Sox drop to .500 with loss to A’s

A week from now, you’ll hardly be able to tell Tuesday’s loss from Monday’s

If that sounds like a recipe for all things Cactus League, sure it is. But the similarities between yesterday and today’s 6-5 White Sox flop against the A’s are solid beyond their early-March nature:

• A heavy traffic starting effort, without much damage
• Standout hitting from the bench/minors
• Comeback falling short, spurred by some unclutch bats
• GIDPs (Danny Mendick, report to the principal’s office)

So, Reynaldo López got the start and was, eh. He struggled with command and seemed to be using this first start as a chance to un-kink his kurve. Eh. Given three hits and three walks, we’ll take one earned over three innings every time. López also got three Ks. The curve was biting, but he’ll have to hone it to get major league fish biting at it a month from now.

Luis Robert led off the game with a first-pitch single, then stole second before Nicky Delmonico rendered all that headfirst sliding moot with a towering shot to left-center.

Leading 2-1 through three, the White Sox saved their meltdown for the fourth anf fifth innings, when a 1-2 punch of Adalberto Mejía and Carson Fulmer combined for five hits, three earned, a walk and two Ks. Later, in the seventh, Tyler Johnson got knocked out of the box, giving up two earned on a hit, two walks and a K in two-thirds of an inning.

Chicago still had a finishing kick, however, rallying with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Andrew Vaughn doubled in Jaycob Brugman (who had doubled) to trim Oakland’s lead to 6-4, and Zach Remillard singled in Vaughn to make it 6-5. Trey Cochran-Gill came in to put out the fire, and got Yermín Mercedes on a called third to end the threat.

The White Sox went down in order in the ninth to drop to 5-5 in preseason play.

Dylan Cease makes his second start of the spring tomorrow at Milwaukee, a 2:05 CT start. No TV (beyond a Brewers feed), but the game will be broadcast over WGN-AM. Joe Resis has the coverage at SSHP, and we have a Very Special Treat for you here at SSS. Stay tuned for a spirited Wednesday.