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The Chicago White Sox, (7-18, fourth in the AL Central), owners of the third-worst record in baseball and losers of seven straight, return home fresh off of back-to-back road sweeps to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays, who sit atop the AL East, come to Chicago to open a four-game set boasting a league-best 20-5 record. Tampa Bay looks to rebound after dropping two of three against Houston, while the home team looks to break their seven-game skid, and perhaps even resemble a major league team in the process.
Here’s yet another head-scratchingly curious lineup from first-year skipper Pedro Grifol:
Today's #WhiteSox starters vs. the Rays: pic.twitter.com/4uh9cFrRAN
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 27, 2023
Big yikes. Benintendi leading off against McClanahan. What could possibly go wrong?
Shane McClanahan (4-0, 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) takes the bump for the Rays while the White Sox send Dylan Cease (2-0, 2.73 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) to the hill. Cease faced off against McClanahan a mere five games ago, with 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 K, while McClanahan went 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 10 K. The Sox lost that game in 10 innings, in embarrassing fashion, on their way to being swept.
The South Siders are 1-9 in their last 10 games, batting .167 as a team, with a 5.50 team ERA, while being outscored by 30 runs. Not pretty by any stretch of the imagination.
Rick Hahn addressed the media before the series opener this afternoon, here’s a snippet of what he had to say:
Everytime Rick Hahn talks pic.twitter.com/gdgJflFqyz
— Brandon Stokes (@bstokes79) April 27, 2023
No, but really:
#WhiteSox GM Rick Hahn’s message to fans: pic.twitter.com/SYvIhSXBfq
— Scot Gregor (@scotgregor) April 27, 2023
Hahn can’t even give bullshit answers with a straight face anymore. It would be nice to think he’s on the hot seat, but we all know better.
Genuinely, I just don't want to see or hear Rick Hahn speak. Just go away. Go find a hobby. No one cares how sad or disappointed you are. You are a failure, an absolute incompetent stain who continues to be employed without any merit.
— cheapbbpod (@cheapbbpodcast) April 27, 2023
You are everything wrong
In other team news:
Tim Anderson and Hanser Alberto area headed to Charlotte for a rehab assignment tomorrow. Garrett Crochet is in Chicago getting a check up before he’s approved for a rehab assignment. Next week, Liam Hendriks will be in Chicago to start the same process.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 27, 2023
I say again, yikes:
Yoan Moncada has been dealing with a protruding disc that’s impinging on a nerve in low back, Hahn said.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) April 27, 2023
Always love how cagey this team is with injuries and or their severity.
So which team breaks their losing streak tonight? Let us see where the tweets take us!
Is there a single person that’s optimistic about the white sox or did it take epic failure to finally unite WST
— Celeste Spaghetti (Dong Bong Edition) (@C_Spaghett1) April 27, 2023
The vibes were definitely on point pre-game.
Lot G with 20 minutes until game time. pic.twitter.com/BN47xOeQlI
— Steve O'Brien (@steveowhitesox) April 27, 2023
Happy Dylan Cease day #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/ymVyjWy6Nl
— Steve Evans (@GoPackGo223) April 27, 2023
Game 1 of 4 this series.
— Nico (@andrade26bc) April 27, 2023
Cease vs McClanahan #whitesox pic.twitter.com/7Xq4DTOEhD
Warm Thursday evening against the best team in the league and the stadium looks empty.
wow so good to see the Rate packed! can’t a spot a single empty seat on the house!! let’s gooo
— Laura ⚢ (@laurachooksie) April 27, 2023
#WhiteSox baseball underway… pic.twitter.com/r8BF0vRb1P
— Brian Chimino (@Brian_Chimino35) April 27, 2023
Needless to say, fans weren’t feeling optimistic.
Bottom of the first:
Benintendi leading off against McClanahan went about as well as expected. Woof. #WhiteSox
— Ryiin (@rfoto) April 27, 2023
(He struck out looking on three pitches.)
a base hit!! pic.twitter.com/WQjY0oMqEI
— Laura ⚢ (@laurachooksie) April 27, 2023
Sox put two on with one out, and you can guess what happened …
Leave 2 still cant score, approach is #whitesox
— JOE SOX (@JOESOX3) April 27, 2023
And the crap just keeps on flowing #whitesox pic.twitter.com/G9yeljYzis
— Rick Curl (@sptswrtrrick) April 27, 2023
Top of the second, and the ugly begins.
