Flat

The White Sox couldn’t wait to get out of the top of the first at Cleveland last night. Blink, and you would’ve missed Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert (throw slider away, will swing) make outs. Then came the bottom of the first. The Guardians scored five two-out runs, with starter Lance Lynn suffering what Mumbles the Manager later termed “buzzard’s luck” because none of the six singles Lynn yielded was particularly hard hit. I guess you could say the same about the two walks Lynn threw in as well. The Sox pulled to within a run at 5-4 going into the bottom of the fifth, when Lynn gave up a single, hit-by-pitch and double to rookie outfielder Nolan Jones. A single off of reliever Mat Foster, and there’s your final score, Guardians 8 Sad Sox 4. Before the game, Mumbles addressed a story by Bob Nigtengale of USA Today about discord in the clubhouse. Of course, the skipper dismissed it. No, our Sox are the reincarnation of those “We Are Family” Pirates from 1979. And, yes, I am the walrus. Nightengale also reported on a meeting Kenny Williams had with players and coaches last Friday in which the team vice president called everyone out for underachieving. Nightengale has shown himself pretty much to be a Jerry Reinsdorf conduit, so these stories/leaks take on an extra layer of interest, to say nothing of intrigue. Might Jerry be growing frustrated with his good friend and current Sox manager? Was he sending a message or two through Nightengale? Stay tuned.