The wind was a factor in the White Sox’ weekend series at Wrigley Field, but only the Cubs handled the conditions and made the routine plays needed to win.
The Sox’ 6-2 loss Sunday was another game they let get away because of defensive miscues, continuing a trend that spanned the weekend.
In a 13-3 loss Friday, catcher Matt Thaiss dropped a throw from shortstop Chase Meidroth that allowed the tying run to score in a six-run second inning that flipped the game in the Cubs’ favor.
In a 7-3 loss Saturday, the Sox trailed by two runs with two outs in the fifth and had two chances to escape the inning. But second baseman Lenyn Sosa committed a throwing error, and right fielder Joshua Palacios misplayed Vidal Brujan’s high fly that fell for a run-scoring ground-rule double.
The Sox’ defensive woes continued Sunday behind starter Jonathan Cannon.
After Cannon started the game by allowing a triple to Pete Crow-Armstrong, he got Kyle Tucker to ground out and Seiya Suzuki to hit a sacrifice fly. Michael Busch then singled before Carson Kelly flied out, the start of 13 consecutive batters Cannon retired before the Sox’ defense let him down in the sixth.
With the score tied at 1, Cannon allowed a leadoff single to Brujan and a double to Crow-Armstrong. After right fielder Michael A. Taylor threw to second to try to nab Crow-Armstrong, Brujan broke for home and beat Meidroth’s throw. The call was upheld after a challenge by manager Will Venable.
Tucker then reached second after left fielder Brooks Baldwin misplayed his fly ball for an error. That was it for Cannon, who was replaced by Steven Wilson.
But the damage continued. Crow-Armstrong scored on a sacrifice fly by Suzuki, and Tucker scored on a single by Michael Busch to make it 4-1. Wilson recovered to strike out Kelly and got Dansby Swanson to pop out to end the inning.
The Sox (14-33) were swept for the fifth time, but at least Cannon continued his string of consistent performances, allowing four runs (three earned) and four hits with three strikeouts and no walks in five innings.
To be his best self, Cannon had to let go of seeking perfection on each pitch. He has shifted to being more competitive in the zone early in at-bats.
‘‘The best hitters and lineups . . . one of the things that makes them tough is you think you have to be perfect from the start,’’ Cannon told the Sun-Times on Saturday. ‘‘Once you get ahead, you earn the right to try and go for the strikeout and get some chase. But early, you’ve just got to attack with your best stuff over the plate. It’s tough to be successful in this league out of the zone.’’
Cannon walked three or more batters in four of his first six starts because he was throwing noncompetitive pitches outside the zone. But he hasn’t walked anyone in his last four starts, spanning 23 innings.
‘‘Going out there and facing lineups like that in this atmosphere in the whole series and the whole hype surrounding it is very good for all of us,’’ Cannon said afterward.
As the Sox continue their rebuild, they have to identify players worth keeping and investing in. Cannon is making a case to be one of them.