MLB Notebook: White Sox continue historic losing streak, Blake Snell throws no-hitter
Photo credit: © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
By Brett Holden
Aug 5, 2024, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 5, 2024, 16:34 EDT
White Sox continue historic losing streak
In the least surprising bit of baseball news this week: The Chicago White Sox suck. Chicago is starting to dip their toes into history, the part of history you do not want to be a part of, as they have lost their 20th consecutive game against the Twins on Sunday.
The ChiSox are now one win away from the longest losing streak in baseball in almost 40 years when the Baltimore Orioles lost 21 straight games back in 1988. But, that isn’t the only record they are pursuing this week: Chicago is now four losses away from setting the MLB record for the longest losing streak in baseball history. It hasn’t been since the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies that a team has lost 23 or more games, but this White Sox group may be the team to break it.
Chicago’s last win came on July 10th against the same Minnesota Twins that just swept the Sox this past weekend. The White Sox were outscored 29-11, bumping their run differential on the season to a desolate -247. Yes. -247. The White Sox are on pace to have the worst run differential in a single season since 1950 with -360, 21 more runs allowed than the 2023 Oakland Athletics.
This season has been so disastrous, this team has been touching records that haven’t been touched since 1899, the year the Cleveland Spiders recorded the worst season in baseball history. The 2024 White Sox currently sit 60 games below .500, no team has been 57 games or more below .500 since the Spiders when they were 15-74 in their first 89 games.
The terrifying reality is all over this team. As former manager Ozzie Guillen pointed out, even if you took the 14-game losing streak AND this 20-game losing streak out of the team’s record, they would still be the worst team in baseball. On top of that, with the team being 60 games below .500, if Chicago loses two more consecutive games, they will be guaranteed to have their third 100-loss season in franchise history.
Chicago will make their way to Oakland on Monday, which will likely be their best chance to ax the streak. Oakland is the second-last team in the American League this year, 19 games ahead of Chicago. After the A’s, the White Sox hit the gauntlet. Three of their next five opponents sit 5.0 games or less from a Wild Card spot, including the Yankees who sit atop the AL East.
With a potential change at manager, and a looming total teardown in the offseason, change is coming on the Southside… but how long will it take?
Blake Snell throws his first career no-hitter
The 2024 season has been a tumultuous one for Blake Snell this year; going from one of the last free agents to sign a contract, to the injured list early in the year, to a potential trade deadline trade candidate just a week ago, to throwing a no-hitter just days later. What a year.
Heading into last week’s trade deadline, whispers turned into conversations as rumours swirled around one of the biggest fish from the free agent market this past winter. Will Blake Snell get traded? The Deadline passed and Snell stayed in the Bay and in his first start since, he diced up the Cincinnati Reds for the two-time Cy Young’s winner’s first career no-hitter.
Snell has struggled a bit this season; The start was his longest all year and the second time he has thrown over 100 pitches in a game all season. Hampered by a groin injury at the end of May, coupled with the late start due to his delayed contract agreement, 2024 has been a bit bumpy. Snell didn’t throw more than 4.2 innings until his start in Toronto in early July. But, going late into ball games isn’t exactly his forte; in fact, heading into Tuesday’s start, Snell had never worked a start longer than 8.0 innings. Well, he made the most of the first time he had.
That tidbit was not lost on Snell, it actually seemed to be something he wanted to get off his chest.
The bumpy start has created some unfriendly numbers to start the year. Heading into the All-Star break, Snell sported a 6.31 ERA after bringing it down from a 7.85 in his first 7.0 inning start of the season against the Twins. However, since then, Snell has looked closer to his usual self. In his last two starts, Snell has been incredible, with 26 strikeouts and no earned runs in 15.0 innings.
Snell says he was kind of aware of what was going on but wasn’t at the same time.
“I did (know he had a no-hitter), and didn’t. I don’t know how to explain that. People say it might be a lefty thing... The walks trick me to where I was like ‘oh, I think I’ve got a no-hitter,’ but I just never look at the scoreboard. I always look at my pitch count and my velocity.”
Blake may’ve been a little preoccupied by his potential fatigue from the last two starts. This has been the most he has pitched in his last four starts all season. Since July 14th, Snell has thrown 28.0 innings in four starts. In his previous seven starts, he has thrown 27.5 innings.
The Giants currently sit 4.5 games back of a Wild Card spot and 9.5 away from the top of the NL West. Snell is scheduled to start on Wednesday against the Nationals.