By Woodrow Carroll
Thanks to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox Sunday, June 25, the Chicago White Sox put an end to a quirky losing streak.
The White Sox had dropped two games of a three-game series for three weeks, an unhealthy trait the White Sox had picked up. It looked as though the White Sox were headed for another losing series when the Red Sox won the opening game of the three-games series, 3-1, Friday, June 23, however, the White Sox won Saturday, June 24, 5-4, and won, Sunday, June 25, 4-1, for a badly-needed series victory, two-games-to-one.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs split two games with the St. Louis Cardinals in the London matches last weekend The Cubs returned to the States to play host to Philadelphia for three games.
The White Sox headaches started with the visiting Florida Marlins, June 7-9. After downing the Marlins in the first game of the series, the White Sox lost the final two games of the three-game set.
The White Sox hit the road after facing the Marlins. In three games in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, the White Sox dropped two of three. The White Sox went up the West Coast for three games with the Seattle Mariners. The picture stayed the same with the Mariners taking two of three from the Sox.
Back in Chicago for three games against the Texas Rangers the Sox won one of three games.
Bragging rights mean a good deal in certain situations, even if the payout is not great. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the White Sox passed the Cubs in victories, however, not any longer.
During the team’s recent struggles, the White Sox lost nine of 12 games. Suddenly, the White Sox were no longer the Chicago team with the most victories. Through Monday, June 26, the Sox were 34-46 and the Cubs were 37-39. In Major League Baseball, the season is divided by the all-star game. The all-star game takes place well beyond the 81 games that would be the true dividing line of a 162-game season.
Using the 2022 White Sox as the prime example, we can point out what a true .500 team looks like. The 2022 White Sox, managed by Tony LaRussa and Miguel Cairo at the finish, closed with an 81-81 record. The White Sox were 46-46 at the all-star game. It does not take a math major to tell you the second half of the season the White Sox were 35-35.
Continuing to display mediocrity at it finest, the Sox ranked eighth of 15 among American League teams in attendance. The White Sox pulled in just over two million in attendance at Guaranteed Rate Field.
In the months of April, June, and August, the White Sox had losing records. In May, July, and September the White Sox were on the good side of a .500 record
Back to this year, the White Sox are on the road this week to play at the Los Angeles Angels for four games the early part of the week and then. the Sox will be in Oakland for a three-game series with the Athletics. The games with Oakland bring up an interesting question. How many more games will the White Sox play in Oakland in the future?
For now, the Sox need to concentrate on winning games. In the series opener Monday, June 26, the Angels scored one run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a Sox wild pitch by Aaron bummer to win, 2-1.
American League Central Division, a modest winning could propel a team to the top of the division. Here were the won-loss records in the Central through Monday, June 26: Minnesota, 40-40; Cleveland, 37-40; Detroit, 34-43; White Sox, 34-45; Kansas City, 22-56. The Sox were 6 games behind Minnesota.