Orioles 5, White Sox 3: The self-destructing bullpen strikes again

Time to pour one out for Erick Fedde — he’s not dead, but at least he’ll be out of Chicago soon

This afternoon started with a genuine pitching duel through four innings, and I wished it could have stayed that way. Instead, the White Sox bullpen squandered a 3-0 lead and the club succumbed to a big eighth inning for the Orioles.

Sox starter Erick Fedde again looked great. He had a higher pitch count, with a walk and a hit in the second but got out unscathed and stayed strong until he started losing command in the seventh. He still had 6 1⁄3 shutout innings. Meanwhile, opposing starting pitcher Albert Suárez’s day ended after four innings.

Keegan Akin came in for the fifth, allowing two on and requiring a mound conference as the top of the lineup was due up with just one out. Tommy Pham drew a walk to load the bases for Andrew Vaughn (who failed), followed by Gavin Sheets for some lefty-on-lefty action. Sheets knocked the ball against the wall for a three-run triple (the first of his career) to put the Sox up 3-0. Corey Julks struck out to end the inning.

Fedde was back out for the seventh with 87 pitches going in, with the season high for righty being 108. Still, ace rookie reliever Jordan Leasure started warming in the pen. After giving up two hits, Fedde stepped out, ensured of a no-decision at worst.

Leasure walked Adley Rutschman and gave up a home run to Ryan O’Hearn, cutting the Sox lead to just one. Leasure was pulled and Michael Kopech was tasked with getting two outs and keeping the lead intact. While the move sticks to manager Pedro Grifol’s flexible dictum of using his best reliever in the highest-leverage conditions, Kopech has tended to thrive only in the relative comfort of the ninth inning. Indeed, he immediately gave up a hit to Ryan Mountcastle and followed up with a two-run home run to Anthony Santander, giving the Orioles a 4-3 lead. Then gave up a solo homer for Jordan Westburg, pushing the lead to 5-3. I feel terrible for Fedde, who put in the work only to have the 3-0 lead blown up less than an inning later.

Dillon Tate kept the White Sox off the board in a 1-2-3 inning, leaving Tim Hill to face the top of the O’s order in the ninth.

Hill gave up a walk and a single with two out and Mountcastle (1-for-4 thus far) at the plate. Nicky Lopez snatched a grounder to get the force out at second to end the inning.

With two outs in the ninth, Korey Lee came out to hit. A blast that looked like it could’ve been fair was lost in the shadows and called foul by our sworn enemy, second base umpire Junior Valentine. Pedro Grifol challenged, but the foul call stayed intact. Lee struck out on the next pitch, providing the final kick while everyone was already down badly. As Taylor Swift sang, “I wish I could unrecall how we almost had it all.”

Fedde will look great in another uniform soon. I hope the return will be worthwhile.

Futility Watch

White Sox 2024 Record 15-38, worst 53-game start in White Sox history (one game ahead the 2018 White Sox) and tied for the 26th-worst start in MLB history
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -113, tied for the 23rd-worst 53-game start in MLB history
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 46-116 (.283)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) 3 games behind
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 5 games behind
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 10 games ahead
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 6 1⁄2 games ahead
Race to the Worst American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 8 games behind
*record adjusted to a 162-game season