And Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

 Sometimes, I don’t understand professional sports.  Take last night, for instance.  The White Sox started 26-year old Anthony Ranaudo against the Cubs.  Not only does Ranaudo hold the Cubs hitless in Wrigley Field for 5-1/3 innings in his tenth career start, he hits a homerun—his first major-league hit, no less—to give the Sox a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

Kris Bryant tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, and then Ranaudo walked a batter with two out in the seventh inning.  That would’ve been enough for me.  I mean, you could literally see sweat streaming off the brim of Ranaudo’s cap.  He was done, and Sox manager Robin Ventura needed to get him out.  But, no.  Ventura leaves Ranaudo in to give up a two-run homer to Javier Baez.  Thanks, skip.

Wait, it gets better.  In the eighth inning, the Sox used relievers Carson Fulmer and Jacob Turner, who combined to give up five runs on four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, making the final score 8-1.  That’s a no-hitter in the sixth becoming a blowout in the eighth courtesy of the manager and the bullpen.  But we’re not done yet.

  Fulmer now has an ERA of 17.18 with Turner close behind at 14.04.  Guess who got sent to the minors after the game?  Yup, Anthony Ranaudo.  Go figure.  I sure as heck can’t.