White Sox, not Cardinals, look rusty while dropping both ends of doubleheader
Maybe it was a matter of underestimating an opponent that hadn't played a baseball game in 17 days.
Facing a Cardinals team that last took the field on July 29 at Guaranteed Rate Field Saturday in a doubleheader, the White Sox looked like the ones that were suffering from some serious rust.
St. Louis, which has been decimated by the coronavirus and is missing key players like Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong, got to Chicago in 41 rental cars Friday and got down to business while sweeping the Sox in a pair of 7-inning games.
In the opener, the Cardinals jumped on White Sox ace Lucas Giolito early, scoring 4 runs in the first inning and going on to a 5-1 win.
St. Louis rallied in Game 2, erasing a 3-1 deficit with 4 runs in the fifth inning en route to a 6-3 victory.
"They had really quality pitching today," said Eloy Jimenez, who gave the Sox a 3-1 lead in Game 2 with a 2-run homer in the fourth inning. "They put the ball in the spot where they wanted it. We tried to do too much in fighting that, and it was a bad day today.
"It's a little bit frustrating to come today and have this day. But bad days (happen) for good teams."
With inconsistency leaking into every area - especially the offense - the White Sox have been a bad team at home. Saturday's dual losses dropped them to 2-8 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox were held to 6 total hits on the day - 3 in each game.
"We were in the game the whole way but again, weren't able to do a whole lot," manager Rick Renteria said. "Guys on base, a couple hits but not enough offense. In talking to my coaches, as bad as it's been we still seem to be hanging in there but it's not where we should be.
"Once talent finds a way to produce and execute and be consistent, the top will ultimately shine. We're still trying to get through a whole lot of things that are going on and we have to keep grinding. I'm not a panicker, we have to stay positive, we have to get better."
In Game 1, Giolito threw 34 pitches in the first inning as the Sox fell into an early hole.
"Those four runs in the first, that was something that I think really put our whole team at ease a little bit, like, 'Welcome back,'" said St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, who held the Sox to 1 run on 2 hits over 5 innings in his first outing since July 25. "You can think about it all you want to and prepare for it, but when you haven't played in weeks you're never really sure about what's going to happen on the field once guys get on there. Our guys did such a good job of making good swings against a very, very tough pitcher."
Giolito regrouped and wound up pitching 5 innings, but the White Sox's offense couldn't counter the Cardinals' big opening strike.
"I don't know if I was trying too hard in the first inning, trying to create, or if the energy level wasn't where it needed to be," Giolito said. "I'm going to have to take a look. It got better after the first inning but it has to be better in the first. I can't put us in a hole there."