What’s that viral quote referenced in Ted Lasso time and time again? “It’s the hope that kills you?” Unfortunately, White Sox fans know that all too well, although even hope has been hard to come by in recent years. In those recent years, the moment the White Sox fell behind the game was virtually over. There was no fight from the team, and it was nothing but sadness all season.
We’re still only midway through the month of May, but it’s clear that this White Sox team has plenty of fight in them and
won’t go down easily. Unfortunately, it’s the hope for rallies that makes the pending collapses that much harder to watch. It’s only one game in a long season, but all the immaculate vibes leading into this first Crosstown Classic series fell apart in just a few bad innings late in the game, as the White Sox fell to the Cubs, 10-5. It’s certainly not the end of the world, but boy does it feel like it when you lose to a team as universally hated as pineapple on pizza.
The story coming into this game was what we’d see out of Sean Burke and Edward Cabrera. Both have struggled as of late, but have been solid enough this season. White Sox starter Burke blinked first when after getting two quick outs in the first inning he gave up a single, threw a wild pitch that allowed Alex Bregman to advance, and then gave up an RBI single to Ian Happ.
Luckily, Burke got out of the inning without any more damage and it was Cabrera’s turn to take the mound. The Cubs starter held serve in the first inning but faltered as well to start the second, when a hanging changeup was taken out by Colson Montgomery to tie the game up at one apiece.
Both pitchers battled fairly well for the next inning or two until the Cubs brought back their dark magic, sorcery that has allowed a team that has barely scored more runs than the Minnesota Twins to somehow find themselves atop the NL Central.
The Cubbies put together three singles, two coming on decent pitches outside of the strike zone, to take the lead. Fortunately, with runners on the corners Pete Crow-Armstrong decided to lay down a bunt that would’ve been poor from a Little Leaguer. Moisés Ballesteros accepted his fate awaiting for him at home and Burke got out of the inning:
The close game wouldn’t remain close much longer, as Burke just didn’t have it. With the vibes getting too fast and too furious, he looked more like a willing batting practice pitcher in a fifth inning that saw the deficit ballon to three runs.
Luckily, Cabrera pulled his best little brother act after watching Burke struggle and said, “anything you can do, I can do better” by promptly walking three batters and allowing a double to Drew Romo that resulted in the White Sox cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Craig Counsell brought back flashes of his management from his Brewers days and made the wrong decision by selecting Ryan Rolison to try to stem the damage. While he got out of the fifth, he unraveled quickly and the game was tied by a Miguel Vargas homer in the sixth. After that, the Good Guys had multiple chances in scoring position and the fans were getting behind the team, but the hope would fade away quickly.
Bryan Hudson stepped up to the mound with the White Sox looking like they had of all the momentum. Unfortunately that age-old quote came back again. Hudson looked lost for the first time all season, allowing two huge runs to cross the plate, and the Cubs never looked back. They would tack on even more runs in the eighth against the tackling dummy that is Jordan Hicks and the scoreline flattered the visitors in a game that got out of hand in a hurry. There weren’t enough innings left for the White Sox to come back, as they fell 10-5 to the hated northern neighbors.
The hope may be what kills you, but with two games left in the series and the White Sox still at .500, hope is still very much alive.
