First the good news: The Yankees beat Detroit on Sunday, so the White Sox remain 1 1/2 games out of the American League Central lead.
All that follows is bad news, starting with the final score of Baltimore 10, White Sox 2.
It was such a listless loss that most of the 32,069 at U.S. Cellular Field had given up booing and gone home by the seventh inning.
It was uninspiring and ugly.
When manager Ozzie Guillen walked into the clubhouse after the game with a player’s screaming children, he quipped, “You guys played so bad you make them cry.”
And although the Sox won two of three against the Orioles, it was hardly the way to welcome defending AL champion Tampa Bay to town for a four-game series.
“We did everything wrong,” Guillen said.
The tone was set in the first inning, mostly by starting pitcher Jose Contreras.
Leadoff hitter Brian Roberts singled, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Ramon Castro. He scored on a wild pitch.
It never got better for Contreras, who allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings while walking four, hitting two batters and throwing two wild pitches, both with runners on third base.
“One of those days,” said Contreras (4-8). “I have to move on.”
“Maybe because of the All-Star break, he was rusty physically and mentally,” Guillen said. “The velocity was there, he just couldn’t throw strikes.”
The Orioles’ five-run fifth started with a one-out single by Adam Jones. Then came a walk, another single and a run-scoring wild pitch. A hit batter ended Contreras’ day.
Enter Aaron Poreda, who was barely warmed up. He walked two straight batters for two more runs, and one of his runners scored when D.J. Carrasco relieved.
Poreda, a rookie, had not pitched in a week, and Guillen said he “will take responsibility. I’m not going to blame the kid for that one.”
The Orioles also scored four runs in the ninth — three on a homer by Gregg Zaun — off newly acquired reliever Tony Pena, who has a 13.50 ERA in his first four appearances for the Sox.
It seems that the Sox have become a hit-or-miss team, losing for just the second time in their last eight home games but allowing 10 or more runs three times in the last seven overall games.
And yes, there is some other good news to mix in.
Dewayne Wise hit a third-inning home run, his first since last September covering 125 at-bats. Chris Getz also homered in the eighth inning off winner Jeremy Guthrie (7-8).
And Getz realizes the real good news of the day, because he admits to knowing the Tigers lost to the Yankees by watching the scoreboard.
“I think everyone does,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pay attention to what the leader is doing.”
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dvandyck@tribune.com
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Monday vs. Rays, 7:11 p.m., CSN+
