White Sox raise white flag

Last year's surprising AL Central crown drove expectations that the White Sox could compete for a World Series championship this year.

Reality check: Heading into the final month of the regular season, the Sox are two games under .500 and five games back in the division after losing five games in a row.

• They broke their losing streak with a win last night.

What's happening: The 2022 squad has underachieved dramatically. You have to go back to the 1985 White Sox — also managed by Tony La Russa — for this kind of disappointment.

Offense: A team built on the long ball has hit just 111 homers this season.

• That's fifth-worst in the league.
• No White Sox player has more than 14.

Defense & pitching: This dramatic late-inning loss in Baltimore is a perfect example of the team beating itself all season.

• The pitching staff has a 4.07 ERA, which ranks in the bottom half of the league.
• The Sox are fifth-worst in the league in errors (62).

Injuries: Luis Robert, Tim Anderson, Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal and Michael Kopech are all currently out of the lineup.

Meanwhile, La Russa was just hospitalized for an undisclosed medical condition and has no timetable to return to the team.

• He's also created controversy with strange managerial decisions, like intentionally walking batters with two strikes and falling asleep in the dugout.

💭 Justin's thought bubble: The Sox swagger melted away in the summer heat. Fans suffered through the recent brutal rebuild for this?