For the second consecutive game, the White Sox took the MLB’s best team down to the wire, and for the second consecutive game, they lost in agonizing walk-off fashion.
“We are playing hard. We are competing,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters. “We had a chance to win both games.”
The effort was there, but there are no participation trophies in professional sports.
After Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the White Sox have fallen seven games under .500. It’s the first time since 2019 that the team has dropped that many games below the .500 mark. The 2019 team was not built for a playoff run. It was the last stage of the rebuild. Flash forward four years, and this team is supposed to bear the fruits of the rebuild. Instead, they are struggling on life support to stay in a weak AL Central Division race.
Pointing The Finger At Grifol
Many fans are beginning to point the finger at Pedro Grifol, using the slow start as further evidence that Tony La Russa was not the problem.
Tony La Russa was used as a scapegoat. He received a majority of the blame even though there was plenty to go around in the organization. However, there is no denying that he set this contention window back two years, with the clubhouse culture he created that lacked accountability and energy. His off-field distractions overshadowed anything positive he brought to the franchise. Two things can be true.
Old habits die hard. And it’s going to take more than a couple of months of having a new manager to wash the stink of La Russa off this franchise.
Despite the rough start to the season, the 2023 White Sox looks much more engaged. They are not taking nights off like they seemingly were throughout the 2022 campaign. Pedro Grifol has not yet lost the locker room.
As far as his in-game decision-making goes, he is in a tough spot. Early in the season, he has been handicapped by injuries to key players like Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada. He also needs more depth to work with. The organization did not give him a true fourth outfielder, so he is forced to play Gavin Sheets in right field at times if he wants to take advantage of certain pitching matchups.
The bullpen is also terrible. It is hard for any manager to look good when no matter what move you make, guys fail to do their jobs. He is missing two of his biggest weapons, Garrett Crochet and Liam Hendriks. The high-priced relievers, Aaron Bummer, Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, and Jake Diekman, have failed to deliver.
That’s not to say there haven’t been some questionable moves, but to blame the slow start to the season on Pedro Grifol is outrageous.
Pushing The Right Buttons On Saturday
Let’s look at Saturday’s game, for example. He made two significant moves late in that game. The first was pinch-hitting with Gavin Sheets to lead off the eighth inning. Sheets proceeded to launch a 94 mph fastball from Jason Adam over the right field for his first career pinch-hit home run. More importantly, it tied the game at three.
Grifol then opted to bring in Reynaldo Lopez to pitch the ninth inning despite the fact that the 29-year-old allowed two home runs and a two-run lead during Friday’s loss.
Instead of letting Lopez dwell on the tough outing, Grifol went right back to him in a key spot in an effort to maintain his confidence.
When Lopez is confident, he has some of the best stuff in baseball. While he has been inconsistent this season, the White Sox are leaning on him to be the closer until Hendriks returns. Rebuilding Lopez’s confidence was critical.
Lopez responded to Grifol’s trust in him by firing a perfect inning, with a strikeout for good measure.
Examining His Extra Inning Decisions
Most of the criticism Grifol garnered was from his decisions in extra innings. Many fans were upset he didn’t call for a bunt to move the runner over.
As the road team in extra innings, you need to play for two runs. Even if they do move the runner over, there was no guarantee the White Sox drive him in. They are terrible with runners in scoring position.
In extra innings, he decided to intentionally walk Wander Franco to get to Randy Arozarena. Arozarena had been killing the White Sox all game.
However, with one out and a runner on second, all the Rays needed was a base hit to win the game. Wander Franco is a competent hitter. If you pitch to him, he could quickly end the game on a base hit as well. If you get him out there is still a runner at second with Arozarea at the plate.
By intentionally walking him, you set up a chance for an inning-ending double play—either way, the White Sox would have had to face Arozarena.
Grifol rolled the dice, and it backfired. But that loss should not be placed on him. This team has a lot of issues, and Grifol is not one of them.