Brandon Lowe lines a hit to right that gets by Oscar Colás' attempt to cut it off, and bounces away from Luis Robert Jr. to turn a potential single into a leadoff triple.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 27, 2023
Two pitches later, Isaac Paredes lines a single over a drawn-in infield to make it 1-0 Rays
Great fielding by the sox turns a single into a triple and this ball game is ova. #WhiteSox
— Chisox Talk (@chisoxtalkpod) April 27, 2023
Are we SURE that Colas is the upgrade that we were promised defensively?#WhiteSox
— White Sox Twitt3r (Is Baby Hippo) (@SoxTwitt3r) April 27, 2023
Surely we are not ...
Well that took an inning longer than I thought it would. #WhiteSox
— Melissa Sage-Bollenbach (@soxmom72) April 27, 2023
#WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/ZFSmWxkOo3
— Brian Chimino (@Brian_Chimino35) April 27, 2023
And this ballgame is ovaaahhhh #WhiteSox
— Clinton Cole (@cdcole55) April 27, 2023
Are we starting to see tonight’s theme?
Fans were jumping ship pretty early.
The #WhiteSox are embarrassingly bad. I’ve NEVER checked out on any of my teams but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I don’t know how you could be this bad even if you were trying to be.
— Isaac Simpson (@Isaac__NBA) April 27, 2023
It only took two innings for bad to arrive.
A Luke Raley double makes it 3-0, which is as many runs as the White Sox have scored since the start of Sunday
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 27, 2023
“Oh, I should check out this White Sox game for a few minutes.”
— Chrystal OK (@chrystal_ok) April 27, 2023
Big mistake. 3-0 in the second, and the White Sox are definitely not leading.
Game after game is the same crappy baseball. Cease already at 35 pitches and we’re behind 3 runs. It’s the SECOND inning! #WhiteSox
— Melissa Sage-Bollenbach (@soxmom72) April 27, 2023
It's already 3-0 top 2. So much for that pitchers duel... https://t.co/2FGDjNM4WN
— Ryiin (@rfoto) April 27, 2023
Game over. 3-0 in the second. At least my #WhiteSox are consistent.
— Mark Hoger (@HogerMark) April 27, 2023
Answer: No.
Is ThAt GoOd https://t.co/DBFahnBjc2
— White Sox Truther (@SamR33v3s) April 27, 2023
At least there is beer.
#WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/TZ01S8ZZLH
— z - MF (@dirrty862) April 27, 2023
Speaking of scoring runs.
Lenyn Sosa, who spoke with The Athletic this afternoon, blasts a two-out double to right-center to score Jake Burger from first. The White Sox have scored for the first time in 25 innings.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 27, 2023
Then Andrew Benintendi's grounder didn't quite sneak through the middle. They trail 3-1.
THE WHITE SOX HAVE SCORED A RUN
— Chuck Naso (@ChuckNaso) April 27, 2023
Our national nightmare is now over after 25 innings!
— CHGO White Sox (@CHGO_WhiteSox) April 27, 2023
The Sox scored a run pic.twitter.com/y6nJVu3phO
— Ali White Sox (@aliwhitesox) April 27, 2023
Jake Burger with the wheels. 25 inning run drought is ovah!! #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/6zLflJifr7
— Melissa Sage-Bollenbach (@soxmom72) April 27, 2023
Sox get one back, and of course …
#Rays 4 @ #WhiteSox 1 [T3-1o]:
— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) April 27, 2023
Brandon Lowe homers (7): fly ball to RF (solo)
Hit: 358ft, 106.3mph, 41°
Pitch: 85.6mph Slider (RHP Dylan Cease, 3)
Dylan really needed that quick inning. 74 pitches through four innings.
— White Sox Twitt3r (Is Baby Hippo) (@SoxTwitt3r) April 28, 2023
SCORE SOME DAMN RUNS!
I think Burger heard you, friend!
