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Chicago White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore knows his team's play is unacceptable. Sizemore is frustrated by the team's staggering 106 loss record heading into the month of September. That record includes a current 9-game losing streak.
“A lot of things have been going against us,” Sizemore said, per ESPN. “We need that break just to kind of help the morale in that clubhouse.”
The White Sox tied the franchise record for losses in a season, when bowing to the New York Mets on Saturday. Chicago only needs one more loss, with an entire month of baseball to go, to break the 1970 franchise record for losses. That now seems inevitable with weeks of baseball still to play.
“They are not quitting. They are not folding,” Sizemore added about his club.
Chicago needs quite a few things to turn around. The franchise fired former manager Pedro Grifol in the midst of this horrific campaign. The White Sox are now nearing another horrific record. The team's .226 winning percentage puts them on pace to finish with the worst winning percentage in an American League season, per ESPN Stats & Information. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics currently hold that record, with a .235 mark.
Why things haven't gone well for the White Sox this year
Chicago is in the midst of their second consecutive 100-loss season. This is quite remarkable, considering just two years ago the team had a .500 season. The White Sox have struggled to score runs this year, which has led to disastrous results. The team has the fewest amount of road wins in the American League, due to these offensive struggles.
The White Sox's offensive struggles have been an epidemic for the team. It seems nearly everyone has had a cold bat during the campaign. For example, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is having his worst season offensively in his career. The young man is batting just .221 this season, with 68 total hits in 308 at-bats.
Robert is not the only player struggling on this team. The White Sox brought in Tommy Pham during the last offseason, but the outfielder didn't even last one full year in Chicago. He was dealt before the MLB trade deadline, and Pham is now off slashing for the Kansas City Royals. Pham did hit at a .266 average while in the Windy City, but the experiment just didn't work.
The team is also looking at possible candidates to take the managerial role following the season. Sizemore was certainly an option, but the team's losses have only continued under his leadership. While it's certainly not all his fault, it would be hard to see a path for Sizemore to get promoted to full-time manager.
The White Sox are in action on Sunday, to try and stop that nine game losing streak. Chicago plays the New York Mets at 2:10 Eastern.
