Lucas Giolito threw seven innings of one-run ball, the offense scored five runs, and Statcast gave the White Sox a 96.9 percent win probability after Luis Robert Jr. hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give them a 5-1 lead. That still wasn't enough for the White Sox to win the game.
The Marlins scored two in the eighth and then three in the ninth as things slowly unraveled for the second straight game. The White Sox margin for error continues to grow smaller and smaller.
Ninth Inning Meltdown
Starting pitching has been the key for the White Sox all season long. When their starters throw the ball well, they usually win the game. Unfortunately for the White Sox they got two solid starts this weekend and were unable to cash in on either of them.
On Sunday, Giolito struck out eight and walked just one batter, He was able to work around six hits and limit the damage to just one run before turning things over to the bullpen with a four-run lead. His efforts should have been enough to earn the win.
Even his father Rick Giolito, couldn't believe it, tweeting during the game, "For fcuk sakes."
The turning point was a Seby Zavala catcher's interference. In Zavala's 999 major league innings behind the plate, he had never had a catchers interference called on him until the ninth inning of Sunday's game. It turned what should have been a Kendal Graveman strikeout of Jonathan Davis into a free base.
It proved costly when Luis Arraez flew out in what should have been the final out of the game. But due to the catcher's interference, it was only the second and it gave Jorge Soler a chance at the plate.
The White Sox chose to intentionally walk him, and one batter later, Bryan De La Cruz hit a double that cleared the bases.
Graveman and Kenyan Middleton, who blew the White Sox 5-1 lead, had each allowed zero runs since May 1st, with almost every one of those innings coming in high-leverage situations.
"It's a tough league," Graveman said after the game. "I didn't execute. I tell people all the time, I'll be prepared, I knew the pitches to throw. I'll give you as much effort as humanely possible, and today I just didn't think executed as well. I can live with that because I knew I was prepared. There was no lack of effort there."
No Margin For Error
On Friday, Micheal Kopech threw five scoreless innings and struck out six in the process. The White Sox held a 1-0 lead entering the ninth inning and were in a position to improve to 7-1 in June.
The usually reliable Joe Kelly loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Then a routine ground ball from Bryan De La Cruz glanced off Tim Anderson's glove allowing the Marlins to tie the game. Anderson tried to throw home before he had the ball, and it ended up costing the White Sox.
Kelly issued another free pass to give the Marlins a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, a Jean Segura double would extend the lead to 5-1. The loss was sloppy, and the mistakes were preventable.
However, while the bullpen melted down twice in this series, the offense is the bigger issue. The White Sox have scored just 28 runs this month. On the season, they rank 19th in the MLB in runs scored.
The lack of offense puts extra pressure on the pitching and defense, and the margin for error is thin. For the most part, the bullpen has been able to tightrope-walk that fine line successfully, which is why Sunday's results were so frustrating. The starting pitching and offense gave the bullpen plenty of rope to work with.
A gut punch like that can quickly take the air out of a team's sails. The series was there for the taking.
The White Sox are 4.5 games back in the AL Central standings. While that does not seem like a lot, last year's team showed that you can't wait until September to try and make your move to the top of the division.
