*Official* 6/18 All Rodon, No Offense Postgamer

[thomas35forever]

Not taking advantage of those early scoring opportunities came back to bite us.

[HomeFish]

At least the Pirates only allowed Cleveland to score 9 times after having a 11-1 lead.

[Mohoney]

I don’t even care that they lost. The most important takeaway from tonight is that Carlos Rodon just keeps on chooglin’.

[Lipman 1]

You just hope they can get at least a win in the next two days and not get swept.

With Garcia now out, maybe Vaughn...I mean who the hell is left?

To me this is now critical, guys are out of position, bench guys are getting exposed with their limitations. I don't know what Hahn is waiting on, I give a damn what the calendar says he's got to start getting them some help.

Another brilliant wasted pitching performance.

[TDog]

Not taking advantage of those early scoring opportunities came back to bite us.

It looked like the White Sox were set up to score multiple runs in the first with Abreu's one-out first-and-third single putting runners again at first and third. The Grandal strikeout with one out in first looks like it could have been the difference between winning and losing. If you have a contact hitter up in that situation, you can start the runner on 3-2 to stay out of the double play, either forcing a play at the plate (leaving a two-out runner in scoring position if he's thrown out) or scoring the run. The last time I recall La Russa starting a runner from first on 3-2 with Grandal at the plate in a close game, Grandal took strike three and Abreu was thrown out. The No. 5 hitter needs to get that run home and can't be striking out in that situation. If Lamb picks him up, the point is moot, but the after Abreu's single (four hitters into the game following Goodwin's double and Moncada's single) the White Sox went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. They had everything they needed to win today, but guys who should have been the right guys simply didn't execute.

Rodon, unfortunately, pitching with no margin for error, walked the No. 9 hitter with the bases loaded and two outs to tie the game. Essentially, the game turned on two plays, the Grandal strikeout in the first and the Alvarez infield hit with one out in the fifth. After Alvarez reached, it looks like he was a different pitcher. After allowing his first hit, he walked Correa and allowed a single to load the bases with one out. He came back to strike out Straw, the No. 8 hitter, but with two outs walked Maldonado on four pitches, coming back to minimize the damage by striking out Altuve on a 3-2 pitch.

Although he regrouped for the sixth and seventh, getting through the fifth probably cost him an inning tonight. As surprisingly effective as Heuer was in the eighth, Crochet was disappointingly ineffective in the ninth. I didn't look to see if Thursday's loss generated any sort of existential crisis around here, but such losses happen. Maybe the game would have played out entirely differntly without Moncada's first-inning error, but putting the Sox competitively in that game would have been a stretch. The Sox were in good shape to win this game, but didn't execute. This game (not unlike Wednesday's game from the Rays' perspective) was a game that simply wasn't won. Still, it would have been worse if it were against the Indians or any of the Central also-rans.

[thomas35forever]

You just hope they can get at least a win in the next two days and not get swept.

With Garcia now out, maybe Vaughn...I mean who the hell is left?

To me this is now critical, guys are out of position, bench guys are getting exposed with their limitations. I don't know what Hahn is waiting on, I give a damn what the calendar says he's got to start getting them some help.

Another brilliant wasted pitching performance.

Still 3 1/2 up on Cleveland.

[voodoochile]

Sucks but this team isn't even paper thin at the moment. Lead holding steady at

[Dick Allen]

What the hell is going on with Grandal? In the 8th inning, he argued with the ump on a 3rd strike call that was almost right down the middle. The man does not look right, as is reflected in his ridiculous batting average. Maybe he needs to be fitted for glasses a la Ricky Vaughn.

[LITTLE NELL]

All the injuries might be catching up with the team, the pitching staff especially the starters has really been super but the lineup that is out there everyday is not giving the staff the run support they need. Hahn can't let this get out of hand, he needs to bring in at least one good hitter and hopefully two to bolster the lineup.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Yet another game in which the team fails to hit a home run, and they lose.

Obviously it would have taken lots of home runs to win Thursday’s game in a slugfest, but just one well-timed home run on Friday would have resulted in Hendriks pitching the ninth and likely closing out a win.

[Frater Perdurabo]

To be sure, I am NOT suggesting Sox players should swing from their heels.

I am suggesting that the lineup needs left-handed fortification, and the obvious places to do so are outfield and second base.

If we can add a RF, Goodwin and Engel can platoon in CF. That frees up Lamb to platoon with Mercedes at DH, and Mendick and Garcia can platoon at 2B.

If we can add a 2B (like Adam Frazier), Goodwin, Engel, and Garcia can share RF/CF.

[Lipman 1]

Still 3 1/2 up on Cleveland.

You act like 3 1/2 games is 5 1/2 or 8 1/2 or 12 1/2.

It ain't.

Keep in mind a few things:

Cleveland at some point is going to get their injured guys back from what I've read.
You still have that five game season ending week series staring you in the face, a place where the Sox lost eight of 11.
It's getting to the point where TLR can't even put out an adequate lineup because of all the injuries right now.

[Lipman 1]

To be sure, I am NOT suggesting Sox players should swing from their heels.

I am suggesting that the lineup needs left-handed fortification, and the obvious places to do so are outfield and second base.

If we can add a RF, Goodwin and Engel can platoon in CF. That frees up Lamb to platoon with Mercedes at DH, and Mendick and Garcia can platoon at 2B.

If we can add a 2B (like Adam Frazier), Goodwin, Engel, and Garcia can share RF/CF.

IF is the key word....paging Mr. Hahn...hello anybody home?

[Frater Perdurabo]

IF is the key word....paging Mr. Hahn...hello anybody home?

Would you feel better if he was telling the media the specific details of every phone call and text message he’s making and receiving?

[thomas35forever]

You act like 3 1/2 games is 5 1/2 or 8 1/2 or 12 1/2.

It ain't.

I never said it was, but given the leads of the other first-place teams, they're in better shape than most of them at the moment, injuries notwithstanding.