There’s lots of life left in a broadly captivating baseball season, but it could be hard to find it over the next few days at Kauffman Stadium.
The crowd on Monday night was the size normally found at exhibition games and just about as animated. The onus was squarely on the White Sox to create their own excitement, but instead they continued the disappearing act that began with Keith Foulke’s blown save 10 days ago in Seattle.
With third baseman Jose Valentin committing errors on consecutive grounders in a five-run third inning, Sean Lowe fell into an early hole en route to a 10-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals before a crowd announced at 13,842.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Sox, who fell three games below .500 but stayed 8 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the American League Central when the Indians lost 9-0 at Oakland.
If the Sox are going to play meaningful games in September, they must cut their deficit to at least six games before a four-game series with Cleveland Aug. 31- Sept. 3 at Comiskey Park. That means playing well on the 10-game trip to Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Detroit.
Jerry Manuel made that point during a 30-minute meeting before the game. But by the fourth inning, the manager had realized this was a lost cause. He left Lowe (6-4) in to allow 10 runs over seven innings as the team’s losing streak became the longest since it hit bottom with a seven-game streak that ended with the Sox 14-29 on May 23.
“That’s probably our worst game in a long time,” Manuel said. “We’ve been playing pretty good baseball up until tonight for the most part. You’re going to have a game like that, no doubt about it, no matter who you are.”
With the bullpen thin after working 20 1/3 innings over the last five games, Manuel used only lefty Alan Embree to mop up for Lowe. He will have Foulke and Bob Howry rested to follow Jon Garland, Dan Wright and Gary Glover in the last three games of the series.
“It’s no fun to pitch in these games out of the pen,” said Lowe, who threw 117 pitches. “I’ve been down there. I know. I would have gone out there in the eighth if they had let me.”
Raul Ibanez and Dave McCarty led Kansas City’s 13-hit attack with solo homers and three hits apiece. The Sox managed only five hits off starter Blake Stein (6-6) and three relievers.
