PHILADELPHIA -- Two things can be said about the White Sox: they care and they are trying to get it right in the batter’s box.

At 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, 3 1/2 hours before first pitch at Citizens Bank Park, the White Sox were taking extra batting practice. They needed the extra hitting, too.

The team’s league-worst batting average of .190 doesn’t tell the entire story. Entering Saturday’s game against the Phillies, the White Sox were also dead last in the Majors with a .137 batting average with runners in scoring position. It doesn’t help that Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. are on the injured list, while Eloy Jiménez is coming back from a left adductor strain and looks rusty at the plate.

The early work in the hitting cage didn’t pay off until the ninth inning, but the five-run rally fell short as the White Sox lost 9-5.

It was 9-0 going into the ninth when Phillies right-hander Ricardo Pinto entered the game. Suddenly, the White Sox found their hitting shoes. Eleven batters came to the plate and Chicago scored five runs to make it a game. Korey Lee highlighted the scoring with a two-run double.

Andrew Benintendi eventually came to the plate with the bases loaded as the potential tying run, but José Alvarado got Benintendi to ground out to end the game.

“On the offensive side, we didn’t get anything going until that ninth inning,” said manager Pedro Grifol. “The guys kept fighting. There was a lot of energy in the dugout. There were good at-bats in the ninth inning. We got [their] closer in the game. Let’s see if we can keep that momentum going into tomorrow’s game.

“We just strung some good ABs together. It’s going to happen at some point. These guys have a track record. At some point they are going to figure it out as a team, not as individuals. This team, offensively, will click at some point. This last inning could do that for us.”

Before the ninth inning, Phillies starter Zack Wheeler dominated the White Sox. He was commanding the zone with his two-seam fastball, changeup and slider.

In fact, Chicago didn't collect its first hit against the right-hander until the top of the eighth inning. With one out, Lee hit a ball past first baseman Bryce Harper for a single. Wheeler was then taken out of the game in favor of right-hander Seranthony Domínguez.

"It was a sinker. I think it was in, maybe not in enough. I was trying to get some quick outs. Maybe get a little bit more of the plate,” said Wheeler.

“I was trying to get on,” said Lee. “I knew the no-hitter was going on. Obviously. I was trying to break it up. I was trying to find a way on and try to get a rally going.”

It marked the second day in a row Chicago had a poor day at the plate against a starting pitcher. On Friday, the White Sox didn’t collect their first hit against Spencer Turnbull until the seventh inning.

On Saturday, the White Sox had a chance to score off Wheeler in the first inning -- Nicky Lopez led off with a walk and then found himself on third base with two outs, but Andrew Vaughn struck out to end the threat.

“Wheeler is good everyday,” said Grifol. “He has plus-plus stuff. He has weapons. He attacked the strike zone with really good stuff. He doesn’t beat himself. You have to beat him. Today we didn’t do it.”

The Phillies were able to beat White Sox starter Michael Soroka. After a good start in the first, Soroka threw 38 pitches the following inning and allowed three runs, two of which came on a Brandon Marsh homer. By the time he left the game, Soroka had thrown 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits.

“I probably did Marsh a favor there,” Soroka said. “He was a little late. I sped him up. I threw a changeup in the loop. It was a bad pitch to a guy that has been seeing the ball well. He made me pay. After that, I just kind of lost a step for a second. I tried to keep battling, keep finding it. I thought I was trusting my stuff a lot better tonight. Compared to the last outing, I’m in a better place. But it still wasn’t good enough.”