White Sox shut out yet again, drop 4th straight as miserable April continues
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — You may have heard this already this season. Eight times now, to be exact.
The Chicago White Sox were shutout.
Continuing the worst start in franchise history, the White Sox added another shutout loss to their miserable April on Monday night, falling 7-0 to the Minnesota Twins, their fourth straight defeat overall.
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All four of those loss have come at the start of a seven-game road trip. Chicago dropped to a major league-worst 3-19 on the season, with three more games at Minnesota before returning home this weekend to host the Tampa Bay Rays.
If you’re a White Sox fan, you may want to avert your eyes from these figures: They’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games, they’ve been shutout once in every series so far, they’ve been blanked three times in their last seven games, they’ve scored two runs or fewer 15 times in 22 games and they’re last in the majors in batting average (.190), on-base percentage (.263), slugging percentage (.265) and OPS (.548).
Chicago has scored only 45 runs this season, 20 less than the second-to-last Oakland A’s and an average of just over two per game.
Perhaps the frustration boiled over Monday night, as Gavin Sheets and manager Pedro Grifol were ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning.
Nicky Lopez and Danny Mendick were the positives with two hits each.
But in a perfect sign of how things are going for their offense, the White Sox failed to score a run in the top of the fourth inning after three straight one-out singles. Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff snared a 104.7-mph liner from Andrew Vaughn, then Paul DeJong struck out on three pitches to end the threat.
“You like to stay optimistic and be like, ‘Hey, it’s going to eventually happen,’ but sometimes it just doesn’t. Just got to keep attacking,” Lopez said.
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Cannon struggles
Making his second career start, Chicago’s Jonathan Cannon (0-1) allowed nine hits and six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He held the Kansas City Royals to one run on three hits over five innings on April 17.
“Just some poor execution, left too many pitches over the plate” Cannon said.
Minnesota (8-13) matched a season-high with 11 hits and tied its second-most runs in a game this season.
“I think it’s something good we can use to build off. Just a ton of positives to point to, all around,” said manager Rocco Baldelli.
Max Kepler had two hits and three RBI in his return from the injured list for the Twins, Edouard Julien homered among his three hits and Chris Paddack struck out 10 in seven innings to win as a starter for the first time in nearly two years.
Paddack (1-1) scattered just six hits and walked none for his first win as a starter since May 2, 2022. The right-hander underwent his second Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter and did not return until late last season, getting a win in relief Sept. 30.
Paddack was lit up for nine runs on 12 hits — both career highs — in 5 1/3 innings last Tuesday in Baltimore.
“(Monday) night, from top to bottom, it was a great win,” he said. “For me personally, everybody knows nine earned and (12) hits against a hungry lineup in Baltimore wasn’t very fun.
“To be able to bounce back and look myself in the mirror knowing nothing is wrong, I don’t need to change who I am or what I did, tonight kind of speaks for itself.”
Activated off the injured list, Kepler, who missed the past 13 games with a right knee contusion and had just one hit in his first 20 at-bats this season, lined the first pitch he saw to right-centerfield for a two-run double in the first.
“He looked good from the moment he walked in the clubhouse. He looked like he was just ready to play baseball,” Baldelli said.
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Kepler added an RBI single in the third to score Trevor Larnach, who laced an RBI double to the wall. Kepler scored on a double by Willi Castro to make it 5-0.
Minnesota entered the night hitting an MLB-worst .135 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-16 the past two games. The Twins finished 2-for-6 on Monday.
“We attacked their pitchers, and anything that we were thrown in the zone, we were aggressive,” Julien said.
Trainer’s room
White Sox: Mendick, who has homered in five straight games for Triple-A Charlotte, was recalled, and right-hander John Brebbia was activated off the 15-day injured list. Infielder Lenyn Sosa and right-hander Nick Nastrini were optioned to Charlotte. Infielder Zach Remillard was designated for assignment.
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Up next
Tuesday’s second game of the four-game set has Chicago RHP Erick Fedde (1-0, 3.10) and Minnesota RHP Pablo López (1-2, 3.97) as the scheduled starters.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. at Target Field.
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