As I was Saying

If not for Jake Burger and Danny Mendick, those choruses of “Fire Tony [La Russa]!” would’ve started a whole lot sooner. Burger and Mendick each had a hit and RBI in yesterday’s 8-6 loss to the Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Whatever. Jose Ruiz is not a major-league pitcher, as evidenced by his giving up a three-run homer in the tenth inning. Ruiz has appeared in eleven games since May 15th and given up at least one run seven times. He came into yesterday’s game with a 4.98 ERA, which grew to 5.56 after an inning of batting practice-plus. Jose Abreu continues his decline, as evidenced by what happened in the tenth inning. Rangers’ manager walked Luis Robert to get to Abreu, who proceeded to hit into a double play. Woodward then had John King walk Burger to face Josh Harrison, who struck out to end the inning. Who knew the intentional pass could be so effective a weapon? GM Rick Hahn constructed a team with gaping holes—Ruiz; Harrison; the recently departed Dallas Keuchel; ever-injured Joe Kelly; and demotion-worthy Yoan Moncada, who managed a sad flyball pinch-hitting in the eighth inning. Moncada’s batting average is a cringeworthy .132. Trust me when I say there have been no loud outs to offer the slightest glimmer of hope that things will get better. And now Luis Robert has started looking like Moncada at the plate. Since coming back from COVID at the end of May, Robert has totaled all of four RBIs in eleven games this June while hitting .250. Compare that to the eleven RBIs and .341 average he put up in May. We’re either talking the fog associated with long-COVID or a ballplayer’s lost focus here. Either would explain the end of yesterday’s game. After Jake Burger hit a flyball to the warning track in left, Robert tagged up and tried to advance to third but over-slid the base and was tagged out for a game-ending double play. It was so bad that even manager Tony La Russa admitted “it wasn’t a good play.” What can you say about La Russa other than that he’s no more a major-league manager than Ruiz is a pitcher? He got schooled by Woodward on strategy and appears incapable of thinking ahead. Take the tenth inning, please. If the bullpen is depleted (and we don’t know what, if anything, was wrong with Liam Hendriks, who last pitched on Friday), then Abreu can’t make two outs. Either he tries to bunt or stands there like a statue to take a walk or strikeout. Forget possible hurt feelings. There was an opportunity to win the game in ten and avoid going to Ruiz in the eleventh. Enough said. Of course, Abreu could’ve popped up into a double play trying to bunt, and Burger could still have walked and Harrison struck out. I should mention here that the Sox played with a three-man bench yesterday: Harrison, Moncada and catcher Seby Zavla, just called up for the injured Yasmani Grandal. Zavala and Moncada had already been used by the tenth inning, so Harrison it was. Who’s fault is that? Well, as I’ve been saying….