The lack of a true power bat continues to hinder the White Sox. With two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 8-0 loss to the Athletics, they again came up empty when pinch-hitter Joshua Palacios popped up to A’s second baseman Max Muncy to end the inning.
The offense is listless at the moment, with no .300 hitters and just 12 home runs so far this season — part of a five-way tie for 29th in the majors entering Thursday.
While the offense failed to come up with much of anything, starting pitcher Davis Martin tried to do his part, allowing four runs and eight hits over his 5„ innings, He allowed two homers, a solo blast by Lawrence Butler in the fifth and a two-run shot by JJ Bleday in the sixth, but overall, he was pleased with his execution.
“It is what it is,” said Martin, who walked one and struck out three. “Some days, it’s a pop-up. Some days it’s a home run. You just live with the fact that you executed the pitch the way you wanted to and move on.”
The Sox left nine men on base and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
“We’ve got to find a way to score runs,” manager Will Venable said. “The intent is there. These guys are practicing the right way, game-planning the right way. We’re getting some guys on. We just have to cash in.”
One or the other
Juggling three catchers at the major-league level can get complicated, but the Sox don’t have to worry about it at the moment. Korey Lee is still recovering from a sprained left ankle, although he seems to be moving well and improving.
For the time being, Venable will toggle between new call-up Edgar Quero and veteran Matt Thaiss.
“I think it’s open, but with the catching position, no one is going to catch every day,” Venable said. “You do have to be thoughtful about how you’re going to mix and match and what that means for the battery that day, and what that means for the matchup at the plate. You factor all those things in and make an informed decision, but we’re not going to lock into any broader roles.”
Roster moves
The Sox reinstated left fielder Andrew Benintendi from the 10-day injured list, where he had been since April 9 (retroactive to April 7), missing eight games with a strained left adductor. He pinch-hit in the seventh, replacing Jacob Amaya.
Because the A’s started left-hander JP Sears (2-2) and had one available lefty in the bullpen, Venable thought it would be best to use Benintendi — a left-handed batter — off the bench.
“He’ll be in there [Friday], starting,” Venable said.
† Catcher Omar Narvaez was designated for assignment. He appeared in four games with the Sox, batting .286/.400/.286. Outfielder Greg Jones was optioned to Triple-A.