Horrible Run Differential Says It All for White Sox After Second Straight Series Loss
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Another day, another disasterclass from the Chicago White Sox!
With a chance to earn their first series win of the season, the Sox came up short in embarrassing fashion. The Miami Marlins jumped all over them for the second consecutive game, running away with a 10-0 victory. They put up four runs in the first inning and never looked back – all while Chicago managed just three hits against the flame-throwing Sandy Alcantara.
To be honest, the fact that the team's home opener was pushed back a day could be for the better. Fans may already need a break from this squad!
A Ghastly Run Differential
The Chicago White Sox have allowed nine runs or more in four of their six games thus far. Milwaukee was the first to jump all over them, posting 14 runs on Opening Day. They would also conclude the series by pulling off a gut-wrenching 9-7 comeback.
Things finally appeared to be on a better track against the lesser-experienced Marlins. Chicago handed them their first loss of the year on Monday with a 9-4 victory. Then, they jumped out to an early lead the following day, only for the wheels to fall off again. Miami would win 9-2 before dominating even more on Wednesday with their 10 runs and 13 hits.
Chicago has given up 65 hits over their first six games, which is a league-high. To little surprise, their run differential is also now the worst in baseball at -31. The next closest team is the Philadelphia Phillies, who are sitting well behind with a -14.
All things considered, the run differential really says it all. The pitching has been a major problem, as starters have needed to be yanked time and again, leading to an increasingly exhausted bullpen. However, the bats have been equally as terrible. Even in their two higher-scoring efforts, they struggled to show a very disciplined approach. The majority of their runs were scored thanks to balls leaving the park. They rank a mere 22nd in hits (37) and sit third in strikeouts (73). The team struck out 13 times alone in Wednesday's loss!
Shane Smith Scaries
On March 13, I asked an important question: Should we be worried about Shane Smith?
A fan-favorite and feel-good story who was fresh off an All-Star campaign, he was always the obvious choice for the Opening Day start. However, there was no ignoring what was going on under the spotlight that is the Arizona sun. Smith was looking like a shell of his early 2025 self, lacking any command and repeatedly leaving games early.
He finished his spring training run with as many strikeouts and walks, as well as hitting three batters and allowing a total of nine runs. You never want to read too deeply into spring results, but it was hard not to with so much seemingly sitting on Smith's shoulders. He was supposed to be the tone-setter and serve as this team's ace.
Fast forward to Opening Day, and the fears became reality. Smith was pulled in the second inning after the Brewers posted four runs. The bottom of the second is where things quickly went south. He walked two batters before Joey Ortiz brought in the tying run with a single. After a strikeout, Smith would then allow Contreras to double to give the Brewers the advantage. Manager Will Venable quickly gave Sean Newcomb a call.
His second start wasn't much better. Smith began the game with a walk before a couple of batters later, giving up a single to Liam Hicks for the early 1-0 Marlins lead. Connor Norby then hit an RBI double in the next at-bat before it was Owen Caissie's turn to record his own RBI. Heriberto Hernández made it four consecutive hits with a single to left field.
While Smith would come back out and give up a two-run homer in the third inning, followed by two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Venable didn't let him come out for the fifth, meaning he ended the day by giving up eight hits and seven earned runs. He only struck out a single batter.
Look, it may only be his second start of the year, but this is about as bad as it could be for the guy who was supposed to be the Sox' most reliable arm. How many more outings like these first two can occur before the team has to do something about it?
Everson Pereira Leaves
The White Sox were forced to pull Everson Pereira from the game in the bottom of the fifth due to ankle soreness. Derek Hill took his place in right field, where Pereira has stood for five of the team's six games.
Chicago immediately deemed the injury day-to-day, calming initial concerns about the severity. However, there is still no question that losing Pereira for any period of time could be problematic. He has been one of the few bats in this lineup to get going with two hits in each of his two games prior to this one. He even smashed an impressive 403-foot bomb in the team's third meeting with the Brewers.
The decent start at the plate may be enough to keep him in the mix even when the team takes Brooks Baldwin and Kyle Teel off the injury report. At the same time, he will have to stay healthy and continue to show some pop.
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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