If Only

In what I pray is his last regular-season game as White Sox manager, Rick Renteria showed off that head-scratching loyalty he has for his pitchers. In what I pray is his last-ever appearance in a White Sox uniform, starter Reynaldo Lopez had already given up three runs in the top of the second inning when he decided to get seriously bad. And Renteria let him. Lopez walked one batter, then another, then Billy Hamilton, and, if you don’t know how pathetic that is, you don’t know much baseball. So, let’s recap here—three runs in, bases loaded, postseason seeding on the line. What do you do? Renteria let Lopez give up a two-run single to Cameron Maybin, and if you don’t know how… Speaking of pathetic, Sox pitching yielded ten—count them, ten—runs to a Cubs’ lineup heavy on scrubs and subs. In what I pray are their last-ever appearances in a Sox uniform, Jace Fry grooved one to the aforementioned Billy Hamilton while Jimmy Cordero gave up another three runs in just one inning of work. But wait. There’s more. In what should be his last appearance anywhere, Sox dh Edwin Encarnacion went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, pushing his batting average down to an anemic .157 with 54 strikeouts in in 175 plate appearances. But I’m sure Renteria will use jibber-logic to play on Tuesday. The hope now is that the Sox win in spite of their coaching staff. (Yes, that means you, too, Don Cooper.) May Jose Abreu lead them and Luis Robert, who shook off his batting stupor to go 3 for 5 Sunday, be the surprise of the series against Oakland. That’s the team that will be playing ex-Sox Marcus Semien at shortstop and starting Chris Bassitt in the second game of the series. Make that in spite of the front office, too.