The White Sox watched an 8-2 lead disappear in a crushing 11-8 loss to the Tigers, with a bullpen collapse and an injury to Tristan Peters making matters even worse.
307-2. That was the Chicago White Sox's record this century when leading by six or more runs in a home game. It's now 307-3 after a loss on Friday night that might be one of the worst we've seen this season.
The White Sox put up six runs in the first inning, thanks in part to a costly error by the Tigers, which was followed by a bases-clearing double from shortstop Colson Montgomery. And when Miguel Vargas launched his 32nd home run of the season in the bottom of the third, the White Sox looked to be in good shape with David Sandlin on the mound and an 8-2 lead.
The Tigers scored three runs in the fifth, making it an 8-5 game and chasing Sandlin from the ballgame. Hagen Smith came in and did his job, but the White Sox bullpen wouldn't hold.
Chris Murphy gave up one run, and for the second time in two outings, Sean Newcomb imploded, giving up three earned runs in the eighth inning. It ultimately led to the bullpen's complete unraveling in an 11-8 loss.
White Sox Offense Goes Silent
The offense is not without blame, either. After Vargas's third-inning home run, the White Sox had just two baserunners the rest of the game: a walk by Chase Meidroth in the fourth and a bloop single to left field by Montgomery in the fifth.
In the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, the White Sox went down in order. It's a lineup that got complacent, then found itself overmatched in the biggest innings of the night.
You can't say definitively that this loss will be the straw that broke the camel's back. It doesn't end the White Sox season from a logistical standpoint at all. With eight games remaining, there's still a chance at the AL Central, a wild card berth, and a lot can still happen the rest of the way. But it's losses like these that leave White Sox fans so frustrated.
It's losses like these that have prevented the White Sox from putting this division on ice long ago. We just saw two winnable games go by the wayside in the biggest series of the year against the Cleveland Guardians.
When you lead 8-2, especially at home, you can't lose that game. There's no other way to say it.
Tristan Peters Injured in Loss
To make matters worse, there's some injury fallout from Friday night's loss that could hurt the White Sox moving forward.
On the bases-clearing triple from Kevin McGonigle that made it an 8-5 game, White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters had a nasty collision with the right field wall. He initially walked it off but later exited the game with what the team designated as a shoulder/rib contusion.
He is day-to-day for the moment.
Peters has played in nearly every game for the White Sox this season, making 149 appearances, and he's been one of their most consistent hitters, posting a .795 OPS. Even when he went through a slump to start the second half, he found a way to come out of it better on the other side. Peters also brings solid defense to the outfield, which comes in handy for obvious reasons during high-leverage baseball games.
Not only did the White Sox lose a game that should have been chalked up as a win, but they may have lost one of their best players in the process.
White Sox fans could be feeling the effects of Friday night for a while.
