White Sox drop to the No. 7 seed in the AL playoffs with a 10-8 loss to the Cubs
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox punctuated a dismal final week of the regular season with a second inning to forget Sunday in the City Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Reynaldo Lopez surrendered a solo home run to Kris Bryant and a two-run blast to David Bote during a six-run inning. The Sox attempted an epic comeback but lost 10-8 in the regular-season finale at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox trailed 10-1 entering the eighth. They scored five runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, and they brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. But Andrew Chafin struck out Nomar Mazara looking to end the game.
The loss, combined with the Cleveland Indians’ 8-6 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, means the Sox will be the No. 7 seed in the American League playoffs. They will travel to Oakland for their wild-card series against the Athletics beginning Tuesday. The A’s earned the No. 2 seed with a 6-2 win against the Seattle Mariners combined with the Minnesota Twins’ 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Adbert Alzolay allowed one run on two hits in five innings for the Cubs, who took two of three games in the series.
The Cubs clinched the National League Central title Saturday and will be the No. 3 seed in the NL playoffs. They will host the Miami Marlins in a best-of-three first-round series, with the first game Wednesday.
The Sox stumbled in the aftermath of clinching their first postseason appearance since 2008, losing eight of their final 10 games.
Despite the late slide, the Sox entered Sunday with a chance to win the American League Central. But the Twins clinched the division with the Sox loss.
The Sox finished tied for second with the Indians and will be the No. 7 seed because the Indians held the tiebreaker edge based on head-to-head record.
After Lopez retired the side in order in the first, Bryant began the second with a 446-foot home run to left. Bote’s two-run homer made it 3-0.
Cameron Maybin drove in two with a bases-loaded single. Carlos Rodon entered with runners on the corners. Maybin took off for second, starting a rundown, and Billy Hamilton raced home to make it 6-0.
Lopez allowed six runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 1? innings. He is a candidate to start a potential Game 3 in the wild-card series. Like Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning in the first two games of the City Series, he struggled.
The Sox scored five runs in the eighth to get within 10-6. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer in the ninth. It’s the type of fight the team will have to display starting Tuesday.
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