The White Sox are one defeat away from 100 losses.
Labor Day isn’t for another week.
By dropping a 13-4 decision Saturday to the Tigers, the Sox sank further into the abyss. Their record fell to 31-99 and a franchise-worst 68 games under .500. The Sox’ next loss will give them 100 in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, and it will mark their third dip into triple-digits over the last six non-shortened campaigns.
They will almost certainly break the team record for losses set in 1970 (106). And it’s becoming more likely they will eclipse a longtime baseball punchline.
To avoid losing 120 games and matching the 1962 Mets for the most defeats of the expansion 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. The Sox are not most teams, and they enter Sunday with a .238 winning percentage, including a 4-28 second-half mark. They are also on pace to compile the lowest winning percentage in franchise history, below the 1932 group that went 49-102-1 for a .325 winning percentage.
Saturday night’s loss to the Tigers was just another typical event in the Sox’ march to history.
Starter Ky Bush was hoping to build off a strong start against the Astros when he pitched six innings and allowed one run while walking three. Saturday was not quite as good for Bush. In his fourth career start, Bush went only three innings and gave up 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 Saturday.
“Not ideal, really,” Bush said.
Walks were not an issue Saturday for Bush. Command was, and the Tigers took advantage.
“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,” interim Sox 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 Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, who entered as the clear favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. The Tigers gave Skubal a 5-0 lead, but the Sox got Skubal for three runs in the third inning.
Corey Julks was a key part of the Sox’ relative success, getting three hits off the star Detroit lefty.
“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 can not 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, reliever Touki Toussaint walked the first three batters he faced, setting up another Tigers four-run inning.
“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 matching 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.”