CHICAGO – Before White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease pitched in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Royals, Mike Clevinger had a message for his teammates about working in the dog days of summer.

“I was like, ‘This is a mental toughness game,’” said Clevinger, after being dealt the loss in a 7-1 setback to Kansas City on Wednesday evening. “You are playing against yourself right now and the other team.

“It’s easy to let your guard down in these moments, but it’s still going to go on the back of your baseball card at the end of the day.”

Clevinger (7-8) worked on an actual dog day in the season finale between these two teams, with 308 canines joining 15,593 fans in attendance at Guaranteed Rate Field. That crew witnessed the Royals (46-101), the worst team in baseball, finish with a 7-6 series edge against the White Sox, who dipped to a season-worst 34 games under .500 at 56-90.

But Clevinger turned in another quality start in another White Sox loss, striking out seven over six innings. His one mistake resulted in a two-run Michael Massey home run in the second, as he now has six of his 13 home runs on the season against the White Sox.

“Yeah, [Massey] shows up to play here. It seems to be the running trend with all of us here in Chicago,” Clevinger said. “I felt pretty good [otherwise].”

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol could have pushed Clevinger for one more inning but his night ended at 82 pitches, with the bullpen then allowing five runs.

“[My] back is a little tight. It’s been a little tight since the first start against Detroit [on Sept. 2],” Clevinger said. “Being smart [with] the situation we are in this season, [we have to] make sure we are crossing our T's and dotting our I's.”

“He gets his stuff done and he gets himself ready to pitch,” Grifol said. “This was a good outing, a really good outing. The ball is jumping out of his hand. He’s been really fun to watch this year.”

With a 3.61 ERA over 21 starts, Clevinger has been the most consistent member of the ‘23 White Sox rotation. The team has only Cease as a set starter for ‘24, although Grifol has said Michael Kopech is a starter moving forward despite currently working out of the bullpen.

So, could Clevinger be a fit in Chicago beyond this one year? The White Sox have a $12 million mutual option, the sort of options not often picked up with both sides needed in the mix, with a $4 million buyout.

“We’ll see. They haven’t talked to me about anything,” Clevinger said. “I’m definitely open to talking with them. We’ll see where it goes. Right now, my body is in a great spot and everything is coming out nice.”

“He’s been solid as solid can be,” Grifol said of Clevinger. “In a world that there’s a need for starting pitching, who wouldn’t want Clev? He’s been really good in the clubhouse, he’s been really good with our young guys. He’s had a lot of energy all year, he loves to pitch, loves to compete. Absolutely.”

Wednesday’s setback was the first career loss for Clevinger against the Royals after nine straight wins. He was removed early as a cautionary move, but caution doesn’t mean letting up for the White Sox as they play out the last 16.

“We’re not talking about going easier. That’s never been discussed or will be discussed,” Grifol said. “This is the big leagues and you’ve got to play the game hard. We’re just hoping guys don’t get hurt and finish the season strong.

“As far as taking it easy, that hasn’t been discussed. The effort they’re giving us on the field is what they choose to give us. We want to finish healthy so we’re going to take it easy: That’s not what we’re talking about.”