#Rays 4 @ #WhiteSox 2 [B4-0o]:
— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) April 28, 2023
Jake Burger homers (6): fly ball to LF (solo)
Hit: 361ft, 95.7mph, 26°
Pitch: 87.5mph Slider (LHP Shane McClanahan, 3)
Burger leads off the 4th with a solo shot. His sixth.
Jake Burger now leads the White Sox with 6 home runs
— CHGO White Sox (@CHGO_WhiteSox) April 28, 2023
Stay fair. It will! pic.twitter.com/aBKYgJum7R
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 28, 2023
White Sox home runs at Guaranteed Rate Field this season
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) April 28, 2023
5 Jake Burger
3 Everyone else combined
Brutal.
Can't remember seeing so much red contact in a Cease start in a while. Tampa has a strong game plan and seem to be all over the pitches they are looking for.#WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/l35KBdZ3IT
— White Sox Twitt3r (Is Baby Hippo) (@SoxTwitt3r) April 28, 2023
Cease gave up plenty of hard contact. Tampa’s hits weren’t cheapies.
Top 5, Cease loads the bases, two singles and a walk:
And it's Bummer... Can I take it back?
— White Sox Twitt3r (Is Baby Hippo) (@SoxTwitt3r) April 28, 2023
And it’s 6-2 ...
The Chicago White Sox are an atrocity
— Koolade (@_koolade) April 28, 2023
No arguments from me …
Why do I watch @whitesox baseball? Maybe I just hate myself and feel I need to be punished for something... pic.twitter.com/8XMAuAcIbp
— Christopher Boyd (@C_M_Boyd) April 28, 2023
Sure feels that way ...
Seven to two after five innings …
There comes a time when all hope is lost. When you’re on a seven-game losing streak at 7-18, and Cease is struggling, that time appears to be here. #WhiteSox
— Joe Resis (@JResis) April 28, 2023
With Dylan's seven earned runs today, the entire 2023 White Sox starting rotation currently has an ERA above the 4.00 mark.#WhiteSox. pic.twitter.com/Nh6dUmlTbZ
— White Sox Twitt3r (Is Baby Hippo) (@SoxTwitt3r) April 28, 2023
Cease has a 4.15 ERA pic.twitter.com/LwEFsVgGU1
— ⚫️ ⚪️ (@wsxmatt) April 28, 2023
When is the last time the white Sox won a game
— Baseball Blues (85 wins left) (@pleasejaysdoit) April 28, 2023
I can hardly remember when.
An Andrew Vaughn error allows the Rays to score their eighth run of the game. And the laugher continues …
Me turning on the #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/zPYkOrUhve
— Breed Crapke (@SnreedCrapke) April 28, 2023
Yeah, it was ugly …
Ten run deficit alert!! #WhiteSox
— Ryiin (@rfoto) April 28, 2023
A 10-run deficit in the sixth, and it just got silly after that.
#Rays 13 @ #WhiteSox 2 [T7-1o]:
— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) April 28, 2023
Yandy Díaz homers (7): fly ball to RCF (solo)
Hit: 380ft, 104.1mph, 24° , OPPO
Pitch: 95.1mph Sinker (RHP Kendall Graveman, 1)
Make that 11 ...
With tonight’s looming loss, the White Sox will be on pace to win 44 games this year. That’s 118 losses.
— BoKePo (@bkporcaro) April 28, 2023
Starting to feel like my 78-win projection was incredibly generous.
Are the #WhiteSox allowed to evoke the slaughter rule during the #RaysUp series?#CWSvsTB pic.twitter.com/QpeYXlGkiz
— Jake (Not From State Farm) Sundall (@JakeSundall) April 27, 2023
If only ...
Should probably start giving my money to a therapist instead of to Jerry Reinsdorf. #whitesox pic.twitter.com/jBgQaMZB1G
— Hemmerling for Mitchell?! (@Stevesie87) April 27, 2023
Seriously. Why is anyone still watching?
At what point does this get fun bad? Because this isn't any fun... #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/BTE14sLUmg
— Ryiin (@rfoto) April 28, 2023
— yesutis_brian (@YesutisB) April 28, 2023
I'm starting to think a cruel joke is being pulled on us. #WhiteSox
— Jeff Washington (@jaydwashington) April 28, 2023
If it is, it sure isn’t funny ...
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