Just Your Run-of-the-Mill Edge of the Abyss

First, the good news—Rule-5 find Shane Smith no-hit the Guardians for 5.2 innings and shut them out over six. Now, the bad news—Smith’s supporting cast couldn’t hit their way out of a paper bag. Sox hitters—and I use that term very, very loosely—managed two singles on the day. Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn each failed to drive in a runner in scoring position. In fact, Vaughn managed that trick not once, not twice, but three times. The team batting average stands at .199, second-worst in all of baseball. Yet hitting coach Marcus Thames gets to keep his job. Maybe Mike Clevinger won’t be so lucky; I can hope. Clevinger started the ninth by failing to corral a low throw from second basemanLenyn Sosa while trying to cover first. Three walks later, and the Guardians had themselves a nice 1-0 win. Nothing in the three stories I read indicated Clevinger’s job was in jeopardy. Oh, well. Then again, why should I expect anything different? The team website ran a story, “Hungry for wins, White Sox front office still has faith in long-term plan,” that pretty much says nobody in the organization possesses much of an appetite. Consider this comment from assistant general manager Josh Barfield: “The worst thing we can do is get in our own way by trying to force something,” as in trying to find ways to win ballgames, I guess. Wait, there’s more. According to Bob Nightengale in Sunday’s USA Today, “White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, 90 [actually, 89], has made it perfectly clear to friends that he has zero interest in selling as long as he remains in good health.” Wow, Reinsdorf has friends. Who knew?