Holmes: Forget The Standings -- The White Sox Don't Pass The Eye Test
By Laurence W. Holes--
(CBS) Over the last two weeks, White Sox fans who I've talked to have spent plenty of time plotting a path to the playoffs. The main argument has been based around the the proximity to the the last wild-card spot. Even after Tuesday's loss to Tampa Bay that dropped Chicago to 50-55, the White Sox are still within 4.5 games of making the playoffs. The problem is that no matter how close they are, they don't pass the eye test. When you watch them, you know you aren't watching a playoff team.
The White Sox's recent seven-game win streak was a July surprise. It was refreshing and downright fun to see them come out of their offensive slumber. They went an entire time around the rotation with the starting pitchers not giving up a walk. It felt good.
It felt so good that fans forgot about the team that they had seen play nearly 100 games of disappointing baseball. The White Sox came off their great road trip and offered up a painful reminder of who they really are, just when some fans started to get excited.
Against the Yankees, the offensive problems returned. On top of that, Carlos Rodon and Jeff Samardzija got lit up by a hard-hitting New York lineup. Against the Rays, we've seen bad baserunning, questionable coaching decisions, a bullpen that has given away games and one defensive sequence that can only be described as a complete mental lapse by everyone.
If you missed it, in the top of the sixth innings Tuesday, Tampa's Kevin Kiermaier singled to center, plating a fourth Rays run. White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton threw the ball into the infield to no one in particular. The ball rolled all the way to the plate, where Tyler Flowers gave up the five-hole worse than Kari Lehtonen. Chris Sale should've been backing up home but was frozen in between the mound and the dish.
Perhaps Sale's brain locked up because he's having a hard time trying to figure out why he's been hit so hard in his last two starts (14 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings). Not backing up the play allowed the fifth run to score. It's a play that reinforces what you saw for most of the season. It's a play that let's you know the "games back" column doesn't matter for this team.
The White Sox can't get out of their own way. How in the world are they going to make a charge at the teams in front of them?
Laurence Holmes hosts the Laurence Holmes Show on 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.
