Don't Try This at Home, Kids

 

Casey Stengel said that, without a catcher, you’d have a lot of passed balls.  It’s a whole lot worse trying to play baseball without a bullpen, believe me.

The White Sox—or Joke Sox, because nothing counts in a rebuild—have turned a four-game winning streak into a five-game losing streak.  Against the Dodgers Tuesday night, the bullpen allowed five runs to score in the bottom of the eighth after two out.  The 6-1 final score really was closer than it looked.

Then, the next night in LA, the bullpen did even better, needing just two outs in the ninth—with nobody on, mind you—for the win.  How do you say 5-4 walk-off, Dodgers?  They couldn’t get a stinking out.

And last night in Texas, more of the same.  The bullpen couldn’t keep the score tied at five, and it couldn’t keep the margin to one after the Sox had pulled to 8-7.  Jose Abreu’s homerun in the ninth would’ve tied it, but No, your White Sox lose again, 9-8.  Ha-ha-ha.

Chris Beck (5.87 ERA) and Jake Petricka (9.00 ERA) must have something on manager Rick Renteria to make him keep using them, or maybe he just doesn’t like them and shows it by by putting them into games night after night.  Oh, but think of the draft position next year.  Maybe they’ll draft another starter, given that Reynaldo Lopez, one of the stars of the future, has a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings after two starts.  Oh, and Lopez had to leave early last night with soreness in his right, throwing, side.

Didn't Casey say something about the best-laid plans of mice and men, too?