ST. PETERSBURG -- The White Sox have a chance to make Major League Baseball history.
They could become the first team to reach the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the past two seasons and the fourth team to win 70-plus games after three seasons of 100-plus defeats. The other three (Braves, 1925; Senators, '65; Astros, 2014) won exactly 70.
If the South Siders reach October baseball for the first time since 2021, their contests could look much like the White Sox 1-0 loss to the Rays on Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
It was an exceedingly well-pitched game. It was a well-played game. It was a contest where the Rays, featuring the American League’s best record at 65-45, converted on a scoring opportunity where the White Sox (58-52) couldn’t come through.
Dominating as they did on Friday night and fighting through Saturday’s taut battle is another stepping stone, another moment of proof for this young team. With 52 games to play and a 2 1/2-game lead in the AL Central, the White Sox simply need to keep winning.
But this past week has shown the White Sox are as good as any AL team, whether or not they think about such things.
“Every single day, regardless of who we're playing, we feel like we have a chance to win,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “It’s something that these guys developed early on in the year and have been able to sustain it. We're not thinking that big. We just know that every night we have a chance to win.”
“We are in a really good spot right now,” third baseman Miguel Vargas told MLB.com. “I know earlier in the year, it was a question of, 'What can we do?' We proved we can play at the highest level and we can compete. We have been pretty consistent.”
Chicago's pitching has been especially consistent since the second inning of a contest against the Yankees on July 29. After allowing four runs in the first inning of that game vs. New York, White Sox hurlers have yielded three runs (two earned) on 22 hits in 39 innings.
The lone run on Saturday came off Noah Schultz (3-8) in the fifth, with Nick Fortes’ two-out single bringing home Jonny DeLuca. Jordan Hicks started and threw a mere eight pitches in the first, but Schultz was just as sharp as the bulk man with four strikeouts and zero walks in five innings on 67 pitches.
“[Schultz] was really good today,” said catcher Edgar Quero, who had two singles in support of Schultz. “Controlling the two-seam in the zone and using the cutter for strikes early and finishing with the changeup and sweeper.”
“Just had a great plan going into it,” Schultz said. “Me and Q were on the same page again. He's been great. Since he's caught me for a few years now, it's something where he knows me best and we just had a great game."
Drew Rasmussen (10-5) pitched like the All-Star he was this season for the Rays, striking out 10 over six scoreless innings, while allowing four hits. Two of those hits came via Braden Montgomery and Quero singles in the fifth, with an error putting runners on second and third with two outs for Sam Antonacci.
Antonacci ripped a cutter to right with a 105.1 mph exit velocity, a play where right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. turned a complete circle in tracking the baseball. Mesa adjusted to make the catch and end the inning.
“You never know with this ballpark, with the dome,” Antonacci said. “But it kind of just feels like the way it’s been going recently with all of us. We’ve been putting good contact on the ball, hitting it hard. Today, there were more strikeouts than usual.
“In the past, when we haven’t scored many runs, it feels like we are hitting them right at them and barreling them up. It’s baseball. I’m sure there will be a stretch -- hopefully soon -- where we get a bunch of bloop hits that fall for us and get us going.”
Vargas connected off closer Bryan Baker (31st save) for a long drive to left on the first pitch of the ninth, hauled in by Chandler Simpson. With two outs, Randal Grichuk lined one down the left-field line that just went foul in an attempt at a tie before striking out to end the game.
Two very good teams, fighting until the final out. File this one in the memory banks, as it might play out again in a little more than two months.
“I just hope we keep taking care of business and showing up and getting our work done,” Antonacci said. “We’ll be where we want at the end of the year.”
“When we lose, we're feeling pretty bad,” Quero said. “That's what we're trying to do every day. Go out there and play to win baseball games."