Win streak ends at a mighty two games
Today was lots of fun while it lasted, but unfortunately it only lasted six batters.
The White Sox did what you have to do against good pitchers and got to Hunter Brown big time in the first inning: Chase Meidroth led off with a solid single. Miguel Vargas crushed a 108.4 mph liner for another single. Andrew Benintendi got a break on what would have been a called strike three but the catcher jumped up as if to make a throw and blocked the umpire’s vision, Benny used his extra chance and lined and RBI single to left. Two outs later Andrew Vaughn blooped a single to drive in a couple and, oh, boy, oh, boy, Sox up 3-0!!!
Apparently Brown didn’t care for that sort of insolence, and went another five innings without giving up a hit while striking out nine.
Meanwhile, Davis Martin put a lot of Astros on base in the first three innings but got out of jams thanks to double plays, the only damage being No. 9 hitter Jake Meyers’ first homer of the year, a solo shot. The good fortune didn’t last, though, as Martin gave up two singles in the fourth, followed by Meyers’ first triple of the year, to tie the game at three.
Martin threw 88 pitches to get through five innings, and after that the pen showed why the experts have called it … awful. Fraser Ellard struck out two, but walked two, which brought in Penn Murfee to give up a three-run homer to (see if you can guess) Meyers, who now had six RBIs on the day to match his total for the season.
What the heck, the guy deserves some video.
The Astros stretched their lead to 8-3 in the eighth against Jared Shuster, the second of those runs driven in by a double by (go ahead, try another guess) — yes, you got it right, Meyers again! So the center fielder had a double, a triple, two homers, and seven RBIs on the day.
Oh yes, the White Sox offense: With one out in the ninth, Vaughn and Matt Thaiss had singles for the first hits since the first, followed by a Lenyn Sosa popup and Brooks Baldwin strikeout, making it 13 on the day — for the team, not just him (there was a very wide strike zone, but if anything the Astros came out slightly worse on the calls).
Credit Luis Robert Jr. with four of those K’s, ending his seven-game hit streak in dramatic fashion and showing that those of us who were urging “trade him today, trade him today” after his last two great games to give the poor guy a break may have had a point.
The 9-24 Sox and 17-15 Astros finish off the series tomorrow afternoon, with Lance McCullers Jr. coming off the IL for his first start since 2022 going for the Astros vs. Bryse Wilson starting off yet another bullpen game for the White Sox.
Futility Watch
White Sox 2025 Record 9-24, tied for third-worst start in White Sox history and tied for 37th-worst start in baseball history. A 9-24 record projects to 44-118 over a full season.
All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2025, 19,239 games) 9,603-9,636 (.4991). It’s been 78 games since the White Sox had an all-time winning record.
- Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2024 White Sox, 41-121)
- Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120-1, finished three percentage points worse than the 2024 White Sox)
- Race to the Most White Sox Losses (2024, 121)
- Race to the Worst White Sox Record (2024, 41-121)
3 games better, in all cases
Race to the Worst Post-1899 Record (1916 A’s, 38-124 adjusted to 162 games) 6 games better