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Two months into season, White Sox still clanging instead of clicking

Pedro Grifol still insists the White Sox are preparing the right way and putting in the necessary work to become a team that rises above mediocrity.

The first-year manager is convinced the talent is there, and he saw it all on display Tuesday night in the Sox's 7-3 win over the Angels.

"It certainly was," Grifol said. "The bullpen was excellent, the baserunning was really good, we hit with runners in scoring position. I just don't think we've clicked as a team yet. I don't think we've come close to clicking as a team. If we can do this thing like we did last night for a long period of time, we'll be in pretty good shape.

"We haven't clicked yet as a team and why that is, I'm not sure. But we're working every single day to figure it out and when we do, hopefully we'll get on a nice little stretch."

As general manager Rick Hahn said of the White Sox on Monday: "We still believe in this group. We've seen spurts of it. Not enough of it."

With the calendar flipping to June, the Sox continue to wait on a ship that may never set sail.

Wednesday afternoon's 12-5 loss to Los Angeles at Guaranteed Rate Field only reinforced that feeling.

"Wasn't a good day of baseball for us," Grifol said.

The lopsided loss to the Angels wasn't much of a mystery. In another subpar start, Lance Lynn was shelled for 8 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 4 innings.

Lynn gave up a pair of 2-run homers to Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout also hit a 2-run shot off the White Sox's scuffling right-hander.

"You give up 6 runs on three swings," Lynn said after his season ERA swelled to 6.55. "That just can't happen, especially the two guys that did it. Those are guys you can't let beat you. Today I let them put it to where the (Sox's) offense, it was too big of a hole for them.

"I've got to be better. I've got to be more efficient. I've got to make better pitches and get some outs there."

It's been a rough two months for Lynn, but the 36-year-old righty is not totally devastated. Coming into Wednesday, he was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA over his last three starts.

"You're going to have bad ones, you've just got to make sure they're not as bad as they were today," Lynn said. "I've had multiple good ones before this, so today is one of those days you figure out what you did wrong and you get back to doing what you were doing right before."

As for the White Sox getting right, Lynn is as puzzled as his manager.

"You're looking at it's going to be June," Lynn said. "Baseball isn't, you don't win games just because of talent, so we've got to figure out how to be better day in and day out. I know it starts with pitching and right now after this series, we have to right the ship as starters. We didn't do our job this series."

Trailing 12-3 in the ninth inning, the Sox took out some frustration with 3 runs off L.A. reliever Tucker Davidson.

Jake Burger, who entered the game in the eighth inning and made his season debut at second base, hit a solo home run and Hanser Alberto followed with a 2-run double.

Too little, too late. The White Sox can only hope the remainder of the season doesn't follow suit.

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