done better. And with apologies to the 1931-32 White Sox, 1934, 1948 and 1970, I’d like to think that with just an additional week or two of play, the 2018 White Sox could have topped you as well.

Wait till next year.