Bad Day at the Office

With two out and two on in the top of the first last night at Guaranteed Rate Whatever, Emmanuel Rivera hit a line drive straight at White Sox centerfielder Adam Engel, who lost it in the lights. The ball went for a two-run double in what proved to be a 3-2 Royals’ win. In the home half of the fourth inning, Engel batted with the bases loaded against rookie lefthander Daniel Lynch. Engel hit a ball long but foul before striking out on a full count. Three innings later, in the top of the seventh, Kansas City’s Edward Olivares hit a ball to right center that Engel leaped for and corralled in his glove but could not hold onto. Homerun. I’m not picking on Engel here or starter Dallas Keuchel, who pitched a nice game for a change. What I am getting at is how flat the Sox look now. A fish rots from the head down, they saw, and a baseball team, too. You hire a 76-year old to manage your team, and he brings a 76-year old’s energy to the dugout. The Sox are 9-11 since the All-Star break. Maybe that and having Tony La Russa in the dugout are a coincidence, but I doubt it.