Latest White Sox Loss to Marlins Reveals Some Major Defensive Problems
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The Chicago White Sox couldn't build on the momentum they created in their first win of the 2026 season. Despite a calm and collected start, the Miami Marlins dominated from the fourth inning on for a 9-2 victory. They tallied nine runs and held the Sox to just two walks with zero hits in the final six innings. The strikeout concerns that popped up over the first two games returned, as Chicago finished with 13 Ks on the night to the Marlins' five.
Nevertheless, if there is any department to blame for this latest loss, it would be the defense.
Defensive Woes
The Chicago White Sox held an early lead following a solid pitching performance from Erick Fedde in his season debut. The old friend and veteran righty threw three innings of scoreless ball, which included only one walk. With the White Sox having two early runs on the board thanks to some good contact from Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi, they were fully in the driver's seat.
But then they took their hands off the steering wheel and closed their eyes.
Defensive mishaps have been a staple for this team in the past, and things felt no different in the fourth inning. Following an infield single by Xavier Edwards, Agustín Ramírez hit one to right center field. As right fielder Tristan Peters made a break for the ball, so did center fielder Luisangel Acuña. The two nearly collided, allowing the ball to drop, roll, and send Ramírez to second to put two runners in scoring position. It should have put one out with a runner on first!
Liam Hicks would capitalize on the Sox' mistake by hitting a sharp bouncer past a diving Murakami for a bases-clearing double. But the self-inflicted wounds didn't stop there for Chicago. Owen Caissie would score Hicks on a line drive to Acuña for the 3-2 Miami lead. He would also get a chance to advance to second thanks to Acuña throwing a terrible ball to home plate that had no chance of catching the runner.
Believe it or not, essentially the same exact thing happened the next at-bat. Heriberto Hernández sent a grounder between Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery to the struggling Acuña. He tried again to get it to Edgar Quero before Caissie could score, only to record another error and allow Hernández to get into scoring position.
Fortunately for the Sox, Fedde managed to get two more outs and end the inning. But Miami now had a 4-2 advantage and all the momentum thanks to some frankly awful relays from Acuña. If there weren't serious questions about the utility man's ability to hold down center field before, there sure are now!
With that said, Acuña isn't the only one to make the low-light reel (is that a thing?). Edgar Quero didn't help his defensive reputation with a pair of errors. The worst came in the bottom of the seventh on a sac bunt. Sox reliever Bryan Hudson was able to get to the ball in time and send it Quero's way. All things considered, the throw was perfect and gave Quero a chance to record the out, but he dropped it.
Quero is also 4 of 10 on defensive ABS challenges to begin his 2026 campaign, per Jesse Rogers. Someone who built a lot more excitement standing at the plate than crouching behind it, Kyle Teel's early injury gave him an opportunity to prove he can be a dependable two-way player. Manager Will Venable is still waiting to see the progress.
Strike Two for Paez?
We've already discussed the shock that came with Chicago's decision to add Jedixson Paez to the Opening Day roster. While they were sort of caught between a rock and a hard place due to the Rule 5 Draft restrictions, they didn't hesitate to let their other selection (Alexander Alberto) walk earlier in camp. Plus, Paez had never pitched above High-A ball. Did it really make sense to fast-track him to the minors?
We may have our answer after only three appearances. The 22-year-old first came in for Hudson at the bottom of the seventh and got the final out. Coming out a half-inning later, however, things quickly went south. He started things off with a walk in just five pitches. Otto Lopez proceeded to single before an Owen Caissie sac fly brought in a runner. Two batters later, Paez would give up a homer to make it 9-2.
Paez now has 6 earned runs in just 3.0 innings pitched. Yes, it was always going to take some time to get adjusted to the majors, but the Sox also knew this was a risk. Will it ever pay off?
Munetaka Murakami Stays Hot
Thank goodness for Munetaka Murakami, right? The Japanese standout remains the clear bright spot for the Sox a little less than a week into the regular season. After starting the year with three straight home runs, he has now recorded at least one hit in each of his first five outings. Relatedly, he has put at least one RBI on the board in four of his five performances.
Murakami's one hit in this one came during the top of the third. Neither team has rounded the bases yet, until Murakami hit a very hard grounder straight ahead that bounced off the mound and rolled past the infield. Quero came around to score as Murakami stopped at first.
For an offense that has been incredibly up and down over these first handful of games, Murakami has been a welcomed constant.
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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