Important Stuff from Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Royals

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It's always preferable for the White Sox to play well, and show progress from the important members of their franchise. But if they're not, if they're going have Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn combined for six strikeouts, while Tyler Flowers posts the only multi-hit game on the day, if they're going to spoil another Jose Quintana gem and get into a knowingly hopeless dry heave-athon with a bullpen infinitely more ability to carry on a dry heave-athon...well,then, fine. This is a fine result. Go right ahead and let Mike Moustakas knee a ball out of Tyler Flowers' glove fro the game-deciding run. See if I care.

Box Score

  • Jose Quintana's 2014 season is more overtly and undeniably brilliant than we could have ever anticipated him being, but he turned in a kind of workmanlike gem Wednesday. He got 16 of his 21 outs on groundballs and threw strike one a lot (20 of 27). The Sox bullpen managed to out-walk him in two innings, while he pitched seven frames of one-run ball. Has anyone ever had a 300 no-decision career?
  • Jose Abreu looked off his timing Monday, sat out Tuesday with a back injury, and struck out three times Wednesday. In the midst of this clear crisis, his slugging percentage has dropped to .619.
  • After putting all the weight in the world on the platoon advantage by bringing in Eric Surkamp to face Raul Ibanez with the bases loaded in the eighth, Robin Ventura eschewed keeping Surkamp in to face Mike Moustakas to lead off the ninth. On the other hand, Surkamp is terrible, and Zach Putnam's dreadful outing was deservedly unanticipated.
  • Gordon Beckham may not be with us anymore. He's 6 for 66 for the month, and his OPS has dropped 100 points in the month. He probably should not have hit second Wednesday, all things considered.
  • Looking back, there is a very clear distinction in players discussed here who are above reproach (Quintana, Abreu) and beyond help (Surkamp, Beckham).

Team Record: 48-54

Next game is Thursday at 7:10pm CT on CSN at Minnesota

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