Opening day served as a sign of things to come for the Chicago White Sox.
Garrett Crochet had a fantastic outing, allowing one run and striking out eight in six innings against the Detroit Tigers. But the offense mustered only three hits — singles by Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez — in a 1-0 loss.
The Sox were swept in the season-opening series at Guaranteed Rate Field, dropping all three games by one run.
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The losses kept piling up after that. Through 25 games, the Sox sat at 3-22. There was a single-season, franchise-record 14-game losing streak that began in late May. And after Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are 27-71 on the season — the most losses before the All-Star break in MLB history.
“Obviously disappointing,” manager Pedro Grifol said before Sunday’s game when asked about the first half. “This is not something we planned for. Something we didn’t really expect. You can point your fingers at many different things and I’m not going to make any excuses for what’s going on.
“We are in a ton of ballgames. We just haven’t been able to close it out. It seems like every night we have an opportunity to win a baseball game. I’m not going to say that’s all you can ask because we all want more. We want to be able to close them out and win these games, but I’m proud of the way these guys go about it.”
Here’s a look at the highs — and mostly lows — of the first half.
Most telling number: 71
The story of the season has been the team’s historic pace for losses. The Sox have the worst record in franchise history through 98 games, with the previous mark set in 1948 at 32-66.
These Sox have lost in a variety of ways. They have been shut out 12 times and are 8-19 in one-run games and 7-11 in two-run games.
They lead the majors with 23 blown saves and have lost 34 games after holding a lead — 15 when leading after six innings, eight when leading after seven and three when leading after eight.
The Sox are last in the American League in runs (313), 14th in ERA (4.57) and 11th in fielding percentage (.983).
Signing that has paid off: Erick Fedde
The right-hander earned MVP honors in 2023 while pitching for the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization. Fedde signed a two-year deal with the Sox in December and has made a smooth transition back to the majors, having spent 2017-22 with the Washington Nationals.
He is 7-3 with a 2.99 ERA in 19 starts, ranking ninth in the AL in ERA and second among all pitchers in bWAR (4.3).
Others are noticing his success. Fedde is one of several Sox players mentioned in trade speculation. That list also includes free-agent additions in shortstop Paul DeJong, who has a team-leading 16 home runs, and outfielder Tommy Pham, who is hitting .264.
Signing that hasn’t worked out: Mike Clevinger
Clevinger led Sox starters in victories (9) and ERA (3.77) in 2023, and they brought him back on a one-year, $3 million deal finalized in April with the hope of adding depth to the rotation. But he has made only four starts and is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA.
Clevinger has been on the injured list retroactive to May 25 with right elbow inflammation. He’s on a rehab assignment and made a start Sunday for Triple-A Charlotte.
Injuries have had a major impact on the Sox, with Jiménez, Robert (who also has been mentioned in trade rumors) and third baseman Yoán Moncada among those missing extended time.
Most dreadful defeat: June 10 in Seattle — Mariners 8, Sox 4
The Sox have had their share of crushing walk-off losses, including Mike Tauchman’s game-ending solo home run that gave the Cubs a 7-6 victory on June 5 and Jake Burger’s three-run home run that sent the Miami Marlins to a 7-4 win on July 7.
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The June 10 loss to the Mariners had a little bit of everything. The Sox saw a 4-0 lead vanish as Seattle scored four runs in the eighth, three with two outs. Cal Raleigh ended it in dramatic fashion an inning later, hitting a walk-off grand slam.
Most memorable win: May 4 in St. Louis — Sox 6, Cardinals 5 (10 innings)
The victories haven’t come easily, as the May 4 game at Busch Stadium demonstrated.
The Sox had a one-run lead in the 10th inning against the Cardinals. They were two strikes from a win when a downpour led to a 3-hour, 3-minute delay. When the game resumed, Tanner Banks threw four pitches and struck out Iván Herrera to wrap up a unique day — and night — at the park.
MVP at the break: Garrett Crochet
Crochet spoke to reporters the day before spring camp began about the possibility of moving from the bullpen to the rotation.
“I just want a chance to fight for a spot and earn it and, at the end of spring training, reevaluate,” Crochet said in Glendale, Ariz.
He earned not only a spot, but also the opening-day start. And he has been one of the game’s best, leading the majors with 150 strikeouts at the break.
Crochet was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June and will represent the team in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. He is 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 20 starts and ranks fifth among all pitchers in bWAR (4.0) and 10th in the AL in ERA.
Crochet, Fedde, Chris Flexen and rookies Drew Thorpe and Jonathan Cannon have helped Sox starters post a 3.07 ERA since June 7.
With Crochet’s dominant numbers has come trade speculation. Whether he will be with the team at the end of the month remains to be seen.