With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning Sunday, White Sox catcher Martin Maldonado stepped to the plate.
Maldonado, who is better known for his defense, had a chance to give the Sox the lead after the Red Sox had tied the score in the top of the inning. But he flied to left field, and the inning was over.
The Sox came away empty and eventually lost to the Red Sox 6-4 in 10 innings.
Manager Pedro Grifol said he knows he will continue to get questions whenever Maldonado starts. Maldonado, who has been a below-average hitter for his entire career, went 0-for-4 to drop his batting average to .071 and his OPS to .235.
Korey Lee is a better hitting option for the Sox at catcher, but Grifol didn’t want to pinch-hit for Maldonado because of his value behind the plate.
‘‘Maldonado does a really good job behind the plate,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘Still in the sixth inning, I didn’t feel I needed to pinch-hit right there. He’s really valuable behind the plate, but I understand. He’s not swinging it. It’s a hot topic every time he catches. It’s going to continue to be a hot topic, and I’m going to continue to make decisions that I feel are best for the team, not just offensively.’’
What cost the Sox again Sunday was an inability to produce the big hit. They were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and outside of the fourth inning — when they got a three-run home run from shortstop Paul DeJong after back-to-back errors — the bats were silent. DeJong leads the Sox with 12 homers.
In the seventh, the Sox twice had runners on first and third and produced only one run. That enabled the Red Sox to stay in the game despite their three errors and lackluster play, and they tied the score on a sacrifice fly in the ninth before pushing across two runs in the 10th with the help of reliever Michael Soroka dropping a ball at first base.
‘‘Overall, we gave ourselves a chance to win,’’ DeJong said. ‘‘Scoring late is another thing we have to key in on and not let off the gas pedal, but [it’s] easier said than done. It’s more of a mindset.’’
The Sox’ .211 batting average with runners in scoring position is the second-worst in baseball. They’re also last or second-to-last in on-base percentage and OPS.
After snapping their franchise-record 14-game losing streak with a victory Friday and following that with another Saturday, the Sox had to settle for a split of the four-game series. Outside of a dismal performance Thursday, however, they competed.
‘‘It’s definitely a bummer,’’ said right-hander Chris Flexen, who allowed two runs and two hits, struck out three and walked two in five innings. ‘‘We split, and we had a good chance to take one there and continue to fight.
‘‘Guys are still swinging the bat very well here, putting up runs. We threw the ball well, just let a couple of them get away.’’
Next up for the Sox is a seven-game road trip against the Mariners and Diamondbacks. With some formidable tests approaching, they have to take their compete level from this weekend and apply it going forward.
‘‘I’m going to rest and recover and prepare for a four-game set against Seattle,’’ DeJong said. ‘‘Another four-game series. We’re going to see them a lot, so we’ve got to take advantage of them.’’