White Sox Progress Hidden In The Standings As Close Losses Pile Up

With nearly a third of the MLB season in the books, the White Sox continue to falter in tight contests. Following Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Orioles, Will Venable’s squad has now dropped to 5-23 in games decided by one or two runs.

The White Sox’s 18-41 record heading into their June 2nd matchup against Detroit represents a three-win improvement from this point last season, when the 2024 White Sox dropped to 15-41 following a 6-3 loss in Milwaukee with Pedro Grifol at the helm.

It marked the White Sox 11th consecutive loss in a losing streak that would eventually extend to 14 games.

Although the 2025 team's progress is not reflected in the standings, Venable believes his team is improving. The White Sox have been in a position to win much more than 18 games, with 15 of their losses being decided by one run. However, with a bullpen that has the tenth-highest ERA in baseball (4.43) and an offense that ranks 27th in runs scored, closing out these close games has been a challenge. 

The White Sox are just 3-15 in one-run games with just five saves, marking the fewest in the MLB. 

“We're doing a lot of things well to be in close games,” Venable told MLB.com. “At the same time, you’ve got to find ways to score runs. And it feels like a lot of these games we walk away saying, ‘We pitched well, we defended well, we just didn’t really score.’”

Sunday’s loss was a familiar tale for the White Sox. After dropping the first two games by a combined three runs, the White Sox fell behind early, battled back late, but were unable to get timely hits when they needed them most. 

Adrian Houser continued his impressive run of dominance, extending his streak of scoreless innings with his new team to 14 before surrendering his first two runs in a White Sox uniform during the third inning. His streak marked the second-longest scoreless stretch to begin a White Sox career in franchise history, trailing only Ken Brett’s 17-inning mark set in 1976.

Houser capped off his day with a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings on eight hits, while issuing one walk and striking out six. Mike Tauchman cut the lead down to one with a solo home run in the seventh inning, but the offense failed to get the tying run on base in the final two innings. 

“We gotta have a short memory with it, but remember that we’re still in these close ballgames,” Houser said. “There might be a few mistakes that we’re making here and there that we need to clean up. It’s part of being a young team and being who we are.”