The White Sox are one loss away from 100. Labor Day isn’t for another week.
After falling 13-4 to the Tigers on Saturday, the Sox sank further into the abyss. Their record dropped to 31-99, a franchise-worst 68 games below .500. The Sox’ next loss will give them at least 100 in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history, and it will be their third dip into triple digits in the last six non-abbreviated seasons.
They’re almost certain to break the team record for losses (106) set in 1970. And it’s becoming more likely they’ll eclipse a longtime baseball punch line.
To avoid losing 120 games and matching the 1962 Mets for the most defeats in the modern era, the Sox must finish 12-20. Twelve wins from their last 32 games would mean a .375 winning percentage.
For most teams, that would be an insultingly easy ask. But with a .238 winning percentage, including a 4-28 second-half mark, the Sox are not most teams. They’re also on pace for the lowest winning percentage in franchise history, below the 1932 team that went 49-102-1 for a .325 winning percentage.
The latest loss to the Tigers was just another typical affair in their march to infamy.
Starter Ky Bush was hoping to build off a strong start against the Astros in which he allowed one run and walked three in six innings. But in his fourth career start, Bush went only three innings and allowed five runs and eight hits, including Matt Vierling’s home run that kick-started a four-run third.
Bush was not a fan of his work against Detroit.
“Not ideal, really,” he said.
Walks were not an issue for Bush. The Tigers, however, took advantage of his lack of command.
“When you don’t have good command, and you’re not getting ahead, you’ve got to come in there with strikes, and they’re ready for it,” Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “When you get behind, it makes it tough. They just put good swings on him.”
Not too many hitters have done that against left-hander Tarik Skubal, who entered as the clear favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. The Tigers gave him a 5-0 lead, but the Sox nicked Skubal for three runs in the third inning.
Corey Julks was a key part of the Sox’ relative success, getting three hits off Skubal.
“Human nature, you start amping yourself up when you face someone like that,” Julks said. “Just try to calm it down and slow everything down, so I don’t try to do too much, and take my hits when he gives it to me.”
Any momentum the Sox had after the third was fleeting. In the fourth inning, reliever Touki Toussaint walked the first three batters, setting up another four-run inning for the Tigers.
“It’s frustrating,” Sizemore said. “That’s the game. I thought the guys did a good job of putting good at-bats together all night. I thought [the third] was a good inning for us, kind of getting back into the game.
“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t hold them down.”
Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry added two-run homers in the ninth off John Brebbia. A few minutes later, the Sox were one loss closer to another unwanted milestone.
“I don’t think we try to focus on that; we just go day by day,” Julks said. “As we’ve been playing, I think everything is starting to come along a little more, but you’ve got to show up ready to play each day and play hard.”