The Chicago White Sox blew a chance to gain ground in the AL Central Division race

The Chicago White Sox clung to a 5-4 lead as they headed into the bottom of the ninth against the Colorado Rockies. They were just a half-inning away from being two games above .500 and just two back of the AL Central Division-leading Minnesota Twins.

Instead, Kendall Graveman walked the first three batters he faced to start the inning. Rockies catcher Elias Diaz hit the first pitch he saw for a walk-off single.

Instead of gaining a win to move up in the standings, the Sox are stuck in the same place they have been for much of the season–mediocrity.

Now the White Sox are back to .500 and three games out of first place sitting behind the Cleveland Guardians for second place.

Such is life for the White Sox as they continue to trudge through this 2022 campaign, which has been a major disappointment so far.

The Chicago White Sox had high hopes of winning the World Series before the 2022 season started. Right now, they are lucky just to be at .500.

Missing out on a chance to take the two-game series against the Rockies was a blown opportunity, especially as the White Sox keep running out of games to make up ground on the Twins. Soon the calendar will flip to August and that means less contests available to even close the gap with the Tampa Bay Rays who are three games up on Chicago for the final wild-card spot.

The Chicago White Sox lost this game much like they have lost games all season.

The Sox got into an early hole with Lucas Giolito giving up three runs to start the game. Instead of melting down further like he has this season, Giolito battled and did not give up a run over the next four innings he pitched.

The Chicago White Sox battled back getting two runs in the fourth inning and taking the lead in the seventh.

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The Sox bullpen could not protect the lead. Jose Ruiz gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh. This is on the heels of Ruiz giving up three runs in his last outing against the Guardians on July 23rd. Ruiz has pitched better since his horrendous May but he should not be pitching in two-run ballgames.

Although, White Sox manager Tony La Russa was limited with his bullpen options.

That is one reason Graveman was pitching the ninth inning. The bullpen took another hit when reliever Joe Kelly left the game in the eighth inning with an injury.

Graveman’s performance in the ninth was part of a troubling trend at Coors Field.

Chicago White Sox pitchers are tied for fourth in the Majors for the most free passes given out. Inconsistent pitching has been one of the reasons that Sox cannot get a hot streak.

You can be sure Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn will be in the market before the trade deadline for bullpen and starting pitching help.

Poor base running has also doomed the Southsiders. The White Sox missed a chance to tie or take the lead in the fifth when Leury Garcia was picked off at third base to end the inning just as Yoan Moncada drew a walk to load the bases.

The Chicago White Sox did not hit a home run during 18 innings playing in the thin Denver air. The Sox offense has gotten better the last couple of weeks as they are now third in the league in batting average. They are in the league’s bottom ten in home runs. The Sox were built to hit home runs, yet they cannot hit dingers in the easiest park to hit the long big all in.

Considering they are the third worst defense in the big leagues, and it is no wonder the White Sox have been hovering at or a few games below .500 all season.

Poor defense, inconsistent pitching, bad base running, a lack of power hitting, and injuries are keeping the White Sox from fulfilling their World Series destiny. Also, it does not help that the manager has cost the team a few victories with his questionable decisions.

The Sox can try to acquire some pitching help, a left-handed power bat, and maybe a better fielding second baseman at the trade deadline. That still might not be enough to get the White Sox to the promised land, especially when the New York Yankees and Houston Astros seem poised to steamroll through the American League postseason.

Still, you never know what can happen in October. The Chicago White Sox might not even get a chance to find out. Not when they keep blowing opportunities to go on a desperately needed win streak just to make the postseason.