Big hit eludes White Sox in opener vs. Orioles

CHICAGO -- White Sox manager Tony La Russa called rookie Lenyn Sosa’s second plate appearance against the Orioles in Thursday night's series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field one of the highlights of the evening.

That trip to the plate resulted in a hard-fought nine-pitch walk for Sosa in the ninth inning with one out and Seby Zavala on second base, but when a free pass ranks at the top of the charts it's exemplary of how things went for the host squad in Baltimore’s 4-0 victory. A second straight loss for the White Sox (33-35) stood as the second time they were shut out this season and dropped them 4 1/2 games behind the Guardians and Twins in the American League Central.

It was a night when the White Sox put at least one baserunner on in every inning. But the stellar Baltimore defense, keyed by some spectacular plays in the outfield, kept the White Sox from crossing the plate.

“We couldn’t get a big hit in those situations,” said Zavala, who had two of the White Sox nine hits.

“I would say we should win the game when you get nine hits and a lot of hard outs. You should mark something, right?” said La Russa. “We hit a lot of balls hard and couldn’t break through.”

Adley Rutschman, baseball’s top prospect, drove in three of the Orioles’ four runs. He doubled in one off reliever Reynaldo López in the sixth and launched a two-run homer in the fourth against White Sox right-hander Johnny Cueto (1-4), who failed to pitch six innings for the first time as a starter this season.

“He had a big night,” La Russa said of the Orioles' young phenom, adding that the White Sox will try to, " ... see if we can make some adjustments, keep him quiet.”

“It was just a bad pitch,” said Cueto through interpreter Billy Russo. “I left that pitch in the middle and he took advantage of it. That happened. We're not perfect."

After arriving earlier in the day from Double-A Birmingham, Sosa was able to make his Major League debut because of an in-game injury suffered by Josh Harrison. The veteran second baseman was hit by a Dean Kremer pitch in the right triceps in the bottom of the fifth and stayed in the game, before being replaced an inning later.

Danny Mendick already was lost to the White Sox for the season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee Wednesday. So, Harrison’s contusion serves as yet another hit to a team already beset by injuries.

“He’s got a big ol’ knot in the back of his right throwing arm,” La Russa said of Harrison. “He’s tough enough. I don’t think anything can keep him down.”

“It's baseball. It's part of the game,” Cueto said. “I think you have to be like a horse, just keep moving forward. It's unfortunate.”

The White Sox watched an eight-game winning streak against Baltimore come to an end in a contest they played without center fielder Luis Robert, who was sidelined by leg soreness but should return Friday night. Their last loss to the Orioles was on May 1, 2019, when reliever Kelvin Herrera suffered the defeat, Ricky Renteria was the manager and the organization was moving from the initial rebuild stage into its competitive window.

At that point in '19, the White Sox had a 12-15 record. They have a far more talented team in 2022, coming off two straight playoff appearances with an eye on more, but they'll need better results and maybe even a little better luck to come out with a better record at the end.

“Coming off a big series against Toronto, it’s a tough loss today,” Zavala said. “But I know we have a lot of fight in us and we’ll get it going tomorrow.”