White Sox squander strong start in loss to Cards, injuries to Kopech, Eaton loom

Even for a good team like the White Sox, losses are going to happen over the long season.

It's baseball, as the saying goes, and even the best teams are going to fall 60 or 70 times.

The first-place Sox lost to the Cardinals 4-0 Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, wasting another strong start from Carlos Rodon while going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

It happens, and the White Sox will survive.

The more pressing question is, did the Sox lose two key players to injury?

On his final pitch against St. Louis, reliever Michael Kopech landing awkwardly on his front (left) leg and hit the ground before getting up and limping off the field.

Manager Tony La Russa wasn't sure about the seriousness off the injury immediately after the game, but the White Sox later announced the standout right-hander is day-to-day with a sore left hamstring.

"I don't know if there's a guy on this roster if he gets hurt, it's not important and we don't feel it, feel for him," La Russa said. "We've had our share. But in this particular case, (Kopech's) been on top of it, so we'll keep our fingers crossed it's something that's not serious, severe."

Already dealing with long-term injuries to outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert, the Sox also lost right fielder Adam Eaton in the loss to the Cardinals.

Eaton exited after the fifth inning with right hamstring tightness.

"It got sore on him so we had to remove him from the game," La Russa said. "I think we just have to see how he is tomorrow."

Rodon was brilliant over 6 innings, striking out 10 and allowing just 1 hit. That was a Tommy Edman home run in the fourth, his first of two in the game.

"It was good, a good outing," Rodon said. "I would have liked to have gone a little deeper, but pitch count (94), tough to, we've got a little tough stretch here. One pitch I want back, obviously the changeup to Tommy, but he was swinging it good today. Can't do much about it."

The White Sox's offense couldn't do much of anything against St. Louis starter John Gant and three relief pitchers.

The Sox outhit the Cardinals 6-5 and they drew 5 walks, but they failed to come through in the clutch. Yermin Mercedes was 0-for-4 with RISP.

"We got in some good positions to score a good amount of runs, but we just couldn't get that one big hit," said second baseman Nick Madrigal, who was 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot. "Give credit to (Gant). He kept us off balance. He was pitching a good game. We had opportunities, we just didn't capitalize."