White Sox Struggles Come From an Unexpected Place
Chicago's pitching staff has drawn most of the concern, but the offense's recent struggles with runners in scoring position have cost the White Sox meaningful games.
Video Transcript
For most of the 2026 season, the concern for the Chicago White Sox has been the pitching staff, the starting rotation specifically.
For every White Sox fan, even a casual baseball fan with surface level knowledge of the White Sox knows that the pitching is a problem.
They don't have the reliable arms to get deep into games and eat innings to preserve their bullpen pieces.
That takes its toll over time and leads to the White Sox going with their worst arms in big spots and getting tired down the home stretch of the season.
But recently, it actually hasn't been the pitching that's been the problem.
The pitching is often the scapegoat.
The pitching is what people are quick to point to when you talk about the White Sox struggling.
But it's been the offense, and not on a daily basis, but the offensive inconsistencies have really plagued the White Sox recently, and it comes down to their ability to hit situationally and hit with runners in scoring position.
That was highlighted on Monday evening when the White Sox lost the series opener to the Houston Astros despite drawing ten walks in the game.
Chicago was one for eight with runners in scoring position.
They left fourteen runners on base.
That's kind of been par for the course recently.
Back Dating back to August 14th, the White Sox are batting two thirty-one with a winds runs created plus of eighty-nine with runners in scoring position.
So while they've ranked in the top ten in plate appearances with runners in scoring position, getting on base, moving those runners over, that hasn't been an issue.
The White Sox are a bottom ten team in WRC+ at capitalizing on those chances.
That can lead to frustrating games, games feeling like they get away from you despite outplaying your opponent.
That's kind of what we saw on Monday.
Over the final twenty-five games of the regular season, the White Sox have to play their best baseball.
Yes, that means the pitching needs to be better.
Starters need to eat innings.
Guys like Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, Luis Castillo, they gotta show up.
But it also means this offense taking advantage of base runners and keeping that offense productive on a daily basis.
This pitching just isn't good enough for the White Sox offense to go through a stagnant stretch.
When Chicago fails to come up with the big hit, the result is a game like Monday, where you lose six to three despite having numerous opportunities to break it open and take control.
So while a lot of the attention is on the pitching staff, and rightfully so, it doesn't excuse offensive inconsistency, and some of the recent struggles have been coming from that unexpected place over the last few weeks.
