After an 8-2 blowout loss to the first-place Cleveland Guardians, the Chicago White Sox find themselves in a tough position.
They had a chance to gain significant ground on the Guardians this series, but that chance was squandered.
Now, the South Siders find themselves six games out of first in the AL Central and 5.5 games out in the Wild Card race.
So naturally, people are starting to fade the White Sox.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today made a bold declaration about the South Siders after last night’s loss, saying that the White Sox season is a wash at this point and encouraging fans to “Wait ’til next year.”
White Sox In Trouble
Obviously, the White Sox are not mathematically eliminated just yet, but they’re getting close to that point.
After winning 93 games a season ago on their way to their first AL Central title since 2008, the South Siders sit at 76-73.
They’ll get a little bit of a break in their schedule over the weekend when the slumping and already eliminated Detroit Tigers come into town.
Unfortunately, the Guardians have a nice little break as well, as they travel down south to play the Texas Rangers, another team that has already been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race.
It’s not about to get any easier for the White Sox.
At the same time, however, sometimes Nightengale’s timing on tweets can be impeccable.
Recall prior to the 2021 season when the sweepstakes for Trevor Bauer were down to the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Nightengale reported that the Mets had a deal in place with the right-hander.
Ultimately, Bauer signed in Los Angeles.
So if there’s any hope the White Sox can cling to, that would be it.
Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it’ll be a long road back.
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