Tim Anderson was in the spotlight entering Wednesday night’s game. After Ozzie Guillen questioned why the White Sox shortstop didn’t play both games of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Anderson took to Twitter for his retort. It caught the attention of every sports media outlet in Chicago and was a topic of conversation for all sports radio shows.
While a slight spat between the former manager turned broadcaster and the current player could serve as a distraction, one couldn’t tell based on Anderson’s performance. Early in the game, Anderson flashed defensive brilliance and went 3-for-5 at the plate.
Unfortunately, Anderson has eight other position player teammates who continue to struggle. While the Thursday morning conversation should be focused on how well Anderson played, the terrible White Sox offense is still at the forefront. Despite ten hits, the White Sox only put up two runs against Kansas City and lost again by a final score of 6-2.
Last year, the White Sox were 44-32 against AL Central opponents. They are now 6-12 against the AL Central to start 2022.
Lucas Giolito took the mound and was rusty coming off the COVID IL. Fastball command was a struggle early. Often Giolito would miss up and out of the strike zone. Whit Merrifield drove in the Royals' first run in the second inning after Nicky Lopez stole second base. Bobby Witt Jr. blasted Giolito’s hanging curve for his fourth home run of the season.
In the fourth inning, Reynaldo Lopez started to warm up, and there was a concern that Giolito's day would end before the fifth inning. However, he seemed to get back into rhythm after the third inning, only allowing one more base runner, and finished with a final line of 5 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 7 K. One would like to see fewer hits allowed and another inning out of Giolito, but it was a good sign that he could grind out two more innings when things looked bleak.
Now, only allowing two runs in five innings should never be a red alert, but it becomes a dire concern with how poorly this White Sox offense is performing. White Sox scored first when Jose Abreu hit a leadoff double and made his way home off Leury Garcia’s RBI single. In the fifth inning, Adam Engel walked, and Tony La Russa called for the hit-and-run with Andrew Vaughn batting. It worked to perfection as Vaughn hit a grounder through the right side to move Engel up to third base. He would score off Anderson’s single to tie the game, 2-2.
Next inning, White Sox had the bases loaded thanks to three singles from Yasmani Grandal, Garcia, and Engel. But Vaughn grounded out to end that rally. AJ Pollock roped a double to left field in the eighth inning but was stranded at third base. That was it for the remaining scoring chances.
The White Sox were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. One of those hits was to move Grandal from second to third base. Engel’s walk in the fifth inning was their only free pass against Zack Greinke and the Royals bullpen.
With no margin of error, Kansas City beat up Lopez and Ryan Burr for four runs off five hits in the final three innings. Turning a tight game into another gut-punch loss. A feeling that’s becoming too frequent watching this White Sox team in 2022.
Game Notes:
- The 2022 Chicago White Sox have only scored 128 runs in their first 37 games. That’s an average of 3.46 runs per game and a current season pace of 561.
- Luis Robert had a tough day going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts
- Tim Anderson’s season OPS is .860
Record: 18-19 | Box Score
