CHICAGO (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Bryce Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings and the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox with a 6-3 win on Sunday to extend Chicago’s losing streak to 14 games.
The trip to Chicago came at a good time for the Mariners, who had lost eight of nine before beginning the series. The Mariners outscored the White Sox 22-6 over the three games.
Miller (8-7) allowed three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and did not allow a walk. Austin Voth got two outs in the seventh, Yimi García pitched a scoreless eighth, and Andrés Muñoz closed the game with a scoreless inning in steady rain for his 18th save in 21 chances.
“We needed to bounce back after a rough series at home against the Angels. Certainly the White Sox have been struggling throughout the year, but you still got to go out and do it and it’s hard to sweep people, certainly on the road,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais.
After committing two errors in the third inning, Paul DeJong chased Miller with a two-run homer in the seventh for the White Sox (27-81), who have lost 20 of 23 and are 54 or more games under .500 for the first time since they were 46-100 in 1932. Chicago has sunk past the 1962 Mets (29-79) for the worst record through 108 games.
Chicago became the fourth team in MLB history to lose 81-plus times in the first 108 games of a season and the first since the 1932 Red Sox (26-82).
The White Sox have been swept 16 times in 2024 and eight times at home. This is the fourth time they have been swept during the 14-game losing streak. Chicago tied its franchise-high losing streak at 14 games, which was also set this season, from May 22-June 6.
“Tough. We’re competing. We’re just not winning. There’s really nothing to be said about it. It sucks. It’s terrible. Everyone in the clubhouse, we’re all pretty let down with how we’ve been playing throughout the season. But when you have stretches like this, yeah, it sucks,” said White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.
With one out in the first inning, newly acquired left fielder Randy Arozarena reached on an infield hit. Two pitches later, Raleigh took Crochet’s fastball over the left-field wall for his team-leading 22nd homer of the season to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. It was Raleigh’s second homer in as many days.
“Cal Raleigh, wow. 10 home runs from each side of the plate. That’s really hard to do,” Servais said.
Dylan Moore led off the second inning with a ground-rule double over the center-field wall and came around to score after Leo Rivas beat out a potential inning-ending double play.
In the third inning, DeJong committed errors on back-to-back batters at third base. Moore and Mitch Haniger both hit balls directly at DeJong and he was unable to field them. After a double-steal, Jorge Polanco and Moore scored on the second error by DeJong to make it 5-0.
“It’s not fun. We’ve been in nine or 10 of these games. We’ve had an opportunity to really close five or six of them, maybe seven of them, close them out. We’ve found different ways to lose these games. We’ve got to lock in,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. We’ve got to lock in as a group. We’ve got to lock in as a coaching staff. I’ve got to lock in as a manager and get through this thing and come out on the other side of it more than we have been.”
The Mariners changed their approach against Crochet from the previous time they faced him in Seattle. Crochet struck out 13 in seven innings while allowing one run against the Mariners on June 13.
“With guys like that, strikes out a lot (of batters), doesn’t walk a whole ton you’ve got to get on the fastball and you’ve got to be ready to swing pitch one. I think we did a good job of that tonight. We weren’t getting in deep counts like last time,” said Raleigh.
Raleigh added an RBI single off White Sox reliever Chad Kuhl to make it 6-1.
Crochet (6-8), who has been rumored to be on the trading block, was not in his normal form. He allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked one on 64 pitches.
He said he is tired of talking about the trade speculation, but if this was his last start for the White Sox he will always cherish his time in Chicago.
“The team that drafts you and gives you your first taste of the big leagues will always be special,” said Crochet.
The White Sox got on the board in the second inning on Tommy Pham’s RBI single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: Eloy Jiménez lined a ball off Miller’s right heel in the second inning. Servais and a team trainer visited Miller after he got hit. Miller stayed in the game after throwing several warm-up pitches. “It’s fine. It hurt for a couple of minutes, but I was all right,” said Miller. “If I would’ve came out in the second (inning) we would’ve been in trouble, so I don’t ever want to come out of the game so as long as I can go, I will keep going.”
White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger will miss the remainder of the season. The team announced on Saturday he will undergo disc replacement surgery on his neck on Thursday. Clevinger was 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts this season. “He battled through it, he did everything he could in his power to be able to come out here and pitch. And at the end of the day, he thought and everybody thought it was in (his) No. 1 interest to get it fixed,” Grifol said.
UP NEXT
Mariners: Seattle’s six-game road trip continues to Boston on Monday. RHP Logan Gilbert (6-6) is the scheduled starter. He leads the American League with 17 quality starts. Entering Sunday’s games, Gilbert had the fifth-lowest ERA (2.72) in the AL.
White Sox: RHP Chris Flexen (2-10) is scheduled to start against the Royals on Monday. He is 0-7 with a 5.73 ERA over his last 14 starts. That is the longest by a Chicago pitcher since Dylan Covey went winless in 14 starts from July 26, 2018, to May 26, 2019.
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