The South Siders' winning streak came to an end Sunday afternoon in San Diego, but this 4-3 loss to the Padres felt different. Different in a way that actually says something good about where this team is headed.
If you had told me six weeks ago that I'd be genuinely disappointed watching the White Sox drop a one-run game and miss a series sweep against one of the National League's top teams, I would've called that progress. And I'd be right. This tight, hard-fought defeat stung precisely because we've come to expect these guys to compete, even when they fall behind in the middle innings. They're not quite the Cardiac Kids of last fall, but the late innings no longer feel hopeless for this squad.
That might sound like faint praise, but for anyone who's followed the post-2021 White Sox, you know how rare it is to give them credit without a heavy dose of criticism. What might seem like a baseline for other franchises—hovering around .500 as we approach the one-third mark of the season—feels like a genuine achievement here. Is that a little embarrassing? Maybe. But if you're worried about embarrassment, you've picked the wrong team to root for.
As has been the case lately, pitching wasn't the main culprit in this loss. But we're reaching that point in the season where you start to know exactly who you want on the mound and who you don't. Griffin Canning turned in the kind of performance that makes you wish the South Siders had landed him for the back of their rotation instead of Anthony Kay. Kay has had his moments and he's keeping the team in games, but after a month and a half of action, it's becoming clear that even a stellar season overseas doesn't always translate to a pitcher who can navigate a big league lineup more than twice.
To his credit, Kay held his own early, keeping San Diego scoreless long enough to give his team a chance. But the Padres eventually found their rhythm, and the White Sox couldn't quite answer back. Still, a 4-3 loss to a strong NL club on the road? A few weeks ago, that would have felt like a moral victory. Today, it just feels like a missed opportunity—and honestly, that's a pretty good sign.