Maybe the White Sox should stop striking out 14 batters, because nothing good comes of it.
Touki Toussaint, Declan Cronin and Tanner Banks combined to strike out 17 batters over nine innings, but thanks to a rough fourth inning for Toussaint, and two homers of Banks, they still managed to give up two big crooked numbers around that lack of contact.
Meanwhile, the White Sox offense was limited to a Luis Robert Jr. solo homer, five other hits and two free bases by Clark Schmidt and two New York relievers.
As a result, the White Sox are now an unfathomable 0-11 when striking out at least 14 batters in a game this season.
Toussaint walked five batters over five innings, yet that didn't really get him in trouble. Four straight Yankee hits -- singles by Giancarlo Stanton and Billy McKinney, followed by a double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and a shot past Andrew Vaughn for another run-scoring hit. Toussaint then walked three of the next four batters, but the only damage that resulted from the collapse in control was a sac fly. The damage was already done.
Toussaint otherwise showed why he's been such a pleasant surprise to date, but he provides occasional reminders why he was a waiver claim.
The White Sox offense couldn't figure out how to Clarke Schmidt's cutter-curve combination. Robert provided a sort-of answer to the four-run fourth with a line drive into the White Sox bullpen in the bottom of the inning, but the Sox had a hard time mounting threats.
Worse yet, when Aaron Boone turned the game over to the bullpen, Michael King and Jonathan Loiasiga went on the attack. They combined for six strikeouts over 3⅔ innings, throwing 37 of 47 pitches for strikes. The White Sox's three-game winning streak came to a quiet end, while their strange and specific 11-game losing streak lives on.
Bullet point:
*Yasmani Grandal left the game with knee soreness in the top of the sixth inning.
