CHICAGO – Pittsburgh’s 9-3 thumping of the White Sox basically was over after the first inning Tuesday night at Rate Field.
Actually, it took just seven batters against White Sox ace Sean Burke.
All seven reached base, via four doubles, two singles and a walk, and five of them scored. These weren’t weak connections, with four of the first five hits topping 100 mph exit velocity per Statcast, and a fifth checking in at 99.5 mph.
By the time Burke’s abbreviated night was done, the right-hander set a career low with 1 1/3 innings to go with career-highs seven runs on eight hits.
“Yeah, I just missed spots,” said the usually upbeat Burke, who spoke quietly after this rough effort. “Even when I was ahead of guys, just not making good pitches in the zone.”
“Obviously they jumped on us early. Just go back and look at a few things and make an adjustment,” catcher Kyle Teel said. “Sean's been really good for us and stuff like this happens. You've just got to flush it and be better the next start and we have full confidence in that. Just get 'em next time, that's all it is.”
Rookie Konnor Griffin opened with a double and after a walk to Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds doubled home a run. Oneil Cruz added a two-run double, followed by Esmerlyn Valdez’s run-scoring double and Spencer Horwitz’s RBI single. Rafael Flores Jr. singled before Burke struck out Jacob Gonzalez, his former White Sox teammate, to stop the bleeding.
“A lot of hard contact and really about execution,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “I thought the stuff was OK. Just a lot of pitches right down the middle and they're really good hitters. There are a lot of talented hitters in that lineup and they didn't miss any mistakes.”
“They hit some pitches on the fat part of the plate,” Burke said. “They hit some pitches that were decent pitches. It was just one of those days where everything I threw they were hitting “
On the micro level, Burke’s ERA jumped to 3.58. He has allowed 17 runs on 23 hits over his last 20 1/3 innings, with 17 strikeouts and 17 walks.
But on the bigger picture level, which is all that matters for the American League Central-leading White Sox (75-69), it’s a night hurting them in the present and the future. The present featured wins from Cleveland (74-72) and Houston (74-71), meaning the South Siders’ lead in the division dropped to two games over the Guardians and their advantage for the AL’s No. 2 seed and a Wild Card round bye fell to 1 1/2 over the Astros.
Burke could pitch Sunday in St. Louis on regular rest. But the White Sox pushed his start from Sunday to Tuesday to give him a couple of extra days, and could move him until Monday to open their big three-game set against Cleveland at Progressive Field.
After a bullpen day Sunday turned into a 15-strikeout success, the White Sox were able to escape Tuesday with just three relievers thanks to four innings from José Urquidy.
“On a day like today where you're behind and you want to keep things relevant, keep it clean and just let the boys try and get some momentum, he did a really good job,” said Venable of Urquidy. “He did a really nice job dealing with the quality and also the coverage is important, too.”
“With the position of where our team is at and where we are coming down the stretch, more than myself, I think throwing away a game like that today is frustrating,” Burke said.
One encouraging sign came from Teel, who had two hits out of the nine spot including a long home run off Bubba Chandler leading off the sixth. Teel’s return from the injured list, after dealing with a high left ankle sprain, makes a strong lineup even deeper.
“One hundred percent, it felt really good to hit that home run, get the single,” Teel said. “But at the end of the day, I'm playing this game to win as a team. Just flush it as a team and get ready to win the next one.”
Teel’s Statcast-projected 408-foot drive -- with an exit velocity of 112.4 mph -- was almost snared by a fan wearing a Drew Thorpe jersey. Maybe it was a sign of help to come for the White Sox, as Thorpe threw five scoreless innings during an injury rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte Tuesday.
For now, it’s about getting Burke quickly back on track.
“I’ll take a look at the video tomorrow and walk through it with a fresher mind than I have now,” Burke said, “[and] go to work.”