SAN DIEGO — Garrett Crochet and Lenyn Sosa did their best to forestall the inevitable — an impending 120th White Sox loss that would tie the 1962 Mets’ record for futility.
Crochet struck out eight Padres in four scoreless innings Friday, and Sosa, down to his last strike, hit a tying homer on a nine-pitch at-bat in the ninth inning against closer Robert Suarez.
But the Padres walked off the Sox and reliever Justin Anderson in the 10th on Fernando Tatis’ RBI double.
In a 3-2 loss dropping the Sox to 36-118, Crochet was dominant. He touched 100 mph and finished by striking out Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado in order before turning over a scoreless tie to the bullpen.
“Felt like I had all five pitches going and was able to do what I wanted in most counts,” Crochet said.
With his pitch counts monitored since the All-Star break, Crochet’s night was done at 52.
Jackson Merrill’s short fly with two outs that fell for a two-run double in front of center fielder Luis Robert Jr. — who was playing deep and didn’t get a great jump — and diving right fielder Dominic Fletcher in the sixth gave the Padres (88-66) a 2-0 lead against Gus Varland in front of their 54th sellout crowd.
Sosa’s homer followed a two-out walk by Gavin Sheets.
“When he was stepping up to the plate, I said if there is one guy who likes to hit the heater, it’s him here,” Crochet said of Sosa. “And fouled off like six or seven. I couldn’t believe they didn’t throw a changeup. He put a good swing on it, and it was really cool.”
“As soon as I hit it, I knew that ball was gone,” Sosa said through translator Billy Russo. “Just the excitement of running the bases in that moment was very nice.”
The Sox have to finish 7-1 to elude Casey Stengel’s expansion Mets. They are one loss from tying the 2013 Tigers’ American League record for losses.
Crochet, who is slated to make his last start against the Angels at home Thursday in his first season as a starter, surpassed 200 strikeouts.
Chris Sale was the last Sox left-hander to notch 200 strikeouts, doing it from 2013 to 2016. Gary Peters (1964, ’67) and Wilbur Wood (1971) also reached 200.
“He looked as good as I’ve seen him look,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “He was really efficient. They looked like they weren’t getting good swings on him at all. The ball was coming out, it was electric. He was moving it both sides of the plate. Had good command. Another great outing from him, as good as he’s looked all year.”
Although listed as probable Thursday against the Angels, Sizemore didn’t say definitively that Crochet would start again, but it seemed more than likely.
“We’ll be mindful of just what today looks like,” Sizemore said.
Moncada wants to play
Third baseman Yoan Moncada wasn’t in the lineup a fourth consecutive game since finishing his rehab assignment, and he’s not sure when he’ll start in the last eight games.
“I don’t know what the plan is,” Moncada said. “They don’t talk to me. I don’t know anything, really.”
Asked if he’s unhappy about not playing, Moncada said, “Yeah, I’m here. I know it’s hard. It is what it is.”
“It’s not easy,” Sizemore said. “And it’s not an indication of him as a player or anything like that. It’s just where we are at as an organization, what the priorities are.”
Moncada entered as a pinch runner in extra innings of a 4-3 loss at the Angels on Wednesday, then struck out in his only at-bat. On Friday, Sizemore reiterated the team’s priority to play Bryan Ramos and Miguel Vargas, knowing Moncada likely won’t be with the Sox next season.
“He’s taking it well,” Sizemore said. “I should probably still be talking to him more about what the plan is. But at the same time, we have to see what these guys have. We have limited games left to really evaluate them.”
Grady Sizemore on Moncada not playing. Basically what he said 2 days ago. pic.twitter.com/Upr2ISMkoX
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) September 20, 2024
This and that
Catcher Korey Lee was hitless in his last 20 at-bats after striking out against Padres righty Joe Musgrove in the third and was 4-for-50 with one RBI over his last 17 games, and Chuckie Robinson had no extra-base hits or RBI in his 19 starts at catcher.
*Former Sox righty Dylan Cease met the team when it arrived in San Diego on Wednesday night and had dinner with Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz.