Luis Robert Jr. likely will be batting third and standing on the grass in center field when the historically bad White Sox open a two-game series Tuesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, hoping to break an 11-game losing streak — their longest since 1956.
Robert, who is expected to come off the injured list Tuesday, will be a snapshot of what is good and bad about the Sox, the worst team in the majors. He is a worth-the-price-of-admission star, but the strained hip flexor he suffered in the fifth game of the season was only the latest of many injuries he, third baseman Yoan Moncada and designated hitter Eloy Jimenez — all of whom were on the IL as of Monday — have endured in their careers. The trio played the first two games of the season together and none since because of injuries, wiping out the core of the Sox’ lineup.
The Sox were projected by most to follow a 101-loss season in 2023 with another 95 to 100 losses this season, and that was before they traded ace right-hander Dylan Cease during spring training and were attacked by the all-too-familiar injury monster in the first two weeks.
The result? A 15-45 start, the worst in franchise history. And as general manager Chris Getz looks to do what he must — deal some of the few decent players he has for prospects or major-league-ready players before the trade deadline July 30 — it’s hard to see where improvement might come from in the second half of the season.
There’s nowhere to go but up for a team that ranks last in the majors in runs scored and second in runs allowed to the tune of a minus-138 run differential. That number is so bad it is 56 runs worse than the Marlins’ minus-82, which is the second-worst in the majors in that category. The only team to allow more runs than the Sox is the Rockies, who play in hitter-friendly Coors Field.
The Sox are last in the majors in home runs (43) and tied for first with the Rays in homers allowed (78). They have the lowest batting average (.214), on-base percentage (.276), slugging percentage (.331) and OPS (.607) and are last in total bases (645) and second-to-last in walks (134).
Left-hander Garrett Crochet has been dominant in his last seven starts, right-hander Erick Fedde is a starter contending teams should want in a trade and Michael Kopech has been overpowering in spurts as a high-leverage reliever, but only the Rockies have a higher ERA than the Sox’ 4.85.
All of that had added up to mounting losses, including three consecutive series sweeps going into a series against the struggling Cubs, who, as bad as they’ve been of late, would consider a two-game split at home something of a loss.
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf cut payroll this season and asked Getz to get the Sox’ ramshackle house in order after a recent failed
rebuild. He promoted Getz from assistant GM in August because, he said, ‘‘I owe the fans to get better as fast as we can possibly get better. The speed is of the essence, and I don’t want this to be a long-term proposition.’’
There is no quick fix, however. While replenishing the farm system with prospects gained from trades of proven veterans in the last 11 months — deals made by since-fired front-office linchpins Ken Williams and Rick Hahn and then Getz — the new front office aimed to field a better defensive team, preach fundamentals through second-year manager Pedro Grifol and a new-look coaching staff and create a better clubhouse culture in 2024.
The clubhouse has remained as tight as can be expected through an avalanche of losses that leave it more solemn with each passing defeat. But the defense, which FanGraphs ranks last in the majors in overall fielding and defensive runs saved, has been another matter. With Robert, a Gold Glove winner in his rookie season, and Moncada out, the Sox have been missing two of their top fielders. And catcher Martin Maldonado, who will turn 38 in August, has started 31 games at perhaps the most important position on the field outside of pitching.
Grifol steadfastly has touted Maldonado’s game-management and pitch-calling skills while looking the other way at his embarrassing .079/.128/.124 batting line. Maldonado might call a good game, but he’s also a minus-2.6 wins above replacement defensively, according to FanGraphs.
Against the Cubs, a team the organization from Reinsdorf down has no liking for, the Sox will try to avoid tying the franchise record for longest losing streak — 13 — set in 1924.
They’ll get Robert back, but first baseman Andrew Vaughn might go on the IL with a sprained finger and outfielder Dominic Fletcher hurt his left shoulder while saving a homer with a leaping catch Sunday against the Brewers.
The more things change, the more they stay the same for a team that has a .250 winning percentage, the same as the expansion 1962 Mets had at 40-120. That represents the most losses in major-league history. The worst winning percentage of any team since 1900 is .235, set by the 1916 Athletics, who went 37-116.
That the Sox in 2024 are mentioned in the same sentences as those teams is mind-numbing. But here we are.
Wrigley Field, here we come.
Only three men in the interleague era have played at least two seasons for the Cubs and White Sox.
The trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the South Side and Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer up North provided a snapshot of two organizations headed in opposite directions.
Since the 1906 World Series, there’s been no shortage of unforgettable moments between crosstown rivals.
Think you know all there is to know about the Cubs-Sox rivalry? Take this test.
Let’s face it, the Cubs-White Sox series is nowhere near as intense of a rivalry as it used to be.
“Sox fans were treated like lower-class citizens because they were for the White Sox and not the Cubs,” Pierzynski said, “and we were going to show them.”
It’s more fun to think of Cubs vs. Sox as a cauldron of bile and fury — or at least as something less pleasant than a Boy Scouts jamboree.
What once used to be the pinnacle of the season for the Cubs and White Sox is now more of a media and fan event.
Just Sayin’: I get why bitterness flows from South to North, but why, exactly, does it travel in reverse? The Sox have never had fans from all over the country claiming them. The Sox have never been glorified despite — hell, for — being a bad team.
The Sox have circled the dates. The Cubs? They’re counting the days to when Craig Kimbrel, their recently signed All-Star closer, is ready to join the big club from Class AAA Iowa. To them, the Sox are the Mariners are the Marlins are the Giants. Not finger food exactly, but not an entrée.
There’ve been 14 previous Cubs-Sox trades, only five of which bear revisiting. Why? Each involved big names or produced a conclusive winner — or both.
