White Sox can't dig out of early hole, fall to Guardians 8-4
On Monday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported White Sox vice president Kenny Williams met with players and staff last Friday.
The reason?
"Their underachieving performance this season, reminding them of their talent, but that it was time to focus and pull together. No one was absolved, from staff to players, for the team's woes," Nightengale tweeted.
Reached by the Daily Herald Monday night for any additional comments, Williams replied: "Private discussion."
During his 12 seasons (2001-12) as the Sox's general manager, Williams would often lose his temper, scream and yell and turn over clubhouse tables when expectations were not being met.
Admittedly more mellow at age 58, Williams had multiple reasons to speak up to a team that was expected to cruise to a third-straight playoff appearance this year.
The White Sox did beat the Tigers Saturday and Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field, seemingly gaining some momentum heading into an important eight-game, seven-day road trip to Cleveland and Minnesota to close out the first half of the season.
Playing the first of four against the Guardians in Cleveland Monday night, starting pitcher Lance Lynn put the Sox in an early hole.
The White Sox tried to dig out, but they lost to the Guardians 8-4.
With two outs in the first inning, Cleveland scored 5 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks.
"We give you 5 runs with two outs, that hurts," Lynn told reporters after the Sox dropped to 41-44. "I've got to do better early on, I've got to do better all the way around. There's no other way to put it, to be honest. Make better pitches, get myself in better counts and when I do get in those counts, put people away."
Still trying to regain his old form after having knee surgery in early April and missing the first two months of the season, Lynn gave up 8 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings.
"If you give up 8 runs, you're horse(bleep)," Lynn (1-2) said after his ERA climbed to 6.97.
Yoan Moncada's 3-run homer in the third inning and AJ Pollock's RBI single in the fourth made it a 5-4 game, but the Guardians scored 3 runs in the fifth inning and beat the White Sox for the fifth time in six games this year.