White Sox ‘still very much believe’ in team despite skid originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
General manager Rick Hahn discussed the current state of the White Sox as they entered Tuesday's game on a seven-game losing streak.
“Is there a concern? Is there frustration? Is there disappointment? Absolutely,” Hahn said pregame.
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“Is there also perspective that a week ago, we were 6-2, and now we've had a crap week, and we're 6-9? The fact of the matter is, it's one bad week out of a very long season.”
One bad week that so far has carried over into the next. The White Sox’ skid eight games Tuesday as they dropped the opener of a three-game series against the Royals.
Dallas Keuchel allowed two runs (none earned) in four-plus innings but walked five Royals, an overall trend Tuesday for the pitching staff — which handed out 11 free passes total.
The Sox’ bats were shutout — the seventh time in the eight-game skid in which they offense has scored three or fewer runs.
“Tonight it started with me,” Keuchel said. “I’d like to have a little bit better efficiency. I was feeling pretty good, outside of a few pitches that were not competitive, but a lot of this starts with the starting pitching.
“We're battling,” Keuchel added. “We faced some timely pitching against us, and [Royals starter Daniel] Lynch did a good job today of throwing the four-seam, two-seam and slider, especially in the conditions that we're in.
“That's why I'm a little bit more frustrated than I should be, is the fact that I should have been doing the same thing.”
The White Sox entered this season with aspirations of a run deep into October. An eight-game losing streak in April isn’t going to upend their season and overall goal.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t frustrating.
"I see it in the dugout,” manager Tony La Russa said. “They're getting upset when they should be upset. They're trying to force things because they don't like the way it's going.
“They get frustrated when they don't play as good as they should. The heart and the guts are intact. It's not fun. It's tough to take. I'm sure the fans are not happy. But neither is the club.”
La Russa and Keuchel both acknowledged the team is pressing a little right now, which is unsurprising and far from the first time a team has done so during a losing streak.
Both also said they’re not surprised by the team’s current struggles, no matter what the preseason expectations were.
“It's just the way baseball goes,” Keuchel said. “You either start off really, really great, kind of like we did starting off well, but then kind of hitting a little dead spot.
“But we are too good, and I'm not really worried one bit. I like where we're at, and I'd rather do it now.”
Said La Russa: “I don’t question the talent, don’t question the caring. We just have to execute better. Not get frustrated and get away from the ABCs of what we have to do. And keep pulling together — as corny as it sounds.”
Tuesday began with news Eloy Jiménez will miss 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn hamstring tendon behind his right knee.
Other key contributors — Yoán Moncada, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly — are currently sidelined and will provide boosts whenever they return.
“We still very much believe in this team's talent," Hahn said. "We believe in this team's upside and are confident over time that that talent will prevail and take us to the level that we aspire to be at, that we intended to be at the start of the season.”
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