'We'll get our chance': Flaherty loses duel 

No matter the pomp and circumstance for Tuesday evening at Guaranteed Rate Field, no matter who opposed him on the mound, who was in the opposing dugout or who was even in the stands, the night was about winning. He’ll enjoy and look back fondly at the ceremony and the novelty of the event, Jack Flaherty said, but he'll be displeased with the result, an 8-3 loss to the White Sox.

Flaherty’s defeat against close friend and Harvard-Westlake High School teammate Lucas Giolito was his shortest and flattest outing of the season, with six hits, two walks, and a homer conceded across just 3 2/3 innings. The White Sox scored seven times off Flaherty, but that he was charged for only three was indicative of the night. Let down by poor defense and uncharacteristic miscues -- as well as a night he didn’t appear to have his top-level stuff -- Flaherty walked away with his first loss on the year after a historic 8-0 start.

“I thought he made a lot of quality pitches, it just wasn’t a night where we helped him out. That's very atypical; typically we help all our guys out, but tonight we weren't as clean as we needed to be,” said manager Mike Shildt. “Some balls found some holes for some softer contact. I thought Jack was fantastic and kept his composure and pitched way better than the line.”

That defense committed three errors before an out was recorded in the second. Only one of Chicago’s first five runs was scored via a base hit. The others: groundout, fielding error, bases-loaded walk and wild pitch.

It started on the opening defensive chance of the game, as Edmundo Sosa’s first career error allowed Tim Anderson to reach. Tommy Edman, slotted back in the outfield with Harrison Bader on the injured list, made his first error in right field all season -- a ball that kicked off the heel of his glove that would have ended the frame but instead made it 2-0.

But most surprising was the miscue of Nolan Arenado, who misplayed a modestly hit ball that bounced into his chest. With every mistake, the White Sox capitalized -- and forced Flaherty into 54 pitches in his first two frames.

“There's no doubt we let Jack down a little bit there today,” Arenado said. “We just didn't do a good job. He did his job in getting ground balls, and we expect to make those play, but we didn't. I know I didn't, and I got to be better there. But Jack pitched fine. We just didn't help him at all. We can't have his pitch count going up that early in the game, and that was definitely on us.”

“You got to continue to make pitches and continue to try to execute," Flaherty said. That’s all you can try to do.”

For Arenado, Tuesday continued an inauspicious trend. It was his seventh error of the season in his 48th game -- four more than his total in as many games last year -- and his fourth in his last seven games.

“Just not making aggressive moves and making in between moves,” Arenado said. “... I got caught in between, and that's usually what happens. I've been doing that a little bit lately, And I know I'm better than that. There's no doubt I haven't done a very good job right now.”

Though he and his manager reported an up-to-par feel for his pitches on Tuesday -- unhappy mainly with just a first-pitch hanging slider that José Abreu demolished -- Flaherty didn’t do much to help himself in the moment. He threw a pair of wild pitches and hit a pair of batsmen -- both which tied career-highs. More runs scored on Flaherty’s watch on Tuesday night than had been scored in his past five starts combined.

Flaherty’s taken a tick off his velocity this season, with every single one of his pitches below averages of recent years. But what he’s sacrificed there he’s made up for in command.

Opposing managers have said he’s throwing a “different” fastball this season, one of the leaders in opposing batting average. Part is how he’s played around with its speed.

But he showed on Tuesday, with frustration visible on the mound, he can still amp it up. His 97.8 mph punchout was tied for the sixth-fastest of his career -- and his fastest since 2019.

And the offense, usually a given on Flaherty days, averaging over eight runs per game for him entering Tuesday, was muzzled by Giolito’s six innings of two-run (one earned) ball. Bragging rights officially earned.

“I'm sure we'll get our chance [at a rematch] somewhere down the road,” Flaherty said. “He threw the ball well, and he did what he’s good at.”