Trying to carry the good vibes from St. Louis after winning their first road series, the White Sox were also attempting to buck an awful trend as they arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the first game of each series, the White Sox entered Monday with a 1-10 record, allowing 61 runs while only scoring 13, including seven shutouts. Their lone win to start a series was against the Tampa Bay Rays in a 9-4 victory.
Monday also marked the 2024 debut of Mike Clevinger, who was recalled from Charlotte when reliever Dominic Leone was placed on the Injured List. White Sox GM Chris Getz is rolling the dice with re-signing Clevinger, hoping that his 2023 on-field performance wasn't a dead cat bounce. In two tuneup starts with Charlotte, Clevinger pitched 7.1 innings, allowing ten hits and three earned runs with seven strikeouts to three walks against Triple-A hitters.
Clevinger's 2024 debut performance in the majors was, to put it simply, awful.
There was a good beginning when Clevinger picked off Randy Arozarena at first base for the second out in the first inning. But a single allowed to Josh Lowe, followed by a wild pitch and another walk, pushed Clevinger's pitch count up to 24 after the opening frame.
Clevinger didn't benefit from the White Sox defense in the second inning. After a Harold Ramirez leadoff single, Jose Caballero laid down a bunt. Clevinger fielded the roller cleanly and his throw was accurate but Nicky Lopez dropped the ball covering second base. What should have been one out and a runner on first instead put the pressure on Clevinger with multiple runners on.
Facing catcher Ben Rortvedt, Clevinger had a mental lapse. Falling behind 3-0, Clevinger didn't bother looking back at the runners and threw a fastball down the middle. Rortvedt didn't offer because both Ramirez and Caballero were on the run. The double steal put runners in scoring position, and Clevinger compounded problems by walking Rortvedt to load the bases with nobody out.
A red-hot Jonny DeLuca stepped in next, and Clevinger was ahead in the count 0-2 when he flipped a slider out of the zone. To DeLuca's credit, he made a good swing and hit a grounder through the infield for a two-run single. Rortvedt advanced to third base and would later score on Yandy Diaz's force out, putting Tampa ahead, 3-0 through two innings.
Clevinger was a bit fortunate to not allow more runs, as Arozarena doubled to left field, putting runners in scoring position again. After dropping the ball, Lopez would redeem himself on a grounder by making a good throw at home to nail Diaz at home plate, preventing another run from scoring.
In the third, Clevinger was greeted by Amed Rosario smashing a triple off the center field wall. Two pitches later, Ramirez drove in Rosario with singled to center, pushing Tampa's lead back out to 4-2 after Tommy Pham's two-run shot in the top half of the frame. After a passed ball was charged on Korey Lee, moving Ramirez up 90 feet, Clevinger walked another batter in Caballero to end his night.
That free pass was enough for manager Pedro Grifol, who pulled Clevinger from the game. His final line was 2+ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 K on 54 pitches. For the game, Clevinger generated just one whiff on 21 swings. He looked like a starting pitcher not ready for the majors.
The White Sox bullpen didn't fare much better, with the exception of Tanner Banks. Jared Schuster and Tim Hill combined to pitch four innings but allowed four more runs on seven hits and one walk. Entering the seventh inning, Tampa had yet to strike out in the game until facing Banks, who didn't allow a baserunner in two scoreless innings of relief and struck out three.
The South Siders bats mainly remained quiet while the Tampa bats were having a good night against White Sox pitching. Pham's opposite-field shot, his second of the season, accounted for all Sox scoring.
With the 8-2 loss, the White Sox are now 1-11 in first games of the series in 2024 and have been outscored 69-to-15.
Game Notes:
- Bryan Ramos went 1-for-4 in his second career start
- Harold Ramirez for Tampa Bay went 4-for-4 with three runs scored
- The White Sox were 0-for-4 with RISP, but Tampa Bay was 3-for-14. It was an ugly loss that could have been uglier.
