White Sox looking for positives as losing streak hits 8
Throw another loss on the pile.
For the White Sox, it's their eighth straight. That's the longest slide since midway through the 2018 season and this time it was an uninspired 6-0 setback to the Royals Tuesday night.
A lack of hitting and poor defense have stung the Sox throughout the losing streak and both were in play again against Kansas City.
Add in an erratic night on the mound from starter Dallas Keuchel and relievers Reynaldo Lopez, Kyle Crick, Matt Foster and Anderson Severino, who combined to issue 11 walks, and the steady boos from the scattered crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field are not a surprise.
"The heart and the guts are intact, that's why it's not fun," manager Tony La Russa said. "The fans aren't happy, but neither is the club. Everything else about the way we're going about it, the caring, let me tell you something, if you had to get after guys to get started or they were walking around smiling, then you've got the wrong people.
"We've got the right people. The sooner the better, though, because we're not having any fun."
The White Sox have been playing like they did during the rebuild four years ago, but general manager Rick Hahn isn't getting overly concerned just 16 games into the season.
"Can the fact of the matter be is it one bad week out of a very long season?" Hahn said. "We still very much believe in this team's talent, we believe in this team's upside and are confident over time that talent will prevail and take us to the level that we aspire to be at, that we intended to be at the start of this season.
"There's no voiding the frustration and disappointment, but one of the beautiful things about this sport is the length of the season really forces the cream to rise to the top over the course of the six-month season and there's still an ample opportunity to prove we're capable of being that again this season."
While acknowledging the 99-day lockout and shortened spring training has resulted in a rash of injuries throughout the game, Hahn admitted "it's been bumpier for us than anyone would have possibly wanted."
Lance Lynn and Yoan Moncada have yet to suit up this season, Eloy Jimenez could be out for two months, Lucas Giolito just came back off the IL and Luis Robert hasn't played since last Thursday due to a groin issue.
The White Sox overcame numerous health setbacks last season and won the AL Central going. Can they do it again this year?
"I think part of the experience of last year is that this team should know that we faced perhaps even greater injury issues yet we still were able to win 93 games and win the division," Hahn said. "We never quite had a week like the one we just experienced last year but at the same time, the memory and the resourcefulness should be there for these guys, to understand what they're capable of doing and pull themselves out of this."